Visit the SWFA.com site to check out our current specials. |
Illuminated reticle, what are they? |
Post Reply | Page 12> |
Author | |||||||||||||||||||
casio02478
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/22/2006 Status: Offline Points: 4 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: February/22/2008 at 17:36 |
||||||||||||||||||
and do I need them? Hi, long time lurker and newbie to the optics field. I am in the market for a new riflescope but can't decide wheither I need a illuminated reticle? I really need some wisdom from from experienced shooter out there to help me with the pros/cons of this feature. Thanks ps
|
|||||||||||||||||||
cheaptrick
MODERATOR Joined: September/27/2004 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 20844 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to The OT!
Please describe your usual shooting situations for us please.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
casio02478
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/22/2006 Status: Offline Points: 4 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Mainly hunting whitetail from the treestand. Max shooting range is around 300yds. See alot of deer at dawn and dusk. Do I need the reticle for near dark hunting or is it better to go with a bigger objective? |
|||||||||||||||||||
cheaptrick
MODERATOR Joined: September/27/2004 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 20844 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Cheap optics with even cheaper lit reticles are more of a liability than a benefit, if you ask me.
The cheaper illuminated reticles will be too bright even on the lowest settings, making them mostly unusable. Good illuminated reticles cost more money.
Depending on your $$$ budget, a larger objective may be a better choice for you.
Do you have a budget for a scope in mind?
I sent our resident hunting expert "Rifledude" a PM about your thread and I'm sure he can shed "some more light" on this subject for you.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
a budget would help us along, i agree with mark cheap glass with cheap ill reticle are a huge handicap, your better off buying a scope with superior glass and no lit reticle than a cheap lit reticle.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
|||||||||||||||||||
RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Also, I personally think that a fairly stout reticle is important for those conditions. The best glass in the world won't help you see a fine reticle in the twilight, especially in brush.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
absolutely i forgot that, another excellent point ronk!
|
|||||||||||||||||||
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
|||||||||||||||||||
supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Maybe you should go with a Trijicon if low light shooting is your biggest issue.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.
"A Liberal is a person who will give away everything they don't own." |
|||||||||||||||||||
pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
thats not a bad option wish we knew how much he wants to spend
|
|||||||||||||||||||
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
|||||||||||||||||||
casio02478
Optics GrassHopper Joined: May/22/2006 Status: Offline Points: 4 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
thanks for all the input guys, my budget is around $500.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
pyro6999
Optics Retard OT TITAN Joined: December/22/2006 Location: North Dakota Status: Offline Points: 22034 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
you wont touch a trijicon for less than $600
|
|||||||||||||||||||
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead" 343 we will never forget God Bless Chris Ledoux "good ride cowboy" |
|||||||||||||||||||
RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Well, I don't know about that "expert" part, but thanks for the vote of confidence!
Welcome casio02478!
I am a big fan of well designed illuminated reticles and I do hunt in very low light and at night for hogs in the off-season, so I get an opportunity to use them often. Whether or not you will benefit from a lit reticle depends on which scope you choose and what type of hunting you do. There are some very good lit reticles and some very bad ones. A very good lit reticle will always outperform even the boldest conventional reticle in low light. Unfortunately, most of the good ones are in scopes costing way over your $500 stated limit. If I were looking for a lit reticle scope for low light use and my budget was $500 or less, I would go with one of these 3 scopes:
All 3 have good optics, but I must tell you upfront that I don't have any experience with the illuminated versions of these particular scopes. I am basing my selections on the fact that the Elite 4200 with lit dot and the Monarch with lit Nikoplex both have a relatively small area of illumination and adjustable rheostat for adjusting brightness. I think these are critical features in a good, useful lit reticle for hunting. More on that later. The Elite 4200 with Firefly reticle may be a good choice as well, even though the entire reticle is illuminated, provided that the glow is dim enough that it doesn't overpower your vision through the scope too much in low light. Again, having not used the lit versions of these 3 scopes personally, I can't confirm that they have truly useful reticles, but they look good on paper. I don't know how much longer you'll be able to get them, however, since both Bushnell and Nikon are discontinuing these lines for new models.
If you can up the ante a little $-wise, you might also look at the Trijicon Accupoint scopes. They use an innovative combination of fiber optics and tritium, so they don't require batteries. The reticle used in these scopes is also a nice, small triangle, which provides a bold aiming point with an uncluttered view of the target. I haven't used one of these scopes either, so I don't know how good the optics are in low light, but I have seen the reticle in person, and it is very nice.
As fond of lit reticles as I am, a poorly designed lit reticle is almost useless IMO. If you've ever had someone shine a flashlight into your eye at night, then you understand the momentary loss of good night vision that causes. The same thing happens to a lesser degree with a lit reticle that won't adjust down to the proper level. If the reticle is too bright, it will cause your pupil to dilate, hampering your ability to see in low light and hazing out the target image in the scope. So, I've found that the best lit reticles for hunting are those that can be adjusted to a very dim setting and the lit portion isn't too large. All you need is a small dot, dot and circle, or "+" in the center, and you need just enough illumination to see the aiming point, no more. If the lit portion of the reticle is too large and/or too bright, you just have too much light inside the scope.
