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What's Your Favorite Reticle — and Why?

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JungleShooter
(@jungleshooter)
Peru
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 298
Topic starter  

What's Your Favorite Reticle — and Why?

 

Here're the features of my favorite reticle — what are yours?:

 

?(1) Holdoff reticle (with evenly spaced hash lines, not a BDC) — because I like to dial for elevation and hold for wind when I have the time, and hold off for both if it's a rushed shot.

 

?(2) FFP reticle/scope — because I want my holdoff mils to be the same no matter what magnification I consider best for the shot.

 

?(3) Thick black posts on the outsides of the reticle — so that I can still easily see the crosshairs even if the reticle has shrunk a lot because I selected a low magnification on my FFP scope.

 

?(4) The same units of measure for both reticle and turrets (either both MIL or both MOA) — so that I can memorize or carry with me just one dope chart — otherwise I'd need one for the reticle, and a different one for the turrets.

And so that when I see on my reticle that I've hit 1.3mil low and 0.7mil left on the target — I just dial exactly those numbers on the turrets and I'm dead on.

 

?(5) MIL rather than MOA — because in MIL I get to read and memorize less numbers, and don't need to convert 3.73moa to 3½ and 11.78moa to 11¾. 

And in MIL I don't need to calculate how many total clicks a dope is. In the MOA system 6¾ MOA equal 27 clicks. Compare the MIL system: 2.7 MIL equal 27 clicks. Plain and simple.

 

?(6) Numbers on the hash line (a few) — so that I can quickly find 7.5 mil without having to count seven hash lines down.

 

?(7) Illuminated reticle — as light isn't always good in factory buildings. And when the FFP is on low magnification the IR helps me see the hash lines better (no, I don't obsess over the half ounce of extra weight for the IR...! ?).

 

 

Thankfully, scope makers have been giving us a good amount of these type of reticles, so there is some choice. ?

Attached below as a good example the reticle on the Falcon S18i 3-18x50 FFP that checks all the boxes. ? 

 

Matthias

 

Scope. Falcon. S18i. 3 18×50 FFP IR. Reticle. 02

 


   
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(@mrodmods)
Michigan
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 2
 

Mill dot for sure


   
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Gratewhitehuntr
(@gratewhitehuntr)
Florida
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 1882
 

It really depends on the purpose of the scope/weapons platform.

 

Usually the finer the better, though that generates it's own issues, and it would be easier to list my least favorite.

#1 Post

#2 TNT (thick and thin)

#3 Randomly sized Mil-dot knockoffs

#4 Non illuminated dot (only a dot)

 

Lately I've been putting red lights on my weapons, since red washes out, green IL has been really useful.

Takes some getting used to, but that horseshoe shape can speed up ranging if you spend some time viewing known targets at known ranges. There are enough points to avoid dope, if you're just going for hits, and that could be plenty depending on the accuracy potential of your platform, and the allowed time (or lack of) for calculations. Screenshot 2020 06 28 reticle 1024x1024 2x jpg (WEBP Image, 1500 × 1500 pixels)


   
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(@pointyhead)
Ohio
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 29
 

-I too like a graduated reticle for holding off on the fly. Horus or Christmas tree style are too busy for my liking, so having marks on the crosshair is great.

-Second focal for the most part. The finest aim point at any magnification works better for my shooting disciplines.

-MOA. It's what I learned on, and bought for years. Wouldn't mind Mils, but at this point it would require switching a ton of hardware for consistency across all platforms.

-Floating dot or even an open center. I've given up on- and traded or sold- quite a few closed crosshair optics, because I just can't shoot as well with them. 


   
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nced
(@nced)
North Carolina
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 144
 
 
 

"What's Your Favorite Reticle — and Why?"

 

 

These reticles work well for me but I prefer a simple mil-dot or a Hawke half mil-dot version.

Hawke Vantage Mil-dot........

 

Hawke half mil-dot..........

 

Hawke AirMax AMX reticle............

 

 

One that I'm not too fond of is my 4-16x50 Discovery VT-2 SFIR-N reticle but it is "workable"............

 


   
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Gratewhitehuntr
(@gratewhitehuntr)
Florida
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 1882
 

Wow that last one is busy!

There has really been a tendency to crowd the area lately, hey more is better, which scope has the most clutter-for-your-buck? The horseshoe is REALLY popular, everyone copy it quick!

That green one I posted is FFP, like, where have you been all my life FFP?

When it's dialed down and un-lighted, most of the clutter is invisible.

 

If I absolutely HAD to, I could range with the scope, but I usually start with the most versatile zero range, then shoot various ranges and memorize my impact points. Hold over engaged... 26 yard zero style... or was it hold under... dang...

 

Have to agree on the open center. What am I supposed to aim WITH?


   
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(@mark_in_az)
Arizona
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 231
 

My favorite is a standard Bushnell mildot reticle.

It is bright enough that I can SEE the dots and these old eyes ain't getting any younger.

Most of the current reticles are too busy or too thin for me to see clearly.

Give me something that is tried and true......and rugged.


   
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nced
(@nced)
North Carolina
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 144
 
Posted by: @gratewhitehuntr

Wow that last one is busy!

There has really been a tendency to crowd the area lately, hey more is better, which scope has the most clutter-for-your-buck? The horseshoe is REALLY popular, everyone copy it quick!

That green one I posted is FFP, like, where have you been all my life FFP?

When it's dialed down and un-lighted, most of the clutter is invisible.

 

If I absolutely HAD to, I could range with the scope, but I usually start with the most versatile zero range, then shoot various ranges and memorize my impact points. Hold over engaged... 26 yard zero style... or was it hold under... dang...

 

Have to agree on the open center. What am I supposed to aim WITH?

"then shoot various ranges and memorize my impact points"

That's what my brother does with his .177 R9 so he marks his AO with actual "sharp focus distances" and remembers the hold-over according to the "pointer". Myself, rather than marking my AO or side wheel with actual distances, I mark with symbols which represents what "reticle mark" to use for aiming after the sharp focus. For example.........

After focusing if the "pointer" lines up to a plus "+" I aim "crosshair on", if the pointer lines up with single dot "." I aim "one mildot high", if the pointer lines up with a "dot|dot" ".|." I hold "1 1/2 mil dots high", if the pointer lines up with "two stacked dots" ".." I hold "2 mil dots high", so on and so forth. That way I don't need to carry a dope sheet of remember the hold point at various "sharp focus distances".

There are disadvantages to my "system" in the sense that my marks on the AO or side wheel are only valid for one gun, tune level and scope power setting, however since I only use holdover aiming and only shoot at one scope power setting (12x) the "system" is adequate for my purposes making aiming at distances closer than the "near zero" and "far zero" more more accurate than "guestimating" by eye alone.


   
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(@jim_in_pgh)
Pennsylvania
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 1015
 

I've always been a big fan of the little Tasco Bantam 2.5X20 compact shotgun scope.  It's a perfect fit on light vintage springers, and has a circle-and-crosshair reticle that gives several hold-over and hold-under options.  I'm also a big fan of the multi-line reticles on various 4X32 crossbow scopes.  Again, well suited to the lower powered traditional air rifles.


   
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