How to properly set riflescope diopter

The first adjustment you should ever make to your riflescope is to the diopter. Check out this brief instructional on how to do it right the first time to get the sharpest looking reticle and overall best looking image possible. If you have any questions, call us at 1-800-426-0048 Ext. 5 or in the comments below with #AskVortex and your question might get answered right here.
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[@ryoung6725]

I'm 58 and have been hunting most of my life, but only with rifles that have scopes the last 10 years or so. It's funny that I never knew what a diopter was, or parallax for that matter, until I started shooting further distances and developed problems with my Leupold 4.5x14x50 scope. After having it reworked, I learned a lot. Part of that process made me study what is on a scope. I think the main points you made really well is that to start on the highest power, then move the diopter all the way until the reticle inside the scope is blurry. Then, at that point, start turning the diopter in the opposite direction until the reticle becomes clear. Man am I glad for KZbinrs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now I finally understand how to adjust the diopter.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

You are very welcome! Thanks for tuning in!

[@brandonhalvorsen2185]

I just got my first LPVO and was extremely disappointed that the image had that bubble effect, now I know its not the scope, it's just the diopter. Thanks for this.

[@NormundsVeldre]

Tx! Finally a video explaining low magnification optics focusing. Recently bought a Strike Eagle 1-6x24 BDC3 btw.

[@RichM0410]

Vortex videos and the couple times I’ve spoke to them on the phone are excellent! Y’all really exercise patience and explain very well. That customer service backed by an excellent warranty is piece of mind. Thank you

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

We appreciate that, my friend - always happy to help! Thanks for being a part of Vortex Nation!

[@williamvanderhider8493]

First off.... Vortex has the best customer service in the world. I was having a difficult time with a couple of Strike Eagle 1-8x24 scopes where as the reticle was perfect but the image at 250 yds was blurry. After a day's worth of experimenting, I removed the mount and packed it up for a trip back to Vortex for evaluation. Interesting enough, I did a quick search and found this video only to give it a try with the diopter set at the 1x power instead of the 8x. Low and behold, the fish eye was removed and the view at 250 was crisp and clear beyond expectation. Cancelled the service ticket and mounted it back up (ADM Recon X) and could not be happier with the optical performance. Thanks to everybody at Vortex for the guidance, probably won't be buying any other brand from here on out!

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

We're so happy to hear you're back up and running William! Always here if you need us! 👊

[@RWMAirgunsmithing]

These tutorial uploads are amazing! Best scope videos on youtube, so many random people making random videos.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Glad you enjoy them! :)

[@cogunlover5550]

Thank you very much for making these videos. Not only do I find them very informative are also nice because they teach all the new users how to properly adjust their rifle scopes. It is a very useful tool the setup is done properly.

[@dg1234ify]

Been looking thru these gadgets for 40+ yrs.. You helped me today from a recent episode with a friends new Vortex at the range. We were there 6 hrs. and was tired? and experienced the idea of needing to "break" between sessions of setting the reticle....

[@lilricemuncher09]

Damn.. was bout to point it at the sun and adjust till you said otherwise 😅

[@thecheapshot1065]

Just got my new ffp 4-14x44. Blackhound. Its my second of this model 4th Blackhound. They work well for my needs and i like the retical so i keep putting them on my rifles.

[@Sam7x57]

Thanks for the difference between the high power and the LPVO’s.

[@mopar21]

Watched all of these videos, a bunch of reviews, and the videos of that ex sniper on NSSF, and I'm going to purchase my first Vortex scope. PST SFP 6-24x50. Currently own two Leopold Mark 4s, 2 VX2s, and a Trijicon ACOG.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

That's awesome thanks so much for choosing Vortex! Let us know what you think!

[@theplinkerslodge6361]

Superfantastic, thanks for setting us straight...

[@lrmars]

Excellent information and demonstration!

[@MarcoJetti]

Hi and thank you for your video! Can you please explain if the diopter works also if you use glasses? I wear glasses and if I don’t use them I can’t see objects far away but inside the scope they are clear except the Cross is out focus and this makes the riflescope useless. If I wear my glasses I can see very clearly the cross but the target is blurry… Is there solution to have both in focus?

