New Scope

[gasman]

i just bought a Nikon Prostaff 5 3.5-14x40 with the BDC reticle. This may be a stupid question, but i have never had a scope like this before.
On the left side of the scope it has a side focus adjustment turret. What is this used for? If sighting my rifle in at 100 yds, does this have to be at the 100 position? Do i need to adjust this at different distance shots? Any help is appreciated.

 

[jlanecr500]

i just bought a Nikon Prostaff 5 3.5-14x40 with the BDC reticle. This may be a stupid question, but i have never had a scope like this before.
On the left side of the scope it has a side focus adjustment turret. What is this used for? If sighting my rifle in at 100 yds, does this have to be at the 100 position? Do i need to adjust this at different distance shots? Any help is appreciated.

https://www.tractoptics.com/blog/benefi ... riflescope

 

[infoman jr.]

The numbers on that side focus (parallax adjustment) knob are a rough guideline. You should move your head side to side slightly and adjust the knob until the crosshairs do not move from the bullseye. Most scopes have a fixed parallax adjustment and do just fine. For most hunting scenarios, I would set it at 100 and forget about it.

 

[bartd]

Infoman is correct. The parallax numbers should be close to the stated numbers given. I was shooting last weekend and I had a 12 year old scope I put on a .300 BO and I just couldn't get the parallax to line up, it seemed about 25% off, certainly not what I remember so maybe over time it happened. Luckily being a .300 BO I won't be shooting that far and I will be using a drop table for anything over 100 yards. Your new PROSTAFF 5 scope is a very nice scope from Nikon. I use a number of them on hunting rifles and I have never had any issues. The parallax adjustment is quick and easy to adjust and accuracy and repeatability are not an issue. Make sure you dial in your scope using Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program. It's free and will take the guesswork out of holdovers. You really will be amazed at how accurate Spot On will make your shooting. Drop me a note if you have any questions or problems.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd3 ... C_0071.jpg

 

[gasman]

Thanks guys