Rifle scope diopter thread.. GO!

S

sk8snwmx

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
135   0   0
Location
Canada
Lets make this and 'educational thread' but I would wager a bet that more than 80+% of scope owners don't know what it even is or how to adjust it... I bet it's still screwed all the way in from the factory and lots are complaining online about how fuzzy the reticle looks.

Don't get started on Parallax, that's another variable LOL

****Sorry, not sorry for this. This is about educating people on how the gear works, and help them see how good the gear has gotten these days and it's pretty easy***
 
Last edited:
This should be the first thing done with a new scope, before loading or even going to the range. It's done easily indoors with a white wall or ceiling. If your scope doesn't have an adjustable eyepiece . . . you need a new scope. It's the 21st century . . .
 
Buck1950 said:
This should be the first thing done with a new scope, before loading or even going to the range. It's done easily indoors with a white wall or ceiling. If your scope doesn't have an adjustable eyepiece . . . you need a new scope. It's the 21st century . . .
Click to expand...

100%!!!
I had the week off and went to the range twice a day for about 3 of the days straight and this is what sparked my post here for this. I just happened to glance at random people next to me on the rifle range, and offered 'help'. They all were gracious for the 'help' and had NO IDEA.
 
I do tend to think that either I am very wrong with how I set it, or a lot of other people are very wrong. Because how my setting looks and how a large percentage of other peoples' are set, is vastly different just by looking at the scope. And when I look through them, I tend to find I have to focus my eye very close to my face in order to see the reticle.
 
I think most users of newer scopes know how to adjust the eye piece focus to ensure the sharpness of the reticle, they just might not know it as adjusting to the right diopter value. I find the term 'diopter' is used more frequently when talking about aperture sights, with the adjustment of diopter and globe sighting adjustments.

There are several videos on YouTube about it, including one by Mark & Sam After Work. Most videos about parallax adjustment have it as the step before adjusting parallax. The rotating end eye piece is the best option, but other scopes have lock rings and rotating eye piece sections that might not be so easily identified by someone unfamiliar with the scope. Now that I wear glasses (thanks aging process), I have had to adjust my eye relief after focusing the reticle as the rotating piece came back enough for me to move my head back on the stock and not have a crisp image outline anymore. Tip: don't mount, set eye relief, level your scope, torque your scope ring screws and focus the reticle without your glasses on if you shoot with them on, lol!
 
Adamg - How is your vision? Most scopes have somewhere around 3" eye relief, so you shouldnt have to get the scope "in your face" to see the reticle clearly. I got Corneal implants a few years ago and now only use 'reading glasses' from Costco, but I use them for shooting to get 'even better' definition of the reticle. My better scopes have MOA 'trees and 'fine-line' reticles.
 
Buck1950 said:
Adamg - How is your vision? Most scopes have somewhere around 3" eye relief, so you shouldnt have to get the scope "in your face" to see the reticle clearly. I got Corneal implants a few years ago and now only use 'reading glasses' from Costco, but I use them for shooting to get 'even better' definition of the reticle. My better scopes have MOA 'trees and 'fine-line' reticles.
Click to expand...

20/20 or 20/25 with astigmatism in both eyes. I don't wear corrective lenses except when I shoot pistol iron sights indoors.
 
adamg - I used to have astigmatism, glaucoma and cataracts. I never would have tried to use a scope with those conditions since the diopter adjustment prob can't compensate for all that. Both the astigmatism and cataracts will cause poor focusing ability without correction, and the cataracts just make everything a bit fuzzy/cloudy.
I'd suggest trying your glasses to get the proper 3-ish inch eye relief.
 
There really is no right or wrong setting for a diopter. Every shooters eye can be a bit different so it needs to be set for the individual shooter. My diopter setting is quite different from a lot of other shooters and I wear shooting glasses so when I set it I make sure I am wearing those. If the diopter is at the proper setting for the shooter - glasses or not - when you get behind the scope the reticle should be crisp and clear immediately, with no waiting for one's eye to focus.
If I get behind the scope of another shooter that I know I will actually see 2 reticles - the setting is that different for our individual eyes.
 
Walterfisher said:
There really is no right or wrong setting for a diopter. Every shooters eye can be a bit different so it needs to be set for the individual shooter. My diopter setting is quite different from a lot of other shooters and I wear shooting glasses so when I set it I make sure I am wearing those. If the diopter is at the proper setting for the shooter - glasses or not - when you get behind the scope the reticle should be crisp and clear immediately, with no waiting for one's eye to focus.
If I get behind the scope of another shooter that I know I will actually see 2 reticles - the setting is that different for our individual eyes.
Click to expand...

Fair point.

I will add one way to objectively measure what is the 'right' diopter setting.

If you set your diopter one way, and the result is a parallax dial that is in focus at the indicated distance marking, that is good.
If you set your diopter another way, and the result is a parallax dial that is in focus at the not-indicated distance marking, that is not good.
 
The diopter has nothing to do with the parallax. It only focuses on the reticle. The "Settings" on a Parallax dial are just estimates of the mfr. The "right" diopter setting is the one that givesyou a perfect focus of the reticle - END OF STORY.
 
I must introject and say that the people I saw shooting next to me when I noticed this and them having issues had scopes that had NEVER been adjusted as they were screwed all the way right into the scope... all were cheap 3-9, 4-12 crosshair reticle basic scopes.

I do agree that all settings will be slightly different for each. The problem was that none even knew that you could make the crosshair focus. This happened because I had time off and hit the range twice a day for 3 days straight and encountered that many people with the same problem verbally expressing it, leads me to believe that there are FAR more out there!
 
Diopter can be hard to set when you are young and/or wear glasses. Younger eyes tend to focus fast on the reticle so you find yourself with a large range of play trying to set the diopter.

I found out a day at the range will fix that once eye fatigue sets in.
 
Corfius said:
Diopter can be hard to set when you are young and/or wear glasses. Younger eyes tend to focus fast on the reticle so you find yourself with a large range of play trying to set the diopter.

I found out a day at the range will fix that once eye fatigue sets in.
Click to expand...

I have a tough time "nailing down" ideal diopter setting as my eyes seems to adjust to a pretty broad range.
So now I find where reticle is out of focus in both directions and then split the difference. Seems to work ok for the time being.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom