Best reticle for africa

[Ontario Hunter]

If you are over 40, the scope should be much better than the rifle. My eyes keep getting older.

I like a swaro 4-AI reticle. I seldom use the illumination. But when shooting something in low light or shade, it is hugely helpful.

I am NOT a fan of a scope that tops out at only 4x, I think it limits the utility of the rifle. For DG you may only be at 1x or 2x. Having the option to zoom in to 6x or higher is a big benefit when shooting PG on the same hunt.

I believe if you put an excellent scope on a rifle, you will be more inclined to use that rifle to the exclusion of others.

The tradeoff for using a higher magnification scope on a dangerous game rifle is the larger objective lens requires a higher mounted scope. High mounted scopes are often/usually slower to acquire the target because shooter is "off the gun." Being off the gun also increases felt recoil. Low power scopes typically have no objective lens bell which allows them to be mounted lower. Shooter mounts the gun with cheek to the comb and full field of view (+ crosshairs) is instantaneous.

I shot hundreds of big game over more than fifty years with only a 30-06 mounted with fixed 3x Weaver. I now have a 3-9x Nikon on that gun but never hunt with it above 5x. In heavy cover it's turned down to 3x. 9x is great for range work but that's about it. My 404 has 1-4x. I hunt buffalo with it usually set at 2.5x or 3x.

 

[grand veneur]

For me and after about 50 years hunting, a very useful reticle when it comes to shooting under bad sight conditions, by poor light at dusk or even at night. For shooting at longer range it works too. Ideally suited for hunting in Africa, especially with big game rifles.

 

[spike.t]

German no4...never had one with a light in it...but never up to now needed a light inside....

 

[fourfive8]

I’ll go with the plain duplex KISS crowd… but oh my, that just doesn’t sound very “Continental” does it

 

[Hogpatrol]

Trijicon Accupoint duplex with green dot and the green post reticles have worked well for me, no batteries required.

 

[flying sailor]

German no4...never had one with a light in it...but never up to now needed a light inside....

I have a Kahles with a German No. 4 on my 602, really like it.

 

[Smull1010]

I’m really enjoying the Leupold VX-6HD 1-6X24 CDS-ZL2 ILLUM. FIREDOT DUPLEX I just bought.

 

[grand veneur]

I also have German reticle Nr.4 on some scopes, but above all on rifles that I use when I know in advance that I may have to shoot at longer distances.

 

[Flipper Dude]

My 3 dangerous game rifles all sport the German #4 on identical scopes. It’s detached on the Lott, but it makes the trip in the case. No illumination. I’m not shooting DG in the twilight. I can see the efficiency on a PG or deer / elk rifle. Or a leopard rifle, probably a must have.

That said, the best $$ I ever spent on optics was the $11,000 for multi focal lens surgery.
20/20 at 64.

 

[grand veneur]

My 3 dangerous game rifles all sport the German #4 on identical scopes. It’s detached on the Lott, but it makes the trip in the case. No illumination. I’m not shooting DG in the twilight. I can see the efficiency on a PG or deer / elk rifle. Or a leopard rifle, probably a must have.

That said, the best $$ I ever spent on optics was the $11,000 for multi focal lens surgery.
20/20 at 64.

As a hunter you cannot always choose when you have to shoot. I also once shot an elephant in the middle of the night.

 

[Flipper Dude]

As a hunter you cannot always choose when you have to shoot. I also once shot an elephant in the middle of the night.

You CHOSE to shoot an elephant in the middle of the night. I choose not to shoot when it’s dark enough that I need a light. If I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I have to follow up after dark, it will be with iron sights.

 

[grand veneur]

You CHOSE to shoot an elephant in the middle of the night. I choose not to shoot when it’s dark enough that I need a light. If I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I have to follow up after dark, it will be with iron sights.

At night you cannot see very much with iron sights. We have in Western Europe, due to wild boar hunting, a lot of experience in shooting at night. As elephants are concerned, at that time we hunted in the south of Zimbabwe crop raiders and they appeared in the corn fields above all at night.

 

[grand veneur]

A former crop raider. Frontal brain shot. Rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum. Hornady 500gr FMJ bullet. Scope Zeiss 1,5-4,5x18, German reticle No.1.

