Can someone educate me on eye relief?

When you shoulder the gun & can see without any problems,as moving head too far foward or a busted eye. I'd say it's good to go ; )
Y/D

Measured from butt to scope about 11" on my rifles works for me. When you mount the rifle, you should be able to see the full view in the scope. This should be tested with hunting coat on, if in the winter.

It should have been mounted in a position that provides the proper eye relief for you, everybody is different.

oldguy, please do not take this as a slight to your equipment; but that shifting eye relief range is something that Leupolds are notorious for and a major reason why I don't use them any longer.

You are, however, correct that your gunsmith should have had you there to make sure that the scope was in a place that would accommodate you.

Leupolds have a very generous eye relief at low powers (more than any other brand as a group), but less at higher powers. As do 99% of all scopes made. Not a problem, but an asset. Even with the Leupolds shorter eye relief at high powers they still have more eye relief at high power than most other brands.

For example my Zeiss has 4" at all powers, much less than a Leupold, and one of very few scopes to do this. My Leupold has 4.7" at 2.5X and 3.8" at 8X, about the same as the Zeiss at all powers. I don't see this as a problem. I have a much greater "eye box" at lower powers where quick snap shots will be made and forgiving eye relief is a huge factor. At the higher powers I still have about the same as the Zeiss, and much more eye relief than most of the competition.

Many scopes such as Bushnell, Nikon, Vortex, Burris, etc. will often only have around 3.5" when on the lowest power and around 3" on the higher powers. I consider 4" to be the bare minimum. When shooting in varying weather conditions forgiving eye relief is huge. A short eye relief scope zeroed in August while wearing a T-shirt and shot in December when wearing heavy clothes can be a huge problem.

Setting the proper eye relief for you is not rocket science. If you are concerned simply loosen the screws on the rings slightly and move the scope back and forth a bit until it looks right to you. Consider the clothing you will be wearing when you shoot it the most. Once set, tighten the screws.

You need to shoulder the rifle and get a good cheek weld with your eyes closed.Then open your eye to check the image.You shouldn't then have to adjust your head to get a good view.Do this several times and from sitting and standing to make sure you didn't just do something different once. Adjust your scope to get the best image when you first open your eye.Your rifle should now be set to get the fastest mount with proper eye relief.

I always adjust mine on the lowest power setting.It doesn't bother me to need to move my head at higher powers.I will be on the lowest power for fast moving shots anyway.If I need to increase the power for a longer shot,I have plenty of time to adjust my head also.

I have often chosen scopes based on the ability to adjust it for the correct eye relief with a fast shoulder mount.Sometimes you might need a scope with a longer tube,more eye relief,or a smaller objective.Different scope mounts can sometimes help as well.You will be able to shoot larger objective scopes on rifles with higher cheek pieces.

Wow, I have to apologize. I've always seen the issue of eye relief changing with the magnification as a drawback. Apparently, it's something that many consider normal. Sorry.

Tony,I would rather have a good scope with a nice long constant eye relief, but the Leupolds work well for me also.The new VX6 has good constant eye relief.

Oldguy870
Part of that difference will change as you become familiar with your rifle.The main thing is to have your scope mounted so that you don't need to drastically adjust to see clearly.

I mount a rifle different from a lot of people because of a lot of skeet shooting in my younger days.I can barely mount an X Bolt.I nearly miss my shoulder with the butt every time.The bottom edge of the butt barely lands at the top of my shoulder.

I have been told that it's because of shooting shotgun that I prefer smaller objective scopes mounted low,or rifles with a high comb.Some of your issues may be from the shotgun and may change a bit as you get more time with the rifle.

I think you made a great choice of rifle and scope.As long as your mounts aren't excessivly high,you shouldn't have any problems.Your mounts should be just high enough for barrel clearence.I have often gone with the soft rubber binini covers to keep my scopes as low as possible,when a hard cover wouldn't fit.

