Optics Guide 6/17 - Picking the Best Scope Reticle

Overloaded, oversimplified, or somewhere in-between. The modern scope market includes something for everyone. Time to pick the reticle that's best for you and your mission.
Optics Guide Video Series: • Social Regressive Opti...
Featured Products:
1. Simmons Gold Medal 1.5-4x (replacement): shrsl.com/2yvvd
2. Mueller 8.5-25x44mm Mil Dot: shrsl.com/2y0fh
3. Falcon M18+ 4-18x44mm FFP: bit.ly/3u9gOHE
4. SWFA SS 12x42mm: bit.ly/2PSRYgi
5. Bushnell Forge 4.5-27x50mm FFP: shrsl.com/2csun
6. Bushnell XRS-II 4.5-30x50mm Tremor 3: shrsl.com/2xngx
7. Bushnell DMR-II 3.5-21x50mm H59: bit.ly/3utRfkS
8. Nikon Force XR 2.5-8x24mm EER: shrsl.com/1xm5i
9. Bushnell AR Optics 4.5-18x40mm BDC: shrsl.com/218ql
10. Bushnell Match Pro 6-24x50mm IR: bit.ly/3eokX5l
My favorite reticles range all over the place, but my current favorite for precision work is the Horus Tremor 3 or Tremor 5. There is no competition. Horus reticle simulators: www.horusvision.com/reticle-demo
Recommended Independent Scope Reviewers (alphabetical):
- Cyclops Joe Rhea: / @cyclopsjoevideos
- Eagle Eye: / acidia609
- The Hide: / 5614dixienormous
- Kotaboy32: / kotaboy32
- Mark & Sam Afterwork: / @markandsamafterwork
- TiborasaurusRex: / tiborasaurusrex
- Vaughn Precision: / @vaughnprecision
- West Desert: / 1modusman1
If you want to see more videos like these, become a Patron of the Destructive Arts! For a buck or two a month, Patrons help keep the cameras running and receive sneak peeks and bonus footage. / thesocialregressive
Kyle Broderick, The Social Regressive
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:30 Reminder
00:57 Crosshairs & Posts
04:14 Mil Dot
06:58 Mil Hash
09:16 Christmas Tree
10:50 Horus Reticles
11:56 BDC Reticles
15:32 ACSS
16:35 Horus Tremor 3
17:38 Clarity vs Capability
19:15 Final Thoughts
#opticsguide #scopeguide

[@lcjjr.6714]

For deer, hogs, coyotes and other critters under 600 yards you can’t beat the G4i dot reticle for super fast target acquisition and pinpoint accuracy ! Great video!

[@rbfreund]

Thank you, again, for doing these videos. I am a professor and I have made a number of videos for my students, so I know how much work, time, and effort it takes to make these kinds of things happen. You have a nice, relaxed stage presence - unlike so many of the other 'self-taught' video bloggers. I realize that many of the younger generation seek out the energy and 'over-the-top' hyperbolic statements that others give them, but it just turns someone like me off. I consciously avoid their videos. You are different in your approach, and it is appreciated, at least by me. It may 'cost' you the casual, energy- and hype-seeking viewer, but I think you will have a longer shelf-life. Thank you again and keep up the good work.

[@SocialRegressive]

Thank you for the encouragement, Britt. I just can't bring myself to blow stuff up and say, "buy this." Reality is more complicated, and my goal is help equip each individual for his or her individual needs.

[@cromdaleblvd4677]

Really like this series!!!! I hope you make other series like this one but on another topic. Very will made and the information is gold. Thanks alot again im learning alot.

[@SocialRegressive]

Tell your friends! 🥳 Thanks for letting me know this has been valuable to you.

[@42N8_1]

Great topics on these series.

[@SocialRegressive]

Thanks! Lots more on the way.

[@edmcwilliams6524]

Great Video Thanks .

[@SocialRegressive]

Thanks, Ed!

[@johnparrish9215]

I love to Hog hunt so I don't need a lot of data I need something very fast. The best I've found so far is the KISS reticle in the Primary Arms LPVO scopes.

[@scottd9448]

Very good, thank you.