 

[skydiver386]

 

[Robncolorado]

My 375 has a HEAVY duplex in a Leupold that just works great for me. Unfortunately Leupold discontinued this retical. Finding something similar is proving to be difficult.

 

[skydiver386]

My 375 has a HEAVY duplex in a Leupold that just works great for me. Unfortunately Leupold discontinued this retical. Finding something similar is proving to be difficult.

The Leupold Twilight Hunter series scopes are available with the heavy Firedot Duplex.

 

[Tra3]

The tradeoff for using a higher magnification scope on a dangerous game rifle is the larger objective lens requires a higher mounted scope. High mounted scopes are often/usually slower to acquire the target because shooter is "off the gun." Being off the gun also increases felt recoil. Low power scopes typically have no objective lens bell which allows them to be mounted lower. Shooter mounts the gun with cheek to the comb and full field of view (+ crosshairs) is instantaneous.

I shot hundreds of big game over more than fifty years with only a 30-06 mounted with fixed 3x Weaver. I now have a 3-9x Nikon on that gun but never hunt with it above 5x. In heavy cover it's turned down to 3x. 9x is great for range work but that's about it. My 404 has 1-4x. I hunt buffalo with it usually set at 2.5x or 3x.

With the newer models of scope there is 1-6x or 1-8x in a straight tube scope with no front bell. Does a fixed 3x work, sure. I’ve used fixed scopes. Would I buy one today? Definitely not. Why limit yourself? Just because something works doesn’t mean it is ideal.

For a newer hunter putting together a rifle today there is no reason to sacrifice versatility (other than $$). If a person thinks he is going to hunt DG once or Africa once, save the money and use an outfitter’s rifle. For a hunter who makes repeat trips, it is a small amount in the budget to get a quality scope.

Also, once a scope is purchased, it could move to s different rifle if the hunter does not plan to hunt DG again. A 1-8x can be used to hunt the world, and whitetail deer.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

With the newer models of scope there is 1-6x or 1-8x in a straight tube scope with no front bell. Does a fixed 3x work, sure. I’ve used fixed scopes. Would I buy one today? Definitely not. Why limit yourself? Just because something works doesn’t mean it is ideal.

For a newer hunter putting together a rifle today there is no reason to sacrifice versatility (other than $$). If a person thinks he is going to hunt DG once or Africa once, save the money and use an outfitter’s rifle. For a hunter who makes repeat trips, it is a small amount in the budget to get a quality scope.

Also, once a scope is purchased, it could move to s different rifle if the hunter does not plan to hunt DG again. A 1-8x can be used to hunt the world, and whitetail deer.

I don't disagree. That old 3x Weaver served me well for over fifty years of very hard use and hundreds of animals. And it went to Africa last year on the 404 I built. But I retired it this year for a new 1-4x 30mm with better eye relief. Glass is clearer but same duplex reticle. 1-8x might be nice for zeroing at the range but shooting game at a hundred yards would be the outer limits for this gun. 4x is plenty for that purpose. I do like the wider field of view 30mm provides. Wasn't sure I'd be able to get it low enough but found an old discontinued one-piece base that did the trick. The bolt handle just clears the ocular bell with a cigarette paper's thickness and scope acquires instantly. Anyway, the price was right and if it didn't work out I could have put it on another gun or sold it for a profit. Two weeks ago I checked the gun at the range. Scope off and with iron sights I blew out the center of bull at fifty yards standing and leaning against a wall for a rest. Scope put back on and it hit a little over an inch high. Good enough for minute of buffalo. Back in the case.

 

[TSIBINDI]

...Poached from another site:

"If thou sucketh with iron sights
thou will surely sucketh with thy
red dot. For it is thy lack of
practice not thine sighting system
that bringeth woe into thy heart"

 

[VertigoBE]

...Poached from another site:

"If thou sucketh with iron sights
thou will surely sucketh with thy
red dot. For it is thy lack of
practice not thine sighting system
that bringeth woe into thy heart"

I’m not sure I agree fully with this.
Recently, on a friendly big bore competition shoot, my brother who never shot a rifle above .300WM, bested with a scoped .375H&H, myself, a current PH and a past PH/competitive big bore shooter, trying the same course with iron sighted rifles (.375H&H and .500NE)

Good optics make you shoot better.