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Author
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Topic: red or green illuminated reticle?
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Aznative
FARTS ON CLUELESS LIBERALS
Member # 506
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posted December 08, 2012 09:21 AM
I remember talking to Jay Nissetter once and he told me about a texas hunt he went on using a trijicon reflex sight which has an amber illuminated reticle. He said the reticle just got washed out hunting under red lights and was useless. The reflex sight lacks any power adjustment so he couldn't turn it up to over power the red lights.
My question is would green be better at night under red lights or would red be ok if you could turn the brightness up? There is a better selection of red illuminated reticles than green.
I wonder which would be best in daylight?
Jay: I'm sorry if I misspelled you last name.
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Never thought the devil would need a teleprompter but I could be wrong.
United State of America: RIP
Born July 4th 1776 died November 6th 2012
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 08, 2012 10:10 AM
I've used a Bushnell Halo site with red reticle at nite that worked well for me. The reticle was also adjustable..
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 08, 2012 10:38 AM
Yes, you did misspell Nistetter but he's probably used to it?
Forget about illuminated reticles, regardless of color. I'm assuming here that you are using some type of spotlight for illumination?
I much prefer a simple duplex. I don't like cluttered rangefinders, but several experienced night hunters that I know and respect like a very heavy duplex, which I don't find particularly useful, especially after sun up.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
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posted December 08, 2012 11:23 AM
AZ, the Trijicon Reflex is / was of an older design. Using tritium for illumination WITH OUT any battery('s). The design does work for what it was intended to do. But improvements in battery's, mounts & design kind of outdates it's one huge advantage, it stayed on for years and you could see the dot when the battery powered ones failed from a dead battery's or shitty quality or both.
But i, like some others use a lower powered (1.5x5, 1.75x6) scope and as LB said a std duplex and am happy when whatever artifical light is in use at night. Scope QUALITY and what you can afford or will spend is your best friend.
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mike
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 08, 2012 12:00 PM
I know a guy that had one of those and he said it worked better when the brightness had faded after some time, but I don't know how long it takes, some people have said 20 years?
Anyway, lighted reticles, I have two USO scopes with 11 position red reticles. Recently I was on stand well past dark, mainly because I had a coyote barking from well within 100 yards. I was going through a bunch of sounds, coyote vocalizations and prey sounds and he kept barking. Then I used a injured gray fox pup sound and he shut up.
I was sitting on a berm and I expected the coyote to come around the base of the hill and move in the direction of the caller. But it surprised me a little bit that I suddenly noticed a coyote standing on the berm, about 40/50 yards away and if not for the lack of vegetation on the berm, I would never have seen him at all, it was that dark.
I turned on the lighted reticle and pointed the scope in his direction and was blinded, I couldn't see a thing except red reticle. Now, with my night vision destroyed, I turned off the light and was in a bit of a hurry because I figured he could see everything I was doing, if not understanding what I was? So, I did the best I could, aiming at a blob I could barely make out and I really thought I made a solid hit but he wasn't there when I got up and walked down there.
Yeah, we found blood and bone and the guy I was with had a LED light which was a huge help but eventually, the trail dried up. He got away.
Conclusions. First, he probably died less than a quarter mile away. But if I had not been so smart and decided to use the lighted reticle, I might have been able to line up on him through the scope and make an accurate shot before being blinded by the light. Yes, I did have it cranked up to (I think) 4 which may have been the mistake, but the damage was done.
The lighted reticle is great for sniping at rag heads from behind a wall where you can dial in the right amount of intensity beforehand. But, if you don't know, and it's pitch dark without a moon, in my case it hurt, rather than helped and no telling how long that coyote was going to remain standing on the berm.
Good hunting. Lima Brav 0
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
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posted December 08, 2012 12:43 PM
LB, i am guilty of similar errors, but i love to hunt after dark (varmits). I have outsmarted myself many times looking for an edge only to have it spoil or go to shit at the moment of truth. Years ago when the first and second gen night vision came out i didn't jump because i had a better, trusted and proven (to me) way.
