Rifle Scopes Scope issue first time at range

[bluesman423]

Yesterday I took my new rifle - scope combo to the range and experienced a problem.

In order to focus at 100 meters I had to set the parallax adjustment (side knob) to 500 yards. I could not focus entirely using the rear adjustment. It was screwed all the way in and needed more adjustment in that direction.

Am I doing something wrong? The scope is a Falcon Menace 4.5-18X56mm.

 

[exhogflyer]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

The rear "eyepiece" is only, repeat ONLY to focus the reticle.Dial up to top mag,look thru at a plain sky,and turn it until the reticle image is sharpest.You may need to look away and back several times so the eye stays relaxed and is not "forced" into focusing the image.Once you've done this LEAVE IT ALONE.Now you use the side "focus" ( it's really parallax adjustment) for the best image.

 

[Aries64]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bluesman423</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yesterday I took my new rifle - scope combo to the range and experienced a problem.

In order to focus at 100 meters I had to set the parallax adjustment (side knob) to 500 yards. I could not focus entirely using the rear adjustment. It was screwed all the way in and needed more adjustment in that direction.

Am I doing something wrong? The scope is a Falcon Menace 4.5-18X56mm.
</div></div>
As <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Exhogflyer</span></span> stated, <span style="font-style: italic"> <span style="font-weight: bold">"The rear "eyepiece" is only, repeat ONLY to focus the reticle".</span></span> The <span style="font-style: italic">"Eyepiece"</span>, also known as the <span style="font-style: italic">"Ocular"</span>, contains the Diopter adjustment and is the lens assembly closest to your eye. After mounting the scope and orienting the reticle, Ocular/Eyepiece/Diopter adjustment is the next step in scope set-up. Without first properly adjusting the Ocular/Eyepiece/Diopter for <span style="font-style: italic">your eye</span> you may be "chasing the focus" as you try to focus on the target because the point at which the target image is in focus will vary based upon the Ocular/Eyepiece/Diopter setting. From this point forward I will refer to the Ocular/Eyepiece/Diopter as the "<span style="font-style: italic">OED</span>".

When you look at something your eyes naturally focus on the object - the same thing happens when you look through a scope. So when adjusting either the OED or Parallax you shouldn't look through the scope for more than a couple of seconds at a time because your eye will automatically begin to compensate to bring the image into focus. This is why people who adjust the OED and Parallax all in one long turn, without looking away every few seconds sometimes get eyestrain and/or headaches.

If you have properly adjusted the scope's OED for <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">your eye</span></span> you should be able to adjust the the focus ring/knob to the point that the reticle and target are in simultaneous focus. The exceptions to this are that: (a) the target is outside of the focusing range of the scope, (b) the scope is broken, (c) the scope is a POS, or (d) the scope is a broken POS.

Everyone's eyesight is different, which is why the OED should be adjusted for <span style="font-weight: bold">your</span> eyesight. <span style="font-weight: bold">When the OED is properly adjusted for your eye the reticle will always be in sharp focus regardless of the image focus.</span>

Once the OED has been set for <span style="font-weight: bold">your eye</span>, it should never be touched or otherwise adjusted until such time that you need to re-adjust it to compensate for vision changes over time. You may want to put a pen mark on the eyepiece indexed to the index dot on the scope tube - if the tube doesn't have an index mark use a pencil. That way, if someone else shoots your rifle and adjusts the Ocular you know where to return the adjustment to.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Below is the correct procedure for OED adjustment for both fixed and variable power scopes. The procedure is the same regardless of scope manufacturer, or whether the objective/parallax focus is on the objective ring or is a side focus type.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE:</span> If the scope is a fixed power unit skip Steps 1 and 2 as they do not apply. Begin with Step 3.

(1) Turn the magnification ring to maximum (highest power).

(2) Turn the Parallax focus to "Infinity" (the symbol for Infinity looks like a figure eight). <span style="font-weight: bold">NOTE:</span> Most non-side focus scopes use a ring on the objective bell to adjust parallax, and the distances are usually numbered. Side focus parallax adjustment knobs may or may not have distances marked.

