Rifle Scopes Unable to dial out prallax

[RampedRaptor]

Hello,

I was wondering if there are any tricks/tips to dialing out parallax. I have a g2 4.5-27 razor and it seems like after 400 yards I run out of parallax adjustment.

At first I chalked it up to my eyes/mirage/haze but then another shooter got behind my rifle and asked "how the hell do I dial out the parallax."

I plan on touching base with vortex tomorrow but thought I would ask here in the mean time to see if there was an adjustment I'm not aware of.


Thanks in advance

 

[SubOptimal]

Step 1 is to get your ocular right, that is the front focus, movable lens at the end of the scope. Mount your gun in your normal fashion and aim at a flat white wall or even blue sky. Adjust the ocular lens until your cross hairs are in perfect focus as best you can manage. Play back and forth with this until it is as perfect as can be.
Now, you can begin to play with parallax. Pick a target at any distance, not necessarily the longest distance. Mount your gun again and adjust the parallax knob for best focus of the target. Note that this may not be perfect parallax. Now move your head just slightly, a little left, a little right, a little up, a little down. Did the target seem to move at all relative to where the cross hairs are aimed? If not, that is perfect parallax for that distance. If the target appeared to move, make small adjustments to your parallax knob until the damn thing will stay still.
You may be experiencing a little eye fatigue at this point. Take a break and come back to it if you can't get good parallax adjustment.
Once you have it good at a moderate distance, you can check for infinity. Sneak up on this, going as you did before. Your eyes see everything beyond about 20 feet as infinity, your scope is not that good and needs adjustment. It is entirely possible that when going for long distance parallax adjustment, you turned the knob too far and the mechanism went over center and is on its way back. That is why, when making this adjustment, I always make the final adjustment towards the greater distance but it is going to be tiny. If I pass into another fuzzy zone, I back off and sneak back up again.
If, for some reason, you cannot get the target image and the cross hairs sharp but the image does not seem to move, you may have an issue with either your scope or your eyes. An ophthalmologist visit may be in order or sending the scope in for a check may be required. Eye doctor check takes a couple of hours out of your life and should be done on an annual basis once you pass 40 anyway. Scope return for check could take weeks and they may find out nothing is wrong with the scope.

 

[pdq5oh]

Ive been told when dialing out parallax you should dial from infinity. Should you go beyond the proper spot you should go back to infinity and not tweek the dial back & forth. Has this been your experience?

 

[lash]

No.

 

[TheOE800]

Razor G2 has fast focus on the eyepiece. Make sure that's set correctly and if you have caps that the caps aren't turning the focus ring when in use. After setting my focus on the Razor, I drew a witness mark on the ring with grease pencil.

 

[lash]

Ive been told when dialing out parallax you should dial from infinity. Should you go beyond the proper spot you should go back to infinity and not tweek the dial back & forth. Has this been your experience?

To expand a bit from my comment above.

Do not confuse setting your diopter settings (using the ocular adjustment) and adjusting parallax (using your focus/parallax) knob.

When setting your diopter setting, you should start with your parallax setting at infinity.

When adjusting parallax to engage a target, you tweak it on the run. That is if you have a good scope with repeatable settings.

 

[Yerman]

Same problem I am having? It probably needs to go back. https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...ocus-issue-with-vortex-razor-hd-gen-ii-4-5-27

 

[RampedRaptor]

Thanks for the long reply suboptimal. To clarify: 28 years old, near sighted, wear contacts, have a small astigmatism. I've set up several scopes before properly with regards to adjusting the "ocular" diopter.

For my eyes I always need the ocular adjustment screwed all the way in for the most crisp recticle when looking at a white wall/sky. I've always thought that was strange in itself. Recently went to the opthamothogist and she said everything looked good and my prescription did not need adjusting.

I wonder if there's a pair of glasses or another strength of contacts that would prove to be advantageous when shooting through a scope. One that was optimal for that distance.

