Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics German #4 vs #1 reticles

I have two Leupolds with the #1. The first is an early '90s vintage Vari-X II 1-4x20 that came from the factory with the #1 reticle. I like it a lot. About 5 years ago I traded into an old M-8 fixed 3x that had a thin standard crosshair. I sent it back for a #1. When it returned, I was disappointed to see that they had redesigned the #1. The earlier version had posts about the thickness of the Heavy Duplex, with the horizontal posts coming in pretty close to the vertical post. The "new" style is MUCH heavier with a lot more space between the horizontals and vertical. The reticle is so bold that I have to use a BIG target to sight it in because it totally obscures a lot of aiming point. Both scopes are on short range Ruger No. 1s, the 1-4x on a 9.3x74R and the 3x on a .45-70, so long range shooting is not likely, but the "new" reticle is really too bold for my taste. I have a couple of Leupold #4s and while the outer posts are very bold, at least they have a more precise aiming point.


Old Style




New Style