Adjusting Parallax On A Fixed Parallax Scope

i didnt even know such things were possible .. thats far out, im going to have to look up the procedure unless you care to share ...

thanks so much this is cool as hell lol .. i have a little cheap 4x and the outer ring was loose enough to twist off by hand ... i was able to focus it down to 5y or so here in the house .. the tool is nice to though gonna add it to the toolbox so i can look rico suave to anybody i show this to lol ..

Somebody recommended this tool or a very similar one to me a couple of years ago. I have an inexpensive scope that I like but 100 yard fixed parallax. Unfortunately the company is known for gluing in their lens carriers so I'm probably going to have to use some heat and I've been dragging my heels.

Regarding that article, it mentions no need to do this if the scope already has AO or side focus. Another poster here said that it can also be used to adjust the minimum focus range on an adjustable scope. For example, taking a scope from 25 yard minimum focus to 10 yard minimum focus.

Somebody recommended this tool or a very similar one to me a couple of years ago. I have an inexpensive scope that I like but 100 yard fixed parallax. Unfortunately the company is known for gluing in their lens carriers so I'm probably going to have to use some heat and I've been dragging my heels.

Regarding that article, it mentions no need to do this if the scope already has AO or side focus. Another poster here said that it can also be used to adjust the minimum focus range on an adjustable scope. For example, taking a scope from 25 yard minimum focus to 10 yard minimum focus.

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I presume on an adjustable scope if you lower the minimum parallax setting then the maximum may not go all the way to infinity. Is this correct?

Somebody recommended this tool or a very similar one to me a couple of years ago. I have an inexpensive scope that I like but 100 yard fixed parallax. Unfortunately the company is known for gluing in their lens carriers so I'm probably going to have to use some heat and I've been dragging my heels.

Regarding that article, it mentions no need to do this if the scope already has AO or side focus. Another poster here said that it can also be used to adjust the minimum focus range on an adjustable scope. For example, taking a scope from 25 yard minimum focus to 10 yard minimum focus.

Click to expand...

I presume on an adjustable scope if you lower the minimum parallax setting then the maximum may not go all the way to infinity. Is this correct?

Click to expand...

I assume so. I'll link to a YouTube video about scope repair where a scope had gone out of adjustment and infinity was only around 50 yards or something like that. I haven't watched this video fully in some time so I may not have the details correct.

I'm pretty sure the guy who mentioned this initially was Odoyle and in fact the below video was also originally posted by him. But I can't seem to find the post or thread where he mentioned adjusting the minimum focus distance on AO scopes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSR3GCUZTps

Question: I have a variable(2-7x) power, fixed parallax at 150 yd scope. Does the parallax adjustment change at all with change of power? In other words, if I change that fixed parallax to 25 yards will the parallax remain correct at both 2x power and 7x power and everywhere in between?

I made this adjustment two scopes, a Tasco and a Bushnell and set them at 25 Yds. It worked well for me. It will not work on all scopes. I think this works best on older scope or cheaper scopes. I would not do this to a newer scope or an expensive one.

I have been changing parallax on fixed scopes for years. My favorite tool is a rubber jar gripper thingy. Once I get the outer ring off easy to turn the objective lens carrier. A lot of scopes nowadays have the lens carrier threads glued. Which makes it more difficult.

Lightweight Fixed Parallax Vixen - Airgun Nation

Look closely at the scope's objective lense and the threads there. The higher-end scopes with fixed parallax will likely have rtv black silicone sealing the threads to seal the anti-fog gas in. You will not likely be able to get these to move, even with heat. Chasing the threads with a sewing needle by the lense will allow you to determine the type of glue used, if any.

Somebody recommended this tool or a very similar one to me a couple of years ago. I have an inexpensive scope that I like but 100 yard fixed parallax. Unfortunately the company is known for gluing in their lens carriers so I'm probably going to have to use some heat and I've been dragging my heels.

Regarding that article, it mentions no need to do this if the scope already has AO or side focus. Another poster here said that it can also be used to adjust the minimum focus range on an adjustable scope. For example, taking a scope from 25 yard minimum focus to 10 yard minimum focus.

Click to expand...

Can someone please confirm that you can adjust an already adjustable parallax scope using this method? I'm looking at a pretty expensive scope that ticks all the boxes except...it only focuses/adjusts parallax down to 20 or 25 yards. For the shooting that I will do with the air rifle I need to get down to at least 10 yards. 

Somebody recommended this tool or a very similar one to me a couple of years ago. I have an inexpensive scope that I like but 100 yard fixed parallax. Unfortunately the company is known for gluing in their lens carriers so I'm probably going to have to use some heat and I've been dragging my heels.

Regarding that article, it mentions no need to do this if the scope already has AO or side focus. Another poster here said that it can also be used to adjust the minimum focus range on an adjustable scope. For example, taking a scope from 25 yard minimum focus to 10 yard minimum focus.

