thequickad
Well-Known Member
Straight from Leupold:
The Mark 4 line of scopes has shorter eye relief for 2 main reasons, both relating to military application. Snipers tend to spend much of their time in a prone position which will bring the eye closer to the scope. By shortening the eye relief it is more comfortable to lay behind the rifle and maintain a full sight picture. As a secondary benefit, shorter eye relief increases the field of view, a much-welcomed benefit for this application.
In contrast, target shooters are typically sitting at a bench which places the eye farther from the scope. The longer eye relief allows them to sit comfortably and still have a full sight picture. The slight decrease in field of view is not as much of an issue in target shooting applications as the intended target is less likely to be moving.
The competition series (30X,35X,40X) has shorter eye relief for similar reasons.
Typically used on heavy bench rest rifles, high levels of perceived recoil is rare so keeping the eye away from the scope is not as much of an issue. The high magnification of these scopes necessitates a longer maintube, allowing plenty of leeway in regards to scope placement in the rings, allowing the user to move the entire scope farther rearward if necessary.
Another reason relates to the rather small field of view associated with high magnification. By having a shorter eye relief, we can enlarge the field of view slightly - an important consideration for this type of optic.
[ 04-25-2003: Message edited by: thequickad ]
The Mark 4 line of scopes has shorter eye relief for 2 main reasons, both relating to military application. Snipers tend to spend much of their time in a prone position which will bring the eye closer to the scope. By shortening the eye relief it is more comfortable to lay behind the rifle and maintain a full sight picture. As a secondary benefit, shorter eye relief increases the field of view, a much-welcomed benefit for this application.
In contrast, target shooters are typically sitting at a bench which places the eye farther from the scope. The longer eye relief allows them to sit comfortably and still have a full sight picture. The slight decrease in field of view is not as much of an issue in target shooting applications as the intended target is less likely to be moving.
The competition series (30X,35X,40X) has shorter eye relief for similar reasons.
Typically used on heavy bench rest rifles, high levels of perceived recoil is rare so keeping the eye away from the scope is not as much of an issue. The high magnification of these scopes necessitates a longer maintube, allowing plenty of leeway in regards to scope placement in the rings, allowing the user to move the entire scope farther rearward if necessary.
Another reason relates to the rather small field of view associated with high magnification. By having a shorter eye relief, we can enlarge the field of view slightly - an important consideration for this type of optic.
[ 04-25-2003: Message edited by: thequickad ]
