DO YOU LIKE YOUR ILLUMINATED SCOPE?

[Danehunter]

Question #2-> Have you ever had the need to use the illuminated reticle?

I just bought my 1st illuminated reticle, the Bushnell Elite LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44. It has a 30 mm tube, FFP, mil/mil with side focus and many illumination levels on a G3 "small Xmas tree" reticle.
Perfect for long distance hunting in Nevada.

Its mil/mil turrets & reticle were mandatory for me and the FFP reticle is necessary B/C I use a LRF 10 x 42 range finding binocular with ballistic calculator and I want to use the reticle at ANY power setting, not just the top one as you must do with a SFP scope if you want an accurate hold.

Eric B.

 

[gohring3006]

Question #2-> Have you ever had the need to use the illuminated reticle?

I just bought my 1st illuminated reticle, the Bushnell Elite LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44. I has a 30 mm tube, FFP, mil/mil with side focus and many illumination levels on a G3 "small Xmas tree" reticle.
Perfect for long distance hunting in Nevada.

Its mil/mil turrets & reticle were mandatory for me and the FFP reticle is necessary B/C I use a LRF 10 x 42 range finding binocular with ballistic calculator and I want to use the reticle at ANY power setting, not just the top one as you must do with a SFP scope if you want an accurate hold.

Eric B.

I like illumination on all of my ffp scopes.
When the power is dialed back, the entire reticle becomes the center crosshair and illuminating it makes it easier to see.

 

[carl1775]

Yes, yes
A dark animal, against dark foliage, overcast skies...
I've even used it during full sun with the intensity turned all the way up on the reticle. I prefer them.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Out of all my days in the field hunting every year, I have only needed illumination twice. Dark animal (bull elk), dark timber, complete cloud cover, first safe legal shooting light. So is it really worth it? Yep! All my scopes except one which usually rides an AR have illuminated reticles.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I have several of them but the one that I use illumination on is a low power variable that is used for hunting black bears under a dense canopy. A Leupold FireDot really works well against a dark hide in dim light.
Most of my other illuminated scopes are mounted on big game rifles and I've rarely found a need for the illumination. With high quality glass you can just about see in the dark, well past legal shooting light in most situations.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[shooter7]

I like the illumination on my Vortex PST 4-16 for when I end up chasing elk into the timber. I've only needed it once but I'm glad I had it.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

I've used mine. Shooting in low light and at night at glow sticks we strapped to steel plates. There are so few legitimate ways and reasons to fire a scoped rifle which doesn't have night vision in low enough light for it to matter that I routinely pull the battery out of the illumination modules and never put them back in. At least then the battery doesn't burst and damage the illumination module when there's no battery. Most people end up leaving the thing turned on and killing the battery so the first time they get the chance to actually look through it in low light they either get to borrow a new battery or get stuffed. I've never found myself in legal game shooting light where an unilluminated reticle wouldn't do just fine but I imagine there's some much darker timber around than what I've spent my life in. Judge your situation. Scopes either come with it or not anymore and it doesn't seem to be affecting price much.

 

[Wedgy]

I really don't use it that often but it is nice to have. Be sure it is adjustable like a dimmer switch or has 1-off-2-off-3-off, etc. type intensity as some of the push button models you have to cycle thru all the settings, if you're on 5 and want it dimmer you have to go 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 which blinds you.

 

[WahooYahoo]

Its like the long bed on my truck, I have it because that one or two times I need it make it worth the cost. I often see a deal on one without it and contemplate it, but I always talk myself out of it. I certainly agree with an earlier statement, in FFP, its a must

 

[Danehunter]

Yep, my LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 has 11 graduated illumination levels. The "OFF" position is in between each number so I don't have to turn the dial all the way back to zero.

I can see the use pf an illuminated reticle with FFP reticles when I'm at a low setting and the black reticle is difficult to see. Glad I have this feature for hunting.

Eric B.
NOTE: I see this scope for a short time was called the LRHS (Long Range Hunting Scope) until they did "badge engineering" and made it a "Tactical" scope.

 

[Bigfishonafly]

I have it on 2 different scopes. Never use it. I wouldn't pay extra for it.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I have it on 2 different scopes. Never use it. I wouldn't pay extra for it.

Until that one time you need it.....then you will wish you had it. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.

 

[FEENIX]

Until that one time you need it.....then you will wish you had it. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.

Yep! It don't get not no simpler than that.

Your example on #4 is a perfect scenario.

 

[Mike 338]

When skulking through a canopy or any dark/thick timber, you need to run your scope down to lower powers. That makes a FFP scope almost useless unless it's illuminated or has a something big etched into the reticle for centering a shot. Even in typical Western open country mountains, most times you need to pass through some type of timber here and there. All that said, I've never needed illumination on my scopes that have it.