There is nothing worse than shooting a scoped rifle with a stock that feels too long. A stock can feel too long even if its the right length for you if the scope is mounted to far forward. This forces you to crawl the stock to get a good sight picture especially if you are shooting from an upright position. Jmr40 gave you the good advice about loostening the ring screws and moving the scope to the rear until the scope feels right for you. The best way I've found to set the reticle is to point the vertical line at the center of the bolt. Alter tightening the screws from side to side to tighten them evenly and firmly. Shooter

old guy-
set the power to midway and shoulder the rifle with your eyes closed. When you feel the rifle is at the most comfortable position relative to your cheek-weld, open your eyes and see what the scope picture looks like. Most likely you will need to slide forward or back a little. no big deal, point of impact will not change

edit: from your description the scope needs to slide back a little

Too far forward is much better then too far back!!

You can get whacked in the eyebrow real easy with a 30-06 when shooting from some awkward hunting positions, or laying prone if it is too far back.

I'd rather have to crawl the stock a little then have to worry about getting hit in the eye all the time.

Not too many things will ruin your shooting skills much faster then a scope cut bleeding all over your shirt for half an hour.

rc

most scopes have about 3.5" eye relief, RC is correct regarding recoil impact, adjust little at a time, shoot if possible too

edit: your scope lists 4.4"-3.6" eye relief depending on power setting

That's why I would adjust it in the mount on the lower power.At 4.4" you shouldn't get bit.

Quote: "I'd rather have to crawl the stock a little then have to worry about getting hit in the eye all the time."

RC, I very seldom ever disagree with you but I do on this issue, especially with a Leupold scope. A Leupold has long enough eye relief to allow for good scope position. I would never set a scope so far forward that I have to crawl the stock. My favorite cartridge is a 30-06 and when I shoot I always wear a baseball cap and if I happen to feel the scope tap the bill of my cap I know I am not holding the rifle firmly against my shoulder. Even when this happens the back of my scope is still 2 1/2 inches from my forehead. If you're crawling a stock with shirt sleeves your really crawling it when you have a coat on. The last time I was hit hard by a scope was back in the 1960's with a 7 1/2 pound 270 Weatherby Magnum and I haven't owned a magnim since. When it came to being whopped by a scope I wasn't a slow learner. Shooter

The simple solution is to losen the screws in the rings until you can slide the scope back and forth. Hold the rifle in firing position and move the scope until the image fills the ocular lens, then re-tighten the screws.

Vern's got it. I would only add ...until the image just fills the ocular at max magnification.

Almost every scope I have ever shot (other than my own) has been mounted WAY too far back. There's a principle in precision marksmanship often referred to as "turkey neck." Basically, you push your head as far forward on the stock as your anatomy allows. Why? Because it's repeatable every time. Your neck does not grow and shrink.

Differences in cheekweld from position to position, particularly with scopes with poor parallax, can result in changes in POI. For a very long time, the military was teaching nose-on-charging-handle with the M16. And the idea was to get the head in a repeatable position, with the same eye-relief, every single time. Now, sticking your nose against the receiver of a 300 Win Mag might not be the best idea. This is where stock adjustments come in to play.

Anyway, I could ramble on about this issue for quite some time. But in general, damn near everyone, including most manufacturers, mounts scopes way, WAY too far back for good precision shooting. It encourages inconsistent cheekweld even among the most experienced shooters.

siglite said:

Anyway, I could ramble on about this issue for quite some time. But in general, damn near everyone, including most manufacturers, mounts scopes way, WAY too far back for good precision shooting. It encourages inconsistent cheekweld even among the most experienced shooters.

Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. I mount every scope so that I have the proper eye relief when shooting prone with the scope set on the highest power. This is the worst case scenario and you're much more likely to make a good shot leaning into the rifle than pushing away from it.

LaRue was one of the first companies to address proper scope positioning with numerous mounts that enable shooters to position the scope properly. There is no excuse these days to mount a scope incorrectly and yet I see it almost daily on forums like this, at the range, in classes, at work ... and on and on.