Rifle Scopes Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

[Maestro Pistolero]

I had a bit of difficulty adjusting the focus on my Nightforce F1 today. The adjustment is so fine that, except for the at the extreme ends of the adjustment, it seemed pretty much in focus. And, it take quite a few turns of the eyepiece before anything seems to change at all.

But, after first adjusting the eyepiece/focus as best I could, then when I attempted to adjust for parallax, the sight picture got blurry when the parallax went away.

Back to the drawing board, I adjusted the focus, again following the directions to set the parallax on infinity, full magnification, etc. It seems much better, but still room for doubt.

Am I correct in assuming that if the scope is properly focused, the parallax should be correctly adjusted when the image is clearest?

Are there any tricks to nailing this?

Thanks

 

[Lindy]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

The ocular lens adjusts only the sharpness of the reticle.

Make sure you have the ocular lens properly adjusted.

That's the one closest to your eye. Loosen the lock ring.

Then look through the scope at a plain background. Look away. Turn the ocular lens a couple of turns, then look back through the scope. Is the reticle sharper or more blurry?

This is like the process of getting your eye examined. Repeat until the reticle is perfectly sharp <span style="font-style: italic">as soon as you look through the scope.</span> Don't do this process while looking through the scope, as your eye will focus to the reticle. You want the reticle as sharp and clear as possible as soon as you look through the scope.

You will only need to do this adjustment once. Once it's done, lock it down, and leave it alone.

Focusing the parallax knob on the target is a rough adjustment of the parallax knob. Once it looks focused, check it to make sure that when you move your head <span style="font-style: italic">slightly</span> from side to side that the target doesn't appear to move relative to the reticle.

 

[Maestro Pistolero]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1


Very helpful, thank you!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The ocular lens adjusts only the sharpness of the reticle.

Make sure you have the ocular lens properly adjusted.

That's the one closest to your eye. Loosen the lock ring.</div></div>
That part I get, but this, I didn't understand:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Don't do this process while looking through the scope, as your eye will focus to the reticle.</div></div>That may have been my issue. Also, I am assuming since the instructions are to turn the Paralax knob to infinity, that the object I am using to focus must be a certain minimum distance away? The manual wasn't totally clear on this, although one of the suggested objects was an overcast sky.
I'll check it again tomorrow when it's light again.

-MP

 

[Lindy]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

The parallax adjustment should work on objects at least 50 yards away. Most scopes don't adjust much closer than that.

 

[Supersubes]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

Use the overcast sky for adjusting the ocular lense. I use a well lit white wall inside my house for that. If you try and adjust the ocular while actually looking at something, your eye will fight to focus causing eye strain. Like Lindy said, the crosshairs should be sharp as soon as your eye snaps onto it.

 

[Maestro Pistolero]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lindy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The parallax adjustment should work on objects at least 50 yards away. Most scopes don't adjust much closer than that.
</div></div>It doesn't seem to do much until 100 for me.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

Some of the info above is a bit misleading. If you mess with both the ocular and the side focus at the same time, you can see some interesting things.

Keep in mind that the ocular adjustment, meant to focus the reticle to your eye with or without glasses, normally has about a +/- 3 diopters of range.

Since you are moving a lens in and out that is in line with the image coming from the target to your eye, the movement of the ocular lens in an effort to focus the reticle can and will effect both the clarity of the down range image at a given focus/parallax adjustment as well as the clarity/focus of the reticle.

This is one reason why the parallax knob when marked in yards will not accurately reflect the actual range - your adjustment of the ocular will affect the parallax adjustment as well.

When you adjust the ocular to your eye to see the reticle clearly, you want to do this looking out into space, not at an object. Yes, this adjustment will appear to make the reticle clear at a variety of settings, the extremes either way making it fuzzy. Relax your eye, while wearing the glasses or contacts you plan to shoot with, and focus the reticle. Now lock it down. If you do not do this looking out into space, your eye's range of focus will keep going back and forth, back and forth, between the target and the reticle.

From here you can use the side parallax adjustment for target image clarity, and there should be no change to the reticle clarity as you change the side parallax adjustment.

 

[michaelt454]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

If it is focusing and parallax free at 100 then it is working properly, I would say.

Michael T.

 

[Maestro Pistolero]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The ocular lens adjusts only the sharpness of the reticle.</div></div>I know Lindy wrote that in his first reply, but somehow it didn't quite sink in for me.

I adjusted again for the reticle, per instructions, and all seems to be fine.
Thanks again.

 

[-=boone=-]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...595#Post1276595

 

[Maestro Pistolero]

Re: Difficulty w/Focus vs Parallax on the NF F1

Good link, Thanks. I'm closer than I was, but I want to try the lit reticule and the better light for the background, just to be certain.