Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Favorite Reticle?

With today’s rifle scopes there is a tremendous amount of reticles to choose from. It really makes it nice for long range shooting to have so many choices. My favorites have changed from time to time over the years, but I’d have to say currently my favorite is Nightforce’s MOAR reticle.

What’s your favorite???

That is a nice reticle but I don't care for Nightforce scopes as I don't like adding the extra weight that comes with a NF. So this is my favorite is Leupold's

Windplex LR good combination of simplicity and fucntionality

https://www.leupold.com/reticle/wind-plex-lr/

Nice looking reticle, Mike! Understood, the weight factor. I like Nightforce scopes on long range target type rifles where weight isn’t a concern. For hunting rifles that are lugged around all day I’m a Leupold fan. I have a 270 Win with a Leupold Boone and Crockett reticle that I like a lot.
Cheers, Mike

Have a couple Boone and Crocket also, and really like them too

For my use simple is better. For Elk in dark timber I liked a vertical post just over 1/2 way up and a side to side cross hair.

For prairie dogs cross hairs with a fine dot, It helped with hold over, or hold under.

I like an moa reticle, but do like the leupold TMR also.

Leupolds standard duplex on the old vari x iiis.

I’ll second the Leupold Boone and Crockett

How much extra weight is a deal breaker?

The MOAR is great in my big 5.5-22 (? I think that’s correct) Nightforce but I hate it in my 3-10 SHV. It’s way too fine, hard to see.

My favorite is the Zeiss #93. It gives you MOA hashes for windage and elevation but is simple and not cluttered and under stress or in low light, I just see it as a duplex.

Post for big game.

You do know that you are on the Long Range Forum, right?

RIF Reading is fundamental - sorry about that.

SWFA mil quad is my favorite that I’ve used for LR.

MOAR is my favorite

MOAR reticle here as well.......

MQ and G2H are my favourite hunting reticles.

MOA reticles in Leupold, Vortex, Zeiss. Mils or MOA. Pick one and run with it.
MOAR is great in my ATACR, but I hear you on weight. 38 oz vs 22 in a VX6 makes a difference
Snt

So what is considered long range? I have shot deer and antelope at 400 and 440 yards with my scope of choice. Does that count?

I would say it counts. Not sure if there are any definitions of what long range is. It’s all relative. Modern advancements in rifle accuracy, ammunition consistency, optical sights, and ability to measure the range with laser rangefinders keep changing what long range might be considered.

I love a good number 4.

Favorite with a little more modernity is the vortex G4 BDC.

The bushnell G2H mil reticle is growing on me.

Mil-Dot, Mil-Quad, MIL VPR (Arken) and APRS6 Mil (Athlon) are the ones I currently use the most. The MD and MQ reside mainly on rimfire rifles, one MD 3-10 Weaver GST is on one of my .223 rifles, and the FFP Arken and Athlon are on 6mm Creedmoors.

I also have few Ballistic Plex FFII and one each B&C and LRD Leupold, DH BDC Vortex, and MOAR NF scopes on my hunting rifles.


My NF is also the SHV 3-10 MOAR and while useable, I'll agree it is a little thin.

Because I shoot them the most, the MIL reticles are my favorite. MOAR would be the one after that I'd probably choose.

Back east that's long range, here in KS it's mid-range

I too like a plain duplex for about 90% of my hunting (NE KS). I have no issues using a Leupold duplex out to 400yds as the duplex intersection is just about 300yds with a couple of my rifles and that aimpoint; "holding on hair" get's me to 400yds, which pretty much covers all the bases around here.



and at 400:



When I travel west, I prefer something like the Leupold B&C combined with CDS dials which I leave in MOA:



I'm not a fan of the LR hunting thing past 600 yds, but for my tgt/varmint rifles I prefer a X-Mas tree type reticle like on my Razor(s):

Nice screenshots!

Courtesy of Strelok Pro..

