What is parallax in a scope? [Simple Definition]

Today, I have taken out my time to answer one of the most frequently asked questions about rifle scopes “what is parallax in a scope?” I don’t know about you but parallax in a scope was a really confusing concept for me to understand in the beginning. To me, It was almost like an optical illusion, It’s like your eyes were playing tricks on you. Now technically, the parallax is the apparent change in the direction of an object caused by a shift in your line of sight.


When we talk about parallax then we mean the position of the reticle on your target in relationship to your eye. So it is literally what you see as you look through your rifle scope and where that reticle is lining up on the target. A parallax comes into play when you are at longer distances. So, you may be looking to your scope and you think that you have got your reticle lined up exactly in the center of your target. When parallax kicks in, then it makes that reticle and image look like it’s floating. So, you may think that you have got the reticle in the center of your target but actually, it is to the left or to the right.


The next question that comes after the what is parallax in a scope is what you need to do to fix that parallax? So, what you need to do? You need to able to fix that parallax. So, what you see is what you get. You wanna make sure that the reticle is actually in the position that you think it is. Now, any good high power rifle scope has a mechanism called parallax adjustment that can fix that distortion or that floating sensation, you have seen through your rifle scope. You can set it to whatever distance you are shooting. Usually, it starts from 50 yards and goes to the infinity.


All you need to know when it comes to parallax is that if you recognize that the reticle appears to be moving, you are experiencing parallax and you need to fix it. Make sure that you use that adjustment on your long range rifle scope to correct it. When that reticle appears to be solid and it is no more moving then you can be confident that what you see, what you get. And you are aiming at the correct spot on your target. So, now pull the trigger and you are gonna connect.  


I have tried my best to answer the question of what is parallax in a scope in a simple way. Hope, this will help you in understanding what is parallax in a scope? If you have any suggestion or question about parallax in a scope then please let us know by posting your comment.