parallex question

[original]

what is different between the scopes with a parallex adjustment and ones without?  it will be used mainly for hunting.  are the ones with the parallex adjustments mainly for target shooting?  thanks

[351 power]

that's the way i would use them. except maybe for long range stationary hunting which might be a specialized rifle

[Lloyd Smale]

if your hunt possibly gives you shots out to past 300 yards or if your scope is more powerful on the top end then 9x an ajustable paralex is about needed. The normal focus on a scope is used to focus the clarity of the crosshairs not the image in the scope. An ajustable objective or side focus scope actually allows you to ajust the clairity of the image. Most scopes wont focus well at real long ranges or set on high power. Personaly i wouldnt buy another scope over 9x without one.

[drdougrx]

I'm with LLoyd on this one.  I have a few scopes that are 3.5x10 (leupi VX-III's) that are not parallex or AO adj.  They are fine but much beyond 9x or 10x....I think you need something to focus.  I have a VX-II 4x12x50 without a parallex adj.  Seems if you buy a scope over 10x with an obj lens over 50mm you can get away without a manual adj. though I'm not at all sure that holds true in every case.  My uncle has a swaro scope that's 3x12 and the parallex automatically adjusts as you turn the power ring past 10x....only problem here is that the crosshairs get thicker!!!

And BTW...I do have a parallex adj (AO) scope on a 270....a Leupi vari-x II 4x12x44.  I leave the AO adj on 100yrds. and the power on either 4x or 6x.  Never needed to readj the front ring in the field.

[PowPow]

My hunting is in defined fields surrounded by woods (no wide open to the horizon). When I use one of my AO scopes for hunting, I set the AO on 2/3's the length of the field. That way if will be pretty good for the longest 1/3 and middle 1/3 of the field, and then for the closest 1/3 of the field, it won't matter that much.

[trotterlg]

Parallax is the apparent change in POI when you move your eye position relitive to the scope.  If the parallax is correctly set, moving your eye up and down or side to side will not produce any movement of the cross hair on the target.  Incorrectly set parallax will make it appear the POI is moving when you move your eye position even though the rifle does not move.  So a parallax corrected scope for 100 yards should produce no change in POI if you move your eye position and the target is at 100 yards.  Further than that and less than that the POI will appear to change.  Just depends on how fine you need to cut the POI, a Moose at 25 yards may not matter much, but a PD at 400 yards may.  Larry