[@mr.mr.3301]

My fav reticle is the accurange redfield had. I like the circle with crosshairs in the middle.

[@ronws2007]

16:55 Excellent example to show what wind does. The detail is clear enough that you can see the heat mirage moving. Full value, 3 o'clock, 10+ mph. Nice. So, you could hold on the second wind dot left of center, and dial. And talking about varminting. There is another channel called woodchuckin. And what he does is combat to the woodchucks or ground hogs that are infesting the farm fields. He has tried a few rifles but most often, it seems, he is shooting a .22-250. Flat trajectory. I asked him once and he usually dials elevations for distance and holds in the reticle for wind.

[@SocialRegressive]

That's the way I make adjustments, too, if I have a simpler reticle. Sounds like a fun gig!

[@bradbo3]

I prefer simple crosshairs or reticles. One or two dots or marks is fine.....but dont want to much in my view of the target. Also I love the illuminated dot ones. Scopes were scarce for a bit last year , was looking for one for my 350 legend and all I could get was a vortex which has a small illuminated dot in the middle of the reticle.....I was so pleased cause you never lose sight of the middle of the crosshairs.

[@SocialRegressive]

I'm seeing that setup more frequently. Good idea.

[@BestICan]

For those with full-duplex reticles who are willing to zero at MPBR (Maximum Point Blank Range,) there's a formula to bracket an animal in your reticle to indicate that the animal is within your MPBR. This allows for very quick shots. Formula: Range = (AH(100/RMOA)) x P. AH = Animal Height (I use back to brisket). RMOA = Subtention in Inches at a Power multiplied by that Power (check your scope manual.) Bracket is stada point to stada point in the fine part of your reticle. For example, my .270 and a 150gr Nosler Partition equal a MPBR of 268 yds. If I'm going for elk, my calculations look like the following: 28(100/(11.5 x 6)) x 6 = (28" back to brisket(100/My reticle MOA at 6 power in inches) x the 6 power = 28 x 1.45 x 6= 243 yards. As long as the result of the formula calculation does not exceed your MPBR then you're good to go. This is a one time calculation you perform before going into the field. These calculations only hold for the power you use in the formula. I carry 6x into the field, if the animal brackets at that power, I'm good on range and if I want more magnification then I zoom in. The 243 yd distance is within my MPBR, so a rule of thumb is, "If it brackets or is bigger, check the wind and pull the trigger." (Don't forget parallax!) If you start with the largest animal dimensions you're likely to encounter, like say a 30" elk (if only!) and then work backward in size in your calculations, then any animal that size or smaller will be within your MPBR if they bracket.

[@SocialRegressive]

Doing that homework beforehand makes a big difference, doesn't it? Your system is smart.

[@BestICan]

@@SocialRegressive Yes, it does -- control as many variables as possible.

[@Paladin1873]

My favorite setup is my old Shepherd scope. It uses stacked rings, each one smaller than the one above it. Instead of determining the range, just place the ring that circles the chest and head of a deer, then fire. My scope has three internal etched prism sets, one for magnums, one for standard velocity rifles, and one for .22s. When sighting in the scope, rotate to the prism that most closely matches your caliber (ballistic arc), then zero the rifle for 100 yards. You're now ready to hunt.

[@SocialRegressive]

It's an ingenious setup.

[@seeknknowthetruth]

Alot of info, I've had to review already. Use to a Tasco 8x fixed reticle scope, so I'm use to holding over. Trying to acquire a new skill set.👍

[@SocialRegressive]

It's mostly down to practice. It takes a bit to get used some of these wild reticles.

[@aussiemate60]

I'm happy to just use the plain duplex and maybe laminated in poor light conditions

[@bagheri4]

Swfa & falcon m18+

[@spindabear]

I prefer 0.5 and 1 Mil hash marks because it makes for very simple math when it comes to range estimation. average target is 200 cm in height and 50 cm wide. (200cm x 10)=2000. 2000 divided by the number of mils tall equals the approximate range in meters. 2000 is just an easy number to divide into.

[@eddiejennejr4342]

Yeah!!!!!

[@antinormality]

I really like my Horus H59!

