Reticle Choice

Reticle Choice

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cdb1

cdb1

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For hunting big game out to a maximum distance of 350 yards, which reticle would you choose for your scope?

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*for a purpose-built rifle dedicated to that specific application. BDC to me is something like the ACOG reticle
 
For big game, duplex.
I tend to shoot pretty fast cartridges, and rarely have i taken a shot outside of mpbr.
I'm also not usually willingly walk much farther than that across lava rocks after the shot.
 
I can be happy with a duplex or a BDC reticle in that application.

Way before the BDC reticle came out we used to use the old duplex reticle like a BDC. Use the cross hairs, the tip of the lower post and imaginary segments in between.
 
I voted duplex because that’s where my money tends to spend, but I really like the #4 on a hunting rifle. If I were ranking preference, #4, duplex, BDC* if FFP, then mildot.
 
For the shooting I do, I don’t have use for a duplex - not enough information to let me do what I need to do. Unfortunately, most handgun scopes are only available in duplex, so I do own a lot of them. I lump the #4’s in here as well. Most of the time, if I’m shooting short enough such I don’t need any hold over information in the reticle, then I know I don’t need a telescopic sight at all, in favor of a red dot sight. If there’s a chance of longer range shooting, then I want information in my reticle.

Most folks who read my posts on any given forum will know my (low) opinion of BDC reticles. The asymmetric subtensions make them less useful than a regularly graduated reticle. The usage is backwards - the shooter doesn’t know the trajectory, they know the ranges represented by the stadia, such they think about shots in terms of range instead of trajectory. What is a spotter supposed to call for a shooter with a BDC? When you’re shooting a milling or “moa-ing” reticle, you hold mils or moa, and your spotter calls corrections in mils or moa. With a BDC, they would have to call inches, but the shooter has no reference for what an inch might be, other than estimation based on the target itself. It’s a much slower, more cumbersome system. If my first circle is at 129 yards and my second circle is at 247yards, what is my hold when my rangefinder pings a prairie dog at 184yrds?

So you might guess, I voted mil-dot. Of course, using mil-dot to represent all regularly graduated mil or moa based “ranging” reticles. I like to have Christmas trees at least, but a lot of my scopes do only have stadia on the main crosshairs. The TReMoR and Horus reticles are a LOT to look at, but it doesn’t take long to get used to them. If I could have a Christmas tree on every scope I own, I would. Unfortunately they just aren’t all available.
 
I think the valid choice lies in the game. Prairie dogs aren’t deer size and vise versa, so we each have a preference based on necessity. I have stadia with reference sizes, Christmas trees, duplex, and mildot. I simply find vanilla often works for my needs and geography.
 
Most cartridges require very little if any hold over out to 300 yards, 350 isn't that much farther and I could use a duplex reticle. But I've come to appreciate a BDC type reticle and have them on most of my rifles.
 
Despite the relatively low-demand application, I still prefer milling reticles. I’ve done all of them; once had to hold 30” of range with a duplex to deliver a 325grn pill from a .45-70 to 253yrds - double lung and heart, but my stress level would have been a lot less to send that particular shot by holding 3.3mils (About the width of a dot under the 3rd dot). Instead, I was stuck field judging the buck, then guessing what 4” above his rack looked like. That shot would have been much, much easier if taken with more information on the reticle.

If we were talking 250 with typical bottleneck cartridges, maybe even 300 with some cartridges, I’m readily on board with Duplex or No.4’s, but 350 is usually somewhere 10-14” drop with most big game centerfire cartridges. I don’t live by the “pie plate” vital zone, I want to hit the heart. At 350, I’m talking about a reliable 5” group in the field (maybe a touch worse), so I want as little variance as I can in my POA. If holding 14” with a duplex, on an irregular target, I know I’m around +/-2” of POA float when I try to hold. So what I can deliver dead hold as 5” becomes 9” - not good enough for my comfort.

So for game hunting of any size outside of about 250, I still want a milling reticle.
 
I voted duplex, but I am gradually shifting to MOA-based ranging reticles. Perhaps that's what you meant by "Mil Dot - your choice of MRAD or MOA." I really like the SWFA MOA Quad and the Vortex VMR-1 MOA reticles. They are clean and simple to use. For me, at least, MOA-based ranging reticles are more intuitive than Mil-based; YMMV. But now that one can buy good glass with laser-etched reticles for less than a grand, I'm moving that direction.
 
Hunting...what game? In what terrain? Are you stalking, driving, or stand Hunting? Are you shooting a laser beam no drop wonder round or are you shooting a big slow heavy thumper rainbow trajectory round?

I'm always for quick target acquisition. My vote would be a very traditional, simple duplex, perhaps with mil marks for windage and elevation if your shooting something like a 450BM or 45-70, but slick fine lines if your shooting a bottleneck with good speed and trajectory. Nothing to distract you, nothing to get confused about, nothing to screw up that prime opportunity. The only thing I would opt for that's not really traditional is illuminated crosshairs for dusk/dawn and overcast days. My illuminated crosshair scopes always get put 2 notches from off on the low end of the spectrum so that they are useful but not overpowering.
 
While I have a duplex in some plinking scopes, all of my hunting scopes over 3x
have a CPC reticle. The 3x and under all have a PCH reticle.

JT
 
I like the German #1 tumblr_nbolvgDDIi1rzjqgeo1_400.jpg
But since it was not a choice, l chose the duplex. I just don't like my view cluttered with dots and circles. I do like the diamond reticle on big bores.
 
greg_r said:
I like the German #1View attachment 791884
But since it was not a choice, l chose the duplex. I just don't like my view cluttered with dots and circles. I do like the diamond reticle on big bores.
Click to expand...

The German #1 is a good reticle and for upclose and/or dangerous game I think I’d like one. The reason I didn’t include it in the poll is because it’s almost impossible to find scopes with a German #1 IMO. German #4’s don’t grow on trees either.

I started a poll on African Hunting about reticles. The only difference between it and this one is the German #1 is included. No one has voted for it though which I find surprising. What I don’t find surprising is the results. In this poll Mil Dot is the most popular. In the other poll Mil Dot is not popular and German #4 is number one.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/reticle-choice.43684/
 
I really like th Christmas tree reticle in my vortex razor, for those who say it is “too busy” I recommend you try one and play with it on a range. It is busy but is highly useful, even at 350 yds.

I vote MRAD as well because my brain works better on the decimal system vs the moa system, I can keep track of 4.5 mils = 43 clicks better than I can 15.3 moa = 61 clicks for the same distance
 

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What others have said... doesn't really matter out to 350 yards. Whatever your eye likes.

That being said, I do like to have some reference points on my reticle and usually go duplex/mil-dot. I voted duplex for it's simplicity and open field of view.

Assuming your going second focal they're only "accurate" on full power which you'll likely never be at. BDC is nice to have but it's gotta match your bullet aswell.

Here's one thing i'll add which may help alleviate any concerns with holdover at that range. With my .308win and Bushnell DOA-600 reticle which is second focal, on full power 10X at 300 yards the hold is the 2nd dot down on the reticle, when I back the scope out to 3X the hold at 300 is between the crosshair itself and the 1st dot (very very tiny amount of distance). Moral of the story when you zero on full power as you do with second focals, and back it out to 3X which is where you'll normally be, the holdover gets less. So on 3X it's literally negligible the difference between 100-300 yard holdover.

First focal is nice to have but at that range i'd rather know the reticle and save yourself 10-16oz in weight.
 
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