[@legallimitoutdoors9917]

I've got 6-24×50. Set magnification on its highest okay so what about the objective lens set it on Infinity or the lowest setting there is? Thanks for your time and a great product

[@dombeck221]

I put this on a .22 rifle that my girlfriend likes to use. It’s not the highest quality or the most accurate but it’s simple, cheap, and fun to use.

[@mountainmanginsing123]

How did you mount a rifle scope to a 22 did u have to alter ring miunts

[@Kman568]

Does it matter what setting your zoom or parallax is on when setting the diopter with high powered scopes?

[@rarpiper]

Dario Lattina no.

[@fenomeno71]

On a 6-24 for instance, does it matter what power it's on when you do this method?

[@bjornegan6421]

Yes'm

[@kylejohnson1308]

Does it matter if it's a 1st or 2nd focal plane scope ?

[@Teleman01]

While doing this, where do you put the parallax Knob? At what power do you do this??

[@rkf2746]

I learned a valuable lesson about correctly torquing scope ring's, on one of my Vortex scope's. Thank's to your own tech support, and the technician's patience, the problem I originally contacted Vortex about was resolved.. Maybe you could include proper torque in one of your video's. Thank's.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Thanks for the suggestion - we'll work on something like this too!

[@BionicRusty]

Great demo. Thank you 🙏

[@mountainmanginsing123]

I have the copperhead and have parallax how do I fix it

[@timandrews4722]

Love Vortex scopes! I own 3 so far. Wish you'd do a video explaining how to rezero a scope.

[@bjornegan6421]

you rezero the same way as you zero, now you know.

[@timandrews4722]

@@bjornegan6421 I use the mirror method. Works well

[@mathnasiumofmechanicsburg]

I have a Brownell Banner 1.5 - 4.5 power scope (lots of bush hunting). What power setting do you recommend for this low power scope to be at when adjusting the diode? Thanks.

[@thevoxofreason8468]

Excellent advice. 👍

[@JohnDoe-eo8ux]

Primary arms says to adjust an LPVO diopter on the highest setting js

[@dustinervin9595]

Hey jimmy having issue with my 1x8 plxc lpvo either I get it where I have double reticle and it's crisp or it's true and a bit fuzzy at times I've found a spot and marked where it was close and always find myself thinking it looks better at 1/8 a turn to the left at certain times and 1/8 a turn to the opposite direction from my mark at other times any idea or suggestions on what I could do.

[@JasonVladimir]

Good show, thanks for sharing!

[@Thoseaboutto911]

How should you adjust the diopter on a first focal plane variable scope? If you adjust the diopter at the maximum magnification and do not need all that magnification and you turn it down your crosshairs get thinner. How should you adjust the diopter, do you lower the magnification if so how low and how would that affect the crosshairs when you raise the magnification?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

The diopter, or reticle focus, will only need to be set once. It does not matter if you have a SFP or FFP or what magnification you are at (unless you have a LPVO which then it is set slightly differently).

[@Thoseaboutto911]

My problem was that when I turn down the magnification the crosshairs go so thin they where had to see. Also, what do you turn the side focus knob to when you’re adjusting the diopter? DIAMONDBACK TACTICAL 4-16X44 FFP

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

@@Thoseaboutto911 That is the nature of FFP optics. The diopter will not change that. All you are looking for is the reticle to be crisp, not the size of it. The side adjustment is the parallax adjustment. This will adjust for parallax at different distances. If you're not familiar with parallax, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpS3h5WJe9Omfbc

[@willytheriot8439]

Right on

[@aaroncamarillo72]

#askvortex how would I adjust a locking diopter for best focus on the reticle?

[@MichaelLeopold1]

Thanks for the tip

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

🤜🤛

[@danielleifer4934]

Is there a way to semi-permanently fix the setting on the diopter adjustment? Detent? Cheap sticky electrical tape? Hot glue?