[@SocialRegressive]

You and me both.

[@ktshine3668]

My favorite part was when I saw Kedrick. 🥰

[@SocialRegressive]

Understandable. I gotta get some eye candy in here every so often.

[@antinormality]

HAHAHAHA!

[@firstthes2811]

Excellent video. For something like the 6 egg challenge at 300 yards I'm assuming you would go with a more simple reticle. Is there a particular scope you would recommend? Thanks very much.

[@SocialRegressive]

I've shot the egg challenge with a few different scope types: Christmas tree, extended mil dot, and mil hash. In each case I dialed my drop and used the reticle for windage only. If I were in the field with targets at mixed distances, I would favor the Christmas tree reticles for quick work. For prairie dogs, for example, I would pick the Bushnell Match Pro 6-24x50 FFP or the Horus HOVR with the Tremor 3 or 5. I've used simpler reticles to good effect, but the crazy ones mean I don't have to take my eye out of the scope for anything.

[@firstthes2811]

@@SocialRegressive Thanks for the reply.

[@michaelsausedo4668]

Where can I attain a ballistic charge card ?

[@eddiejennejr4342]

🤩

[@rbfreund]

Now, to a question. What, precisely, is it that you 'like' about the Horus TREMOR reticles that you cannot get from a simpler, less-cluttered tree reticle? I definitely appreciate tree reticles, but the Horus is just SO cluttered - I think of Ilya's description of 'moth-eaten mosquito netting'. The H59 was 'okay' and kind of deserves credit for kicking off the tree reticle revolution, but since then it seems to be 'stuff piled on top of stuff' to the point where it is very distracting. I find myself agreeing with statements like 'the massively complex tree reticles so popular these days have been driven by the military engagements in the desert, where you can see for miles, there is little cover, and you have time to walk in your shots'. The counter-argument is that if we find ourselves back in jungle or forest warfare, these kinds of reticles will be next to worthless. Perhaps I am guilty of always seeking the middle ground, which leads to mediocre performance in any given situation, but a nice clear simple reticle that 'works' by itself for hunting, allows dialing for elevation and holding for wind if desired, and has a simple non-distracting tree if you want to hold for both wind and elevation, to be the ideal outcome.

[@SocialRegressive]

I think those criticisms are perfectly fair. The H59 and Tremors can be tricky when the backdrop is dim or messy, and they can easily disappear at low magnifications with an FFP placement. Folks that are dealing with closer, more imminent threats, or denser environments will probably get more from the ACSS way of doing things. Folks like me that deal with mid-to-long-range scenarios can make good use of all that data, though, spending fewer rounds to hit more difficult targets. To me the most important factor is wind or target speed, and I appreciate having a precise aiming point to nail it, especially without having to dial while tracking an animal.

[@DannyWalker1949]

HI, I'm wondering IF You would explain the 1/8" MOA adjustment type of scopes? The "How To" so to speak. and how to figure it out in my mind. And, do they have Ballistic Charts for this measurement in a scope?

[@SocialRegressive]

1/8 MOA scopes can use the same MOA-based ballistics charts. They're just twice as precise as the typical 1/4 models. Because they don't offer as much adjustment per turn, I only recommend 1/8 MOA turrets for extreme precision work, like varminting or competition target shooting.

[@tacticalrabbit308]

Are you going to explain the difference between the tremer 3 and the tremer 5 or is it 7

[@SocialRegressive]

I'll do a full review soon. The tremor 3 is more complicated. The tremor 5 removes some of the ranging and speed lines.

[@rosibelrodriguez3364]

Best 3 scope for 2000 y.(?)

[@michaelsausedo4668]

Or a balistic chart ?

[@SocialRegressive]

You can download one of the free apps from hornady, bushnell, or horus. There are a lot of other apps like strelok, too. If you want a physical chart, though, try shooterscalculator.com.

[@charlesludwig9173]

A second focal plane, mil scaled reticle, and MOA sight adjustment will deliver in all scenarios.

[@widipuji972]

Didnt fit for military

[@sissydreams7494]

Sounds just like a Trijicon Accupoint!

[@cyrussinor7341]

X