LPVO or similar with parallax adjust AND long eye relief?

Offhand said:

I'm looking for a scope for my Leshiy Classic. Most of the shooting I do with it is standing, unsupported. I'd like one that is small, low-powered (preferably variable power) and has a) parallax adjustment to 10 yards; and b) long eye relief. Like 5" or so of eye relief. I'm having trouble finding a scope that meets those criteria. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

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I have been looking for the same scope for years. I have three LPVOs with side focus -- two Styrkas & a March -- but neither has long eye relief. Hang way over the back on Leshiy Classics.

Leupold has some long eye relief scopes but the only one with side focus is a 4-12x40 unless there is one I missed. And only 20 yards minimum focus. Not sure if it's small either.

What is the maximum magnification at which you need to be able to focus to 10 yards?

Do you need 1x?

I’m running a Westhunter WHT 3-12x44 FFP IR. It focuses down to 10 yards, the spec card states eye relief is 3.35-3.54. But at 3x I get at least 5” of eye relief. Measured by my wife as I looked through my scope.

Offhand said:

Good questions.
I think at 10yds 3x would be plenty of magnification.
And 1x at the low end would be preferable, but I don't know that I need it.

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Forgot the other important question. How much magnification do you need at the top end?

Also, would you consider a fixed parallax scope that could be readjusted to where things were in focus at 10 yards and/or parallax free at 10 yards at 3x? And higher magnifications would be in focus at longer distances?

Or is that a non-starter? Side focus required?

Check out this thread by @stoutblock, who asked a similar question for his Leishy 2

Offhand said:

I really don't have enough experience with optics and I don't know enough about them to answer your questions, Scouty. But they are good ones, giving me more to think about. The way I'm using my Leshiy, I don't think I need more than 10x -- maybe 6x would suffice. I've read that fixed parallax scopes can be adjusted to be parallax-free at shorter distances, but I don't know what the trade offs are at longer distances. Thanks.

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I recently adjusted a Leupold 2-7x33 Rimfire from 60 yards to ~35 yards at 7x. I just used a sign across the street and adjusted it until it was parallax free. I do not have an exact distance to that sign. I figured I would check parallax at different distances when I finally got out to shoot it in the woods. That hasn't happened yet.

What I can do tomorrow is set it in my tripod, set it at 3x and check for parallax at ten yards. I'll post back just to give you an idea. I am pretty sure it would already be clear enough for me at 10 yards but I'm not sure if it will be parallax free.

As far as that perfect LPVO that has side focus down to 10 yards and can be mounted even with the hinge point of a Classic Leshiy, I haven't found it yet.

I assume that's your reasoning for the long eye relief? To mount it so the eyepiece lines up with the hinge point more or less?

Others seem to have much more luck than I do in that regard. Everyone is different. You may just have to try for yourself.

Of course the guaranteed way to get 1x and long eye relief is either a red dot, holographic and some 1x prism sites. They can be used with flip up magnifiers but most of those have short eye relief as well.

An image of the scope on @stoutblock, rig.Good luck!

Have you thought about buying a standard scope with good eye relief and parallax adjustment and just slapping a Burris fast fire micro red dot on it for true parallax free close range and ideal long range? Not many lpvo scopes with adjustable parallax out there. You might find a good 2x7 with all the things you want. I don't think you can find a 1x with all those requirements. If you do please let us know I would love to have one!

This is what I came up with to solve my scope issues. I now have the best of both worlds. Red dot for close shots scope for long.

A scope plus red dot or RMR is definitely something to consider.

There are mounts that allow you to have your RMR or RDS mounted closer to the bore and just rotate the stock slightly. Some prefer this to top mounted for close distance stuff.

Another poster wrapped a Leshiy shroud with vinyl and epoxied a small section of rail to the vinyl so no need to drill and tap the shroud. I would imagine the first flat spot from the top on the hexagonal shroud would be a good spot for this.

That does open the door for a lot more scopes. I would have tried this myself if I didn't have an astigmatism and another vision issue that make red dot sites nearly useless.

Even with LPVOs many shooters still use the offset RMR due to their better performance at 1x.

Scouty said:

A scope plus red dot or RMR is definitely something to consider.

There are mounts that allow you to have your RMR or RDS mounted closer to the bore and just rotate the stock slightly. Some prefer this to top mounted for close distance stuff.

Another poster wrapped a Leshiy shroud with vinyl and epoxied a small section of rail to the vinyl so no need to drill and tap the shroud. I would imagine the first flat spot from the top on the hexagonal shroud would be a good spot for this.

That does open the door for a lot more scopes. I would have tried this myself if I didn't have an astigmatism and another vision issue that make red dot sites nearly useless.

Even with LPVOs many shooters still use the offset RMR due to their better performance at 1x.

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I first had it mounted with side mount where I had to tilt the gun toward me but now I prefer this setup.

Offhand said:

Thanks folks for the advice.
You've given me a lot to think about.
I have a 3-12x32 Bugbuster on the Leshiy now. The specs say it has 4" of eye relief at 3x, but for most of the shooting I do (standing, offhand) another inch or two would be better.
It sounds like a LPVO with more eye relief (if mounted "pre-hinge" on a Leshiy Classic) and be parallax-free at 10meters may be impossible to find.
I'm certainly willing to forgo the 1x minimum if that opens up possibilities like 2x7.
I don't want to mount both a red dot and a scope but one of each with quick-release mounts might work...
Then again, I could always use offset quick-release mounts, move a scope further back, and take it off when packing the Leshiy around...
Thanks again

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The only 2-7 scope I know of with enough eye relief for that is the Burris Timberline but it is discontinued & has fixed parallax.

The Konus AS34 2-6 also has long eye relief but parallax is fixed at 100 meters & the lens carrier is glued in place & I can't seem to free it up.

I think you're on the right track with QR mounts. If it's in the budget maybe a one piece mount with some MOA tilt.

This Atibal scope may be what you are looking for, if you can work with a SFP scope for holdovers. Eye relief goes from 3.5" to 6" depending on magnification. I have a couple of their 1-10 power scopes and like them a lot. However the illumination makes the scope not work (with it on) at dusk and after dark. The whole scope turns red, which sucks.

I took my parallax adjusted Leupold & double checked it for parallax error on the sign across the street & it was still fine at max power (7x). I suspect it is parallax adjusted to around 35 yards at 7x but I would need to wait until dusk to laser an exact distance.

Then set up at ten yards & checked it at 3x & there was some parallax error although the image was more than clear enough for me. Turned it down to its minimum magnification & there was still some parallax error. Not enough to prevent me from using it, however.

Do note that I am not using the terms focus & parallax interchangeably.

For what it is worth. I have a unique vision issue so I am not a great source for what is a clear image. I can only look for parallax error.