Click to expand...

Can someone please confirm that you can adjust an already adjustable parallax scope using this method? I'm looking at a pretty expensive scope that ticks all the boxes except...it only focuses/adjusts parallax down to 20 or 25 yards. For the shooting that I will do with the air rifle I need to get down to at least 10 yards.

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I'll try to find a link tomorrow to a previous thread. I believe there was a reply from @Yo or @Odoyle that discussed it & posted a video.

Of course it won't necessarily mean that the scope you're getting can be adjusted if the lens carrier is glued in place. 

Is the scope you're considering variable power? Do you need it to focus to ten yards at max power?

The scope is variable and I’m ok with it only focusing down to 10 yards on the lowest power.

The scope is variable and I’m ok with it only focusing down to 10 yards on the lowest power.

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I see I already posted the repair video further up. Here it is again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSR3GCUZTps

Please note that the scope being adjusted in this video is and older, inexpensive scope and that it has an adjustable objective, not side focus, if that matters.

That was posted by Yo or Odoyle and but that was not the thread I was thinking of where I believe he talked more about adjusting the minimum range on adjustable scopes.

He was a prolific poster with both profiles and it's hard to wade through and find such a specific post. Regardless, I don't think he posted anything that's going to make you know for sure if the scope you're considering could be adjusted.

I have a few variable power scopes where one can focus on closer up objects by decreasing the magnification. They are all 32mm objective or smaller with more forgiving depth of field, however. I do have a 44mm objective scope I've never tried it with because it is an FFP scope and I can't see the reticle at lower power anyways.

That's something else to consider. Is the scope you're considering FFP or SFP? And will you need holdover for when you're inside of your PBR? If it's FFP you'll need it to focus at ten yards at the magnification where you can see the holder over points against your target, assuming it's inside of your PBR.

I found that I was able to adjust the minimum parallax setting on a side focus Leupold VX-Freedom 4-12 from around 30 yards down to about any distance I needed…

I’ve used a spanner wrench like is posted for 40 years. I repaired cameras and lenses for a living. There are 2 styles of a spanner like posted. One with fixed slide rods so only 1 side moves and the othe allows both to slide. For me I preferred the fixed rods. The wrench was stiffer and easier to control when loosening tight retaining rings. But other techs liked the more flexibility of both rods being loose so they could change rod length and flex to fit their hand better. Personal preference. The tool and tips are indispensable for working on lenses. The big key is the tips. They need to fit the notches in the retaining ring. Just like having the right size screwdriver blade. Especially flat blades. Think of a gunsmith screw driver set. The blades are a little thicker so to stay in the slot and not mar the screw. Always use the straightest blade you can to keep the axis over the notch and inline with the post. On really tight rings having a second person hold the lense while you can turn and control the spanner to keep it from slipping. Retaining rings that are glued usually need either acetone or alcohol to loosen the glue. Use it sparingly. Several light applications are better than one big one. Heat was always a last resort because of causing the greases to thin and run. On a zoom lens there are multiple adjustments to keep focus when a lens is zoomed but most scopes aren’t that sophisticated. 

@marquette

Thanks for the tip on the acetone. I have a couple of inexpensive scopes I've been meaning to adjust the parallax on. I do have a cheap lens spanner and I already know one of the scopes does not have a glued lens carrier. Both are max six power and both are fixed parallax at 100 yards/meters.

The other scope does have a glued carrier and today I had some extra time and removed the threaded cap and then tilted the scope slightly off of vertical and applied acetone with a cotton swap so it could wick into the threads.

I waited and checked after every application and suddenly it spun freely after several applications. No heat required, thank goodness. That's one warranty voided, lol.

How much of rotation should I expect to have a significant effect?

I have two other scopes with adjustable objectives. With one it only takes a bit over 180 degrees of rotation to go from 15' focus to infinity.

With the other it's much more than that but still less than a full 360 degree rotation to go from 7 yards to infinity.

Based on that my assumption it should take both less than half a turn to get down to say 50 yards?

I have a neighbor across the ravine putting up a shed and I can use the symbol on his house wrap as a point of focus. Unfortunately we have a wind advisory right now and I'd rather do this outside than through a window. It's supposed to be nice this weekend so I hope to set something up at an exact distance and fine tune it.

Appreciate any input.

If you reload, you can simply use your calipers inside dia measure fit to the notches in the lock ring & "locked" in place. Still, some scope housing rings (which must be loosened) is near impossible to break without marring the finish of the scope. Some scopes are doable some aren't. 

I have a old Tasco 3-9x32 from the early 80's late 70's era that seems to be PA free even @ 20yrds! Didn't adjust this one! it's PA is factory set. Interesting scope! It has the TV view with rubber turret covers & has held zero on everything I've put it on. The glass could be brighter! but it worked well enough to take a double on a grey fox calling stand when mounted on my CZ512 22mag.