TargetTalk

Any of you prone shooters using a side focus scope? Which one? I know the Leupold EFR's are popular but I found it's not so easy to focus a obj type while laying on my stomach in prone wrapped up with my sling. Seems a side focus would be much easier. I practice at 50' indoors then go out to the 100yd so I can't just leave it at one focus.

Thanks

I have been using the Vari-X Leu EFR target for 50' and outdoor 50Y/M 100yd. I am not sure that there is a side focus EFR available and last I knew, not all the AO target units focus down to 50' and the side focus units may have the same issue.

I find that the "set-up time" between prone distances, or 3P is enough to adjust the objective. Side Focus would be very helpful with small varmits where the distance varies, but our targets are at fixed distances.

What works for me: I have marked the obj with a lead pencil at the 50' mark since it varies based on magnification(I use lower powers for kneeling & standing). When I move to 50Y/50M & 100Y it is pretty close to the markings on the AO... I am also shooting the highest power in prone & I think the scope is marked for the highest power.

I know this is blasphemy to those in the ISSF world, but in NRA matches we use scopes in our "any site" matches.... and we get to use buckles on our jackets too! :-)

I use a Leupold EFR on my smallbore position rifle and I use Leupold LR target scopes which are side focus for long range high power.

I HATE the side focus scopes, they are not marked for distance because they are not repeatable. When setting one up you have to take your best guess and then do the "hunt and peck" with your head to see if the reticle moves in relation to the bull, you keep adjusting until that parallax is gone and leave it there. I have found this so annoying I actually bought a different LR target for each distance rather then go through this every time I go from 1000 to 600 or vice versa. The only reason I put up with it is the Leupold LR hase 90 minutes of elevation and if I must I can practice from 100 to 1000 yards, but as I previously said once its set for a distance I try and leave it alone.

I have found no issue with my EFR, I always use it on 20X though and have found the bell marks correct. I agree with the previous poster, if the bell marks are not correct for you then use paper tape and a pencil to make your own marks and skip the side focus for any game where you have to change distance.

Just my opinion.

If the marks on the objective bell aren't correct, can't the scope just be adjusted (objective lens screwed in/out a bit) until they are correct and then locked back down again?

JasonM wrote:If the marks on the objective bell aren't correct, can't the scope just be adjusted (objective lens screwed in/out a bit) until they are correct and then locked back down again?

When only one position, that is possible but what distance is your baseline cuz when focused at 50yards, my 50' & 100yd marks are off and vice versa. The marks at least get you close.

When you are shooting a variable power EFR, the focus & paralax changes as you go from 12x to 20x and every power in between. Usually the difference is minimal in 16x-20x so I put up with it for kneeling where I put it to 16 20x, yet at standing, I often go to 12x to eliminate the "mental wobblies" ... some days 16x is good for standing, other days its 8x ... that is when the AO marks are not even close and when you roll back up to 16 - 20x for kneeling, there is an AO adjustment required. In those cases, adjsuting the AO can be done quite easily at the end of the prior postition session, or in the prep time. Either way, you have plenty of time and i'd have a tough time doing the SF while standing..... :-)

I'm referring the focus adjustment that Leupold can do for scopes whose objective bell markings aren't correct, or to change the focus range to shorter for non-EFR scopes (which will cost some ability for distant focus) by customer request. This can also be done by individuals, but most do not adjust their own.

We generally ignore them, put our own marks on. Why does it matter if they agree or not? I can tell to the yd or so what something is out to 70yds, and certainly within 10 way further out... but then it's a march, not a luep, which can take time to learn to be precise with. That said, 50 & 100 marks should be easy to mark and repeatable... certainly within the margins of error required.

The parallax marks are close at best, but there are quite a few influences that can move them.

Firstly your eyes, and no two are the same and will achieve focus differently, and change over time.

Temperature will also see them move, each scope has it's own shift point and behaviour, some being worse than others. Leups are known to move.

Brightness/lighting will make focus more or less easy to achieve, thus possibly producing consistency issues.

They need to be turned the same way, and if the focus is passed, returned to stop and turned again (it talks about this in the manual).

Lastly to get the best parallax correction, you need to focus on highest mag you have and on the smallest detail possible. Big bright target cards are pretty bad... look for much finer detail like spiders webs or paper fibres.

Changing the objective is sometimes possible but some are locked down. Eitherway, it will either bring the focus closer as it's turned out or tighten gaps and increase snap (can't remember which way does it). If you bring it in too far, you lose the ability to focus to infinity or further ranges.