Reticle Selection

Tactical or precision shooting requires a completely different set of reticles as does target shooting.  On top of that the same reticle will perform differently depending whether it is placed in the First Focal Plane (FFP) or Second Focal Plane (SFP) of the scope (more on this later).  Then there is the whole issue of illumination.

STEP 1. Think clearly about the intended usage for this setup. Is this reticle going to be only used for aiming, or do you plan to also use it for rangefinding and/or holdover?

STEP 2.    Determine the general attributes you need in a reticle in order to work for you application.

• For a big game hunter, the target is usually fairly large even when looked at from 300 yards (and most people should really try to get a lot closer to the animal than that).  On the other hand, lighting conditions might be absolutely atrocious, so a highly visible reticle is a must.  That implies that the reticle should be fairly thick.  That makes it not ideal for shooting groups, but much easier to pick up in a hurry.  An alternative approach is to have a thin reticle that is illuminated.  However, then you need to remember to turn the illumination on (unless it is a Trijicon, but that is a different story) and you end up relying on batteries.  Make sure you have bold reticle you can see in any light, with or without illumination, is cheap insurance.
• For a varmint shooter, the target is often pretty small and fairly far away. Having a thick reticle might not be optimal because it can block too much of your target.  On the other hand you might still end up in some reasonably unfavorable lighting conditions, so the reticle can not be too thin either.  You want something in between.  Perhaps, a reticle with very thin lines right at the center, but something a little thicker around it so that you do not lose the sight of it.  For this application, you also may consider some sort of a holdover capability in the reticle to be used occasionally when you are forced to take a comparatively long shot and do not have time to twist the knobs.
• For a target shooter, target size varies,but is often either quite small or quite far 9or both).  On top of that, aiming precision is critical for shooting tight groups.  Lighting conditions are seldom problematic, so for this situation the thinnest of reticles are often the best ones.

• For close- to mid-range applications, where a man-size target is assumed, your best bet is a reticle that combines a very visible primary aiming point (for close range applications) with three or four holdover points that work with your cartridge out to 500 yards or thereabouts (think M4-type carbine with a low range 1-4×24 or 1-6×24 variable scope on it).
• For mid- to long-range applications, where you are likely to be looking at either man-size targets out to very significant distances or at small targets (practical rifle competitions, for example) at distances from a couple of hundred yards and onward, reticles with rather fine aiming points work well.  If your primary focus is competition shooting, then you should be putting a bit more emphasis on really thin lines, since you are likely to be dealing with very small targets in decent lighting.  If your application is primarily military and law enforcement, then the thinnest reticles might be too dependent on illumination.  For most uses, something in between is the best way to go.

• For general use on a big game rifle, various plex type reticles are most common.  These are not my favourites since most of the ones available are too thin.  One of the nicer plex reticles out there is Zeiss’ Z-Plex.  Personally, I am big fan of #4 reticle for allround use:

• For varminting, either a thin duplex reticle or some sort of med-fine BDC reticle is a good way to go.  Here is a picture of Vortex’ Dead-hold BDC reticle which I find sufficiently uncluttered to work well for this application

• For target shooting either a simple thin crosshair or thin crosshair with a small-dot work very well.  A good example is Sightron’s fine crosshair with a dot or Vortex’ Target Dot:

STEP 3B.  Continuing on from step 2B above:

• For quick target acquisition, I really like circular reticles.  The way a human eye perceives information, makes it very easy for us to pick up circular shapes, like thick horseshoes with open bottom that allows for additional holdover points.  The trend for such aiming points started some time back with a small company called GRSC, whose owner holds a patent on one of the better reticles of this type.  The latest rendition of it is called M4-62 since it is calibrated for 65gr 5.56×45 ammo out of a M4 carbine.  Here is a schematic of it:

I have evaluated several version of GRSC scopes that had different generations of this reticle in them and found it to be the fastest general purpose reticle for an M4 type weapon.  The large horseshoe is very fast up close while when there is more time, you can use the small circles for very adequate ranging and aiming on human-sized targets out to 800 yards.

• Conversely, for longer range shooting, something as massive as that thick horseshoe above is likely to really get in the way.  The “classic” reticle that really started the trend for ranging and holdover is the Mil-Dot, with small round dots spaced one milliradian apart:
  
  

  These days there is a large number of other reticles with regularly spaced dots and/or hashmarks, that are a lot more complicated (or sophisticated) than the original MilDot.  Almost every company that makes high quality tactical scopes utilizes some sort of a proprietary design (or multiple designs) either based on milliradian (mil) or minute-of-angle (MOA) spacing.  I have tested and evaluating at least a dozen of them and while I have my preferences, most are perfectly serviceable.  I have the most mileage with the MP8-A5 that John Boyette of Trace Armory Group designed for one of IOR’s tactical scopes, so that is the one I am most comfortable with:

  This reticle has a reasonable combination of thin and thick lines to be useful in any lighting conditions, while the small dot in the center provides for a very fine aiming point.