Rifle scope eye relief is important when you want to improve shooting accuracy and be comfortable in the field.

As a hunter in the wilderness or a sport enthusiast taking part in a shooting contest, you can have a better shooting experience if you have a thorough knowledge of eye relief.

This guide will tell you what rifle scope eye relief is, why you need it, and how much you should have.

Rifle Scopes: So What Is Eye Relief Anyway?

Eye relief is the distance, or the gap, between your face and the eyepiece of your rifle scope. This distance is what enables you to see the full field of view clearly. When looking through the rifle scope, you need to find the best place where your eye can see your target in the scope without blackout areas or vignetting.

If you are shooting high-powered rifles that have lots of recoil, you can get hurt (i.e, serious cuts) by not having enough eye relief. Having too much distance between you and the rifle scope, however, can decrease your field of view, making it difficult to aim and concentrate your target. Proper eye relieve can also increase your accuracy.

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What’s The Right Amount Of Rifle Scope Eye Relief?

Adjustable eye relief may provide additional versatility to the hunter who spends many hours in the field.

Adjustable rifle scope eye relief refers to the ability to change the distance between rifle scope’s eyepiece lens and the user’s eye, allowing for a clear and full field of view. This feature can be helpful in accommodating different shooting styles, a shooter’s physical characteristics, as well as personal shooting preferences. 

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Why Is Rifle Scope Eye Relieve Important?

There are a number of reasons why eye relieve is so important to a shooter:

1. Avoids Recoil Injury: 

High-powered rifles can create an extraordinary amount of recoil, which can be harmful to the shooter. Knowing the proper eye relief in order to prevent injury is paramount.

2. Comfort During Shots: 

Being comfortable during the shot can lead to better accuracy. Proper eye relief is a big part of that. If you’re comfortable, you’ll be able to shoot longer.

3. Good Sight Picture: 

Eye relief gives you a clear picture of what you are aiming/shooting at. Being too close to the scope an cause target distortion or blackouts, negatively impacting accuracy.

4. Ease of Target Acquisition: 

Proper eye relief creates a stable, comfortable sighting position and therefore allows you to better acquire your target and increase your precision when shooting long-range or moving targets.

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Adjusting your Rifle Scope Eye Relief to Maximize Performance

1. Mount Your Scope Correctly: 

Be sure that the rifle scope is mounted on the gun so that it allows for your face to be in a comfortable position and at a safe distance away when shooting. Adjustable eye relief allows for the shooter to adjust the scope appropriately, in order to provide the proper eye relief.

2. Full Field of View: 

Place your eye near the scope and ensure that the total field of view is seen, including the target and the reticle. When some portions of the sight picture are blocked, alter the scope location so as to attain the correct eye relief.

3. Avoid Scope Bite: 

It’s imperative that you have enough eye relief to prevent scope bite. Pay careful attention to this especially when shotting high-powered rifles.

4. Test Your Eye Relief Settings: 

After you have set your scope, fire a couple rounds and see how your eye relief is. Again, be sure the scope position allows you to be able to see the full field of view.

Eye Relief Things to Remember

Proper eye relief is critical to safe and accurate shooting. Learning to make the proper adjustments to your eye relief distance, will lead to safer and more accurate shooting, whether in the field or at the range.

Remember:

• You should check your eye relief every time before shooting in the field or at the range.
• Utilize scopes with variable eye relief.
• It is necessary to consider the amount of recoil your rifle generates and choose your optics and eye relief distance accordingly.
• Change your scope position to accomodate your shooting conditions and position.

Safe shooting, and good luck on your next big hunt!

 

Prior to the mid-19th century, all shotguns were muzzleloaders. But, the invention of cartridge ammunition made it possible for several shotgun actions to emerge. Self-contained shotgun rounds encouraged innovation in gun design and made repeating actions and breechloaders possible.

Shotgun types are categorized by their gauge and their action, which functions as its operating system. Every gauge and action type has benefits and uses both on the range and in the field.  

Let’s take a look at some popular types of shotguns and what makes each unique.

Overview of Shotgun Types

The 5 most common types of Shotguns are:

1. Pump-Action Shotguns
2. Semi-Automatic Shotguns
3. Over-Under and Side-by-Side Shotguns
4. Single-Shot and Bolt-Action Shotguns
5. Lever-Action Shotguns

Pump-Action Shotguns

Pump-action shotguns are a great option for both hunting small game, waterfowl and turkey hunting as well as for home protection.

While some pump-action guns employ detachable box magazines, the majority use integrated tubular magazines. Although technology has also been used in rifles, grenade launchers, and other weapons, pump-action weaponry are usually thought of as shotguns. In colloquial terms, a gun that uses this system is called a pump gun.

Since the trigger hand does not need to be taken off of the trigger while reloading, a pump-action weapon is much quicker than a bolt-action and somewhat faster than a lever-action since the forend is often operated with the support hand. Additionally, since the action is cycled linearly, less torque is produced, which might tilt the gun and cause it to go off target when firing quickly.

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Semi-Automatic Shotguns

Selecting a shotgun that is semi-automatic is no different from selecting any other kind of weapon. You should consider pricing, performance, brand, and quality.

