Parallax adjustment with a side focus

VIDEO

Traditionally, rifle scopes had a fixed parallax set at 100 meters or 100 yards; however, with the advance of shooting sports, such an approach was not adequate anymore. Scopes with fixed parallax offered the 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 sport 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, the 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 SF – Side focus scopes, parallax is adjusted with a rotation of the turret on left side of the main tube. Such an approach offers easy adjustment of the parallax in the prone position and is the best solution for situations when parallax must be adjusted often. Due to this reason, such scopes are usually used on tactical scopes and similar, where parallax is adjusted before each shot and distances to the targets change rapidly. Scopes, which offer parallax adjustment with a side focus, are usually bigger and heavier than counterparts with parallax adjustment on Adjustable Objective. They are also more expensive to produce. Due to the size of the internal mechanism for side focus adjustment, the majority of such scopes have a tube diameter of 30mm or more.

The easiest way to correctly set the parallax is to look at the target and gently rotate the ring on the side focus. When the target is in focus and the image offers the best sharpness, move the eye from the optical axis to 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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Definition

Field target is an outdoor competition where competitors use air guns to shoot at steel targets 9–50 m away. The competitors shoot from various positions – prone, kneeling, sitting, and standing.

In field target competitions, steel targets with a hole in the face plate are used. They are usually animal shaped. The hole is called the kill zone – if the shooter hits this area (with a certain force), the target trips over thanks to the paddle installed behind the hole. If the shooter hits the face plate, the target does not fall.

The shooters are not given the information on the distance to the target. It is up to them to determine it with the help of their riflescope (more information can be found below). No laser rangefinders are allowed at the competitions.

Schmidt & Bender 12.5-50x56 Field Target II (silver)

General features

An adjustable parallax is the most important feature of a riflescope designed for field target competitions. To cover the distances on which the targets are put, it must be settable from 7 m onwards.

Riflescopes designed for field target shooting boast high magnification power which is important for distance evaluation. Only at high magnification can the user successfully estimate the distance with the help of the parallax.

Tactical turrets are common – it is important for the user to have the elevation and windage adjustments at hand as POI adjustment with the help of turrets is essential in the field target competitions.

Generally speaking, most features of these riflescopes are identical to the ones on F-class riflescopes.

Why do shooters attach big wheels on the parallax turret?

In field target shooting, the competitor estimates the distance to the target with the help of an adjustable parallax.

Participants mark their scope with distance marks – when the image is in focus, the shooter knows the distance to the target. This is done only once for each riflescope before participating in competitions by setting the target at various distances with the help of a long tape measure or a laser rangefinder. Many shooters use a marked tape to write the distances down on the parallax of the riflescope.

A sidewheel makes this procedure easier for two reasons. With it, you can set the parallax much more precisely. Furthermore, you are provided with the surface for applying the marked tape. Most riflescopes with an adjustable parallax have the parallax knob on the side, hence the name ‘sidewheel’. Kahles K1050i FT 10–50x56, for example, has the parallax knob on top, at the base of the elevation turret – in this instance, the term ‘topwheel’ is much more suitable. A universal term used for this accessory is ‘parallax wheel’.

Certain field target riflescopes feature additional equipment such as bubble level to provide the most accurate distance readings.

Schmidt & Bender 12.5-50x56 Field Target II's sidewheel

Does temperature affect the accuracy of distance reading?

Field target competitions require the shooter to be extremely accurate. When competing in high temperatures, the accuracy of the riflescope can be compromised. For this reason, many optics manufacturers offer silver field target riflescopes. These do not heat up in the sun as much as classic, black riflescopes.

Schmidt & Bender 12.5-50x56 Field Target II's sidewheel

Can F-class optics be used for this type of competition?

F-class riflescopes are identical to field target riflescopes feature-wise which is why an F-class riflescope can be used for field target shooting. At the beginning this was the only way – it took a while for the manufacturers to introduce riflescopes designed specifically for field target. The development of these riflescopes was based on the features of F-class riflescopes.

Can this type of riflescopes be used for F-class competitions?

This is possible though not ideal as parallax on certain field target riflescopes cannot be set beyond 100 m. The reticles used in field target are not best-suited for the F-class shooting.

Schmidt & Bender 12.5-50x56 Field Target II's bubble level

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Parallax adjustment with a side focus

VIDEO

Video presentation of Parallax adjustment on the objective bell

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Definition

General features

Why do shooters attach big wheels on the parallax turret?

Does temperature affect the accuracy of distance reading?

Can F-class optics be used for this type of competition?

Can this type of riflescopes be used for F-class competitions?

A short presentation of optics is available here

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Parallax adjustment with a side focus

VIDEO

Video presentation of Parallax adjustment on the objective bell

Definition

General features

Why do shooters attach big wheels on the parallax turret?

Does temperature affect the accuracy of distance reading?

Can F-class optics be used for this type of competition?

Can this type of riflescopes be used for F-class competitions?

A short presentation of optics is available here

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