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Illuminated reticles #5981631 10/17/15 05:36 PM
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TFF Caribou Offline OP
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Curious what the real practical use is for hunting? Basically only useful in low light situations?

Traded for a mini30 the other day, and it had a scope with an illuminated reticle. I needed a new scopenfor my deer rifle, so I moved it over. When I brought it home the other evening, I went in the back yard, and turned the illuminated reticle on, and I could see the use. Is that the only practical use, or do y'all use them in daylight hours too?

It seemed too bright to use it in the dark, lit the whole fov up, maybe hunting hogs at night with a spotlight?


The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference. -George Washington
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981632 10/17/15 05:39 PM
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T Bone Offline
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Hogs in low light/after dark under a feeder light..


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I really hate to do what I am about to do, because it will be very painful for you.


Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981634 10/17/15 05:40 PM
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They are useful in low light as long as they can be adjusted to a low brightness. Some brands are too bright to be useful, SS and Viper PST will turn down low enough to be useful. And yes they can be handy when hunting with a spotlight.

Never gets used in the day time.


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Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981706 10/17/15 07:44 PM
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dee Offline
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I've used mine once in 6 years and it was on a pig in the dark.


"A vote is like a rifle; it's usefulness depends on the character of the user" Theodore Roosevelt
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981738 10/17/15 08:22 PM
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Some lighting situations, it's easy (for me) to loose a non-illuminated reticle against a tree'd background.


Upon us all, upon us all, a little rain must fall
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981742 10/17/15 08:27 PM
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During those "1/2 hour before sunrise/1/2 hour after sunset" scenarios, my old eyes find them useful. Hunting under feeder lights and with a scope/rifle-mounted light, they can also help. As mentioned: if you buy one, make sure you can adjust the brightness of the reticule down very low. A little illumination goes a long way.

Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981770 10/17/15 08:59 PM
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In my opinion they are best after the color green fades out which is about 45 min after sunset or 15 min past legal hunting times. The same applies in the morning. Regular crosshairs on good scopes are usable in the above timeframe. Wardens usually adhere to the color "green" rule. Most folk never heard of such.

Last edited by Treinta-Treinta; 10/17/15 09:00 PM.
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5981807 10/17/15 09:51 PM
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red dot on my vortex crossfire II is excellent at night with a green light, contrast makes it very easy to see and shoot faster.



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Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5982892 10/18/15 10:03 PM
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Dogdown

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Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: Treinta-Treinta] #5982907 10/18/15 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: Treinta-Treinta
In my opinion they are best after the color green fades out which is about 45 min after sunset or 15 min past legal hunting times. The same applies in the morning. Regular crosshairs on good scopes are usable in the above timeframe. Wardens usually adhere to the color "green" rule. Most folk never heard of such.


Hog's aren't game animals, you can shoot them anytime you get a humane shot.


Upon us all, upon us all, a little rain must fall
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5982925 10/18/15 10:27 PM
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I have a firedot Leupold. Useless in broad daylight, but man is it handy for shooting on overcast nasty days, night time, and sundown. The brightness is variable, and it is a useful feature.

Mine is mounted on my AR, but I am thinking about moving it over to a rimfire to dispatch critters at night.


Last edited by Colt W. Knight; 10/18/15 10:28 PM.
Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5983023 10/18/15 11:44 PM
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test in VERY low light
A lot of them are TOO bright, even at their dimmest settings to be useful.
If too bright it will make your iris constrict and make matters worse.

I have several but I would rather run a bold #4 reticle than a crappy illuminated one.

Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5983528 10/19/15 12:00 PM
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check out the vortex crossfire II, 11 settings on the brightness, they will dim down for no moon nights and go bright for full moons etc. like mine a lot.



lake fork FISHERMANS COVE MARINA - 903 474 7479 reservations

Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5986628 10/21/15 02:44 AM
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I have a Leupold VX-R 2-7x33 with a Firedot 4 reticle. It is a good scope. I like it early in the morning and late in the day. I also have a couple of Meopta's and one Zeiss with German 4's. Their glass is considerably better than the glass in the VX-R. For my eyes they work very well early and late and better than the VX-R at night. For me better glass triumphs illumination.


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Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5987096 10/21/15 01:56 PM
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Yes sir, agreed 100 %

Re: Illuminated reticles [Re: TFF Caribou] #5987670 10/21/15 07:38 PM
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My wife uses hers day or night on her VX-R. I'm pretty certain she no longer sees the reticle at all. Just the firedot.

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