Naturally, the adage “you get what you pay for” still holds true in most cases. More abuse, longer firing schedules, and occasional cleanings are likely to be handled more reliably by a high-end shotgun, such as a Beretta 1301 or Benelli M4, than by one at the lower end of the spectrum. 

However, there are still many shotguns that perform well at all price ranges, so unless complete dependability is your top need, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

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Over-Under and Side-by-Side Shotguns

The question of over-under, and side-by-side will always be up for discussion. An over-under will not get the same derisive remarks on a shot as it did thirty years ago, despite the fact that tradition has favored side by side. In fact, many firearms discover that stacked barrels improve their shooting. Which would you prefer, side by side or over and under?

Over-unders are typically thought to be easier to aim because they only have one sight plane, but some shooters prefer the quicker handling feel that side-by-sides provide.

The over-under, who usually weighs about 7 pounds, would be a whole pound heavier than the side-by-side, to begin with. Therefore, the perceived recoil in the side-by-side and the muzzle-flip would be much higher when utilizing identical 28g No. 7 ammunition, for instance. 

Not only will the over-under’s extra weight absorb more recoil, but the side-by-side’s barrel configuration causes the recoil to return in a dogleg fashion, which is backwards and slightly to the side, following the stock’s line, which normally has more cast in it than in the over-under. As a result, the way you experience the recoil will vary depending on whatever trigger you pull. But with the over-under, the recoil will return in a roughly straight line.

One tip when shooting an over-under is to use a considerably straighter lead-arm than you would with an over-under to increase pointability and lessen perceived recoil and muzzle-flip in a side-by-side.

In fact, the gun would always seem short if you held the fore-end of it side by side with your lead-hand, which would make it harder to handle. Therefore, the straight arm not only absorbs recoil (instead of your shoulder), but it also allows you to have more control over the barrels, which increases accuracy and precision.

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Single-Shot and Bolt-Action Shotguns

The phrase “single-shot” describes weapon designs that need manual reloading after each shot since they can only contain one cartridge of ammunition.

Single-shot designs are much simpler and also more durable than magazine/belt-fed firearms, but they also fire at much slower rates. This is because single-shot designs do not require a large receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, unlike multi-shot repeating firearms (also known as “repeaters”), which have moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin, or frizzen.

Particular to “bolt action” shotguns, the bolt closes up the rear aperture of the barrel chamber as the propellant in the cartridge burns. The bolt rotates forward to load a fresh cartridge after the round is shot and back to remove the used cartridge.

Examine that action in comparison to other shotgun kinds. To cycle the bolt on a pump-action shotgun, slide the forestock forward to load a fresh round and backward to expel the previous one, locking the bolt in position. In a semi-automatic, the bolt is cycled by gas from the fired cartridge.

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Lever-Action Shotguns

Behind the trigger of a lever-action gun is a sizable metal lever. Usually, this handle also serves as the trigger guard. The cartridge case is ejected from the chamber by pushing the lever forward and downward to open the action.

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Choosing the Right Type Shotgun

There are some key factors to consider when choosing a shotgun…

What To Consider:

• Intended Use: What will you be using the shotgun for?
• Budget: Shotguns range in price from very affordable to very expensive.
• Fit: The shotgun should fit your body comfortably.
• Gauge: 12-gauge is the most versatile, but 20-gauge offers lighter recoil.
• Barrel Length and Choke: These affect the shotgun’s pattern and range.

Here’s a breakdown of the different types of shotguns and their ideal applications:

1. Pump-Action Shotguns:

Pump action shotguns are typically used for hunting, home defense, and recreational shooting

Pros:

• Extremely reliable.
• Relatively inexpensive.
• Can handle a wide variety of ammunition.
• Simple to maintain.

Cons:

• Slower rate of fire compared to semi-automatics.
• Requires manual cycling.

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2. Semi-Automatic Shotguns:

Pros:

• Faster rate of fire.
• Can reduce the amount of recoil that is felt.

Cons:

• More complex mechanisms, leading to potential reliability issues with certain ammunition.
• Generally more expensive.
• Require more frequent cleaning to ensure proper operation of the mechanisms.

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3. Over-Under and Side-by-Side Shotguns:

Pros:

• Simple and reliable.
• Two barrels allow for different loads in each barrel.
• Aesthetically pleasing.
• Often shorter than other shotguns, giving the shooter the ability to move better in tight spaces.

Cons:

• Limited capacity (typically two shells).
• Generally more expensive.
• May require more practice for proper aiming, due to two barrels.

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4. Single-Shot and Bolt-Action Shotguns:

Pros:

• Very simple and reliable.
• Inexpensive.
• Bolt actions with rifled barrels make them a good option when hunting with slugs.

Cons:

• Very slow rate of fire.
• Limited capacity.

5. Lever-Action Shotguns:

Pros:

• Relatively fast rate of fire.
• Unique and historical appeal.
• Fairly easy to use.
• Can fire a variety of ammo.

Cons:

• Less common, so fewer options and potentially higher prices.
• Can be more difficult to reload quickly.
• Slower rate of fire compared to pump action and semi-automatic shotguns.
• Can be prone to jamming if not maintained/cleaned properly.

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Final Thoughts On Shotgun Types

Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into which shotgun would be the best for your budget and intended use.

As always, use proper gun safety practices and shoot straight!