The 3 lit reticle scopes I use for low light/night hunting are expensive and have both very well designed reticles and very good optics. This gives me a tremendous edge in low light or a moonlit night. But if I had to make a decision between a scope with poorly designed lit reticle and fair optics or a scope with a non-illuminated reticle with thick posts and great optics, I would choose the non-illuminated scope with better optics every time. No matter how good the reticle, if the scope doesn't have excellent light transmission in the blue light spectrum, it won't be useful in extremely low light.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
|||||||||||||||||||
mercenary1947
Optics Master ** Joined: April/02/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1392 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
As always as the others said ... DO NOT BUY a bad glass scope .... there are good scopes out there with IR capabilities and it is a very useful addition when needed . Especially when scoping into a shaded area or lower light . Don't be fooled by huge glass either ... does'nt always improve light gathering . Coatings and glass quality are the most important factors and do ...research ... make sure the IR does'nt flood the area with blurry lighting . I use a Mueller IR for those conditions .... top japenese glass with high end german coatings . Have been using it for over 3 years ... all kinds of conditions hauled on my ATV taking a pounding in rain .... snow .... and heat and is clear as a bell and dead on . Mueller has their illuminated rectiles down pat for fabulous quality .
|
|||||||||||||||||||
One Shot One Kill .... *S.O.F * Head Shots Only
SWFAM |
|||||||||||||||||||
Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
other items of possible interest:
I'm figuring the $500 as being the conservative end however if it is really the top end see:
|
|||||||||||||||||||
"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do". Bobby Paul Doherty Texas Ranger |
|||||||||||||||||||
RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
On the issue with batteries, I look at it this way. All the lit reticle scopes out there that I'm aware of use the wafer style watch batteries. I have never found these batteries to leak. Secondly, assuming your battery goes dead, it doesn't render your scope useless, as without illumination turned on, the reticle works the same as any other conventional reticle. If you've selected a good, bold reticle and good low light glass to begin with, then without illumination, you still have as good a scope for low light hunting as any other high quality non-illuminated scope. Third, some of the better lit reticle scopes have an extra battery storage area in the windage cap, so you have a backup battery readily available.
Then, again, there's the Trijicon Accupoint that doesn't require batteries, though the tritium glow dies off after 10-15 years.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
|||||||||||||||||||
mercenary1947
Optics Master ** Joined: April/02/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1392 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Who said buy a cheap low end illuminated rectile scope ? Look ... if you don't want a box of junk scopes .... want all the newest features ... and want to buy one good scope ... hold off and get a good one . Illuminated rectiles are great when you need them . Quicker target aquisition especially if all your shots are'nt in bright sunlight and some are in darker or shaded areas . It seems all the scope manufacturers will be adding it into their lines .... BUT - go to a gun shop or store and try them first ! Take no one's word here or on any internet review site ! Pull them out of the boxes and really put them through the tests side by side . If they're not in a box = plastic sealed .... they're junk ! No " one " manufacturer makes the best scope .... no matter what idiot anywhere tries to tell you that .... and not to mention a certain brand ... are way overpriced and yes they do break !
|
|||||||||||||||||||
One Shot One Kill .... *S.O.F * Head Shots Only
SWFAM |
|||||||||||||||||||
tahqua
MODERATOR Have You Driven A Ford Lately? Joined: March/27/2006 Location: Michigan, USA Status: Offline Points: 9042 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
[[/QUOTE]
Who said buy a cheap low end illuminated rectile scope ? Look ... if you don't want a box of junk scopes .... want all the newest features ... and want to buy one good scope ... hold off and get a good one . Illuminated rectiles are great when you need them . Quicker target aquisition especially if all your shots are'nt in bright sunlight and some are in darker or shaded areas . It seems all the scope manufacturers will be adding it into their lines .... BUT - go to a gun shop or store and try them first ! Take no one's word here or on any internet review site ! Pull them out of the boxes and really put them through the tests side by side . If they're not in a box = plastic sealed .... they're junk ! No " one " manufacturer makes the best scope .... no matter what idiot anywhere tries to tell you that .... and not to mention a certain brand ... are way overpriced and yes they do break ! [/QUOTE]
Though this thread has been dead almost a month, the O.P. asked for advice. He received it from some well respected members here. I think it is good advice to take with him when he gets some actual hands on experience.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
cyborg
Optics God Gaseous Clay Joined: August/24/2007 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 12288 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Gotta agree with T here. I would add that there are some manufacturers that are inherently better than others and by virtue of this make better scopes. The best will always be a very subjective issue and open to debate.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
With Freedom comes great responsibility, you cannot have one without the other
An armed public are citizens. A disarmed public are subjects. OATH KEEPER #8233 Support us, and join our cause. Cyborg |
|||||||||||||||||||
Ed Connelly
Optics Retard God of no Chihuahua Joined: December/16/2007 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 24225 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
Does Trijicon make those reticles glow again after fifteen years? Where are are you "Warranty Dudes" when you need one? HA! --Ed
|
|||||||||||||||||||
tahqua
MODERATOR Have You Driven A Ford Lately? Joined: March/27/2006 Location: Michigan, USA Status: Offline Points: 9042 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
||||||||||||||||||
They can replace the tritium element. |
|||||||||||||||||||
Post Reply | Page 12> |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |