How Eye Relief and Illuminated Reticles Play a Part in Choosing a Scope

The capabilities of a scope are one thing. If you own a quality scope, you’re already on the right path. But when you actually need to take a shot, it’s how the optic functions with your eye and your rifle that can make or break your shooting experience.

Let’s review some key aspects of a scope that can have a direct impact on how they perform for you.

Eye relief is basically how far you need to be behind from your scope to gain a clear and accurate picture of your target. Normally, this will be at least a few inches, which helps protect you from the scope itself when it recoils backwards after shooting. But maintaining a safe distance from your scope is really just one aspect of a quality optic.

There is a level of “forgiveness” – or eye box – that varies from scope to scope. Some optics allow for several inches of forgiveness, which means you have some room to adjust the position of your eye when using the scope and maintaining a good sight picture.

How do you know what scope offers you the best eye box for your needs? Well, most quality scopes will have information about the eye box that they provide. But it really comes down to getting behind the optic and testing it out on your gun.

I recommend you test it at the maximum magnification. The eye box will shift depending on your magnification. Starting at the highest magnification will show you the narrowest limit of your scope’s eye box. Regardless of your eye position, you want to have some level of forgiveness so you can shoot from various positions. That flexibility will help you get a clear sight picture regardless of your shooting conditions.