An illuminated reticle, especially one that can’t be turned down very low as needed, might make matters worse. This is one time when going to a well-stocked brick and mortar shop might be worth the extra cost, assuming you can find one that doesn’t only have low and mid-grade stuff. I’d also look into scopes with a wide diopter adjustment range and parallax adjustment too for maximum control. Might be that his current scope is dated, with less adjustability than current ones. I recently replaced a Vari-X IIc on my Hornet because it no longer focused well for me.
There are some German 4s with fine center sections, and the Tract T-Plex is similar, but the heavy sections come in close to the center. Eliminating the top post might help. There are prism sights with etched dots in the middle, up to 5x I believe. Many have reticles that are kind of busy, but worth a look.
Good luck.
