RetiredSniper
Well-Known Member
I have two but rarely use the ilumination.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR ILLUMINATED SCOPE?
- Thread starter Litehiker
- Start date
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Illumination on all scopes. Dad always said, "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have. Thankful for his Life PhD Magnum Cum Lauda Dadisms.
I like the Firedot type, while I've used lit-reticle scopes, the simpler dot usually does all I need.
It's also an age thing, my eyes don't break out the subtle color differences as well, and I tend to use finer reticle these days.
It's also an age thing, my eyes don't break out the subtle color differences as well, and I tend to use finer reticle these days.
Darren Russett
Member
At sunrise and dusk you can lose a standard reticle in the shadows pretty easily..I've never lost the red reticle on either of my Burris scopes! I use them every time in low light or where there are dark backgrounds or shadows to hunt around...
Plus for a home defense setting you can't beat an illuminated reticle!
Plus for a home defense setting you can't beat an illuminated reticle!
TC338
Well-Known Member
I've got a sig tango 6 3-18. I love the illumination on 3x it looks just like a plain crosshair and is easily daylight bright. Very good for close shots in the timber or when stand hunting in the timber. I needed a scope that could pull double duty as some of my hunting spots can provide shots from 20-800 yards in the same location. So far it has worked great, it is heavy, but I'll trade that for the benefits.
jvr
Well-Known Member
Frankly my experience is that high quality glass and lowlight capability trump illuminated reticle when hunting game. (That said add quality illumination and you really have something). Example Zeiss victory 56mm bell and illuminated reticle. This scope allows me to see game before and after legal shooting time without the illumination. I do find to thin of a cross hair a challenge at times. Kahles ffp scopes. I much prefer sfp for hunting scopes too. I range with a range finder. Ffp is fine for prs and tactical setups at distance. Tactical close up I find sfp is better but really like a quality illuminated reticle. The later opinion is developed from prs and 3 gun competitions. All of the above to me glass quality matters.
I have them on all of my hunting rifles. Use the illumination about 50% of the hunting day.We can hunt 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes past sunset. Add into that overcast days, fog, and rain.
Litehiker
Well-Known Member
lancetkenyon, YEP! Better to have it (illuminated reticle) and not need it than not have it and need it badly for a great trophy shot.
TC338, As I mentioned I had that SIG Tango6 3 - 18 x 50 - for two days. It pained me to return such a great scope to Optics Planet but I did it only because it was way too heavy. The replacement I got, the Bushnell Elite 4.5 18 x 44 illuminated weighs 11 oz. less than the Tango6.
The rifle I'm putting it on is a 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro weighing only 6 lbs. 3 oz.
So a heavy scope would negate all the weight savings (and expense) of the rifle's carbon fiber stock, fluted barrel, bolt and bolt handle.
Eric B.
TC338, As I mentioned I had that SIG Tango6 3 - 18 x 50 - for two days. It pained me to return such a great scope to Optics Planet but I did it only because it was way too heavy. The replacement I got, the Bushnell Elite 4.5 18 x 44 illuminated weighs 11 oz. less than the Tango6.
The rifle I'm putting it on is a 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro weighing only 6 lbs. 3 oz.
So a heavy scope would negate all the weight savings (and expense) of the rifle's carbon fiber stock, fluted barrel, bolt and bolt handle.
Eric B.
TC338
Well-Known Member
I understand that completely. I don't hunt in any difficult terrain and usually don't have to carry my rifle more than a mile so the weight has not been an issue for me yet.
I have Leupold VXR firedot scopes on my black bear rifles. I hunt black bear in Maine. Most of the shots are close to the end of shooting time, black overcast forest, black bear and dark environment makes the shots difficult. Generally shooting time ends 10-15 minutes after you can safely see to shoot. The last bear that I shot was looking at me but quartering to my left. I could see the silhouette of the bear, but could not see any detail of the body, and I couldn't see that crosshairs against the bear's coat; the eyes aren't as good as they used to be either. I turned the red dot on, placed the vertical cross hair in the middle of the bear's ears and the red dot center-mass and squeezed the trigger; DRT. Without the Firedot I would not have been able to take that bear. We have five rifles that we use for bear hunting, all of them have Firedot scopes on them and we wouldn't bear hunt without them. I'd recommend any lit reticle scope for low-light hunting.
Lab rat
Well-Known Member
I built a 260 Remington and I decided to put a Leupold 3x15 HD scope with fire dot and use it for hunting blacktail deer on the coast range in the state of Oregon where early morning hunting finds me looking into deep draws and along dark timber lines I think this scope is a definitely a game changer
RetiredSniper
Well-Known Member
AGAIN! I have an iluminated scope on two of my rifles. I have never had to use the ilumination but to test the battery. But still it is better to have and not need, than to need and not have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LDHunter
Well-Known Member
I've had it on several scopes over the last 20 years or so but never needed an illuminated reticle. If I needed one I probably wouldn't be able to see what I was shooting at well enough to positively identify it. That being said I still try to get them on my hunting scopes.
