So is it me or the scope?

C

Calum

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Over the years I have had very little luck with scopes.

Right now I have three different ones I'm tinkering with.

So all is fine until I zoom in and things go narrow tunnel view in the scope and I have to nudge my head forward a few inches to fill the sight picture back in.

Fricken annoying. :mad:

Is this an eye relief issue?

As I have the scope set back towards my eye as far as I can given the limitations of the mount and rings.

Is there something I'm missing on the scope adjustment that will help with eye relief if this is the problem?
 
As far as I know, the eye relief on many scopes vary as magnification is increased. For instance, a Leupold VX-II 3-9 40mm has an eye relief spec of 4.7"(3x) 3.7"(9x). So if that bothers you, you'll need to look for scopes that offer constant eye relief at any magnification.
 
You need to get different bases and/or rings to move your scope back further.
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That is just a way of compensating for the problem,which is the eye relief varying with magnification.I prefer to avoid the problem altogether by using scopes that have a much more constant eye relief.
 
This is a constant problem for me too. It has to do with two issues: the eye relief and the exit pupil. Eye relief is the distance from your eye to the lens that permits a full field view. Exit pupil is the column of light that comes from the scope to your eye. The higher the magnification the smaller the exit pupil. In combination, the two effects result in seeing a little pencil diameter view instead of the full round field, particularly at higher magnification.

With a lot of scopes I have to crane my head uncomfortably forward to get the full view. I've found two ways to deal with this:

For shooting at lower magnification (3-10) I use a scope with extra long eye relief. The model of Bushnell Banner I'm using now has an eye relief of 6" (2-3.5 inches is more common in scopes.) These are a little scarce, but I got mine at P&D, so they're available. There are also shotgun scopes in this general magnification and price range that have similar eye relief.

For long range shooting at higher magnification (24) I use a Bushnell Elite 4200. The 4200 has a very long tube with 8" of mounting space. This allows me to mount the scope far enough back so that the eyepiece is close to my eye and the whole field of view is visible.

Extension rings might work, but most of them only give an additional .5 inch or so of rearward mounting. This wouldn't make enough difference to me, and besides I prefer Burris Sig Zee rings.
 
If any of you have problems like this listen to Stubblejumper's advice and try a scope with constant eye relief. All my scopes have constant eye relief and that ranges from a 1-6x right up to a 5-25x. No issues and no need for creative ring / base combo's.
 
stubblejumper said:
That is just a way of compensating for the problem,which is the eye relief varying with magnification.I prefer to avoid the problem altogether by using scopes that have a much more constant eye relief.
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Awesome info and I'm glad to hear it's not just me.

Any suggestions as to what brands of scopes offer constant eye relief?
 
Calum,
Position your scope so the eye-relief is correct at the highest power, in the position that you will use that power in.
As you drop the power the relief may move, but it also becomes less critical at the same time so it fixes itself.
It's a compromise, but many things are. Think of it like sighting in a rifle perfectly at say 250 yards. Turns out that the POI is good enough at closer ranges and awfull close at 25-30, but if you try to do it backwards and sight in perfect at 25 the long range where it matters will suffer.
 
There are way too many people out there who have their scopes mounted in the wrong place. If someone else mounted your scope and just tightened in on and handed it to you and you went on your way, I can tell you it probably isn't right. Now you may get lucky or your like most people I have seen out shooting. At higher power they are moving their head around like they are hearing music in their hearing protection.

Follow Dogleg's advice (no need for me to type the same info) and you will find your problems will go away. Scopes should always be mounted to fit YOU, not the other way around.

Another way to know if your scope is mounted right is to pick up the gun with your eyes closed and shoulder it like your ready to shoot. Now open your eyes and you SHOULD be able to see through the scope with no shadowing or "tunnel". If not, you need to find a mounting solution or maybe just a cheek piece.

Replacing the scope completely doesn't have to be the answer.
 
Shooter ----/ said:
Another way to know if your scope is mounted right is to pick up the gun with your eyes closed and shoulder it like your ready to shoot. Now open your eyes and you SHOULD be able to see through the scope with no shadowing or "tunnel". If not, you need to find a mounting solution or maybe just a cheek piece.

Replacing the scope completely doesn't have to be the answer.
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I've done this and no it's the scopes.
No matter how far I set them back they are still too far away from my eye when zoomed in. :(
 
Calum said:
I've done this and no it's the scopes.
No matter how far I set them back they are still too far away from my eye when zoomed in. :(
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That's why you are supposed to position it when it's already zoomed in. Unless you mean that you can't get it far enough back when it's zoomed in, in which it means you have a mounting problem.
 
made that mistake , zoomed in on my .338 , moved closer in to get a better veiw , got it in the forehead... had to do it a second time to make sure, couple nice dents in my head and i think the scope is screwed now x4 zoom looks like -2x zoom
 
variable eye relie doesn't bother me that much. even a vx3 luep has that issue. set your eye relief at high power and learn to deal with it or change your scope for one with constant eye relief. i never even noticed the eye relief issue that much until i bought three minox scopes that have 4 inch constant eye relief.
 
What I find amusing is so many faun over Leupold scopes...
Yet they seem to have to same issues as the cheaper Bushnells etc.

IMHO constant eye relief should be a standard feature in their scopes given their high cost.

And buying a scope with a great field of view is pointless if one has to then just learn to deal with the glaucoma tunnel vision effect while zoomed in. Soooo frustrating.
 
IMHO constant eye relief should be a standard feature in their scopes given their high cost.
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Constant eye relief is achieved at the cost of more critical eye relief. Pick the one that you value. Everything optically speaking is achieved at the expense of something else. Much like life when you think about it.
 
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