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Parallax adjustment on the objective bell

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MIL / MIL Tactical Rifle Scopes
Long Range Tactical Rifle Scopes
Medium Range Tactical Rifle Scopes

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Traditionally, rifle scopes had a fixed parallax set at 100 meters or 100 yards; however, with the advance of shooting sports, such approach was not adequate anymore. Scopes with fixed parallax offered best resolution only at one distance (100 meters/yards) at which the target was in focus. At all other distances, the picture was less sharp or even blurry. An even bigger problem with this type of scope was the fact that, when shooting at the target not at the same distance as the scope parallax setting, the shooter had to be very careful about his eye alignment with the optical axis. If the eye is moved away from the optical axis, the reticle on the target will move, which will worsen the accuracy. Since these errors are small, the fixed parallax option is still considered accurate enough for traditional hunting. For sports shooting, though, such small error leads to poor results. Parallax errors become more pronounced with magnifications higher than 12x, and that means the majority of scopes with magnification range under this value need no parallax adjustment.

With the ability of parallax adjustment, accuracy of the riflescope is greatly enhanced at all distances. The shooter, however, has to adjust the parallax setting before making the first shot. Such scopes usually have AO – Adjustable Objective or SF – Side focus acronym in their name.

With AO – Adjustable Objective scopes parallax is adjusted with a rotation of the ring on the objective bell; adjusting the parallax this way can hardly be done when in prone position and is not the best solution for situations when parallax must be adjusted often. Due to this reason, such scopes are usually used for benchrest competitions and similar, where parallax is adjusted only initially.

Scopes, which offer parallax adjustment on objective bell, are usually smaller and lighter than counterparts with parallax adjustment on the side focus. They are also cheaper to make and offer adjustment that is more precise. Due to the size of internal mechanism for side focus adjustment, the majority of scopes with tube diameter of 1 inch have an adjustable objective and not the side focus.

The easiest way to correctly set the parallax is to look at the target and gently rotate the ring on the objective. When the target is in focus and the image offers the best sharpness, move the eye from the optical axis in any direction. If the rifle is properly supported and fixed, the reticle should not move on the target when the eye is moved from the optical axis. If it does, parallax adjustment must be fine-tuned until the reticle is still, even if the eye of the shooter is moving around the optical axis.

Do not mind the meters or yards written on the adjustable objective, since they only provide an approximate value. There is nothing unusual if these values do not correspond well with the actual target distances.

Video presentation of Parallax adjustment on the objective bell

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General properties of Tactical Rifle scopes

Tactical rifle scopes are meant for tactical situations where the importance of the first shot hitting the target is much higher than consistent pinpoint accuracy. Tactical - scope also offers the possibility of range estimation or shifting of the aim point in the reticle to compensate for bullet drop or wind drift.

The most common features of tactical scope are:

 A special case of Tactical - scope is also MIL/MIL scope, which could be described also as fully tactical - scope. 

Tactical rifle scope- Delta Stryker scope with illuminated reticle

Delta Optical Stryker HD 4.5-30x56 Tactical rifle scope

What makes a scope tactical?

The tactical scope is a scope that features tactical (exposed) turrets, which is the one basic criterion. But there are more.

The optics is tactical if it meets the following requirements:

  • a magnification between 5x to 25x,

  • uncapped turrets on the riflescope,

  • an illuminated reticle,

  • one-centimeter clicks,

  • riflescope with the reticle in the first focal plane, and

  • on more expensive models, a zero stop.

What is the difference between a tactical scope and a hunting scope?

Hunting riflescope is, of course, meant to be used for hunting, whereas a tactical scope is intended to be used in all tactical situations. A hunting scope features a lower magnification range, so hunters can also use a scope in poor light conditions. A tactical scope, however, features a magnification that is on the upper side of the medium range.

Reticle position and turrets on tactical- rifle scope and hunting scope

Hunting scope is also the only type of scope that can be mounted with rails. The reticle is in the second focal plane, which is not the case with tactical scope, as they have a first focal plane reticle.

The turrets on hunting scope are capped low-profile hunting turrets, whereas tactical scope features uncapped turrets

Tactical scope Kahles

Kahles K318i 3.5-18x50 tactical rifle scope

What is the difference between a tactical - scope and a target scope?

As mentioned, the purpose of the tactical scope is to be used in all tactical situations. Target scope, on the other hand, is meant for precision shooting. Compared to tactical scopes’ 5x to 25x magnification, target ones have an extremely high one, which is up to 55x.

Reticle position in Tactical scope and Target scope

The tactical scope features a first focal plane reticle, and target scope a second focal plane reticle. What is more, with a target scope, if the user has enough knowledge and experience, they can also use it for hunting.

The characteristics of tactical riflescope (the main one being the FFP reticle), make them suitable only for tactical shooting purposes.