 

[RampedRaptor]

Same problem I am having? It probably needs to go back. https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...ocus-issue-with-vortex-razor-hd-gen-ii-4-5-27

This is not reassuring at all. I also read the link you posted about the other gentleman having an issue and the response vortex gave him. To me, that is completely unacceptable and I do have my scope on a 40 moa setup. 20 moa rail (bighorn tl3) and 20 moa mount (spuhr).

I thought the torque was 22 pounds or something like that but that's off memory and I doubt a couple of pounds either way would cause my issue. Along with that, I don't recall having this issue originally but I don't get to shoot as much as I would like.

I went into this thinking it could be a me/vision issue but now I'm on the fence. I will be disheartened if there's an issue with the scope. I'm a huge fan boy of vortex and run a large percentage of their gear and know fully their CS will take care of me but still it's a pretty expensive piece of gear that has a easy life thus far.

 

[pdq5oh]

To expand a bit from my comment above.

Do not confuse setting your diopter settings (using the ocular adjustment) and adjusting parallax (using your focus/parallax) knob.

When setting your diopter setting, you should start with your parallax setting at infinity.

When adjusting parallax to engage a target, you tweak it on the run. That is if you have a good scope with repeatable settings.

Yeah. I understand setting the diopter then parallax. Its certainly a pain to start every time from infinity. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Yerman]

This is not reassuring at all. I also read the link you posted about the other gentleman having an issue and the response vortex gave him. To me, that is completely unacceptable and I do have my scope on a 40 moa setup. 20 moa rail (bighorn tl3) and 20 moa mount (spuhr).

I thought the torque was 22 pounds or something like that but that's off memory and I doubt a couple of pounds either way would cause my issue. Along with that, I don't recall having this issue originally but I don't get to shoot as much as I would like.

I went into this thinking it could be a me/vision issue but now I'm on the fence. I will be disheartened if there's an issue with the scope. I'm a huge fan boy of vortex and run a large percentage of their gear and know fully their CS will take care of me but still it's a pretty expensive piece of gear that has a easy life thus far.

Ya, we pretty much have the exact same issue. The more I read, the more it sounds like they have issues with parallax coming loose. Not sure if this is only on the 4.5-27 models, or the entire line.

A quick double check that I performed was adjusted parallax out of another scope, then tried with my Gen II. The minute I could get other scopes focused and couldn't focus my Gen II, I pulled it and sent it in.

I'm pretty much 100% convinced yours came loose like mine and needs to go in. I wouldn't even bother calling them. Their RMA form is on their website...just print it, fill it out, and mail it.

I was worried they would call me back and say there was nothing wrong, but they found the issue and fixed it. Allegedly. I'll find out when it gets back to me on Wednesday.

 

[Clearlight]

OP , do you have the diopter adjustment for reticle focus turned a long
way out ? I've noticed on some scopes there is a relationship between
diopter position and parallax . No issue in my Hensoldts for example .

With my LRHS it's hard to get a clear image at about the same ranges
you mentioned . When I turn the diopter adjustment in , and reticle is out
of focus it's much easier to eliminate parallax at any range . I'm at the point
in life where I need glasses for close work , and my diopters are wound out
a lot more than someone with young eyes would need .

I dont have the scope you mentioned , but would recommend trying
different diopter positions as an experiment . Some scopes have this issue
and some don't , different lens stacks / internal designs .

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Neutral back round, (blue sky) max power, parallax set to infinity. Keep adjusting the ocular until when you first open your eye after mounting the gun the ret is crystal sharp. If you wait more than 1/4 second your eye will try to correct a fuzzy ret. Once sharp when opening eye, do not move the ocular there after, until your eyes change do to age or eye pressure changes.
Now with a target sighted still on max power start at the FAT side NOT infinity and slowly bring the target into view as you move your head from side to side as well as up and down. When the ret stops moving and your not moving the gun, parallax is gone. If you go past the point and parallax returns go back to the FAT side and start over. DO NOT start at infinity an move to the fat side.

