Scope Archives - Hunter's Wiki

If you are planning to get a scope for your rifle or you already have a scope and you are wondering how far should a scope be from your eye while using. Either way, you are at the right place. This guide will help you find exactly what you are looking for.

Eye relief is something very important to be considered when buying a rifle scope.

What is Eye Relief?

The distance of the eye and the scope eyepiece is decided by eye relief. Eye relief is the distance that you need to achieve and hold by your shooting eye from the scope eyepiece, in order to get the full image being produced by the rifle scope.

What does “Short Eye Relief” mean?

A short eye relief would mean your eye needs to be closer and a large eye relief would mean your eye needs to be farther. If you’re too close than the proper eye relief, the image becomes blurry; if you’re too far, it becomes a tiny object in the center of the scope lens. A health hazard related to eye relief is that if your eye gets closer than the proper level, a rifle or firearm with greater recoil could make the scope slide back explosively when its shot, resulting in an injury to the shooter’s eye.

If you are wondering how to mount a scope on your AR 15, we’ve got you covered. Here’s the complete guide on How to mount a scope on AR15.

How to Measure Eye Relief?

Eye relief is measured in inches or millimeters, and it’s mostly found in product descriptions and/or packages, unlike power and objective diameters and any other essential information found on the scope itself. A common low power rifle scope’s eye relief distance is 4 inches or 101.6 mm, which means that loss of image clarity will occur if one moves in closer or farther from it. The distance can vary between different brands and models of scopes. In general, more eye relief is considered to be better in scopes. For example, magnum rifles have large recoils and therefore, require more eye relief for safe shooting.

Keeping in mind the need and requirement of the shooter, eye reliefs vary from scope to scope. For instance, spotting scopes have short eye relief; their eye reliefs are always precise and close. This is due to the fact that they are only used for spotting and not for actually shooting, so short eye relief doesn’t cause trouble for the shooter.

ALSO SEE: What do Numbers Mean on a Rifle Scope?

As mentioned above, the distance of the eye and the scope eyepiece depends on the eye relief given by the product creator. However, the practical execution isn’t as simple as said. One cannot simply pre-decide an eye relief distance for a rifle scope. Before mounting a scope, you need to check its different models for different rifles, as the shoulder support for various stocks changes.

Once you decide your rifle and scope and have checked all possible bracing positions, only then you will know the eye relief for your rifle scope eyepiece. It is always recommended to loosely attach the scope to the rifle and check all positions for maximum scope efficiency and also to ensure proper usage of the scope. Adjustments can also be made to the scope rings while mounting to help achieve the required optimum eye relief because once the scope is securely attached, there is no way to change it.

Into Long-Range Shooting? Here’s a guide for you “What Scope Do I Need for 300 Yards?“

Here’s How You Can Mount a Scope on AR 15

This guide will help you mount your rifle scope in the first attempt.

Items you need:

Torque wrench – used to attach the rifle scope mount to your AR-15

Scope mount – the link between the gun and scope; the part which attaches the scope to the gun

Hex bit screwdriver– used for tightening the screws on the scope

Bubble level – used to level all the parts for complete accuracy during installation

Riflescope – the scope you have chosen to your AR-15

Gun or shooting rest – used to hold your AR-15 rifle in place for the installation.

Step 1 – Preparation:

You need to prepare your rifle and tools for the installation. Make sure that your rifle is empty, unloaded and the safety is on. Gun safety is vital not only during storage but also in processes such as accessory attachment/detachment, cleaning, etc. Fix it in the shooting rest so that it’s stable and tight for being worked on. Use the bubble level to check level. Checking the level on every step is key to successfully mounting your scope in the first attempt, as a mistake on any level could lead to wrong installation of the scope, ruining all your hard work.

Step 2 – Attaching the mount:

Attach your ar scope mount to the rifle. Place the mount on the top of the AR-15 and tighten its screws by hand so that it holds its place properly. Take the torque wrench and tighten the screws to secure it in place. Be careful about the torque limit on the screws as given by the scope mount instructions. Tightening it more could result in the mount being spoiled. Use the bubble level again to check for the level of the mount. Check both parallel and perpendicular levels to make sure it’s leveled. Adjust by tightening or loosening the screws to achieve proper level so that you’re able to go ahead.

Planning to buy a shotgun scope? check out the best shotgun scopes available on the market currently.

Step 3 – Attaching the scope:

Your scope mount is now secure and ready for the rifle scope to be attached. Place the scope carefully on the mount rings, on equal and flat surfaces on both sides. Place the top of the scope rings and tighten the screws with the hex bit screwdriver to about 80%, in an X pattern. This helps keep the scope even. This is the final time where you can adjust eye relief of the scope.

Step 4 – Finalizing and leveling:

Level your scope by placing the bubble level on some flat knob or adjustment of the scope to check parallel and perpendicular levels. Once satisfied, tighten the screws of the mount rings in the same X pattern for proper tightening. Re-check the AR-15 for the last time for levels. Check the alignment of the reticle. This can be done by aligning the reticle to an object that it already been verified vertically by the bubble level.

Your AR-15 is ready to use with the rifle scope. Safe and happy shooting!