Eye box/relief in different scopes at same magnification

[bobblehead]

Just a question as I've been getting increasingly annoyed at the small eye box of my Viper PST 4-16 at max magnification. With the combination of wearing ear&eye pro, at max mag I'm finding it quite cumbersome to locate myself in just the right place to see the complete picture in the scope and its usually not in a very comfortable position as either my muffs or glasses are bumping the stock in some way. I have tried using just my custom ear plugs but its way too loud without doubling up. My muffs are the good ol' Howard Leight Sports so as far as thin muffs go, these are pretty good I think. And even with these, I can't get a good sight through the scope without canting my head over in an uncomfortable way.

So my question is, if I were to get a 6-24 Viper PST, at 16x magnification, will it have the same small eye box or will it give me a little more freedom of movement?

I'm sure I can't be the only one to have this issue but I don't see many threads or comments about it so maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Appreciate any comments

 

[J996]

Best eyebox period is Hensoldt, Kahles is good too.

 

[Hand Skills]

This is a good question, and I'm looking forward to the discussion.

Eye relief is really a function of optical design - how many lenses, how they are arranged, how they are ground. In that sense, it is hard to make generalizations about brands, objective sizes, magnifications etc. Each scope design is different.

I know what you mean about the muffs, Bobblehead, and I have had the same problem. my guess is you might be ahead trying some higher rings, maybe reducing your cheekpiece a bit. Work on the mechankcs of getting your eye aligned behind the scope, as this is fundamental to marksmanship. Moving the scope fore and aft in the rings will also affect these mechanics. The fit is also very position dependant too - I'm presuming you are shooting off the bench, if so, simply adding more/higher bags and elevating your rifle (or using a lower seat) might do the trick.

One 'feature' most mid-range variable scopes share is a somewhat variable eye relief. At minimum magnification the eye relief will be Greatest. Increasing the magnification can create a tunneling effect, which can be remedied by moving ones head slightly forward (toward the scope).



A new scope (with a bigger objective) will probably force you to mount it higher - that might improve your interface, but it may be because the scope is a little higher relative to your stock.

If you are looking for an upgrade in your experience behind the scope you might consider a razor - they are a bit easier to get behind, but luxury comes with a price.

Fixed power scope designs are a LOT simpler, and if you like 16x, you could get a fixed power scope that has a much better eye box, and better optical resolution for simar $$.

If you need a variable with a comfy eye box, you may need to up the budget. I think you can make what you have work, as it's just a matter of aligning your pupil with the sight axis of the scope.