I am thinking about buying an illuminated scope for the first time, what color do you prefer and why?

T, I like illuminated scopes where only a small dot in the center illuminates. Think about it...you are trying to aim at an animal in such low light that you can't make out the crosshairs on his body. You then turn on a full lit reticle, and your eyes adjust to the new light source. Now you can make out the reticle just fine, but everything behind it is black, because your eyes have adjusted to the new light from the reticle. I like the Leupold German #4, with a small center dot that can be turned down to a faint glow.

I bought a 4X32 acog that has red dot, horseshoe surrounding dot, and bdc lines underneath everything. It doesn't negatively affect my shooting. In fact, I luv that red horseshoe. It really helps me with quick shots. At 100 yards, the horseshoe just covers an 8 inch circle. I really like it, maybe cause I'm a shooter, not an aimer.

I'd buy more acogs, but I heard the illumination degrades quickly after 7 years, not 15 like Trijicon claims and it now costs $400 to have it recharged.

I have 2 Leupolds that have red illumination and satisfied. I've ordered another Leupold also with red dot and don't think I would ever buy a new scope without illumination. Moose usually move right at dusk or after. Quite important to be able to see cross hairs when you can see the bull in the just dark.

I just wish every scope I considered had a horseshoe surrounding the red dot. We do alot of road hunting, off atvs, snowmachines, and in boat on the river. So many quick shots piling out of the truck at moose, caribou, bear, wolves, moving on out fast as they can. With that horseshoe, it's pull up bang, no joke and the luck usually proves up.

After owning three I've decided thick black is the best color for me.

Terry

If you can't make out the outline of an animal at all through the scope, then a lit reticle won't do much good. Where a lighted reticle comes in handy is where you can see the animal's outline but can't, without a lit reticle, see where the center of the cross hairs are.

It's true that reticles can be too bright. It's handiest to have one, that is on a rheostat so the brightness can be adjusted from low to bright. When it's very dark, you'll want it on low.

In the human eye, the rods are responsible for black/white and night vision. Cones are what gives you color vision. Red is the color of light used by pilots, etc. for illumination because that color doesn't interfere much with dark adaptation so red would be the best color for a reticle.

Ive got one lighted reticle scope. Its a mueller that has just a lighted dot. I won it at a whitetails banquet and threw it on my inline ml. It works fine. Ive also hunted with my acogs and my trigicon accupoint and they too work fine. I never saw where the light takes away from my night vision and if it were a problem i doubt youd see acogs and aimpoints on our military guns. If i was looking for a scope for a hunting gun i doubt id pay more for a lighted one though. Black crosshairs can be seen just fine in legal hunting hours if you buy a decent scope. Me personaly id spend the extra money they get for a lighted reticle on upgrading to a better scope.

Here in Alaska interior, it gets dark about 9:30 end of Sept, end of moose season, when I see most the moose moving right at just dark. I remember last season I had seen this one bull & cow same area 3-4 times when I was riding atv down the trail after dark. He never moved until right at dark or after. This is when that lit reticle is so good, when it's just dark and you can see the bull & antlers then realize you can't see your cross hairs to even shoot the bugger.

Here in Alaska, we don't have all the crazy laws and regulations they have back east. I'm pretty sure once season opens, it's open 24/7 length of season. Nobody pays much attention to game laws , it's all about fresh meat for winter with subsistence. I haven't seen a deputy around for a few years, closest state cops 200 miles away anyway; which is so nice, (better than no taxes even). Everybody wants to just get their moose and a couple caribou in the end. Game law violations are low priority items with the locals, mainly aimed at tourist hunters I do believe.

Spend a little extra and get illumination. I have several illumination scopes and only way to go. I hear you can tape those chemical light tubes along side acog and they work even better at night.

tijicon accupoints are spendy, but very nice. I have a red triangle 3-9. It is bright durring the day and gets dimmer the darker it gets outside. When it is almost completely dark the tritium lights the triangle just so you can see it, but it is very dim so it doesn't blind you. you can also twist the objective and it will cover all fiber optics if you want the triangle to appear black durring the day.
The glass is very clear in great in low light.

