How important is parallax adjustment?

1170 Views 15 Replies 11 Participants Last post by BRNO5, 4 mo ago

BRNO5

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

Hi Guys,
I’m looking to get into rimfire met sil with my CZ 452.
Someone has a Leupold VariX III 6.5-20 x 40 AO for sale. The closest parallax adjustment is 50 yards. I see most people recommend the EFR model, why is this? I can’t imagine targets at 40 with parallax at 50 would be a concern? Also is the VX3 a noticeable step up in quality? This particular Vari X III is 2006 vintage.
Thanks!
BRNO5

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JW22

· #2 · 4 mo ago

BRNO5,
You will probably get a few different answers on this. As for me I would never buy a fixed parallax scope again or one that didn't have exposed lockable turrets.
I have quite a few scopes with adjustable parallax, and I think they all start around 15-20 yards and go to infinity and beyond Buzz!
Leupold makes some really good glass. As for the parallax starting at 50 yards it wouldn't concern me all that much. The scope should be clear enough at 25 yards to get on paper and then move it back to 50 for zero.
The only challenge you may have is if one of the stages you shoot in has a KYL rack and the target is the 1/4" at 25-30 yards. Not sure if it be real clear.

Sophia

· #3 · 4 mo ago

You are going to love silhouette shooting!

Go ahead and get it if the price sounds good and all the adjustments seem to be working correctly..

The parallax error between 40m and 50m isn't going to be enough to worry about. (which is a kind way of saying you'll have bigger things to worry about

) Though we all obsess over the gear the bottom line this is a game that focuses on the shooter and not the gear so don't put yourself in the poor house chasing the "best" gear. I would even suggest you start with whatever you have right now then decide how you want to upgrade. For example, I started with variable mag scopes but now have fixed mag scopes on my silhouette rifles.

I see most people recommend the EFR model, why is this? I can’t imagine targets at 40 with parallax at 50 would be a concern?

For smallbore metallic silhouette it won't be a concern. The EFR comes in handy when you are shooting at targets much smaller than the chickens such as you might find in a rimfire precision rifle match or are trying to hit a 10-ring that is only a tenth of an inch in diameter.

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Chickenhater

· #4 · 4 mo ago

I used a Zeiss 6.5-20× a few years back. The parallax correction was marked starting at 50yds, but it would turn down to 45yds, verified off the bench with the head moving trick... anyway when shooting silhouette at the SC range, where chickens are set at 40yds, instead of meters, the chickens were blurry. It wasnt a huge inconvenience, and reducing magnification down to about 14x would provide a clear image. The parallax error that the 5yd difference created was minimal. So that being said, if the possibility of having a blurry image, or a tiny amount of parallax error is something that will bug you then I'd hold out for what you want. The advice Sophia gave is great, start with what you have, then seeing/testing other set ups will better guide you in your decision making. Good luck and happy shooting.

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TMW99577

· #5 · 4 mo ago

The smaller the target, the more important it gets. Deer hunting within normal ranges, and it is not important at all.

jpickar

· #6 · 4 mo ago

When I first tried a parallax adjustable scope many years ago I have never put anything but a parallax adjustable scope on my 22's. Even my hunting rifles.

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Grantmac

· #7 · 4 mo ago

It will not be a big issue.
But double check that you are getting a good deal. If you can spend another couple hundred and get a brand new EFR with the diamond reticle then do it.

Garth69

· #8 · 4 mo ago

BRNO5 said:
Hi Guys,
I’m looking to get into rimfire met sil with my CZ 452.
Someone has a Leupold VariX III 6.5-20 x 40 AO for sale. The closest parallax adjustment is 50 yards. I see most people recommend the EFR model, why is this? I can’t imagine targets at 40 with parallax at 50 would be a concern? Also is the VX3 a noticeable step up in quality? This particular Vari X III is 2006 vintage.
Thanks!
BRNO5

I don't even try scopes with fixed parallax anymore. I buy adjustable parallax side focus or objective bell adjustable. Some of the ones I like and use go down to 10 yds. adjustable. That helps me with 25 yard 1/4" targets.