(3) Turn the OED all the way in.

(4) Aim the scope at a cloudless section of the sky (you don't want anything except sky in the view, or else your eye will naturally attempt to focus on the object in the view beyond the reticle.

(5) Look at something nearby, but not too close, then look through the scope at the reticle. If the reticle is out-of-focus turn it a bit to begin to focusing the reticle, but look away from the scope. Never look at the reticle for more than a couple of seconds when adjusting the eyepiece (if you look at the reticle for more than a second or two your eye will naturally begin to adjust to bring the reticle into focus - and you don't want this to happen. <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">You want to be able to look through the scope and see a sharply focused reticle immediately with your eye relaxed</span></span>). This cannot be achieved by continuously looking through the scope and turning the eyepiece into focus in one continous motion because your eye will have already begun to adjust.

Remember, look away every few seconds and make small adjustments to dial-in the OED focus. Also remember to mark your adjustment on the tube, and that you should not adjust the OED at all except to maintain proper focus as your vision changes over time.

Keith

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

"The rear "eyepiece" is only, repeat ONLY to focus the reticle."

Great in theory, not true in practice with several scopes I own. I can use the eyepiece to affect the down range image clarity in a range that still has the reticle sharp.

Any time you move a lens in an optical system it affects the system. The light reflected passes through all the lenses between the target and your eyeball - no getting around that.

 

[ChadTRG42]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

Ok, I have a question to expand on. I have done exactly this to set up my NF 5.5-22x56 scope and the reticle is clear. But when I get to 20 yards or less, the reticle goes blurry. Some shots are at 10 yards in comps and I am fighting through a fuzzy reticle to make the hit. So, how do you fix this close-in blurriness?

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

When you exercise your eyeball that much to try to focus on the 20 yd target which is outside of the focus range of your NF you then blur the reticle due to your eye's attempt to correct the target focus.

 

[Ratbert]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ChadTRG42</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ok, I have a question to expand on. I have done exactly this to set up my NF 5.5-22x56 scope and the reticle is clear. But when I get to 20 yards or less, the reticle goes blurry. Some shots are at 10 yards in comps and I am fighting through a fuzzy reticle to make the hit. So, how do you fix this close-in blurriness? </div></div>

That's your eye adjusting to bring the out-of-focus target image into focus, which of course, means that the diopter setting you had for the reticle when your eye was relaxed no longer applies. Focus on the reticle and let the background go fuzzy (easier said than done, I know). Don't worry, as you get older your eyes will harden and won't be able to adjust. Problem solved

The fact that your eyes are willing to adjust to bring the larger background into focus, even when it's not, is why you set the diopter looking at a white sheet or the sky or something. You want the diopter to be set when your eyes are completely relaxed and not attempting to compensate for anything.

ETA: Of course, this follows that if your scope won't adjust to bring the parallax down to 10 yards (or whatever) then your choices are always going to be:

1) Have either the reticle or the target image out of focus (if you're young you'll get to choose, if your old and your eyes aren't flexible any more it will be the target)

2) Adjust the diopter to move the reticle's image plane onto the the same plane as the parallax is set (probably the minimum distance, say 50yds or whatever) then let your eye adjust to bring both into focus. This also only works if your eye is flexible enough to force the out of focus image into focus.

 

[ChadTRG42]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

Ok, so in other words- live with it!? That's what I was thinking, that it's just too close.

 

[Ratbert]

Re: Scope issue first time at range

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ChadTRG42</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ok, so in other words- live with it!? That's what I was thinking, that it's just too close.
</div></div>

Note edit above...

As an aside, if you're not picky about what happens to the reticle, the diopter adjustment can be quite useful on a non-parallax adjustable scope in regards to image quality of the target (it won't fix the parallax issue though). I use the diopter adjustment on my Zeiss LRF this way all the time and, though the reticle may get more or less fuzzy, with that I can get a nice crisp image at pretty much any distance target.