Illuminated Reticles.

**TStone** · 06-11-2025, 18:19

Does anyone actually use the illumination in their scopes, especially hunting scopes? I own four scopes with illumination, two Leupolds and a Leica with an illuminated dot and a Lynx, where the inner cross is illuminated. While I have hunted with all of these scopes, I have never bothered to turn on the illumination, apart from testing to see if it works.
This includes hunting just before sunrise and just after sunset, in deep shadow and even at night, with a spotlight. I also use a Aimpoint Micro on my .416 rem mag and there I do, obviously, use the illuminated dot.

**Bonedoc** · 06-11-2025, 20:04

I have only used it with a first focal 5-25 scope. It's on a rifle I mostly use for competition shooting, but now again use for springbok hunting. In broad daylight, thin reticle ok to see. Late afternoon, with low magnification, much easier to see reticle with illumination on.

Same would apply if used at night.

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**Fish Hunter** · 06-11-2025, 21:10

I have a Rudolph V1 2.5-15 x 50 with illuminated reticle on a 223. I have been using it for about 4 years and never use the illumination feature.

**Heath Robinson** · 07-11-2025, 05:34

I have had a Nightforce Varminter 5.5-22 on my .308 since 1998.
I don't think I have ever fired a shot with the reticle on, and actually have it taped so that I can't turn it on accidentally.

But to be honest I have never shot after dark, in fact I don't enjoy shooting anywhere near dusk, because tracking a blood spoor just becomes so much more difficult.
I will hunt pretty early in the morning but I have found that by the time I can identify what I am shooting at I can see the reticle.

But it is a second-focal-plane scope, and I can see that in large-zoom-range FFP scopes that may be very different.

When I was a boy I used to operate the spotlight for my dad when he was shooting at night. I don't think illuminated reticles existed yet, and I certainly hadn't ever seen one. While I never got the chance to shoot myself, it didn't seem to ham-string my dad.

**ady** · 07-11-2025, 08:19

My Lynx LX3 is illuminated. I've sat at night with the reticle on, waiting for pigs to come in. We have a motion activated light at the pig bait to help. I found the reticle works very well in low light conditions, but it must be on its lowest setting or there a bouts otherwise your whole scope tube has a red glow and you can't see through it.

I find it a nice to have and not really a necessity.

**Kouros** · 07-11-2025, 15:33

I also don't find the illuminated reticle useful at least for my use. Some of them add unnecessary bulk to the scope with little benefit. I do, however own a GPO, 1-6 x 24 scope with illuminated red dot in the middle. Using it on 1 or 2 power settings, it becomes a red dot sight for my 45-70. That is find useful.

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**TStone** · 07-11-2025, 15:47

Originally Posted by Bonedoc

I have only used it with a first focal 5-25 scope. It's on a rifle I mostly use for competition shooting, but now again use for springbok hunting. In broad daylight, thin reticle ok to see. Late afternoon, with low magnification, much easier to see reticle with illumination on.

Same would apply if used at night.

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This is a valid point. I stopped hunting with a Leupold mk4 FFP tactical scope because the reticle was virtually invisible at the lowest power, if it had an illuminated reticle, I might still be hunting with it.

**TStone** · 07-11-2025, 15:51

Originally Posted by Kouros

I also don't find the illuminated reticle useful at least for my use. Some of them add unnecessary bulk to the scope with little benefit. I do, however own a GPO, 1-6 x 24 scope with illuminated red dot in the middle. Using it on 1 or 2 power settings, it becomes a red dot sight for my 45-70. That is find useful.

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Do you find that you are faster with the dot on than with just the reticle. I had a 1.5-5x20 Leupold with an illuminated red dot on my .375 H&H but couldn't really tell whether the dot made it faster in use. But to be honest, I've never tested against time. I should probably do that test.

**Kouros** · 07-11-2025, 16:15

Originally Posted by TStone

Do you find that you are faster with the dot on than with just the reticle. I had a 1.5-5x20 Leupold with an illuminated red dot on my .375 H&H but couldn't really tell whether the dot made it faster in use. But to be honest, I've never tested against time. I should probably do that test.

Perhaps because I use red dot on other firearms, my eyes are used to placing the dot on the target, but like you said, ive never tested it. At the moment, my 45-70 sports a " bullet type" red dot mainly for bushpig hunts, but i do intend to refit the scope for normal hunting at some stage. When I do, I'll do some speed shooting to test, although im not exposed to dangerous animals.

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**Desperatezulu** · 08-11-2025, 09:17

Yes for sure - for culling at night I use a Lynx LX3 2.5-15 which the illumination on. Makes aiming much faster and works well. Need to get the setting right - too much brightness causes light spill that makes the ballistic reticle hard to use. But appropriately set, it really works well.
Fancy christmas tree reticles that fully-illuminate are a no-no for hunting at night IMO. Simpler is better.

Have also used the illuminated reticle on a 1-6x scope on my 416 - long story but was hunting a buffalo (allegedly blind, according to the local) in hippo 'tunnels' in thick phragmites reeds in a river bed. Not the smartest gameplan on reflection. My thinking was that if a shot presented itself, it was going to need snapshooting and the illuminated dot would function like a red dot. Assuming my eyes were actually open and my sphincter closed if a buffalo had come charging down the tunnel

Also used the illumination shooting BASA on a very gloomy day, where it helped a lot with rapid target acquisition and aiming.
My reasoning for getting an illuminated scope for my big bore was for follow-ups on DG either at night or in thick bush in the unfortunate event of having to follow up a wounded animal. More than a nice-to-have in such a scenario

Punch line for me - illumination does offer advantages on certain compromised situations. For regular hunting guns, I have non-illuminated scopes but for a few set-ups that I might use in low-light conditions, an illuminated scope is definitely nice to have.