But when the third gen "stuff" showed up after the first Iraq war ended in 91 i went to the "surplus" store to look. Everything i used was hand held and i used it to locate then switch to the trijicon reflex or scope mounted rifle with ok results. But as i got older i adjusted my habits. I waited for a better moon and newer Brighter scopes and have stalled a bit. But i have a pretty good idea of the areas i hunt and "try" to use that as an advantage.
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mike
Posts: 1265 | From: "Oklahomie" | Registered: Mar 2012
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 08, 2012 03:04 PM
Nothing like calling them under a full moon over snow you can see the reticle pretty good till you place it on a coyote then you have to guess or hope you have it in the right spot when pulling the trigger..
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 08, 2012 04:55 PM
Tim, as long as they are moving but not running i think its easier to see and hit them at night. Not sure if i pay more attention or i get a better profile/outline of their body. I also think that is where the quality of the glass pays off. But most of all is a persons vision after dark.
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mike
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 08, 2012 06:38 PM
PP once they hit the 300 yd mark I can pick them up with the bino's or scope, what I see is pretty much just a dark form/shadow.
On a full moon night with snow on the ground you can see tree's on a half mile fence line with the naked eye and most people think if there was a coyote standing in the middle of the field it would be easey to pick out which is'nt so with out the aid of bino's... I'm useing what I would call a medium cross hair/reticle, it gets the job done but leaves you with a little bit of guessing.. Normaly what I have to do is aim in front or back of the coyote a foot or two so I can see the full cross hair for a short time and then swing into the coyote and shoot when the outter edge of the crosshairs line up or look right..
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 08, 2012 07:05 PM
Tim , have you tried turning the power down on your scope, assuming you are using a variable power scope? For me less power is better sometimes but not always.
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mike
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 08, 2012 07:33 PM
PP. I have two rifles that are set up for night calling. One has a fixed 10x with 30mm tube and the other a 4.5-14 with 1 inch tube and power is set to 4.5... At the moument the 10x has worked the best for me as for clarity and field of view, lite gathering and I just feel more comfortable with it.
I think Leopold has a lited reticle that appears gold in color when turned on and this maybe a better choice but at the moument I have no plans to buy another scope and will just make due....
I did come up with a new way to use a red-lite (new to me) and plan to try it out first before I comment on it...
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 08, 2012 09:32 PM
Tim i admit to being a Leupold fan, but when they first came out with an illuminated reticle scopes they were pure trouble. That may be why i don't care for them (illuminated scopes) today a dozen or so yrs later. I'm sure they have improved the newer ones but once bitten...
Are you using your red light mounted or is it hand held?
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mike
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 09, 2012 12:30 AM
I have a few lights that I use, one is a hand held with a removeable red lens and the other mounts on a scope that also has a red lens cap that you can flip up with your thumb if you need to burn the target. The light for the scope can also be installed on a shotty. The light also has a manual/pressure switch to turn it on..
The coyotes I call to are close by so I can't have alot of equipement that weighs me down or makes alot of noise when carrying it to a stand.
The coyotes here are used to seeing yard lights from the farms and from cars and such so I may drag along another light and mount it 5-6 ft. up off the ground on a pole or even a tall wooden fence post with a red filter and just leave it on and see what happens.
As far as night calling with lites I'm new to this so I have to figure out what will work here for me and only have so many coyotes to do this with....
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 09, 2012 12:36 AM
PP some may have seen these lights I posted last year but anyway here they are again.. I really like both of them and they work well for me and no issues with them yet.. I liked the handheld so much I bought another one and also plan to get another one for the scope..You can get them from Cabela's
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Aznative
FARTS ON CLUELESS LIBERALS
Member # 506
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posted December 09, 2012 07:50 AM
Some of my best shots at both standing and running coyotes has been with a simple dot in daylight. I don't seem to do as well with a cluttered reticle especially when I'm in a hurry. That is the reason why I've been looking at illuminated reticles. Having zero experience with them, I've been thinking it would achieve the same focus point that the dot does and probably even more so. I never would have thought that a red illuminated reticle would cause one to his night vision. That is a real consideration. My thoughts were it would be nice to be on target when the burn light is turned on.
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Never thought the devil would need a teleprompter but I could be wrong.
