I'm getting ready to purchase a new scope for my .375 H&H. Which reticle should I get, duplex or #4? Interested to hear everyone's opinion.
Thanks,
John

I really like the German #4.....the inner cross hairs are fine enough for longer ranges and the outer cross hairs are thick enough to find/sort out when hunting in thick brush.

For several years I have used a fixed 6 power with duplex crosshairs. I have switched over to a fixed 6 with post and crosshair. Both have worked well for me.

What kind of shooting will you be doing? What species will you be hunting?

George

What George said. Is this for an all around rifle? DG? Elk? Leopard? What power range? Do you hunt in wide open spaces? Woods?
All of the above info would be part of my criteria for selecting a reticule.

German #4 for anything over 250yds. Not recommended for DG in
Africa (PH's like to get you closer.) Schmidt & Bender if you can afford it.
OR
Trijicon's illuminated Post with NO Batteries. (I like the amber post, put one on my Dakota 76 in 416 Rigby> Great on black buffalo in dark shadows or dense jess. Batteries can
always be a problem of one kind or another i.e. dead, corrosion, moisture in the bat. cavity, remembering to change them, etc.
Or
Trijicon's 1-4X 30mm German #4 with illuminated center dot in green,
red or amber (Put a green one on Wife's Mod 70 .375 H&H) Perfect for Leopard and everything else. She doesn't like a post.
Just my 2 cents.

Good Hunting

Tetonka
DRSS

I was thinking general all-around .375 work: bear, buffalo, leopard, and PG. Close in to 250 yrds. I have been eyeing the VX6 1-6. No open country or mountain hunting, as I have other caliber/rifle combos that are better suited.
Thanks,
John

Trijicon with post. Dot is tiny and far too hard to see. (Own/owned both, dot got sold, post is on Ruger 375 H&H RSM, last decent Ruger bolt gun)

(It's the top one)

I find the plain duplex is hard to beat and have that on most of my rifles.

Thanks for the responses. I'll visit the local shop and do some comparing.

45/70 - Love that 1885. Went hunting just a couple miles north-west of you a few years ago. Nice country.

If leopard is on the menu a lighted reticule may be a distinct advantage. Either battery powered or Trijicon. A low powered Leupold variable is hard to beat price-wise or for that matter quality wise. The Euro stuff is of course first rate. My 375 wears either a Kahles 1.5-6 with illuminated dot/crosshair or a 1.5-5 Leupold. I have made shots at over 350 yards with each as well as shots under 10 yards.
If you can get to one of the major safari or outdoor shows you can talk to folks from the various factories and compare scopes.

I have a Leupold 2-7x Duplex on my .375 RUM. It's worked well for me on two African trips on shots from 30 to 348 yds.

I would start with Trijicon. Then go from there. With a .375, I would suggest the 1-4 30mm with the post and triangle. I've got one on my 9.3X74R double and it works excellent. Had it on my 416 Rigby previously and it was perfect for that rifle. The post and triangle takes a bit of getting used to but once you're comfortable with it, they are pretty hard to beat for fast acquisition on DG.

German #4 for me. I have both a Trijicon and a Leupold VX-R that uses them. With the 'illuminated' centers on each and the heavy to fine crosshairs, I find it much easier for both fast acquisition plus the ability to hone in on a particular spot regardless of low light, dark targets, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
I would start with Trijicon. Then go from there. With a .375, I would suggest the 1-4 30mm with the post and triangle. I've got one on my 9.3X74R double and it works excellent. Had it on my 416 Rigby previously and it was perfect for that rifle. The post and triangle takes a bit of getting used to but once you're comfortable with it, they are pretty hard to beat for fast acquisition on DG.

Todd, the only trouble with that scope is it weighs over 14 ounces. With rings and bases, you are over a pound. I think that might be why you had such trouble sighting your little Chapuis in. Maybe good, maybe bad on a bolt .375 depending on how much the gun weighs to start. Maybe to heavy on a light double.

