Parallax Adjustment - Your views

sikastag

All,

Just wondering what ye're collective views are on using a telesopic sight with parallax adjustment in a hunting situation. For example: Shots from 50m - 500m where time to take a clean shot may also be a factor (due to wind, nervous quarry etc.)

For example would a variable power with fixed parallax and mil-dot reticle or similar be more suited e.g. Schmidt and Bender Precision Hunter series?

Or would something with all the bells and whistle be better? e.g. Schmidt and Bender PMII

Im asking partially out of curiosity and with a view that I'm certain to learn someting from your replies. Personally, I like to keep things simple and think even a fixed power (maybe 10x) with a mil-dot reticle would allow for a clean quick shot to be taken out to moderate distances once you know your distance, drop etc is suitable. That being said it would be nice to also have elevation and windage turrets with some zoom at the lower end of the scale.

Where does the real benefit of parallax adjustment come into play? Pushing out to further distances? Is there a trade off with accuracy without it?


Do many of ye use Parallax Adjustment in hunting situation? Benefits, Drawbacks?

Cheers,

Sika

yubabill1

I'm a fully paid-up member of the keep-it simple-in-the-field camp.

Parallax adj is fine for precision work, But in the field,except for extreme varminters, there is no benefit IMHO.

Reason: I am proud of the fact I can hold MOA accuracy in the field, from improvised field positions. I don't know anybody who can beat that.

Yes, from bagged, benched and rested lots of people can shoot into one, ragged hole but I don't know anybody who will headshoot a rabbit beyond 125yds with regularity, from standing. (Not me, BTW, but a guy I know)

Cass

All my scopes have parallax adjustment. However i have them set for the normal distances i shoot.

By that i mean i have the .243 zeroed for 200 yards. I can see clearly from 50 to 320 yards without having to adjust the parallax. I rarely, if ever take a shot beyond that.

The .308 is the exact same.

For the .22 the parallax is set at 100 yards which gives me crystal clear sight picture from 15 yards to 160 yards. No adjustment necessary.

The only adjusting i have ever done was with the target rifle, and even that is limited. It depends on the conditions, but once set to infinity the adjustment rarely gets moved.


I prefer to have parallax, especially from my target shooting background. So if a long range shot presents itself i can zoom in, adjust the parallax, and have a clear sight picture at whatever distance i need to shoot at.


Obviously the parallax is dependent on the mag power of the scope. If i have it clear at 6 power and zoom up to 32 power the parallax may be slight "off". So for hunting purposes i usually use the same "frequency" of mag whereby the parallax is not affected by too much or too little mag. So i can adjust between 6 - 14 power without the parallax being effected.


I have used fixed parallax scopes, and they do the job perfectly from 10 yards to over 200 yards. The better the make the longer this fixed parallax goes for. I am comfortable adjusting the mag and parallax of my scopes as i do so regularly for target shooting, and so know my scopes inside, and out. However for someone not comfortable with that much adjusting a fixed parallax scope might be the way to go.

The majority of fixed parallax scopes are on scopes with very little top end mag power or fixed power scopes. However the higher the mag the scope can give the more likely you will get parallax adjustment on the scope.


So like so much in shooting it's what you are comfortable using, and what suits your needs the bet.

sikastag

Hi Cass,

Its pretty much how long is a piece of strings in many aspects!


Out of interest, what reticles are you using in your scopes (for hunting).

Personally I found the finer ones (varmint style) a little 'fiddly' when coupled with parallax adjustment and maybe shooting at night or in bad weather conditions. Then again, its hard to get something that ticks all boxes. I found the varmint style reticle with p/a to be fantastic during daylight hours.

thelurcher

yubabill1 wrote: »

Parallax adj is fine for precision work, But in the field,except for extreme varminters, there is no benefit IMHO.

At shorter ranges with high mag it can be OK to guesstimate ranges.

