parallax

simon1979

Well-Known Member
hi, i took my rifle into a my local gunsmith for screw cutting, when i was there i got chatting and he said because im used a fixed focus scope (6x42)
i would need to find where the gun and scope are parallaxing, other wise i will have problems with my groupings.
do i need to worry about this and if i do how do a find this out
many thanks for your help
atb
simon
 
I wouldn't be concerned, there are plenty of people who use a fixed scope and I'd bet that 99% are zeroed at 100m (or an inch high at 100m).

I was told a few years ago that fixed (Schmidt/Swarovski/Zeiss) European scopes are parallax set at 100m for this reason.

There are also variable scopes that have no parallax turret and again, there is no problem either grouping or zeroing. If you are concerned, if your scope is a Schmidt I know you can send them to the factory an ask for be parallax to be set at whatever distance you wish, I believe for about £130.

Did the dealer show you a nice new scope by any chance?
 
lol no he wasnt trying to sell me a scope, hes just a small gun smith working out his gargae/workshop, he is a very techenical person though.
just woundered if it really made a difference or not
 
... wondered if it really made a difference or not

Depends on (a) you & your expectations and (b) what range you zero / shoot at.

I range check mine at "only" 50 yards (much to many people's horror but 1st round is always on further out) but aim to get a group of about 0.25 inches or so from the 22-250. I used a "crap" fixed power 8x56 S&B and a N750 digital scope. The latter shoots the best groups! No idea why! I also try to keep the image centred (no "black" shadows) and it seems to work.

I've owned a variety of parallax correcting 'scopes (Leupold 8.5-25x50, Burris "something silly" - 32x50, Bausch and Lomb plus a Chinese Vortex) and to be honest if you do your bit they all work well but not much better than the S&B. Note that rubbish 'scopes are just rubbish and nothing will make them work better: I've a Weaver in that class somewhere under a pile of other junk.
 
thanks for the info, i wont worry to much about it at the moment, i like to keep things nice and easy
many thanks
simon
 
hi, i took my rifle into a my local gunsmith for screw cutting, when i was there i got chatting and he said because im used a fixed focus scope (6x42)
i would need to find where the gun and scope are parallaxing, other wise i will have problems with my groupings.
do i need to worry about this and if i do how do a find this out
many thanks for your help
atb
simon
get another gun smith parallax is optical eror if you move your head up and down asyou look throe your scope cross hair is in fixed point if it moves you have parallax eror which means if you dont get your head and eye in the same point every time you sholder your gun point of aim will move guns and scopes do not parallax together you have to get your bore and sight on the same level ie shiming the back of a scope to get it level with the bore etc so paralaxing has nothing to do with your gun just the opticks
 
get another gun smith parallax is optical eror if you move your head up and down asyou look throe your scope cross hair is in fixed point if it moves you have parallax eror which means if you dont get your head and eye in the same point every time you sholder your gun point of aim will move guns and scopes do not parallax together you have to get your bore and sight on the same level ie shiming the back of a scope to get it level with the bore etc so paralaxing has nothing to do with your gun just the opticks

+1

I used to shoot air rifles in competitions and any parallax error was due to not getting your head in the correct position each time. This can happen with pretty much any fixed pa scope not just fixed mag.
 
Zeiss scopes without parallax adjustment are parallax free at 100m (with the exception of the old Diasport, which is 50m). Parallax as someone stated is optical, not the gun. (Parallax = the apparent difference in the position or direction of an object when viewed from different positions. e.g through a viewfinder)
 
Correct re parallax, most top end scopes are set to be parallax free at 100m. I had my Kassnar Beta 3 repallaxed by action optics years ago (cost £18) so I could use it on an air rifle. Nick Jenkinson did an article on this very subject in AGW many years ago, its something you could do yourself if you are confident. Mave be of use if you were to fit a top end scope to and airrifle when the parallax would need to be adjusted.

My Leupold Mk4 is very critical on eye position and even when on x14 at 100 yds the parallaxs can be quite critical. Doesnt lend itself to quick night time fox shooting but very good in daylight when you have a bit more time.

D
 
Also parallax error is worse with more magnification, and also worse with larger objective scopes.
But no matter the range or the scope, if you look through the optical centre of the scope there is no error at any range.
The worst combo I have used was a 50mm Zeiss on my hornet, zeroed at 100 yards, and then shot at 50 yards, on any magnification
the groups at 50 yards were larger than those shot at 100 yards, mainly because the scope was not at the correct height to get a consistent
sight picture, a smaller scope in lower mounts corrected this, for me anyway.
Funny thing is I have a couple of cheap Nikon scopes, a 4x32 with a 50 yard parallax setting, and 2-7x32 with a 75 yard, neither have suffered parallax
problems no matter what the range shot or zeroed at.

Neil. :)
 
I know bu**er all about parallax in practical terms, have an idea of the theory but a question for you guys in the know.

I have a variable scope with a parallax adjusting ring on the objective lense its marked 50 100 150 and infinity presume thats metres,it usually stays set on 6 or 7 never really use anymore mag. than that.

Now the question I leave the parallax ring set on 50 and everything seems fine at that no problem shooting out to ranges of 200 yards or so, but if I set the ring at any other setting than the 50 the sight picture does not seem as sharp why?
 
I know bu**er all about parallax in practical terms, have an idea of the theory but a question for you guys in the know.

I have a variable scope with a parallax adjusting ring on the objective lense its marked 50 100 150 and infinity presume thats metres,it usually stays set on 6 or 7 never really use anymore mag. than that.

Now the question I leave the parallax ring set on 50 and everything seems fine at that no problem shooting out to ranges of 200 yards or so, but if I set the ring at any other setting than the 50 the sight picture does not seem as sharp why?

It's basically a focus mechanism. You might want to check the dioptre adjustment by looking at a very far object or the sky to ensure the cross hairs are sharp.
I usually set mine to about 100m since at 200 it'll make little difference and is "good enough" for shorter. However, if testing at shorter ranges I set it to be sharp focus... Sometimes the range indications are a bit of a joke. "For indication only"
 
thanks for the help, dont think am going to worry to much about it, unless i need to.
i like to keep things simple, but its good to know what it is though
atb
simon
 
Simon - with a 6x42 mounted on medium mounts reasonably close to you barrel u should never have a problem. Not enough to worry u anyway bud
 
I have noticed that quite a few new scopes are dreadful in that head/eye position is critical. Older scopes seem to be more forgiving in this respect. Of course I have not had the chance to try new top end scopes as they are out of reach financially before someone jumps on that little snippet.

A couple of years ago I purchased several new scopes from various makers and only one still remains here as it worked fairly well on a rifle the others have all gone either returned or sold off at a loss. That is a Simmons Pro Hunter master series and is about an OK scope for what I paid for it (it was reduced on offer at the time) if ti had been full price I would say it was not worth the money.

As for adjustable objectives most that I know of only work within reason to the distance values engraved/printed on them at ONE magnification. Often it's the highest magnification but not always.
 
You wouldn't find that problem with a reticule in the first focal plane.

I am not sure if I have any scopes with this feature and I do have a few scopes but in all honesty have not even given this much thought. I tend to set up a rifle with a scope i am happy with for it's intended usage and leave it at that. Usually i have to buy used to get the type/make I want.

In fact am just about to post off a Pecar Classic variable and a Meopta 7x50 for a clean and service. There is an old Zeiss Diatal that needs to go back to Zeiss for a service at some point.
 
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