Rifle Scopes sight picture/eye relief opinions

[chpprguy]

Yes,
another subjective ,opinion based optics question.....

My "quality " optics experience has been a Mark 4, a Premier,USO, and a NF (along time ago)

I have trouble with cheek weld/eye relief/sight picture,
especially at long ranges and higher mags....
I understand this is somewhat typical, and I need to work on my consistency of cheekweld and eye placement....

I also saw LL's review on the Hensoldt and how forgiving it "appeared" to be.....

I am basically looking for people's opinions who have or have owned a USO/Premier/Hensoldt/S&B etc and which they thought had the most forgiving eye relief/sight picture.

The main drawback to me for the Hensoldt is that I like the half mil measurements in my GAP reticled USO, would hate to give that up...

<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">this is simply an opinion request, not which scope is better than the other , etc.....</span></span>
Also, I am a welder, not a combatant, I just want to be able to shoot more,more accurately,and more comfortably....

 

[jasonk]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

The Hensoldt is the most forgiving I've owned and the scope almost just goes away when you look through it, very little black ring and no tunneling like the others.

 

[chpprguy]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

Do you find the standard mildot to be a disadvantage?
I use the half mil marks pretty often for wind hold offs....

 

[jasonk]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

I like the openness (is that a word) and the clean sight picture of just the mildots, but I too hope they come out with something with some 1/2 mil dashes. I don't range hardly ever with my reticle, so that's no big deal. I do agree the 1/2 mil marks would help with holding for wind, but it's not a deal breaker for me.

I'm eagerly awaiting Nathan to announce a new reticle.....someday.

 

[IsleofGough]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

Of the scopes you've tried, I think the PH and Hensoldt have the best optics. I prefer the Gen II reticle to the basic mil dot, but it is not that big a deal. The Hensoldt has better eye relief and is less tiring to look through for a longer time but has definite lateral chromatic aberration, which the PH does not. To me, the Hensoldt has a bit better resolving power, but both are great optically. I would consider the mechanics as much as the optics, though.

 

[chpprguy]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

anybody else?

 

[Spuhr]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

Even though there is differances betwen the scopes I see this problem more as a stock problem than a scopeproblem. There is huge differances betwen the scopes and some scopes have variable eyerelief making the life with them really difficult. But apart from variable eyerelief like a leupold Vari Xlll 6,5-20 this problem is mostly due to less good stock design.
Different shooting positions requires different stocksettings, and to me it's absolutely amazing that the major sniperstocks still not are adjustable in lenght, buttplate height, and cheekpiece height.
I am using a TRG folding stock that have those quick adjustments and I am extendign the stock approx 1" when I go down in prone.
Same thing with the butt plate height that is at least 1,5" up in prone, but straight back in other poistions.
When the stock is right, it's very easy to find the scope right.

I didn't fully realize this untill I got the folding stock for the TRG, on the standard stock I did like everybody else, i changed my shootingposition to fit to the stock, instead of the other way around.

Those features should really be standard on any long range rifle, and it shouldent be any problems to fit a some mechanics on the A5 for example to make it's 1970 design to enter this century..............

Håkan

 

[ALMAORFE]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

The Hensoldt Sight picture is really awesome, the best of what I've had experience with. Like you I also prefer half mil slashes and the Hensoldt has a plain mil dot. Not bad but not Ideal for me. If Hensoldt would offer some more reticle choices I'd sell all my other optics and run them exclusively, thats as good an endorsement I can give. So if you don't mind a plain jane mil dot, IMO scopes don't get any better.

 

[livetohunt]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

+1 Spuhr I couldnt agree more.I have all the scopes you asked about and the Hensoldt has the most pop or easy sight picture.If you are looking at a high power scope in the 24x or 25x range I would go with a Zeiss or Hensoldt 6x24x72.Its a big scope but its the best scope IMHO to get a clear sight picture with high magnification.

 

[chpprguy]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

Thanks for the input,
perhaps I'll get a stock pack and mess with the cheek height etc, to see if I can improve it, and look at an adjustable cheek if it is needed...

any other opinions on eye relief/sight picture?

 

[chpprguy]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

bump...... any other input?

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

For me, USO is more forgiving in eye placement behind the scope that my Premier was (one of the reasons that's past tense).

I haven't had the luxury of eyeballing a Hensoldt, but the S&B's of the same power range (5-25) I've shot were in between the USO and the Premier.

If you play practical precison rifle, the forgiveness of the eye relief becomes an issue. I agree it helps to have the stock fitment correct for the shooter, but all that goes out the window when crazy crap like "support side 90* prone" shooting is needed......

Variable eye relief is unacceptable in my opinion for a quality scope (why I've never kept a Leupy variable scope).

 

[35WLN]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

When you guys say forgiving in eye placement what do you mean? Your point of impact changes less? Sorry if a newbe question, I am trying to learn. Thanks

 

[chpprguy]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 35WLN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When you guys say forgiving in eye placement what do you mean? Your point of impact changes less? Sorry if a newbe question, I am trying to learn. Thanks </div></div>

What I meant was how much movement there is (of your head/eye at the back of the scope)
before you start getting shadowing or losing the sight picture, basically how forgiving is the scope of improper eye placement when looking through the scope...

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: sight picture/eye relief opinions

That's exactly what I was referring to as well.