Illuminated Reticles - Worth it???

[Predator]

I am looking to purchase a new scope for my 308HB and am contemplating models with illuminated reticles. I use this rifle primarily for hunting and unknown distance target shooting in all light conditions.

I have been considering:
- Leupold Mk4 MRT 3x9 Illumintaed mil dot
- Leupold Mk4 LRT 3.5x10 M1, Illuminated mil dot.
- Possibly a Burris 3x9 FF2 with LRS and return it to the factory for installation of target turrets.

The question for those who have experience using the Leupold, Nightforce, and Schmidt and Bender scopes with illuminated reticles is, are the illuminated reticles worth the extra money????

Are the lit reticles usefull during daylight condtions or only during periods of reduced light?

Thanks in advance.

P

 

[RePete]

You can use them anytime.

Worth it? That's a question that only you can answer.

I think they are.

 

[rem338win]

99.9% of the time, not really. But that 0.1% you'll really wish you did. I haven't had that 0.1% happen yet so I'm good.

 

[Paulinski]

I would go with the TMR reticle as opposed to mil dot.

 

[Predator]

Is anyone using an illiminated reticle on a dedicated hunting scope?? ie Kahles?

 

[migrant hunter]

I have a cheap illuminated mill dot on my .22 wmr. It looks really impressive, but that"s about it!
My preference is more towards ladder type reticles, I would"nt buy a scope just because it was illuminated(and I have used them on other people"s guns as well)

 

[Northman999]

I've got a couple of scopes with them, I don't mind them as sort of a neat gimmick, but really I don't think they are any more than that. Where I live, by the time it's so dark you would find any use for it, it's WAY past the legal end of the hunting day in regards to sunset anyways. After owning a couple, I'm kind of leaning towards getting a slighter better quality scope without the illumination at the same cost of a lesser, but illuminated scope.

 

[500grhollowpoint]

I looked at one when I bought my scope...didn't seem like it would serve any usefull purpose. If you want to see better in low light get a bigger scope...the difference in a 40mm to a 50 mm is huge...

 

[HyeProfile]

Worth it? That's a question that only you can answer.

That just about sums it up.

Illuminated reticles are just another feature offered by scopemakers to satisfy the growing demands of their clientèle, just like parallax adjustment, variable magnification, different finishes, etc. So by that very definition there must have been a need/use for it for someone at some point... Conversely, any individual feature must have some relative value for the customer, more for those that have a use for that particular feature, and less for those who won't make much use of it (or don't experience any benefits).

Therefore, if any of the following statements apply in your case, it would seem that an illuminated reticle would have a fair use in your scope:

• If you're likely to hunt or shoot at dusk or dawn, or even at night in some cases, if it's not forbidden by law, like for raccoon hunting in QC for example.
• If you shoot at very dark targets where the reticle simply disappears in the dark background.
• If you seldom find yourself shooting against brushy backdrops where finer reticles become lost/blurred/obscured (i.e. the fine reticle gets lost in the branches or in a fence).
• If your eye has a difficult time focusing on the reticle (parallax adjustment would be an even more important feature in such a case, but an illuminated reticle can help).
• ...

So think about it realistically, and if you end up feeling that the added price is worth it (and IF you can afford it), then by all means go for it!!!

My 2 cents...