Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok. I was thrown off because adjusting the parallax does affect the focus and I didn't notice the focus under the rear flip up cap thingy.
So I adjust the focus first, then parallax? How do I know when my parallax is properly adjusted?
Yes, adjust the focus first. Go read the scope manual, then come back here, then go read the scope manual again. It is pretty confusing to figure out what exactly you are supposed to be accomplishing when you are setting up your scope's focus.
Here's my best explanation. The focus adjustment is usually accomplished by screwing the eyepiece in or out, then locking it with a lock ring). Now pay close attention here, this is the non-obvious part:
The goal of adjusting a scope's focus, is to bring the crosshairs into focus. And that's it - no more, and no less. This is actually a much trickier task than it sounds like, because if your eye sees anything else in addition to the crosshair, it might tend to focus on that, or "split the difference" in focus between the image and the crosshair.
Knowing this might help you understand why scope manuals will tell you to focus your scope against a dull featureless overcast sky, or to only briefly glimpse into the scope. You want to have your scope focused on the crosshair, and the crosshair only, without your eyes providing some focus adjustment (your eyes can do this, but they will be strained, and you won't be able to comfortably hold your crosshair in focus for an extended period of time).
So the focus will work at all ranges without adjustmen? How do I properly set up the focus?
Yes, see above. Once you understand that the scope's focus adjustment is *NOT* for making the target clear, but rather solely for the purpose of making the crosshair clear, it starts to make sense.
Now, after a scope's focus has been set, you will find that targets at different ranges tend to be in or out of focus. And if you set up your rifle in a steady rest, and you move your eye up and down or side to side, without moving the rifle, you will see that the crosshair might tend to move relative to the target. This is *PARALLAX*.
You adjust parallax with either the front bell adjustment, or the knob on the left of the scope. You should find that when the target is at its clearest, that the parallax goes to zero (meaning, that the crosshair does not move relative to the target, as you move your eye to any position within the scope's field of view).