Rifle Scope Adjustment - Parallax

      The most misunderstood and often incorrectly set rifle scope adjustment of all .... is the parallax setting.   This is NOT a focus adjustment or a range finder.   The parallax adjustment eliminates the optical error when shooting at different distances.   This is accomplished by positioning the lenses to correct the parallax at each specific distance, making sure the image focuses on the same plane as the crosshairs .... not in front or behind them.

      The way to make this adjustment is seldom to just dial the correct distance printed on the scope.   This adjustment usually needs to be set more accurately (with the rifle securely positioned on a bench) so that you can look through the scope.   Then, while shifting your eye to the left and right, you can see if the crosshairs appear to move across your target.   The purpose of the parallax adjustment is to eliminate this unwanted optical error that makes your crosshairs appear to "move".

      Low powered scopes have a fixed parallax setting that is exactly correct for shooting at only "one" specific distance.   Scopes with higher magnification require a parallax adjustment that can be adjusted for shooting at any distance, so that your crosshairs will appear to be rock solid, no matter where your eye is positioned.   The crosshairs should appear stationary, as if they were painted on your target.   This is very important when the "exact" position of your eye is not always concentric with your scope.   The slightest variance can make a huge difference.

      Very few parallax adjustable scopes will be set accurately by just dialing the correct yardage that's printed on the scope.   This information may sound incredibly basic to some shooters, but there are a LOT of good shooters out there that could cut their groups by almost 30% if they just knew how to make this scope adjustment properly.   If you look around, I guarantee that you'll find shooters with great equipment, that have never gleaned this information from the instructions supplied by scope manufacturers.

      It's a very good idea to re-label the parallax yardage markings on some scopes, so they can be positioned according to the "actual" yardage markings.   Some shooters write yardage markings on a piece of white tape and position it on their scope, so they will be properly calibrated.   Others will paint a few dots on their scope representing 50 yard increments - exactly where they should be for each distance.   Keep in mind that even if you re-label your scope markings, you may occasionally need to make very slight parallax adjustments to compensate for different light changes, especially at long range.