I find AO is easier when hunting than side parallax - you can adjust it without changing your hold - if you've got long fingers

deerhunter1

yubabill1 wrote: »

I'm a fully paid-up member of the keep-it simple-in-the-field camp.

Parallax adj is fine for precision work, But in the field,except for extreme varminters, there is no benefit IMHO.

Reason: I am proud of the fact I can hold MOA accuracy in the field, from improvised field positions. I don't know anybody who can beat that.

Yes, from bagged, benched and rested lots of people can shoot into one, ragged hole but I don't know anybody who will headshoot a rabbit beyond 125yds with regularity, from standing. (Not me, BTW, but a guy I know)

+1 on that:)

Cass

sikastag wrote: »

Hi Cass,

Its pretty much how long is a piece of strings in many aspects!

Pretty much.

Out of interest, what reticles are you using in your scopes (for hunting).

Two are mil-dot. Good thickness for quick acquisition, mil-dot for ranging, and holdoff/over.
One is a target scope. Fine crosshair, but has MOA marks on the reticle. It's on a .22 so does fine out to the effective distance of the rifle.

Lasrt one is "duple" with a small mil-dot reticle at the centre. My favorite scope. It's actually the lowest powered one 3.5-10. Took some time to get used to it, but now i love it.

Personally I found the finer ones (varmint style) a little 'fiddly' when coupled with parallax adjustment and maybe shooting at night or in bad weather conditions.

Agree with you there. At night they can be a bit fiddly. However as said above i'm set up for most ranges so it's not a problem. However it can be for others.

Then again, its hard to get something that ticks all boxes.

True. Plus as said at the start, it's going to get many different answers based on people's personal preferences.

zeissman

All my scopes have side parallax adjustment and I also leave it set so that I dont have to touch it for most of my hunting.
I dont think its necessary on a lower powered scope but once you go above about 12 power I think it is.
My hunting scopes have mil dot reticles. I like the fine crosshair in the centre and the dots make the reticle visible in low light.

sikastag

I only owned one scope with parallax adjust and it had super fine crosshair. Similar to yourself and cass, i left the p/a 'set' for distances i would be shooting and it was perfect but found it a bit fiddly with low-light and night shooting. Then again, the fine crosshair (varmint) is partially to blame there too. During daylight for long range varminting it was pure enjoyment to use. Hence the name i guess!

Im considering getting a variable power scope with mil-dot reticle or similar to cass a 'duplex' with mil-dot crosshairs. Id be happy enough with something like 2.5x10 or 3-12 by 50mm (max- due to mounting constraints plus 30mm tube max). Would be used for foxing/deer + paper (at modest distance < 500m - hunting scenario much less 300m MAX) Maybe I should give the parallax adjustment another chance with diff reticle. May be useful to have on scope if needs be for future use (different rifle and longer ranges in future - Hopeful!)

Million dollar question. Any suggestions for a tidy scope that would fit the bill? With or without p/a?

Cass

sikastag wrote: »

Million dollar question. Any suggestions for a tidy scope that would fit the bill? With or without p/a?

Depends on your budget, but if it were me. The Sightron SIII 6-24x50 LRMD.

Plenty of mag, but also has 6 power for preferred low mag shooting. Side parallax, duplex style reticle, with partial Mil-Dot centre.

I have 2 Sightrons, and they are unbelievable. Excellent glass (comparable to nightforce easily), far cheaper than other scopes of similar build/quality, and very light for the size.

Click on the link i provided, and then click on the reticle overview under the picture of the scope.

If the price puts it out of budget there are cheaper options such as Hawke Sidewinder 30, which i rate very highly for a cheap scope (have two of them), and if you want to spend more than the price of the Sightron i'll ask this. Why? For a name. No other scope manufacturer gives the features, the mag, etc for the same price.

zeissman

I have a sightron 8-32x56 scope on my target rifle and find it excellent.
I had a look at the 6-24x50 mil dot model that cass mentioned at a game fair last year and think it would be ideal for your needs.
They are quite light and compact for the range of magnification and the glass is great.

sikastag

Cass wrote: »

I have 2 Sightrons, and they are unbelievable. Excellent glass (comparable to nightforce easily), far cheaper than other scopes of similar build/quality, and very light for the size.

