Horizontal Alignment of Scope?

[WilBloodworth]

I've watched many videos on installing/aligning scopes and none of them seem to ever touch on horizontal alignment (the distance from the eyepiece to your eye). Everyone just seems to "center" the top turret between the scope rings. Is that really ideal or is there a better choice?

- Wil

 

[SPitty]

I always shoulder the rifle with my eyes close to where I am comfortable, and then, if I do not have a clear site picture when I open my eyes, I will move the scope towards or away from me until the eye relief is adjusted for me. Nine times out of ten, the turret is not centered between the scope rings.

 

[venatic]

I have always assumed it was setting for your personal comfort to see thru the scope while not getting a Weatherby eye.

 

[Recon$$]

You need to figure out where the sweet spot for your comfort is then adjust diopter after. It's not about looks or centering.

 

[Euler]

I don't know what videos you're watching, but they don't sound like a good resource. If you only ever shoot from the bench, optimize the eye relief for that single position. My interests result in more positional shooting, so that typically results in setting the ocular relatively close in the prone position so that the optic is useable prone, sitting, kneeling, and standing. Regardless, use max magnification to set proper eye relief as the optic will be the most sensitive at max mag. Once you are comfortable with the eye relief, I typically set the rings as far apart as possible. Then make sure your diopter is set to your eye, optic is plumb with gravity, and torque everything into place.

 

[xsn10s]

Yup what is comfortable to your eye. With the position you'll be most likely using the rifle most of the time. And at the magnification that you will be using most of the time.

 

[rpol98]

yeah, eye relief at your normal comfortable cheek weld.

 

[Reelamin]

Already posted.

 

[milo-2]

I try to get my rings as far apart as possible, so centering the turret usually is not an option. Add in scope main tubes seem to be getting shorter(scopes I buy anyway).
If you buy and shoot reg stocks with standard length of pull, and rings where you do not need the cheekpiece elevated 1.5", it becomes as easy measuring the back of the scope to the back of the buttstock on a couple well fitting rifles with a tape measure to get a general idea where to set the scope. Make finite adjustments from there for your shooting style.
My measurement is 10 1/4 to 10 3/8", like clockwork.

 

[orkan]

Different scopes will have different eye relief. Set scope to max magnification, get on the rifle, move to best view in relaxed prone position. Get up, confirm view in standing position and any other you wish, then level up and lock down.



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[Reelamin]

Heck with the new midget scopes I'm just happy if I can mount it at all let alone set eye relief properly.

 

[orkan]

Heck with the new midget scopes I'm just happy if I can mount it at all let alone set eye relief properly.

Some of them are so short, they become comically high on long actions just to get the objective bell to clear the rail. lol