Also considuh that it takes longuh to get any wayuh from thayuh.
If you can get thayuh at all.
In other places some have been successfully doing it with good rangefinders and accurate guns using good bullets since the Fiftys.
And by the 70s (in some areas) you had to arrive a day early in order to get a good spot to hunt.
And im only pahtly joking. lol

Ayuh! Love yowah accent. That's exactly how folks talk up heyah! lol

I shoot in mils and for hunting am rather fond of the NF Mil-R or Kahles Msr-k

I really like the Swarovski BRH

Nightforce IHR.

Duplex

A simple one that’s crisp, accompanied by good turrets and a rangefinder. Not sure that exists any more.

I have a few scopes, actually more than a few, no longer shoot with open sights to my satisfaction, so. I prefer the Mil dots with a second for short range targets being the old duplex, I have several others but most of the bells and whistles I never actually use. Actually learned the mil dots in the military with a M-14 I built for my use.

Probably my absolute favorite is the mil dot, with a lit dot center that disappears into cross hairs when you turn it off, works well for low light.

I've really liked the donut of death on my bushnell lrhs scopes. I've made some great iff hand shots at running game with them, taken game in lower light, and made some long range shots. The donut seems to help me estimate leads and also center in lower light.

I also like swfa mil quad.

Bb

Funny how many are posting their preferences for reticles that are not suitable for long range on a long range forum!
In lower power scopes i have a few B&C reticles. They're pretty good out to 500.
Beyond that i prefer a reticle with a small dot in the very center. All of my Vortex scopes have this type of reticle.

For me the best reticle and best bang for the buck is the SWFA 6x MQ.

Certainly out where I hunt on the eastern deserts of Washington State.

Although, the Athlon 2-12 reticle is really growing on me.

The dark black duplex on a Zeiss Conquest was a favorite of mine, but now I'd like to add a small illuminated dot to it.

No wide thin duplexes for me.

The Bushnell Firefly was also one I liked a lot, but the scopes didn't have some other features that I need.

I’m a simple man that loves the good old burris ballistic plex

For anything long range it's the EBR-2C with MRAD subtension.

At my age I started om croshirs then duple have been a BIG fan of "Dot" for Varmit and target.. OLD TIMER does NOT like the "BUSY" scopes enjoy the BDC and the X-Mas tree reticle
.
K.I.S.S.

Jim














i

I like a 2 minute LEE dot, most of my recreational shooting/sighting in is done @ 100yds. I use a 2" flourescent orange dot on my targets. Place the scopes dot so no orange is seen in the sight picture and you're dead on target.

Non illuminated and not to busy for the brain.

My longer range reticle preferences are prefaced with my requirement that it work well for hunting at shorter range, in broken/busy backgrounds, and low light as well. If it was ONLY long range there are a lot more I could live with...that premise stated:

1. Tangent Theta's LRH Milrad
2. SWFA's milquad
3. S&B's P3/mildot
4. NF's F1 MLR2.0

Based just on what I've seen from posted pictures and studying sub-tensions/layout, the THLR reticle would be an all around reticle. ...again, that's without the experience of using it.

My favorite reticle is a #4.

2nd place is a plex.

Prettiest easy to tell from some of the replies who actually shoots

Hilarious!!!

Hadn't seen that version. I think I prefer the basic WindPlex as it has 1 MOA tics on the horizontal vs. 2 MOA on the LR version. For dialing for elevation and holding for wind I don't think you can beat the basic WINDPLEX


But I haven't tried the WindPlex LR version you linked.
Rex

I've had little experience with most of the reticles others have posted - that said, I really do like the MQ reticle in my SWFA 6X and 3X9 MQ.

With it's uncluttered view, I scarcely even notice the hash marks until I actually need/want to use them.

All my hunting rifles have Leupold B&C reticles. Fast and easy. Dead hold point at multiple yardage without taking your eye out of the scope. Only downside is usually have to be on max power to be correct moa. They work for me

My hunting rifles are Duplex SFPs but I'm looking at building a long range target rifle that would have a first focal plane so considering other reticles that work best with FFP.

Burris Ballistic Plex

Wish someone offered the old NF IHR reticle.

Not a whole lot of experience with it, but loved it when used.

P3 mildot

I think the THLR reticle in the minox zp5 5-25x56 might be the perfect reticle. Hefty price tag though

Pretty much hunting rifles, duplex with fine hairs center. Nothing else, I can do my own hold over and wind adjustments.
Getting older I’m looking to try out the above with the small illuminated dot center.