 

[pell1203]

Okay Gunfighter14e2... I give up! I'm sure others want to know as well but aren't willing to stick their head out to ask.

Perplexed... needing enlightenment! Can you please elaborate on the meaning of the "FAT side" reference in your post above? Was it supposed to be "FAR side" instead?

Probably be having a "duh" moment when you point out the obvious, but for the life of me I can't seem to see the answer while wearing my nifty new "eclipse" shades?

Thanks.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Infinity = far
Fat = near/close
Starting at the fat side allows you to see minor change to a finer degree than starting at infinity an coming back. You will also find it faster that way when time is short.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

I was taught infinity to fat, but years ago talking to jhuskey he said come from the fat side. I tried it and it's about 3x faster and the more your do it that way the faster you get. Way easier to see minor change as well before you go past the correct spot an have to start over.

 

[dleeds]

Where is your elevation? I had this problem when I attempted to get max travel and bottomed out the elevator. Make sure you are at least 7-10 mils from bottom of range. Dead center would be better.

 

[RampedRaptor]

The diopter adjustment is screwed all the way in, that's how I get the best focus when viewing a blue sky or white wall. This is the same as all my scopes, not just the g2.

I'm going to the range bright and early tomorrow to obtain more information that has been requested in this thread.

I will report back my findings.

I appreciate all the assistance thus far

 

[Scott_at_Vortex]

Ya, we pretty much have the exact same issue. The more I read, the more it sounds like they have issues with parallax coming loose. Not sure if this is only on the 4.5-27 models, or the entire line.

A quick double check that I performed was adjusted parallax out of another scope, then tried with my Gen II. The minute I could get other scopes focused and couldn't focus my Gen II, I pulled it and sent it in.

I'm pretty much 100% convinced yours came loose like mine and needs to go in. I wouldn't even bother calling them. Their RMA form is on their website...just print it, fill it out, and mail it.

I was worried they would call me back and say there was nothing wrong, but they found the issue and fixed it. Allegedly. I'll find out when it gets back to me on Wednesday.

Just wanted to jump in on this thread also. I posted in yermans thread also. Here is what I said-

Yerman,
I thought this sounded very odd as I have never heard of anything like this having to do with a parallax lens. So I looked in to it a bit. I am assuming your initials are BW,is that correct? I found that what we did to the scope was tweak the objective cell(which is what sets the parallax). What that entails is turning the threaded cell ,which the objective lenses set in, until all the parallax numbers line up. There are a number of things that could of caused the parallax to be off. Something as simple as a sunshade being on extremely tight and then taken off could slightly spin the objective cell for example.Another could be misaligned rings putting tension on the scope tube could cause the parallax cam pin to get slightly distorted. We could of just not set it properly when we assembled it etc,etc,etc. Anyhow, there are a number of more possible causes. Without personally seeing your scope I wouldnt be able to tell you, but I can tell you that its definitely not a common thing whether caused by use or by us from the very start.
On to the extreme canted base issue, if you are zeroed near the bottom of the travel the parallax numbers will not line up. It becomes even more pronounced in a scope like ours with a short focal length. However, since using a 45moa or more base is intended for extreme long range shooting you would not be shooting those distances with the turret/erector maxed down(at your 100yd zero). With 30+ mils of travel and a short focal length we are bending the rays at some very sharp angles. So there is going to be compromise. There is no getting around that. I know as shooters and human beings we want the best of both worlds, but running a base that zero's your rifle with the travel maxed down is going to require some compromise. Its just physics. In EVERY riflescope out there you are going to have the best optical performance of that scope when the erector tube is centered in the travel. The further away from center you get, the more degradation you will have in optical performance.

If you or anyone else has any questions about this or anything to do with our scopes and/or optics in general please feel free to contact me anytime.


Best Regards
Scott

 

[RampedRaptor]

Follow up,

Went to the local range. It only goes out to 550yards. With a 100 yard zero I have 28mils of up travel left. Diopter was left alone as it was previously adjusted correctly and verified this range trip.