[@ar15tac]

I bet all would work but I would just do a witness mark with a sharpie, or white out.

[@theheretic3764]

It there any way to secure it in place?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

That will depend on the optic! Some do have the locking diopter, but most will have the fast focus eyepiece. They will not move around after you have them set unless you intentionally change them. Once you have it setup you should never have to touch it again.

[@theheretic3764]

Vortex Optics awesome thank you

[@SnipeU696]

Thank you!

[@Texas_TactiCoat]

I have a crossfire II 2-7x32 and I was able to get it clear on the lowest magnification as showed here however when I switch to the highest magnification it gets extremely blurry.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Is it the image that is blurry or the reticle?

[@Gaumik-c2l]

I am having the same problem with a Vortex Vanquish the reticle is clear but the target is slightly blurry and only happens at higher magnification from 7 to 12 power

[@terry5008]

He should have included that when you adjust the diopter on a high-power scope and you set the magnification to the max, you also need to set the parallax to infinity.

[@Jesception]

I have a 3-9x magnification scope. My reticle is perfectly crisp and at 3x zoom everything is fine, until i zoom in, the more i zoom the blurrier the image bezomes, reticle stays focussed. How to fix this?

[@throwawaytemporary9539]

Did you ever figure this out? I have the same issue

[@zackmiranda6126]

I’ve been messing with my diopter on my crossfire 3-9 x50 and it seems to blur my sight picture when I focus the reticle and vice versa. Hadn’t tried with resting my eyes so maybe that’s it. Also, though it isn’t a 1x it only goes up to 9x so is it still considered low power? Doing trial and error on picking a good lpvo for my ar15.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Any optic that doesn't have true 1x on the low end isn't really a "Low power variable" even though it may be relatively low magnification. As for focusing your diopter, if you're not looking away between each check, then your eye will be constantly trying to fix the image/reticle that it's seeing and you'll never get it just right. Make tiny adjustments and look away each time you do it so your eye can relax. Only make quick glances through the scope while looking at a plain white background, get a quick view of the reticle before your eye tries to fix it, then make adjustments accordingly.

[@zackmiranda6126]

Vortex Optics with the 3-9 magnification should I adjust the diopter at the lowest or highest magnification? Also when adjusting do I focus on the reticle or on my sight picture when adjusting it? I understand I’m not adjusting my sight picture, but my eyes seem to focus on 1 or the other. I’ll focus on getting a crisp reticle, but my sight picture will be blurry and vice versa. Should the reticle and sight picture both be perfect at the same time? I’m obviously amateur at using magnified optics and vortex is the only ones I’ve owned.

[@dans5570]

@@zackmiranda6126 If diopter adjustment is required at low power then it will be out of adjustment at high power. Can you imagine that in a hunting situation? And, yes the reticle and the sight picture should be perfect at the same time. They are with every other brand of scope on the market. Do yourself a favor and search for another brand. Sorry

[@roncheungdrums]

What about fish eye effect on a 3-12x42 at lower magnifications like 3-5x. The fisheye disappears right at 6 but when I zoom out its incredibly noticeable. Allowing more eye relief also helps but its still there. Is this also attributed to the diopter setting?

[@randytrudeau952]

I have a Viper PST gen 2 5-25x50 that I just bought. At high magnification I am seeing two reticles side by side. Could this be cased by a the diopter not being properly adjusted?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Hey Randy - potentially, but that is definitely not something we have heard of before. Would you be able to shoot me over some pictures of your setup and what you are seeing? Graham C. [e-mail]

[@GiskardRevenlov]

I honestly dont see any differences when I adjust it, I've adjusted it out all the way and in all the way and nothing seems to change much

[@kalanipitmon7817]

Yeah me too

[@schaferhundschmidt1798]

The correct term is Reticle Focus. A Diopter is the unit it adjusts.

[@mattc6395]

I have a 1-6 strike eagle and when I make the adjustments I’m able to wiggle the eye piece with very little effort and the reticle moves quite a bit....what should I do?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Hey there - that should not cause any issues as the reticle cell is behind any of the adjustments. It won't change your point of impact, so there is no harm in using it that way. If you would like to get it in for service though, please give us a call at 1-800-4VORTEX ext. 6 and we'll get you setup to send it in.

