Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Focusing the reticle on a Leupod scope

Does anyone know how to do this? Pointers appreciated.

Back out the focus ring lock, lefty loosy the ocular until it becomes blurry.
Start focusing back in, righty tighty against a white background until focus on the reticle is sharp.
Lock the ring in place.
Should be that easy, but you'll get more details here.

I recently focused a new Leupold 2x pistol scope and found that there was a range of eyepiece movement where the reticle appeared sharp but the image quality would go from good to fair. For me, using a blank wall or the sky could get me in the ballpark, but it would not help to fine tune the image quality. What I did was to put out a standard optical chart right alongside my target, and further adjusted the eyepiece under low light to maximize the image quality while keeping the reticle sharp. Made a marked difference.

Not a Leupold, but same thing with my Schmidt and Bender and its fast focus eyepiece. I had adjusted the eyepiece during a time of good lighting and thought the image was perfect. Later that evening I was surprised to find the image quality to be fairly poor in low light. Refocused the eyepiece in the low light and the image went sharp with a partial turn. It was easier to make the adjustment and correction against the chart in low light.

Best

Gary, I would have to agree with you about the low light focusing. I've experienced this in the past as well, and have adjusted in low light for optimal focus. It does make a difference.

Absolutely spot on. Having the reticle, and image focused at the same time is the deal.

Yes.

I'm reading this with interest, and making mental comparisons with my experience with a Burris Signature 3-12x with "adjustable objective"/parallax adjustment.

Getting the reticle sharply focused against a sky background is easy. Then ((at 12 power)) I look at a 200 yard paper target with .30 cal. bullet holes.....and adjust the parallax using the "head wiggle" method. When I get the parallax adjusted just right for 200 yards, then I see that the bullet holes are not visually super-sharp and crisp. I can rock the parallax adjustment back and forth slightly, and it brings the bullet holes into sharp focus....but now 200 yd parallax is slightly "off".

So what should I do? Get the parallax correctly adjusted for that particular range, or let the parallax fall wherever it may.......and use the parallax adjustment to get the bullet holes into sharp focus. After reading this thread, I'm wondering if the reticle focus adjustment might help me get to a point where parallax is correct, and bullet holes are in sharp focus,l all at the same time, and reticle is also visually sharp?

Seems like this shouldn't be such a juggling act. Ain't gonna happen if I'm lookin' at a nice bull or buck!!

Thanks, folks........

FjLee Denver CO

GaryVA,

Definitely going to try this.

I like to focus the reticle using clear sky as my background. I find it easier than indoors, plus I immediately check reticle focus and image quality at hunting distances.

I've adjusted the reticle indoors at other times and sometimes its ok, other times its not. Just easier to do it outside.

If your Leupo has the jam nut/lockring, make sure its tight! My .270 BAR and 375 Ruger have loosened the jam nuts on both scopes. I crank them down tight and keep an eye on them, otherwise you can get some interesting "groups" when the ocular spins after each shot.

I make a point to leave a witness mark for a visual check showing the eyepiece locked in the correct position. Normally use contrasting paint to make a stripe with a pointer. Just a dab of my wife's clear fingernail polish on the locking ring has kept my LEUs in place with recoil of a 454 Casull and a 416 Rem Mag. Never had them move once set.

What I would do is is use the adjustable objective to remove parallax, then use the ocular to focus the image.
What I've always done with the few AO scopes that I've played with is preset the AO for a specific range, then I've used the ocular to first adjust the reticle, then the image. BTW, on a Leupold, you turn the ocular in, away from you, if you are near sighted or out, if you are far sighted.
Anyway, I've often had to tweak the parallax a bit with the AO, then fiddle with the ocular again, for the best image.
Speaking of image focus, I've noticed it does change a bit from day to day. And/or under different lighting conditions. With the lower magnification scopes, like the 6X Leupolds I use, it doesn't change much. Probably due to their long depth of focus. E

Trent at Leupold answers this question to you strosfann on their website.

[video:youtube]hMjx00XlUzM[/video]

Interesting comments. I particularly liked the comments about using the ocular to eliminate parallax.
He says nothing about image focus, however. What I've seen alot of shooters do is get the reticle "sharp" and stop right there. But, when one focuses both the reticle, then the image, the reticle looks even sharper. And parallax, if any, is also greatly reduced. E