It would of been nice to go farther out and not have the mirage to deal with. I will say at this point in time I'm going to continue using it and see how it fairs through the next PRS match. If issues are pronounced I'll contact vortex. I will also update this thread should any changes occur.

Thanks everyone who took time to comment.

 

[Saf3sh00t3r]

Just wanted to jump in on this thread also. I posted in yermans thread also. Here is what I said-

Yerman,
I thought this sounded very odd as I have never heard of anything like this having to do with a parallax lens. So I looked in to it a bit. I am assuming your initials are BW,is that correct? I found that what we did to the scope was tweak the objective cell(which is what sets the parallax). What that entails is turning the threaded cell ,which the objective lenses set in, until all the parallax numbers line up. There are a number of things that could of caused the parallax to be off. Something as simple as a sunshade being on extremely tight and then taken off could slightly spin the objective cell for example.Another could be misaligned rings putting tension on the scope tube could cause the parallax cam pin to get slightly distorted. We could of just not set it properly when we assembled it etc,etc,etc. Anyhow, there are a number of more possible causes. Without personally seeing your scope I wouldnt be able to tell you, but I can tell you that its definitely not a common thing whether caused by use or by us from the very start.
On to the extreme canted base issue, if you are zeroed near the bottom of the travel the parallax numbers will not line up. It becomes even more pronounced in a scope like ours with a short focal length. However, since using a 45moa or more base is intended for extreme long range shooting you would not be shooting those distances with the turret/erector maxed down(at your 100yd zero). With 30+ mils of travel and a short focal length we are bending the rays at some very sharp angles. So there is going to be compromise. There is no getting around that. I know as shooters and human beings we want the best of both worlds, but running a base that zero's your rifle with the travel maxed down is going to require some compromise. Its just physics. In EVERY riflescope out there you are going to have the best optical performance of that scope when the erector tube is centered in the travel. The further away from center you get, the more degradation you will have in optical performance.

If you or anyone else has any questions about this or anything to do with our scopes and/or optics in general please feel free to contact me anytime.


Best Regards
Scott

Scott,

My parallax knob on my scope Gen 2 4.5-27 became completely loose to the point it was practically floating. Prior to becoming loose it was not at all adjusting parallax well enough to shoot and everything was blurry compared to my nightforce atacr.

I just got it back and hope it's all good now. It took less than a week which was great.

My question is that my parallax numbers never really lined up on my scope even though it being new, are you saying that they should line up? Why would the parallax knob come loose?

Thanks in advance.

 

[FourT6and2]

The numbers will never line up on any scope. Just changing the diopter setting for someone else's eyes will change where the parallax knob lines up. Understanding how/why the parallax control works will tell you why the number won't line up and if they don't it's no big deal.

To eliminate parallax error, the knob basically brings the target's focal plane and the reticle's focal plane together, on the same plane of focus. That way, your eye can focus on both the target and the reticle at the same time. Make sense? So... let's say you have the reticle focused for your eye. And you then adjust the parallax to focus on a target at 600 yards. Pretend the parallax knob is actually lined up with the 600-yard label. Now, hand the rifle to someone else with different vision. Let's say you're 20/20 and the other person isn't. The rifle is in the same spot, locked onto the same 600-yard target. Now that person has to adjust the diopter/ocular to focus the reticle for their eyes. Guess what... now the reticle and the target are no longer on the same focal plane. So they now need to adjust parallax. And guess what... now it's no longer lined up with the 600-yard label. Yet magically, everything is focused again.

Understand?

The labels might only line up perfectly when the diopter is set to the specific position at which the factory calibrates the scope. And unless your eyes match that prescription, the labels won't line up.

That's why many companies do away with the labels and just use a graphic, like Premier or Tangent Theta or Minox. You don't need the numbers. And if you really want to, you can take a pencil and mark the delineations after setting the scope up for your eyes.

 

[alex2x2]

Hi, I have the same issue with my Vortex Razor HD gen 2 4.5x27