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Vz.58

· #9 · 4 mo ago

I use them on just about everything. Not targets but varmints. The meoptas I have adjustment down to 10 yards. Never really used 10 yards but have at 35 yards. Helps me very much. Groundhogs can be extremely quick and difficult to get a good head shot. Unless I have 3-5 seconds of no movement I have had to wait often, or just not take the shot. Those adjustments are very fine on these scopes. 5 yards and out of focus. You really know your range. Extremely handy.

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22SLEEPER

· #10 · 4 mo ago

Brno,Leupold 6.5x20 EFR with target turrets is the way to go for silhouette.
EFR allows you to shoot indoors at 50 feet.

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samven

· #11 · 4 mo ago

You might find that at closer ranges you will have to turn the mag down to get a clear image. As far as parallax error goes, if you are directly behind the scope there wont be any. It only matters if your eye gets off center but in most cases you can tell you are drifting off to one side because one edge starts to get fuzzy. The VariX III had very good glass but it has very narrow elevation adjustment, you might have a hard time getting a 50 yd zero with a 20 MOA rail. I think the total adjustment was 45 MOA so you might have to find a 10 MOA rail and you will still be limited to 200 yds or so. I love mine but the 1" tube is a serious limitation for any 22 going for long range. For targets to100 yds it wont be an issue but the long range bug will bite you eventually and you will be looking for another scope.

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Chickenhater

· #12 · 4 mo ago

samven said:
You might find that at closer ranges you will have to turn the mag down to get a clear image. As far as parallax error goes, if you are directly behind the scope there wont be any. It only matters if your eye gets off center but in most cases you can tell you are drifting off to one side because one edge starts to get fuzzy. The VariX III had very good glass but it has very narrow elevation adjustment, you might have a hard time getting a 50 yd zero with a 20 MOA rail. I think the total adjustment was 45 MOA so you might have to find a 10 MOA rail and you will still be limited to 200 yds or so. I love mine but the 1" tube is a serious limitation for any 22 going for long range. For targets to100 yds it wont be an issue but the long range bug will bite you eventually and you will be looking for another scope.

This is true... if your eye placement is exactly the same every single shot, you do not need parallax correction... however shooting offhand is tough enough without an additional handicap. I own absolutely zero scopes that have fixed parallax, that's target scopes as well as hunting scopes. Once you utilize this feature you will want it on all of your rifles, and/or pistols.

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samven

· #13 · 4 mo ago

Chickenhater said:
This is true... if your eye placement is exactly the same every single shot, you do not need parallax correction... however shooting offhand is tough enough without an additional handicap. I own absolutely zero scopes that have fixed parallax, that's target scopes as well as hunting scopes. Once you utilize this feature you will want it on all of your rifles, and/or pistols.

The problem with parallax adjustments and offhand shooting is that is the most difficult position to be in and make accurate adjustments. You cannot always trust the labeling to be accurate. We use to use the parallex adjustment to range find in Field Target and everyone had tape over the factory labels and hand labeled tested ranges. If your not getting back into the same position everytime your not going to be accurate no matter what the adjustment says.

Chickenhater

· #14 · 4 mo ago

Not sure I follow your logic... it's too hard to do it correctly, so don't do it at all???
It's not hard, we're talking silhouette, you set your equipment up well in advance of the match, so if the scale is off, (and many are), you already know this and have corrections marked. You know you are going to shoot at turkeys, for example, you know they are 78m, so you move your elevation turret and set your parallax before you leave the pigs. At 20-40× parallax can shift POI quite a bit, without your head being in a noticeably different position...

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samven

· #15 · 4 mo ago

Thats not what I was saying, I was only pointing out that even though his adjustments wont go down below 45 or so he problably wont be off by much more if any than someone trying to adjust the parallax trusting the factory marks or trying to hold the rifle up and adjust for best focus. And that both can be negated by having the gun properly adjusted to the shooter so your eye lines up the same with a good cheek weld.

BRNO5

Discussion Starter · #16 · 4 mo ago

Thanks for the insights everyone. I’m going to wait til an EFR comes up. I’m particularly looking for a gloss one too so it might take a while. I’ll make do with the 3-9 scope that’s on it for the time being.

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