A what size scope is parallax adjustment no longer necessary?

[trick cyclist]

As above really - I have recently bought myself a rather lovely Mk1 Prosport in .177, which had its original vintage Nikko Silver Crown with a 40mm objective fitted - I opted to leave that with the shop, as I have a number of scopes, including a very nice Hawke Varmint SF with a 44mm lens, but even this is a little too high for a perfect cheek weld, as compared to the original Nikko on its very low mounts. I have always used AO or SF scopes, but is there a size of scope where adjusting the parallax is just not needed? Almost feel as if I need to go back and purchase the original Nikko now!

[Muskett]

I've played with a good amount of Air Rifle scopes, probably 100!
Fixed scopes tend to come either parallaxed at 50 or 100m. Rare to find them correct for air rifle ranges. Thats even 4x scopes. You would have to go down as low as 1.75 to get a very crisp picture with set parallax for 50m working to air rifle ranges 25m or under.
Sometimes x4 will be fine, occasionally x6 isn't too bad. Very annoyingly every scope, scope model, does something different.
Unless air rifle range set at factory, then a x3-9 is struggling at 25m at the higher magnification. Often horribly blurred.
Many cheaper scopes can be parallax adjusted down to 25/30m by winding the front lens out a turn or so. Better scopes sometimes can't as the front lens is glued, or there isn't enough thread to wind it out enough. Any movement of the front lens shifts zero, so if moved rezero and leave it alone. Its a scary operation to do.

Annoyingly manufacturers don't really cater for Air Rifle short range parallax, and don't state parallax on the box often. The 50m or 100m is the norm and not crisp enough for 25m.
Front prarallax cheap scopes are notorious for shifting zero after a while with turn of parallax. Find the sweet spot for your normal shooting range and then leave it alone set for the highest magnification; work with that.
Side adjustable parallax tend to be better behaved.
Higher quality scopes tend to work correctly without zero shift.

The scopes I've kept, and have on my springer rifle collection, are ones I've got to be crisp at 20m. Reparallaxing a mint Optima 3-9x45 Moomlighter was scary, but worth the risk. Annoying when a good bright scope can't be got down, and then only being crisp to say x6 rather than x9 or so. The x9 should be ok at about 40m which on a PCP might be ok, but thats a long way for a springer.

[Blackrider]

All generally as above !
I tend to stick to a magnification of 4x which may take you down to a distance of 15 to 20 m being the limit of focus. A few scopes may go nearer ?
Seem to think the Simmons 1.5-5x20 WTC will focus down to around 4-5 m on 1.5 mag ?

[trick cyclist]

Thanks chaps, that's very useful. To take this a bit further, I generally find AO scopes to be annoying to adjust, which is why I like the SF Varmint so much, so perhaps what I'm after is a 40mm or less SF scope - I think Hawke used to make one, but I cannot see anything like that in their range now, just a tendency to stick 50s on everything!

[Muskett]

A ?x50 isn't aways the answer, any guarantee success. A well designed 40 or 42 with good glass can be as good as a 50 objective. Tasco once did a 3-9 x50 that was like looking down a bog tube. Their 3-9x40 was so much brighter and better. Design done well makes a difference. Big scopes and overwhelm a sporting rifle's balance too.
Good glass helps, I used to have a 6X42 Zeiss Conquest fixed that was very forgiving.

Small front lens can be quite forgiving as they produce a pin hole effect. Probably why the Simmons 1.5-50x20 is so popular; though in my opinion not a very bright scope..read daylight scope.

If you want high magnification at close range then its a side focus and all the faffing that goes with it. High mag close range demands twiddle factor. These are incredible demands for optics and a big ask from the manufacturers and designers. Some get better results than others.
Give Hawk credit for at least getting down to 15m or so; lots of manufacturers don't want to go there.

[lensman57]

I don't know if this counts or not but I have a Vortex Diamondback HP 2X8X32 which is prallaxable down to 20 Yards. Set at 20 and @ 8X nearly all Targets between 12 and 70 are in reasonable sharp focus to my eye and I don't think that scope suffers much parallax within that range.

A.G

[Shed tuner]

I have a rhino 2.5-10 x 26 fixed PX. parallax error is directly proportional to objective lens size, so this scope will have half the PA issues of a 50mm.

PX is set to 32 yards, and it's perfectly clear on 10x from around 22 to 42 yards, with a hint of fuzziness 42-45 and 18-22. Beyond that it is a little out, but perfectly shootable from 5-55. Of course you can just turn the mag down if needed for the closer range work I don't shoot beyond 55 anyways

[trick cyclist]

I have a rhino 2.5-10 x 26 fixed PX. parallax error is directly proportional to objective lens size, so this scope will have half the PA issues of a 50mm.

PX is set to 32 yards, and it's perfectly clear on 10x from around 22 to 42 yards, with a hint of fuzziness 42-45 and 18-22. Beyond that it is a little out, but perfectly shootable from 5-55. Of course you can just turn the mag down if needed for the closer range work I don't shoot beyond 55 anyways

Protek had some of these in as a job-lot, I was not too sure of the quality, so did not succumb. Looking around, there are a few sub 40mm with AO, but nothing with SF apart from an older generation Hawke, that I think may also be a Varmint.

Vortex looks nice, not cheap though!

[rhyslightnin]

Hawke 32mm scope? There easy to re parallax and inexpensive, plus some of them come with AO if required.