Scope Parallax Explained and Why and How it affects Accuracy

[Back_Roads]

 Some useful information to inspire my imagination

[plinker52]

Good video.
Question; how do most folks tell if your parallax adjustment is spot on?
I know you can move your head around to see if the crosshairs move on the target, but unless you've got the gun in a vice or at least a good bench rest it's hard to tell if it's just moving on your shoulder.
Do you just use the focus method?  Seems like there's room for error in that way too. 
I sort of try both ways and take my best shot.

[Back_Roads]

 Without doing a head bob, your shots will be scattered most likely, and if wind or other factors can be eliminated then it most likely is parallax.

[Motorhead]

Spend some time doing Field Target and you will see that squaring up your eye to what you see ( Eyebox positioning ) can pay dividends if & when you pay attention.

[Bayman]

Parallax isn't a big deal if you center your eye in the scope as Scott said. My Hw50 has a Hawke fixed 4x with the 100 yard fixed parallax. My R8 has a Sightron 1.75-5 with 100yd fixed parallax. I have no parallax problems at ten yards out because the small 32mm objective and I have reasonably good form. Adjustable parallax is a drag to use if you shoot a wide variety of random distances. I'm getting away from AO SF scopes as much as I can.

The larger the objective, the greater the potential parallax error. Still most people's rifles and skills aren't accurate enough to blame parallax for poor accuracy unless they have absolutely terrible form. If your eye is remotely centered in the scope parallax error has much less effect on accuracy than most any other variable.

If you have a parallax problem, you need to improve your eye position.

[Motorhead]

Parallax isn't a big deal if you center your eye in the scope as Scott said. My Hw50 has a Hawke fixed 4x with the 100 yard fixed parallax. My R8 has a Sightron 1.75-5 with 100yd fixed parallax. I have no parallax problems at ten yards out because the small 32mm objective and I have reasonably good form. Adjustable parallax is a drag to use if you shoot a wide variety of random distances. I'm getting away from AO SF scopes as much as I can.

The larger the objective, the greater the potential parallax error. Still most people's rifles and skills aren't accurate enough to blame parallax for poor accuracy unless they have absolutely terrible form. If your eye is remotely centered in the scope parallax error has much less effect on accuracy than most any other variable.

If you have a parallax problem, you need to improve your eye position.

Why or lets say technique that I use ... is NOT using the stocks comb to rest my face upon, but would rather have my eye floating within the FOV and able to have orbital motion quickly finding eye boxes @ center.

There is several miens one can use finding a good eye box centering and one is using the stock comb to plant your face upon, tho generally best done with target guns where the way guns held, body position and seating are consistent.
Floated head letting your eye optically tell you when close to centered within FOV which allows greater Forward & Back / Orbital shifts to find it.

All said ... the practice of eliminating parrilax errors is just another Skill Set the more accomplished marksmen have learned to utilize for maximum benefit.

[airgunaut]

Good video.
Question; how do most folks tell if your parallax adjustment is spot on?
I know you can move your head around to see if the crosshairs move on the target, but unless you've got the gun in a vice or at least a good bench rest it's hard to tell if it's just moving on your shoulder.
Do you just use the focus method?  Seems like there's room for error in that way too. 
I sort of try both ways and take my best shot.

I've wondered the same things and the video shown above made me wince at how mashed down his cheek is to the gun.

What if the scoped gun doesn't offer that kind of ergonomic adjustment? I pretty much resorted to checking for obvious crosshair movement and relying most on focus sharpness. But I still don't have much time in with scoped shooting.

[HunterWhite]

I would like to know what kind of rifle that is.


Hunter

[Bayman]

Parallax isn't a big deal if you center your eye in the scope as Scott said. My Hw50 has a Hawke fixed 4x with the 100 yard fixed parallax. My R8 has a Sightron 1.75-5 with 100yd fixed parallax. I have no parallax problems at ten yards out because the small 32mm objective and I have reasonably good form. Adjustable parallax is a drag to use if you shoot a wide variety of random distances. I'm getting away from AO SF scopes as much as I can.

