side focus..yay or nay??

GOUMFACH

GOUMFACH

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Just wondering what people think about them for a hunting rifle ? Visually they add some "clunk" imo, I haven't checked any specs yet but would think they are a little heavier? I have been looking at picking up a Nikon and the ones I see have side focus on them. Any real advantages.?
Cheers
 
Scopes without side or AO focus are prefocused for parralax at a certain yardage ie 100yrds etc depending on manufacturer. Side focus scopes allow you to change that parallax correction to the desired range.
 
I've had a bell mounted parallax ring and a side mounted parallax and the side focus is way nicer to use. The side focus scopes that I have are far smoother to operate than the bell mounted scope that I had. The side focus is more convenient to adjust when in shooting position because you can adjust it with out moving much. If your prone and need to adjust it you have to either roll over and pull the rifle back or get up and crawl ahead to adjust the focus on the bell mounted units.

I'm not sure what the weight difference would be between the two styles but I think the side focus is far easier and more convenient to use.
 
I like scopes with AO or parallax adjustment. I've tried both, the side focus is more convenient to adjust, you don't have to get up to reach over to adjust the end of the scope compared to an AO model.

If you are target shooting, you won't have to adjust distance much once you're set.

Side parallax can also be more expensive compared to an AO model.
 
I have both, both work. I have AO on a scope I mostly use with an airgun, so ranges as short as 10m. Without parallax adjustment the image is just a blur.

Similar, I have side focus on my .22 since it could be used from 15m out to 100m or so.

My .308 is getting a fixed parallax scope.
 
For me a parallax adjustable scope on a hunting rifle is not worth it, unless it's in a gopher shooting patch. Deer hunting I don't usually have time to do much more than aim and shoot, no time to muck about with adjustments on the scope.
 
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