I had the same problem with my last deer. It was about 15 yards away from me, it was last shooting light. I pulled up and aimed and all I could see was the outline. I couldn't see my cross-hairs and he was so close that his body took up the whole field of view. I had to guess and it was nerve racking. Don't have to worry about that with the trijicon.

I had to have one because they were all the rage; so I spent the better part of an afternoon at an Optics Shop and looked through 'em all.

I purchased a Docter 2.5-10x48 w/Red Dot feature (small red dot in middle of Heavy Duplex recticle). Nice scope.

Anyway, after all the hoopla died down I don't care for it & don't use it and we do ALOT of nighttime hunting here.

For me the German #4 "Fence Post" recticle is greatest nighttime invention ever - the red dot, even at it's lowest setting disturbs.

Coulda saved myself a coupla hundred by just buying the scope without the illumination feature.

Good Luck w/your decision.

The Swarovski Z6 Illuminated scope is great for this application. I have a 1-6x and a 2-12x, both with illuminated reticles. The switch has two options (left and right) and you can easily adjust the brightness level on each setting. For my scopes, when I switch it on to the left, I have a very dim setting which is perfect for low light. On the right, I have it set to very bright for shooting during daylight hours.

You should really try to see the Swarovski first hand before you plop down the $$$ for an illumited scope. Plus, it is really hard to beat the Swarovski glass.

They can be a bit expensive, but in my opinion, you are better off waiting a little longer and saving a few more $$$ to get what you will truly be happy. Buy once, cry once!

I only have one; the Nightforce with the complicated reticle that looks a little like the plaque on the side of the Voyager space vehicle. When that thing lights up, its lights out as far as seeing game beyond it.

It takes a 3v battery and I dimmed it considerably by putting a 1.5v in it. Some of you might try that if you have the same issues with over-brightness. That said, I agree that the #4 German handles just about any conditions a lit reticle can.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
I only have one; the Nightforce with the complicated reticle that looks a little like the plaque on the side of the Voyager space vehicle. When that thing lights up, its lights out as far as seeing game beyond it.

It takes a 3v battery and I dimmed it considerably by putting a 1.5v in it. Some of you might try that if you have the same issues with over-brightness. That said, I agree that the #4 German handles just about any conditions a lit reticle can.

Why change the battery when the brightness is adjustable? I have tested my NF on numerous deer at last light at a friend's place. We both looked through it and agreed that we could have shot any one of them.

The German #4 may work well at night, but for me, the NP-R2 reticle has a lot of advantages for my type of shooting and the lighted reticle (standard on NXS) just gives me another advantage.

Because in full moonlight conditions the lowest setting is still too bright. We hunt a lot of hogs at night by ambient light and the 3v battery is too much. Seems to me if you can see a dear at all, the lit reticle is a non-issue.

Anybody see that new (last fall) Leupold CMR2 reticle on the 1.5X5X20 Mark 4? It's illuminated and close to the acog horseshoe/red dot reticle. I'm wondering how (size wise) the horseshoe on Leu compares to the horseshoe on acog?

I see them for sale at midway, $1029. I can get one for $900 and will if it checks out similar to the acog horseshoe.

Anybody seen one yet?

I do a lot of night hunting and like just the adjustable brightness red dot in the middle of a Nr 4. For me there is no distraction, just place that barely lit red dot exactly where you want it, much faster and easier than any non-lit I have ever used, bang flop don't get much better Waidmannsheil, Dom.

I prefer Red.
I had a Leupold CQT, that was on a work gun for several years, it was yellow/orange, I liked it too.

I do not think I would like green, as leaves and grass are green.

An illuminated scope that is bright enough to use in the day time is an assetfor shooting running game as well.