The larger the objective, the greater the potential parallax error. Still most people's rifles and skills aren't accurate enough to blame parallax for poor accuracy unless they have absolutely terrible form. If your eye is remotely centered in the scope parallax error has much less effect on accuracy than most any other variable.

If you have a parallax problem, you need to improve your eye position.

Why or lets say technique that I use ... is NOT using the stocks comb to rest my face upon, but would rather have my eye floating within the FOV and able to have orbital motion quickly finding eye boxes @ center.

There is several miens one can use finding a good eye box centering and one is using the stock comb to plant your face upon, tho generally best done with target guns where the way guns held, body position and seating are consistent.
Floated head letting your eye optically tell you when close to centered within FOV which allows greater Forward & Back / Orbital shifts to find it.

All said ... the practice of eliminating parrilax errors is just another Skill Set the more accomplished marksmen have learned to utilize for maximum benefit.

I float my eye position on all my springers and most of my powder burners. Your head position changes in relation to the rifle each time you change your shooting position. Therefore you need fit flexibility in any rifle that's shot from multiple positions. Scope mounting and rifle fit can only be rigid and absolute on single position guns.

Besides the last thing i want is another pressure point to regulate. The only rifles I plant my face on are my long distance rifles. Even then switching from prone to bench  changes my head position and body angle. So stock and optic fit still needs some flexibility.

Regardless of all this Parallax error is defeatable with simple good form. You do it long enough it becomes second nature and you don't even have to think about it anymore.

[cpool]

What about hunting ?

[Bayman]

What about hunting ?

What about hunting???
What do you want to know? You have my number. In short low power fixed parallax. My Hw50 has a straight 4X Hawke with mildots and a fixed 100 yard parallax. Adequate field of view to quickly acquire targets near and far. Enough magnification to place shots anywhere within the practical range of the rifle. In focus perfectly from eleven yards out. Usable even closer.

Unless you're hunting a bait station from a blind high magnification  AO/SF scopes are terrible for Hunting. With traditional non baited hunting targets will randomly appear at different distances that will almost never be where your AO/SF is left. Making them blurry. Targets are also hard to impossible to acquire quickly in high magnification because of the narrow field of view.

Just call me if you want more. Or search my posts here.

[splitbeing]

Ron, I like my ao scoped rifles set around 6x, sometimes 5x, and find that good for most ranges. I'm guessing you prefer a 4x to a 6x but could be wrong. What are your thoughts on a 6x or 5x with the ao set to either 50ft or 25yds?

[Bayman]

Ron, I like my ao scoped rifles set around 6x, sometimes 5x, and find that good for most ranges. I'm guessing you prefer a 4x to a 6x but could be wrong. What are your thoughts on a 6x or 5x with the ao set to either 50ft or 25yds?

Scopes vary in depth of field at various settings. So only you can answer something like that for you. I don't like AO. You can use a medium setting and see near far at lower magnification but the higher the magnification the tighter the depth of field gets. Then stuff gets fuzzy close and far off the setting.

I use the lowest power scope i can see my target clearly at my maximum range.  That changes alot by the size of your target.. A 2-7 is more than enough magnification for deer at 50 yards. You'd probably want more for chipmunks at 50 yards.

[TorqueMaster]

Good video.
Question; how do most folks tell if your parallax adjustment is spot on?
I know you can move your head around to see if the crosshairs move on the target, but unless you've got the gun in a vice or at least a good bench rest it's hard to tell if it's just moving on your shoulder.
Do you just use the focus method?  Seems like there's room for error in that way too. 
I sort of try both ways and take my best shot.

I have mostly low dollar scopes which have their own issues, some good, mostly bad.
For starters, I absolutely don't trust the numbers on the AO ring. 
I do not trust the "best focus" either, too often that does not agree with the headbob method.
I trust the headbob -- up down left right -- adjust the ring to minimize movement between crosshairs and POA at the range I'm shooting.  You pretty much need to do this from a bench.
Cheap scopes often have greyed or fuzzy out of focus edges, so it's less likely you'll not have your eye centered -- a "good thing" -- but still do the headbob to get the best centered view you can get. 
Another "trick" I've never tried but seems like a valid idea in some situations --  is basically a washer on the ocular lens -- so you have no choice but to look though the exact center.