Being honest, I know very little about Sightron, certainly never looked through one or held one in my hand. Its quite an impressive package for the money.
I beleive in paying for good glass and quality overall but I dont beleive in paying over the odds either. Its a little bit larger than what I was thinking but certainly something to consider and certainly something I wouldnt have come across without recommendation so cheers for that. I'll certainly look into it.

Cass

I'm a Nightforce fan. Always have been, and still am, but recently changed to Sightron to save weight, and found them as good (easily) as the Nightforce.

I had the 10-50 on the target rifle, and have a 3.5-10 on the .243. both scopes are excellent. While i like the Hawke i will be moving towards replacing them if funds allow later on down the road. I never considered this before because i find there is a "gap" in the market for quality scopes, with the features the Sightron gives, in the €550 - €800 price range. Usually it's below €600 or over €900.

sikastag

zeissman wrote: »

I have a sightron 8-32x56 scope on my target rifle and find it excellent.
I had a look at the 6-24x50 mil dot model that cass mentioned at a game fair last year and think it would be ideal for your needs.
They are quite light and compact for the range of magnification and the glass is great.

Righto, maybe they are more compact than I think. Seem to have a good rep for a young company. (Bit of goooooogling)

Cass

Have a look through John Dean's website (www.aimfieldsports.com).

There are plenty to choose from. All sizes, shapes, mags, reticles, etc.

sikastag

Cheers, that'll keep me busy for a while.Impressive range. Quite like the look of the 3.5-10x44.

Cass

My SIII SS 3.5-10x56 on the RPA.







I love the illuminated centre. It lights up a dot only. not the entire crosshair which at night can be "blinding". The dot is subtle, does not distract from the shot, and is still effective.

Picture is not great;

meathstevie

Personally I don't see the necessity as most hunting shots will present themselves at distances well below those where parallax adjusments become useful. Plus it's another thing to go FUBAR on a hunting scope that will take a knock every now and again no matter how careful you are.

Cass

meathstevie wrote: »

Personally I don't see the necessity as most hunting shots will present themselves at distances well below those where parallax adjusments become useful.

Although mine are adjustable i have it set as said above. However i have the option t use it should i need it which i like.

Plus it's another thing to go FUBAR on a hunting scope that will take a knock every now and again no matter how careful you are.

Sorry not really getting your meaning. What exactly do you mean?

sikastag

meathstevie wrote: »

Personally I don't see the necessity as most hunting shots will present themselves at distances well below those where parallax adjusments become useful. Plus it's another thing to go FUBAR on a hunting scope that will take a knock every now and again no matter how careful you are.

Fair point, but as the lads said it can be 'set' which should cover most of the ranges you would encounter whilst hunting. i dont think it is a necessity for hunting by any means myself. Not so sure about the knocks really, i think good quality gear should handle all thats thrown at it (within reason of course). Im in two minds about it (p/a), used it before with a fine ret and it didnt suit all my hunting situations. Just seems to me that the type/spec of scope im looking for invariably comes with p/a and as long as it doesnt hinder the normal course of events of my hunting then i think i'll roll with it.

That being said if anyone can point me towards a scope with 3-12 ish mag (give or take either end a bit), 50mm obj, 30mm tube, wind/elev turrets and no p/a then i'll gladly listen.

sikastag

Nice rig Cass.

meathstevie

Cass wrote: »

Although mine are adjustable i have it set as said above. However i have the option t use it should i need it which i like.

Sorry not really getting your meaning. What exactly do you mean?

It involves additional moving parts, more stuff to break...

Cass

Got ya now. My bad. I was reading it wrong, but in context i understand.


It's true that it could go wrong, but in every issue i've ever had with a scope parallax has never been one of them.