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OP
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I have a Vortex PST on a rifle that I went out and shot with for the first time yesterday. It seemed like I could only get either the target or the reticle to show a crisp image. Never at the same time. I do know my eyes have gotten worse over the last year; but is this my eyes, scope, or was I simply doing something wrong?
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Sounds like you do not have the reticle focused properly.
Last edited by Triggernosis; 06/24/12.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Does that scope have a side focus feature ?
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Campfire Regular
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OP
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That's a good thought. It does have the SF. I did set it to the distance I was shooting at, but did not play around with that part of it much. Maybe that knob could be off some? I did try messing with the ocular adjustment but like I said only one or the other would show a sharp pic.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Point the scope at a white background (sky) and focus the reticle only. Then point it down range and fool around with the side focus knob.
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Yeah, with side-focus, definitely don't rely on the distances printed on the scope. Just fiddle with it until the target is in proper focus, regardless of what the yardage says.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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What I've found is that it's best to intially focus such scopes at very long range with the side focus/parallax adjustment set that way. Or you can do the "looking at the sky" method, but you still need to set the side focus/parallax adjustment at infinity.
Once you do that, you get the reticle sharp, and then keep going, counting how much you turn the ocular until the reticle begins to loose it's sharpness. Once you get there, back up half way.
That should result in the reticle and the image being both sharp at 300-400 yds.
At shorter ranges, especially at the higher magnifications, the image will be out of focus. That's because such scopes have a much shorter depth of focus than scopes w/o such features.
If you can focus the image with the side focus/parallax adjustment and remove all parallax at a shorter range, you are good. If not, either you did not intially focus the scope properly, the scope doesn't have enough focus adjustment for your eyes or it's defective. E
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
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Best way to adjust the reticle, is to tape a piece of white cleaning patch over the objective lens, then turn your scope magnification down to the lowest power, then lying on your back point the scope up to a bright light, and adjust the Ocular focus adjustment until the reticle is the blackest.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,453
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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What I've found is that it's best to intially focus such scopes at very long range with the side focus/parallax adjustment set that way. Or you can do the "looking at the sky" method, but you still need to set the side focus/parallax adjustment at infinity.
Once you do that, you get the reticle sharp, and then keep going, counting how much you turn the ocular until the reticle begins to loose it's sharpness. Once you get there, back up half way.
That should result in the reticle and the image being both sharp at 300-400 yds.
At shorter ranges, especially at the higher magnifications, the image will be out of focus. That's because such scopes have a much shorter depth of focus than scopes w/o such features.
If you can focus the image with the side focus/parallax adjustment and remove all parallax at a shorter range, you are good. If not, either you did not intially focus the scope properly, the scope doesn't have enough focus adjustment for your eyes or it's defective. E His scope has a fast focus eye piece. I's a non-Leupold.
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New Member
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New Member
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First, Adjust your fast focus eye piece on the desired power, preferably while looking at the target, until your reticle is at it's clearest, hopefully your target is clearing up too.
Your focus should be set then.
Then from there, while keeping the reticle on your target turn the parallax knob on the left hand side until both the reticle and target are focused.
Your parallax should be set. And to check you should be able to move your head around slightly without the reticle appearing to move across the target.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Chiefs,
This is a very novel concept. It is quite cleaver.
Is "Chiefs" your name or are you chiefs of many things or what?
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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Campfire Regular
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Thanks guys for the input. I'll work on your guy's suggestions and get to the bottom of this.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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They all work the same way. All a fast focus ocular does is focus faster. E
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,453
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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You can count turns with a fast focus ?
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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They amy not be full turns but even fractions can be counted. E
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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True enough. Meant to ask you about the FX3 6x42 you have. Does that one have the older type focus or does it have a fast focus eye piece ? How do you like that 6x42 ?
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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It has Leupold's version of a fast focus ocular. Still not nearly as fast as the typical euro, but alot faster than their old style system.
I like it alot. It tracks perfectly, something the older friction types don't always do unless you replace them with target knobs. The knobs themselves are nice and low, something I never really liked about the much taller target knobs.
I really appreciate the super hard coatings as my scopes tend to get dusty easily.
Haven't done any nasty falls with it yet, but I'm sure that will happen. Can't say I'm worried. E
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Posts: 18,453 |
Yeah, I guess if I hunted in the kinda of conditions you've describled with lots of dust, I'd probably want a more scratch resistant coating like Leupold's Diamond Coat. You guys just might talk me into trying the FX-3 again with the HD reticle. The one 6x42 I had was years ago was a M8 that was on a tang safety 280 Ruger. That rifle never lost zero and was very, very accurate too.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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over the last 10 years I have been dealing with the eye sight vs scope optics adjustment battles..
can see real well out of them for a while and then my eye sight changes and can't get them to focus at all...
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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