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UNDERSTANDING
PARALLAX
Parallax is the apparent movement of the target relative to the reticle when
you move your eye away from the center point of the eyepiece. It occurs when
the image of the target does not fall on the same optical plane as the reticle.
This can cause a small shift in the point of aim.
Maximum parallax occurs when your eye is at the very edge of the exit pupil.
(Even in this unlikely event, our 4x hunting scope focused for 150 yards has a
maximum error of only 8/10ths of an inch at 500 yards.)
At short distances, the parallax effect does not affect accuracy. (Using the same
4x scope at 100 yards, the maximum error is less than 2/10ths of an inch.) It is
also good to remember that, as long as you are sighting straight through the
middle of the scope, or close to it, parallax will have virtually no effect on
accuracy in a hunting situation.
ABOUT FIXED PARALLAX DISTANCE SCOPES
Any fixed focus optical system can be adjusted to be parallax free at only one
distance. Most Leupold scopes are adjusted at the factory to be parallax free at
150 yards.
