Rifle Scopes S&B 3-27x High-Power Diopter Question

AIAW

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Minuteman
  • Aug 16, 2001
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    A question for any S&B 3-27x PMII High-Power owners out there.

    I've had this for a few months now and was curious if anyone else's diopter adjustment is favored towards the negative side with corrected vision? In my case, the diopter is nearly completely all the way in. I might have a quarter-turn left in it after calibrating it. My 5-25's are not adjusted this far in by any means - not that I can use a different scope as an equivalent comparison.

    I wear glasses, but damn. Didn't think I would need the entire -2 setting on this beast.
     
    They are afraid to answer :)

    LOL! It's sort of a low sales optic given the price-point so I can understand the underwhelming response. I'm glad I can indeed focus it, but it was close to bottomed-out diopter-wise.

    Maybe I'll try it with contacts and see if it makes any appreciable difference. I doubt it though.
     
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    I can't adjust it far enough in any direction to focus without glasses.

    I have a -3.75 diopter correction in each lens of my glasses. Not too terrible overall really.
     
    If it was me I would just call the warranty dept. Seems to me it would be easier to get a prescription off it without corrective lenses.
     
    You know I think I have discovered what it is, oddly enough.

    I'm sort of new to these gridded reticles. I had a good selection of "traditional" reticles across all of my scopes so I took the dive on the 3-27x S&B and got an H37. (Got a good deal on it - new). I bought an H59 last year, but this H37 makes the H59 look clean! I also own an MSR and a P4F - awesome reticles there, particularly the MSR. A bunch of stuff outside of S&B also.

    To be honest, I should have my ass kicked for getting this with an H37, but that was the only stock available with the 36 MIL version and he lines appeared to be quite thing (which they are even at high-power - no complaint there). I'm slowly adapting to it to tell you the truth - slowly. I do not use the upper reticle intersection - I use the traditional intersection which is actually in the middle of the FOV, 4 MILs down from the top intersection. I am mechanically zero'd there also. I have 34 MIL's available to dial on a 375CT - yeah, I can dial the next county over!

    Ideally I'd get it with an MSR if they offered it. One of my favorite reticles - P4F and MSR.

    So anyway, enough of that... what I noticed is that if I only focus my eye on the central FOV (roughy 4 MILs in each direction), I can back the diopter off quite a bit, pretty much to zero.

    I was trying to focus the entire reticle visible in the FOV - and that just isn't happening on full power. If I back the power down to 20x, everything is crisp even with the diopter ran out a bit. Basically it's a mind-trick I think. Your eye see's so much going on that it can't focus the entire FOV without tricking you into thinking the diopter isn't set correctly. Believe me, I've adjusted enough diopters to know when one is set correctly or not - the H37 in particular is like an optical illusion (rolling focus) almost in the 3-27x. Just too much going on in a tight eye-box.

    With an exit pupil of 2.07mm on 27x, it's just too much grid to get good depth of field, for me at least. I never really thought there was anything physically wrong with the optic, I was more curious if anyone else had experienced the same thing. I would wager good money that if this had a P4F reticle instead, this thread wouldn't exist.

    Man, I can't imagine what the H37 would be like in the 5-45x coming soon... Sensory overload, or perhaps so zoomed that the FOV is only 2 MILs.
     
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    I have 3-27 as well as 5-25 and 3-20 and no the diopter set about the middle. I also don't wear glass which I am sure would play a factor since the diopter is focusing the reticle at a close distance to your eye.

    However i I would not hesitate to call Schmidt NA with any question. I think the 3-27 is a great scope however the sales are much lower then the 5-25 due to the large price difference.


    Good luck with your adjustment. Please post back what you find out from SB
     
    What will happen with a lot of mirage?

    Anyway, straight or bent...

    bendy_star_optical_illusion.jpg
     
    I've already talked with the service center. They said there isn't much that can really be done in that case since it adjusts and stays adjusted throughout the entire power range. Their tolerance is 3 percent over the entire range. Makes sense really - there isn't much that can go wrong with a diopter typically considering all of their QA testing is done through the scope. The diopter sort of either moves or it doesn't move so to speak.

    I did pop in my contacts and was able to back off the diopter adjustment a tad also - hate it when genetics affects reticle focusing... or specifically, H37 reticle focusing!
     
    I would go cross eyed spending anytime behind that reticle myself. The most I can work with is a modified mil dot or something similar.
     
    I would go cross eyed spending anytime behind that reticle myself. The most I can work with is a modified mil dot or something similar.

    Whoa now, you administered a test to me above and left me hanging! I want to know my results ; )

    But yes, cross-eyed could be accomplished. I've peered through it for at least 30 minutes solid in a prone position and can maintain focus, it's just a little more optically stressing. Definitely not something you'd spend a lot of time observing with in my opinion.