[@mattc6395]

@@VortexOpticsUSA I just got off the phone with one of y’all and they said that’s definitely something that I would need to send in. I’m not sure what I need to do. If it’s not something to worry about I definitely would rather just hang on to it but the person I spoke on the phone with said the reticle shouldn’t move. At all and should be solid. On 6x I see the reticle move when I wiggle the eye piece about 6 inches across what I’m aiming at at around 100 yards when the target doesn’t move at all. Or doesn’t seem to move...and on 1x the image and the reticle move together when I wiggle it. Again I definitely don’t want to go to the trouble of sending it in if there’s truly no issue but the person I just spoke with said it definitely is something that should be looked at.

[@donaldneumann2675]

excellent, well explained video

[@dansalopek7104]

What to do if the reticle is clear and the image is blurry?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Which optic do you have?

[@dansalopek7104]

@@VortexOpticsUSA 3x9 crossfire

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

@@dansalopek7104 Have you tried to decrease the magnification? The image can get blurry if you are using too high of a magnification for a given distance.

[@ninotaguines3028]

What happened if i ajust the front lens of my scope

[@uknowjoe1]

Please do a video explaining on how to properly set parallex adjustment and how it impacts p.o.i Also the pros and cons of purchasing a scope with this option.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Working on something like this too - thanks for the tip!

[@ErikS308]

Can changing the diopter change the POI/POA?

[@mopar21]

No

[@liangbenhuang6244]

What if my high power scope is a Fist Focal Plane scope.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

You would set the diopter just the same. You would want to increase in the magnification though in order to see the reticle clearly to determine whether it is in focus or if more adjustments need to be made.

[@liangbenhuang6244]

@@VortexOpticsUSA thanks

[@austinhill9919]

Really wish there was a scope other than an ACOG without a diopter, I hate diopters so much it's unreal.

[@Hollywood41642]

Crosshairs are in focus but the image is out of focus ?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Does your optic have an adjustment for parallax?

[@Hollywood41642]

@@VortexOpticsUSA Ya.. At the end of the scope. crossfire 2 . 4x16x50.

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

@@Hollywood41642 Perfect - after you have your reticle adjusted to your eyes you will use that parallax adjustment to clear up the image for different distances.

[@masterzi6452]

You look away from the diopter, eyepiece to adjust your eye to infinity, not to rest your eye.

[@ArkansasBadBoy]

Am I the only one that does not have to wear glasses when shooting through a scope ? Just curious is all. I set my diopter without my glasses on and after that, it's as simple as adjusting the paralax as needed.

[@ibnfevet]

That warped table tho

[@trentboyett6048]

I can't even believe not at the sun has to be said,but it is the age of millennials

[@mattc6395]

I have a 1-6 strike eagle and when I make the adjustments I’m able to wiggle the eye piece with very little effort and the reticle moves quite a bit....what should I do?

[@VortexOpticsUSA]

Hey there - that should not cause any issues as the reticle cell is behind any of the adjustments. It won't change your point of impact, so there is no harm in using it that way. If you would like to get it in for service though, please give us a call at 1-800-4VORTEX ext. 6 and we'll get you setup to send it in.

[@mattc6395]

@@VortexOpticsUSA I just got off the phone with one of y’all and they said that’s definitely something that I would need to send in. I’m not sure what I need to do. If it’s not something to worry about I definitely would rather just hang on to it but the person I spoke on the phone with said the reticle shouldn’t move. At all and should be solid. On 6x I see the reticle move when I wiggle the eye piece about 6 inches across what I’m aiming at at around 100 yards when the target doesn’t move at all. Or doesn’t seem to move...and on 1x the image and the reticle move together when I wiggle it. Again I definitely don’t want to go to the trouble of sending it in if there’s truly no issue but the person I just spoke with said it definitely is something that should be looked at.