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3.5" versus 4" eye relief

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tpcollins View Drop Down
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    Posted: December/02/2009 at 09:01
I'm trying to figure out which Zeiss Conquest scope to get  -  3-9x40, 3.5-10x44, or 3.5-10x50.  Somewhere online someone recommended the 3-9x40 because of the 4" eye relief versus 3.5" on the others. What's the advantage of having another 1/2" other than less chance of it smacking you in the forehead? Thanks.
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Dale Clifford View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 09:33
if you have time to notice the difference - you more than likely took too much time for the shot.
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pyro6999 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 09:40
its easier (for me) to pick up the scope and acquire the target under full view with more eye relief than less. the less relief i have, the more i have to adjust my head to make the view "perfect" my 4200 elite has 3.3" of relief on 3x its not a big deal, once i step it up to 6x or more the picture takes an extra second or two to be correct. where as with a conquest with its 4" you can pretty much go from 3x to 9x and it wont mess with you much if any, plus like you said less likely to get scope whacked. although, with my 3.3" of relief on my 4200 i have yet to be whacked by it and it sits on top of my .375H&H.
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boliodogs View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote boliodogs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 10:11
I have both types of Zeiss scopes and I think the real difference in eye relief is more than .5 and closer to .9. The shorter eye relief ones are ok on a hard kicker if you are careful. The ones with 4 inches are great to use on the hardest kickers.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 10:27
Everything is a tradeoff.  More eye relief may be nice for hard kicking rifles, but extended eye relief usually comes at the expense of field of view and/or low light performance.  As you increase eye relief, all else being equal, your field of view decreases.  The more space between your eye and the ocular lens, the more stray light from the side reduces your ability to see through the optic in low light.  It's actually better to have no more eye relief than you really need.  3.5" is more than adequate for all but the really hard kickers.
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Palehorse View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Palehorse Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 11:02
Do you hunt in cold weather?  3, 4 or more layers of bulky clothing will quickly make a gun/scope that fit great in tshirt weather uncomfortable to shoot.  Moreover, longer eye relief scopes tend to be easier to acquire in snap shooting situations at close range.  But you are sacrificing low light performance, so base your eye relief choice on what fits you and the conditions under which you will use it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bagderRed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/02/2009 at 11:14

+1 on what palehorse said.

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