High Power Scopes, Lesson Learned

[carlsbad]

I’m curious why?

Eye relief is the distance from the eyepiece to the exit pupil. It doesn't vary much from scope to scope. If it does vary, then you just need to mount the scope farther forward or rearward. So what is "bad eye relief"?

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

The problem for me was to find the sweet spot where you could got a full sight picture. Seems the high power variable scopes have a very small window to achieve this. I had to hunt for the distance. At lower magnification, it was better. I am not trying to talk anyone from buy these scopes. If it works for you that's great.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

NF 12-42 Benchrest. He liked it a lot but he already has the 45 Leupold.

Hey Josh

I sent a check today for the front rest. Will talk to Kelby's on Monday about a barrel and tools for change it.

Nick

 

[joshb]

Hi Nick: Glad I could help. You might want to post a “Want to buy” add in the classifieds for the 4 bolt barrel vise and an action wrench.

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

After I talk to Kelby's I might do that.

 

[littlebuddybr]

The problem for me was to find the sweet spot where you could got a full sight picture. Seems the high power variable scopes have a very small window to achieve this. I had to hunt for the distance. At lower magnification, it was better. I am not trying to talk anyone from buy these scopes. If it works for you that's great.

Almost every time, if not every time I saw a guy at the range with this problem it was cause they didn't have the scope mounted in the proper location. If you take the time to mount the scope you won't ever have this problem.

 

[carlsbad]

Well said littlebuddy. If you're having trouble getting a good sight picture, what is really happening is you're having trouble matching up your eye position to the exit pupil position. a low power scope has a larger diameter exit pupil so you don't have to have your scope set up perfectly. Exit pupil diameter is objective diameter over magnification.

another setup problem, less obvious to the novice, is the brightness of a low power scope. your pupil is 4mm diameter or so in shooting light. Exit pupil of an 12 power scope is about 4mm. If you don't have them lined up perfectly, you won't get all the light from the objective into your eye and the scope will appear "less bright".

 

[Darrel Martin]

Littlebuddy and Carlsbad are pointing in the right direction.If you are struggling to find your eye relief with some of the scopes, that can be controlled to some degree when setting up the scope on the gun.If you put the scope on loosely, you can then get behind the gun, preferably the same way you are going to shoot the gun, and place the scope eye relief such that your eye falls right in place when you come down on the gun. I prefer my eye to come down right at the back of the eye relief interval. That way the scope is immediately clear and I am less likely to have the scope hit my eye.Perhaps it is just my hard head, but I have never really noticed that eye relief is harder to deal with at higher magnification.I mainly notice eye relief issues when I sit down behind someone else's gun.

 

[carlsbad]

L.I mainly notice eye relief issues when I sit down behind someone else's gun.

excellent point.