Did you say you ran a bunch a 286 grain TSX bullets through your 9,3X74 without a hitch?

I would put this scope on your 375 and never look back: Conquest Duralyt 1.2-5x36 Reticle 60 . It is a great scope for the money.

Paul

Thanks for the replies. They have given me a couple other options to consider.
John

Been there, done that with every scope listed here and many that are not. The Trijicon is the by far best choice for your application. There is nothing that matches it in low light, it has no fing batteries and insofar as quality .... there is a reason our troops over in the sand pit are buying Trijicons with their own lousy pay. The animals they hunt are a lot smarter than anything you or I will be stalking.
Those who have never used one have no business blathering about them. Except for the stupid one with the dot, they are the answer to large or dangerous game in low light. The 1-4 is the best choice and as Finn said: "Big game too far away to he shot with a 3X scope is .... too far away."

Another one on a "close in gun", 9.3x62 designed for driven Boar hunting. Will shoot Speers, Barnes or Accubonds in 4"@ 300 yards, which is probably 3 times as far as it will ever be shot at game.

Did this with a CZ550 .375H&H and 260gr partitions (Nosler factory ammo) at 100yds off the bench last summer. Scope is a Leupold Euro 1.25-4x30mm with #4 reticle. Perfect for anything I'm likely to hunt.



Haven't had a chance to shoot one of the Tijicons, but hear nothing but good about them.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
I would start with Trijicon. Then go from there. With a .375, I would suggest the 1-4 30mm with the post and triangle. I've got one on my 9.3X74R double and it works excellent. Had it on my 416 Rigby previously and it was perfect for that rifle. The post and triangle takes a bit of getting used to but once you're comfortable with it, they are pretty hard to beat for fast acquisition on DG.

Todd, the only trouble with that scope is it weighs over 14 ounces. With rings and bases, you are over a pound. I think that might be why you had such trouble sighting your little Chapuis in. Maybe good, maybe bad on a bolt .375 depending on how much the gun weighs to start. Maybe to heavy on a light double.

Did you say you ran a bunch a 286 grain TSX bullets through your 9,3X74 without a hitch?

Dave,

Weight was certainly the reason I had trouble regulating the Chapuis. However, I did get it worked out with judicious experimenting with the loading process and it is the cats ass at this point and well worth the trouble. I had that scope on both the 375 and 416 previously and it worked 100% as it does now. Weight or not, I doubt I'll ever purchase another scope other than Trijicon at this point. That is unless someone else comes out with a non-battery illuminated reticle with better glass. I simply am not interested at all in any of the sighting devices that require batteries.

However, I don't see that 14 ounces is outside the norm in the least bit for a scope of this magnification. If it is, we are talking 1 or 2 ounces?

Yes, I've shot TSX bullets in ALL of my doubles except the new 577NE which has only digested CEB's to this point. I would have stayed with the TSX bullets in the Chapuis except for the fact that they crossed off the target with the scope mounted. Without the scope, they matched the factory regulation target exactly.

Todd:

I have always liked Leupolds and some of my guns support Weavers, yes Weavers! Never had a problem with them. One of the Weavers, a Classic V 1X3 on a BLR 450 Marlin has never given me a stich of trouble in all kinds of weather and it only weighs 8.5 ounces. A Leupold Vari 2 1X4 weighs only 8.10 ounces. I also have a 2.5 fixed power Leupold Ultra-light on my 500 Jeffery that only weighs 6.5 ounces and is impervious to recoil. The optics on each of them are great.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Todd:

I have always liked Leupolds and some of my guns support Weavers, yes Weavers! Never had a problem with them. One of the Weavers, a Classic V 1X3 on a BLR 450 Marlin has never given me a stich of trouble in all kinds of weather and it only weighs 8.5 ounces. A Leupold Vari 2 1X4 weighs only 8.10 ounces. I also have a 2.5 fixed power Leupold Ultra-light on my 500 Jeffery that only weighs 6.5 ounces and is impervious to recoil. The optics on each of them are great.

