Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Schmidt and Bender 1.25-4X with Post (L2) Reticle

Hello all,

I recently replaced the scope on my Heym SR30 (7mm Mag) rifle with a Schmidt and Bender 1.25-4X20 scope having a post reticle. The reticle is in first focal plane so its scale is invariant with respect to the target image. You can see a picture looking at 100 yard target below. The tip of the post is illuminated. This should be an interesting reticle for quick and intuitive shooting at not-too-far targets (say around 50-100 yards) but I am going to experiment with it at longer ranges too. If I can hit metal disks at 200 and 300 yards, I'll be more than happy with it and will keep it on the rifle.

Now my questions: What is the correct way to zero-in this scope? Should I zero-in such that POI is right at the tip of the post? Slightly above it? or maybe where the horizontal wire meets the post?

I look forward to comments from Mr. Barsness (muledeer) and any other members who have experience in European driven hunts or have used scopes with post reticles.

-Omid

These post reticles are something different and can be a lot of fun. I have several scopes with German #1 reticle and one with a post/crosshair similar to your S&B. I like the poi right at the tip of the post at zero range. If zeroed at 200 yd on my 3006 then the 100 yd impact would be 2in high or just above the tip. With these reticles we can easily hit gallon plastic milk jugs out to 300 yds or so especially if zeroed at that range. I will say though that some others who shot these tended to hit high until they got used to the reticle even with an explanation of how it was zeroed.

For calling coyotes that would be the cats a$$..

Omid:

Good question. Have read both--right at the tip and with a space above it. Have an older Zeiss #2 and the top of the post is flat across. I just use the POI sitting on the flat top of the post.

Would like to know how the designers intended the fine line to be used. Cant? Another aim point?

I, too, am curious to know what the original designers had in mind. My guess is that the thin horizontal line is meant to help prevent canting. It's not meant to be used as an aiming mark. It can also help when tracking a running animal as they do in European shooting. I have not shot at targets with this scope yet. I took it with me to the range a while back just to look through it and see how targets at various distances look. That's when I took the above picture. Now it is mounted on the Heym rifle and is ready for zeroing-in.

Using a target this type target inverted like this can be a great help sighting in.

ha ha!! Interesting! Thank you

Nrut:

What do like about this reticle for using whilst calling yotes?

I haven't done that, but there are certainly enough around the house here to give it a shot.

I hunted with an old Herters 1-4x20 scope with the same reticle in it, It was a great scope for still hunting and tracking deer. I set it up to put point of impact at the tip of the post.

Called coyotes(it is about all I hunt any longer) can be a close in game, most of the scopes I use are in the 1-3 to 1.5x6 with a duplex or #4 reticle. The huge FOV on these low power scopes gives very fast target acquisition and the ability to track moving predators through the brush. Coyote calling you are rarely under scope but you can be over scoped a lot.







You can reach out and touch them if needed

Appreciate that, Erich. Wasn't thinking in that vein.

Thanks for sharing Erich! Very nice pictures of some classic rifles and drillings (the one on a bipod is a drilling, right?) What are the makes and models?

-Omid

Sako vixen 222 Rem

BRNO 305 12ga/22 Sav Highpower(5.6x52R}

Wilkes drilling 16ga/16ga/6.5x58R Sauer

Bernardelli 12ga/5.6x50R Mag added this pic



These combo guns are fast enough on 1x that I have taken flushing ducks and pheasants on the way back from coyote stands. Fun to practice on bumped jackrabbits.

tomk,
For my eye & brain it is much easier to concentrate on a reticle with one simple aiming point like a dot or post..
Especially on a moving animal..
The pointed post in the S&B 1.25-4 should be even better though I have only used a square topped post on some old Bushnell "command post" scopes..
The only thing I would change on the S&B is to make it a solid post as the space might be a distraction..
Having said that most of my coyote calling was done with regular plex type reticles, in straight 4, 3-9 and a 4-12..

Appreciate it.

Have tried a couple different ones for some time and then went back to a 4, but then after using Trijicon's post & triangle lately have become interested in them again.

And yeah, that is some nice gear, Erich.

Don't like them for what I do. Heavy post covers targets at longer ranges.

I’d put the very tip of that post on target and shoot. Adjust accordingly.

The design pre-dates individual rangefinders and "long range" had very different implications for the majority of shooters. A guess: glass quality would limit fine reticles to their showing up in the view and manufacturing something fancy would have been an issue with spiderweb.

Within 200 yards using that flat top T-post was fine once I got familiar with it with target on top. Centering was not a big of issue as I thought it would be--having been weaned on crosshairs. Little slower...

Not to say that someone with talent couldn't shoot a lot further and faster.
...

Hello to everyone and thanks for your continued comments. I was at Shot Show in the past few days, just got back home.

Before leaving, I asked my German friend Mr. Lutz Moeller who is a bullet designer and expert hunter about these "Post-Style" reticles. He said he doesn't like them much because in his experience they cause the hunter to shoot high in dim light. He said this is based on "experience".

I am not sure what physiological effect would cause this? I am still waiting for a chance to shoot with this scope myself. I will keep you informed of my experience.

Sincerely,
-Omid

Your uncertainty is nothing new. Jack O'Connor talked about that way back when. He said, of course, that the scope should be adjusted to put the bullet at the tip of the post. He also preferred a flat-topped post, but they seem to have fallen by the wayside in the market.

He also suggested that the crosswire and the top of the post should be at the same level, but then, as now, no one offered "such a deal", as he put it.

I've never used one, but have this notion that I might tend to shoot high with one, especially on moving game when I was in a hurry.

Interesting about O'Connor's remarks re the flat-top. The Leupold I had used a rounded post.

The sharp tip of the Leica I had would round off in low light. I can see where you could possibly shoot high if you didn't use the crossbars for an index in dim light or if it is just bad form--shooting over the top like you do with a shotgun, failing to get your head down

OTOH, with an illuminated triangle, that should not be the case. A lot of guys use the Trijicons on their ARs with the post and illuminated triangle, shooting as fast as possible and I don't believe there are any issues. The more I use that set-up the more I like it.