What do you set the paralax on if you are using the elevaion turret stickers that I spent alot of time on? I am a newbie and I have not gotten this figured out at this time but I am in Love with it.
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Setting paralax
- Thread starter rwt61
- Start date
Your question is confusing. You set the parallax to the correct distance.
As suggested, you need to first get the diopter focus set correctly. To do that, point your scope at a light colored wall much too close to actually focus on and concentrate on the reticle. Wind the diopter ring in and out till the reticle is the sharpest. The best method is to twist in both directions till you just notice it getting worse and then set it right between those two points.
Once you have the reticle crisp and clean you need to sight at a target and do similar with the parallax. Check your parallax by bobbing your head around while holding the scope steady. If the cross hairs move on the target your parallax is wrong. Slowly turn it in or out till moving your eye back and forth leaves the reticle pointed at the exact same spot.
A sign you don't have the parallax set correctly is when your shot group is strung out in a slightly curved line at around a 45 degree angle. This will happen as your face moves in and out of the scope center in an arc.
You can mitigate parallax errors by having a consistent cheek weld such that when you pull the gun up your face finds the same spot every time and that spot is a clean scope picture. If you find yourself searching for the scope window you will have problems unless your parallax is perfect.
As suggested, you need to first get the diopter focus set correctly. To do that, point your scope at a light colored wall much too close to actually focus on and concentrate on the reticle. Wind the diopter ring in and out till the reticle is the sharpest. The best method is to twist in both directions till you just notice it getting worse and then set it right between those two points.
Once you have the reticle crisp and clean you need to sight at a target and do similar with the parallax. Check your parallax by bobbing your head around while holding the scope steady. If the cross hairs move on the target your parallax is wrong. Slowly turn it in or out till moving your eye back and forth leaves the reticle pointed at the exact same spot.
A sign you don't have the parallax set correctly is when your shot group is strung out in a slightly curved line at around a 45 degree angle. This will happen as your face moves in and out of the scope center in an arc.
You can mitigate parallax errors by having a consistent cheek weld such that when you pull the gun up your face finds the same spot every time and that spot is a clean scope picture. If you find yourself searching for the scope window you will have problems unless your parallax is perfect.
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Nathan that was a great explanation as to what it is but I am still somewhat fuzzy as to how to correct it BUT at any rate I thank you very much for turning me on the advice. Thanks Randy
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So Daniel what you are saying is that I move the paralax to 65 yards if my vortex finder tells me I am 65 yards away and then the next shot is 40 yards away I have to move the paralax to 40 as well and continue to do this on all shots???? Wow I had no idea then why go through all the trouble to do the turret stickers on the elevation turret?? I am truly green on this. When I see alot of videos I thought all I seen were the guys moving the elevation turret and not two knobs but I must be wrong Thanks maybe this will help I will get up early and hit the fields,m Thanks a million Randy
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You got it, Randy.
You can't just count on the distance number on your parallax dial. That will not be precise enough. You want to have the focus sharp which happens when the image focal plane is at the same spot as the reticle (assuming you properly focused the reticle too.) Basically, the focal plane of the image (target) needs to be at the focal plane of the reticle. When they coincide no matter where you move your eye in the scope window the crosshairs will stay at the same place on the target.
I think the rule is "if the reticle moves with your eye, focus to a closer distance"..."if it moves in the opposite direction as your eye, focus to a further distance". I may have that reversed but the important thing to know is it changes which way it moves depending on whether the focal plane is in front or behind the reticle. Once you figure that out it is easier to zero because you know which way to turn when you are a tiny bit off.
You can't just count on the distance number on your parallax dial. That will not be precise enough. You want to have the focus sharp which happens when the image focal plane is at the same spot as the reticle (assuming you properly focused the reticle too.) Basically, the focal plane of the image (target) needs to be at the focal plane of the reticle. When they coincide no matter where you move your eye in the scope window the crosshairs will stay at the same place on the target.
I think the rule is "if the reticle moves with your eye, focus to a closer distance"..."if it moves in the opposite direction as your eye, focus to a further distance". I may have that reversed but the important thing to know is it changes which way it moves depending on whether the focal plane is in front or behind the reticle. Once you figure that out it is easier to zero because you know which way to turn when you are a tiny bit off.
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Daniel,
I KNOW thats what scope makers and most everyone else says, but for really precise parallax elimination at most airgun distances, such as for field target rangefinding using a high mag scope to estimate distance ... the procedure you cite isnt accurate enough. Some, if not many scopes have too much tolerance when looking at the sky or blank wall while setting ocular.
When viewing an object with fine detail, such as a dollar bill at EXACTLY ten yards, you may see the best clarity cannot be obtained at the same setting the “head bob” lack of reticle shift is found. This is because the “blank wall adjust” MAY seem ok over up tp a half turn of the eyepiece!
I find it best to set the dollar at exactly 10 yards, focus with the parallax ring, til clear at max mag, then head-bob, and RESET ocular adjuster AND pa adjuster in small increments til the reticle doesnt move AND the target is at its clearest.
Normally the PA will be good all the way out past 60yds with no reticle shift on head-bob now.
For most hunters and plinkers, my procedure may be ignored with no ill effects.
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