Yes, but Trijicons, they are not! None of the scopes you described are of the same quality and none have the illuminated reticle. Once you get used to the illuminated reticle, it's hard to go back. At least it is for me as I'm sold on them.

I've had two Weavers loose their airtight seal and fog up. Got one like that right now but I've just kind of retired the rifle/scope combo for now as it was the first rifle I purchased with my own money and has accounted for a lot of game. I don't really want to break up the combo at this time, but the scope is useless as looking through it appears like a car windshield in the rain with the wipers off.

I don't know about the statement of Leupold's being impervious to recoil. Sure, I know Leupold will repair them for free but that isn't the same thing as being impervious in the first place. There are a few guys here on AR with a hell of a lot more experience with hard recoiling rifles than you and I will ever have combined. They are, or were advocates of Leupold but always talked about how many they currently had on the bench ready to be returned to Leupold for repair. At least one of those guys has switched to Trijicon and is very impressed to date with how they are holding up to recoil.

Given all of that, I don't see how a few ounces difference in scope weight makes that big of a deal. Your VariX2 1-4 is the closest comparison in terms of magnification performance, although it doesn't have an illuminated reticle and not nearly the glass quality. That one weighs 8.1 ounces as you say. The Trijicon I mentioned is 14.4. A difference of 6.3 ounces. Hell, that's only about the weight of one 577NE cartridge!!

Todd,
What color reticle do you prefer?
Thanks.

Duplex.

quote:

Originally posted by Double BC:
Todd,
What color reticle do you prefer?
Thanks.

I actually like the one I don't have yet the best. I think Green is the best for the eye to pick up. I have the post and triangle in red and two duplex with the amber dots. They all work extremely well. For baited cat hunts, they are hard to beat. Also, acquiring a black buffalo in dark brush is much easier as well.

I've been thinking of putting a RMR on my one of my big bore doubles but had some hesitation with the dot size of the batteryless version. However, Mike Jines has one on his K-Gun 500NE and seems to like it just fine. I'm thinking I'll go that same route soon.

German No4 not 4A unless illuminated.

The dot is VERY small compared to the post setup.
In terms of accuracy, there is no meaningful difference, especially on large game. I have no problem shooting 1" groups with my 270 M70 with the post reticle. Be sure you compare the two side by side in low light. I'm sure you'll prefer the post.
One thing that appears to have been overlooked is that the post is actually has two legs the triangle rests on. This makes holdover easier than a solid post as you can see the target between the legs.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
German No4 not 4A unless illuminated.

As ozhunter said.
The #4 is a genius among reticles that it works both on longer ranges and in on close work.
Even if you do not se the fine cross, the bold posts draws your eye to the center like a gost ring (or diopter) does.

I have used a Nikon Monarc 1.5-6x42 with #4 on my 375 Ruger with great sucess.
4 inches eye relief as well, and bright enough to take care of the dusk and dawn stuff.

Another winner is the Leica ER 2.5-10x42 with the #1 reticle.
Top quality glass, a bold post and 4 inches eye relief.

Both has 30 mm tube, but that should not stop a man from get good optics on his rifle.

I have tried most reticles but when push comes to shove, I like and use almost exclusively the standard duplex, it works anywhere and under any circumstances IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
the standard duplex, it works anywhere and under any circumstances IMO.

Not very good in low light though.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
the standard duplex, it works anywhere and under any circumstances IMO.

Not very good in low light though.

Ray knows these things.

I like the 24 reticle, I also like the leupold dot reticle.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
the standard duplex, it works anywhere and under any circumstances IMO.

Not very good in low light though.

Agree 100%. Not very good at all in low light! On something like a last or first light leopard or lion on bait, they will be useless. Black dugga boy in the late afternoon, pretty worthless under those conditions as well.