United State of America: RIP
Born July 4th 1776 died November 6th 2012
Posts: 1924 | From: Phoenix Az | Registered: Jan 2005
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 09, 2012 09:07 AM
You know what? Since you brought it up. The worst reticle for night hunting is a dot. You simply can't find it, it's lost in the clutter of the brush and rocks.
Good hunting. El Bee
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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Aznative
FARTS ON CLUELESS LIBERALS
Member # 506
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posted December 09, 2012 11:58 AM
It looks like the dot is the best daytime reticle and the duplex or heavy duplex being the best at night at least for me. Illuminated reticles probably require a prior to use brightness check. That could be a problem on the first and last stand of the day as the light changes. I call with the rifle/shotgun on a bypod so adjusting the brightness would be possible with a minimum of movement. It just wouldn't be a good thing to do with a wary coyote within range.
I have a speed dot that I need to install on my shotgun. That would give me some experience with a red illuminated reticle. The main reason why I purchased it was because that benelli patterns so damn high shooting dead coyote.
I do like Leupold. I don't remember if I mentioned this but I'm thinking about getting one of the Leupold VX-R scopes in 1.25-4x. They all come with cluttered reticles with an illuminated dot at the center. The rest of the reticle stays black even when off. For some reason they all have a circle around the dot with several variations of duplex/crosshairs going thru the circle. I believe this illuminated dot would work as well as a dot in daylight as long as the brightness is set properly. They are fairly reasonably priced ranging from $450-$600 in this power range.
The only problem with the green reticle is it is only available in the "Zombie" model. I'm sick of this Zombie crap but if green is better, I'll consider it. The Zombie model is still a great Leupold VX-R scope that includes two different BDC dials which the standard VX-Rs don't have right out of the box.
BTW: My sister and niece gave me a $150 gift card to cabellas for achieving old fartdome, my 60th birthday. That is what started all of this.
[ December 09, 2012, 11:59 AM: Message edited by: Aznative ]
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Never thought the devil would need a teleprompter but I could be wrong.
United State of America: RIP
Born July 4th 1776 died November 6th 2012
Posts: 1924 | From: Phoenix Az | Registered: Jan 2005
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 09, 2012 12:37 PM
I was just relating the one and only time I lined up on a coyote in pitch dark sky, with a lit reticle. Maybe it would have been okay on the lowest setting?
I know that with my EOTech on a normal day, I have to crank the intensity up to 6 or 7 before it really stands out for me.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 09, 2012 05:32 PM
Az, If you are seeing different colored reticles on a non illuminated Leupold scope, it might not be focused for your eye?????? I am NOT positive but everyone that "I" have used has a black reticle WHEN focused for me. Hopefully i'm not misleading you. It might be worth contacting Leupold concerning this matter. Hope it helps.
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mike
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 09, 2012 05:38 PM
I think I have had Leupold scopes that had gold crosshairs?
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 09, 2012 06:05 PM
I just took 3 leupold scoped rifles outside, but it's dark so i used a white L.E.D. flashlight to check. They are black. Maybe a different colored light will change the color? The scopes are all vari x 3 or vxIII's in 1.5 x 5, 1.75 x 6, 2.5 x 8
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mike
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 09, 2012 08:53 PM
Leupold's do have a gold reticle.. If you look through the scope and don't have your eye centered it willbe gold but once you center your eye it will become black.. I also noticed if you have a brite light shinning above you and just a little behind it will also show up gold...
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Prune Picker
AR Forum Assistant Moderator-handgun GURU and dispenser of sage advice
Member # 4107
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posted December 09, 2012 09:33 PM
Yeah that sounds better than what i was saying and thinking Tim. And thanks for posting the pics of your lights.
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mike
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TA17Rem
Hello, I'm the legendary Tim Anderson, Field Marshall, Southern Minneesota Sector
Member # 794
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posted December 09, 2012 10:06 PM
Anytime... I like Leonards flipper lights better but not all of us can afford those high dollar lights. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Would be nice if Leonard could come up with a more mobile and compact flipper light.. Hell we could even give him credit for the idea. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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What if I told you, the left wing and right wing both belong to same bird!
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted December 09, 2012 11:48 PM
Just the ravings of an old coot, I was just kidding about the gold and don't know what the hell TA is talking about? Flippers? Somebody's dreaming.
Good hunting. Lima Bravo
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
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