Osky

I second your choice. All my NF 5-20x56 scopes have the MOAR


However, the MOAR is different on various rifle scopes for some reason. I don't like that they change them. Like Jeff said, too thin on some scopes. Perfect on the 5-20x56 SHV. I even prefer it over the MOAR-T on my ATACR. If you ask me though, I much prefer to have a dependable scope that weighs a little more, than pay for something that is going to fail you in the field or even at the range. There's a reason they are a little heavier: They are made with better internals.

Tangent Theta's LRH Milrad appears to me to be an excellent long range hunting reticle, although I have never looked through one let alone hunted with one. I don't see me ever paying what it takes to own one.

I'm very fond of the reticle and it's well designed for hunting. Here's a few pic's that I took a while back and posted here.

For reference the cow is 125 yards.

3x


6x


10x


15x

JCMCUBIC,

Thanks for the pictures of the Theta's LRH Milrad reticle. I like it a lot. Reminds me of a S&B P3 Mildot I had in a Precision Hunter 3-12x42 but with those 1/2 mil ticks providing a little more precision.

When using turrets, a good plex or #4 is my preference. However I still really enjoy the simplicity of my Swarovski Z6 1.7-10x42 scopes with the TDS reticle and wish I had purchased more before they discontinued them. Always seemed to lay out pretty well to 5-600yds depending on cartridge. One of my favorites for sure.

Fine crosshairs. 65 years shooting and still plenty good.

Osky

x2 on the German #4

Nobody has made the perfect reticle yet, both perfect for long range and low light close range, but some have come pretty close. Bushnell’s G2H reticle in the LRHS2 is the closest thing I have used to the perfect do it all reticle in a FFP scope. The reticle in the new Maven RS 1.2 might be even better, and I wouldn’t mind trying one of them.

John

+1

The TT reticle looks great, also.

My favorite reticle is the Fast Acquisition HuntSmart Reticle

I like the Leupold Boone and Crocket reticles a lot for big game hunting. Very simple and easy to use out to 450 yards or so which is as far as I shoot at game. The Burris Ballistic Plex is also pretty good and similar in concept.

I like the SWFA Mil-Quad reticle too, and it's good in open country in daylight, but I find it a bit thin for hunting in timber or low light.

The Tract BDC reticle is also good, but I find it a bit thin. If it were bit thicker it would be great.

I've been using Maven's SHR-MIL reticle the last 6 days for short morning and evening hunts. It's a good one.

Let us know what you think of the RS 1.2. I am anxious to try one and its FFP reticle is one of the main reasons.

John

Reticle is good, glass is good, zero stop/elevation dial is good design, capped windage is nice, user characteristics are good...or at least nothing bad has stood out. I've only dialed it enough to sight in at 100, set the hard stop there, dialed/checked 200 and set the 0 there, dialed/checked 300, then I've been hunting it. All adjustment were as expected.

If nit picking I'd remove the 5, 7.5, and 10 mil hashes from the outer bars and have only the center dot illuminated. Dot has a higher illum level than the numbers...the numbers illum only shows up in the lowest light (with the illum set to lowest level). Neither of these are major issues, just me being picky. The reticle is designed so illumination will rarely be needed. Even as is, the illum is good.

Unless there's an issue, I'll use it heavily through Feb, checking zero often. In situations where I'll need to dial over 300 yards I'll likely use something else until I have time to verify it. After Feb I'll start shooting heavily again and will know more about the adjustments. I've got a positive feeling about it.

Horus H-59, lots of production scopes with that reticle so if I get bored I can switch brands without a care.

I like the minimalistic tree style reticles. The March FML TR-1 and the Minox MR4 are both great. The March is much better for lower powers since the center can be illuminated.

[img]https://images.eurooptic.com/images/products/minox/reticles/minox-mr4-reticle.jpg?w=1100[/img]

This is what I use on a couple PD rifles. Otherwise I mostly have duplex.

Just got this Leupold VX Freedom 4-16 with what they call the tri-moa reticle. I like it. Alot.

My favorite is MOA-H or MOA-2