Illuminated reticle any good?

AlbertaJohn

AlbertaJohn

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I was looking at some Nightforce scopes and got to thinking about illuminated reticles.

I never had one but I kinda like the looks of these, for you experienced guys what do you think of illuminated reticles?

Btw what do you think of Night force scopes? I never paid more than $600 for a scope in my life but have an urge to upgrade.

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I find the illumination definitely comes in handy for low light shooting obviously, or when zoomed way out in bright daylight (for instance if your low end is a 1x or 2x) to help focus on the center of the reticle. Nightforce is among the top tier of optics, used and trusted my many military units and competition shooters world wide. Can pretty much guarantee it would be a welcome upgrade if you can afford it. Highly recommend.
 
Nightforce is well recognized as one of the best scopes out there, but that reticle is way too busy for me but most likely appeals to many others. Illuminated reticle I have no experience with but seems to be a popular option. My favorite is the Boone & Crockett and the Extended Twilight.
 
I have the NF MOAR reticle on 5 scopes. 3 are on NF SHV’s, 2 on NF NXS’. All of them are illuminated except for the one SHV 4.5-14x56. Last year with 3 minutes of legal light left I couldn’t see my reticle against the trees when a bull elk stepped out. I wished I had illumination at that time. For the extra couple hundred bucks I think it’s worth it
 
Illuminated reticles are very handy if you target shoot, hunt in dense woods, or want a definitive contrast on bright days, its like having a red dot on your reticle.
Easier on the eyes, easier target ID, stands out visibly compared to the background etc.
Most higher end scopes will have a good range of brightness adjustments too, carry spare batteries if you want, you should till be able to use it without illumination of needed though.
Between illuminated and not, I would always pic the illuminated option.
 
If you don't mind the weight, you will like nightforce scopes. I like the illumination on the nxs 2.5-10x32 the best as it is the simplest to use. A quick twist of the dial and you choose brightness. On the nxs 5.5-22x56 you can only adjust the brightness by removing the battery and turning a small screw. Not something you would do in the field. On the nxs 2.5-10x42 you have the option of switching between red and green illumination, but it just seems like a lot of button pushing to do if you are actually in a rush trying to light er up to see an animal at last light.
Lots of cool reticle options on the nxs 2.5-10x32 models but they are discontinued.
I caution you though, once you buy one, you're gonna likely want more.
 
For what my antiquated opinion is worth...

Nightforce scope are of the absolute top quality. If my job was to head into the unknown to be shot at, and kill people, it would be one of my top three choices. I have never done that, so take with with salt. S&B, and Vortex Razor's are up there too. Maybe TT and Leupold too.

NF has played on marketing, no question, and they deserve to.

As for illumination, 20 years ago, I thought it was super cool. In reality, what it is is another failure point in your system. It doesn't "immuminate Sh!t"... it increases contrast between your reticle an your target, somewhat. At the end of the day, if you're looking to plant a slug in the chest of a target, as a professional who does things unsaid, it might add 3 minutes of usability per day, morning + night. If you are hunting whitetail, like I am, stop being a poser.

The illumination means that you have to worry about battery life, temperature, and battery corrosion, in exchange for maybe 2 minutes of advantage at sunrise and sunset.

Once I found an illuminated reticle to be of advantage. I mounted a 1-6 vortex razor on a .375 H&H for a somewhat dangerous game hunt. At the time, it seemed obscure, but it made sense to me, and since then, many other have done the same. I found that that the illuminated red reticle basically turned the 1-6 scope into a red dot, should a sudden close quarters shot present itself. At the end of the day, I took my harvest at 215 yards, with the scope at 6x, and the illumination meant f-all.

Bottom line, don't let illumination influence your decision. Learn to shoot good, and carry on.

SRS
 
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As a hunter, the benefits of an illuminated reticle come into play for first/last light scenarios when the target animal is a black bear or moose and the black reticle is hard to view against that black hide in low light. There are also many times during the day, where one might be in the thick, dark timber on a cloudy day where the low light conditions also make that illuminated reticle an advantage. BUt as most of these scenarios tend to be shorter range shot presentations, a red dot such as Leupold's FireDot is all that is needed...you won't need a lit up christmas tree type reticle.
I have a few VX-R scopes and a couple of other FireDot reticles mounted on my lever actions and bolt actions that are used more for this type of hunting now as my aging eyes are liking this advantage.

For those where it may be a large animals at first/last light, at longer distances, an illuminated BDC type reticle will be a better option.
I have one VX-6HD with the illuminated B&C reticle, and quite like it, and it is carried where the shots may be more than the typical 100-200 yard range that most of my game is taken. (After 38 years of hunting western Canada, my average shot distance is just 132 yards, with the shortest shot recorded at 5 yards (elk), and the longest at 475 yards (elk) - which I underestimated as 400. And I hunt a wide variety of terrain and environment types each year; thick, dark timber to wide open spaces such as fields, large meadows, prairie, and alpine. To date only 2 animals have been taken at 400 yards or more.)

While I hunt dawn to dusk, most animals are still taken during the better light conditions of the day...I have only taken a few animals at first or last light over the years. The bigger challenge is the cloudy days in that thick, dark timber I mentioned before. Deer and other animals aren't too difficult to see the reticle against...it is the moose (most common target animal) and the black bear, that are the hardest to make out that reticle against.

As I don't shoot targets at long distance (my local ranges are limited to 400 and 500 yards), or compete, I cannot comment on the advantages of the illuminated reticle for this purpose.
 
I’ve used illuminated reticles a fair bit, primarily for what they are meant for; huntng at night. Don’t have a heart attack; it’s legal and normal in many countries, at least for some things. My favourite for that is the illuminated B&C, at least partly because its a favorite in the day-time too, and there’s no disadvantage to having that option that I know about. I’ve got some illuminated mil-dots too, but don’t get a lot of use out of those; since for me long range and darkness isn’t a thing:

I like my Nightforce scopes, they track and I’ve never managed to break one yet. I have friends that have sent enough of them back to make me nervous though. None of mine are illuminated.
 
AlbertaJohn said:
I was looking at some Nightforce scopes and got to thinking about illuminated reticles.

I never had one but I kinda like the looks of these, for you experienced guys what do you think of illuminated reticles?

Btw what do you think of Night force scopes? I never paid more than $600 for a scope in my life but have an urge to upgrade.

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Your budget is yours to guide your choices. There is no downside to better optics. Seeing your target clearly and taking a confident shot is the entire point of all optics. You can get some pretty good stuff these days. Cheers
 
Illuminated reticles are good to have in low light, dark backround or dark target scenarios. The rest of the time you don't have to turn it on. There isn't a drawback to have the option. Nightforce optics are tough and have excellent build quality. Lots of good optics up to 16X, but beyond that is where I find the higher end optics have better optical clarity and tracking.
 
I love an illuminated reticle, but I tend to prefer a fine floating dot instead of a center cross. Personal preference. But when I lined up on a twilight black bear with an illuminated reticle I couldn't go back.

Nightforce is also tough as nails and despite some age on some of their designs they are still a top scope choice in competitive circles.
 
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