Hunting and shooting have always been a passion to you but you don’t know how to get clear vision of your targets at hundreds of yards? Have struggles with your spotting scope because its normal eyepiece doesn’t provide you with the correct yardage? Heard about reticles and still don’t know how they can be useful on your hunting day? This article is definitely for you because I will be explaining to you the need of a reticle on your spotting scope and how to choose a product with reticle.
What is a reticle? And what do you need it for?
The reticle is a feature that is integrated into the scope to make the user locate his target, how? This important feature – also called crosshair – contains indications in form of fine hair that contribute to the estimation of distance between the target and the shooter. There are various types of reticles and all what you need to do is to choose the scope with the one that best fits your requirements.
Now, it’s time to talk about spotting scopes and how to choose one with a reticle.
What to be aware of when choosing a spotting scope with a reticle?
Such spotting scopes are extremely expensive and need a professional expertise to know how to handle them as they have many features and it is mandatory to learn about them before you purchase any product.
First, you will obviously need this type of scopes for hunting and shooting, so you will need crystal clear optics that will do the job at a few hundreds of yards, such optics will cost you a fortune but they will provide you with amazing optical performance.
Second, to make sure the image you will receive on the exit pupil is clear and bright, a wide front lens will be a must. Actually, most ranging spotting scopes have a very wide objective lens upward 80mm.
Third, the eyepiece is the only thing that makes this type of scopes different than others; with the reticle embedded, it will make it special and effectively useful for target shooting. For this reason, you will need two eyepieces unless your scope has a feature that allows you to turn off the reticle. In fact, the first eyepiece will contain a reticle and a focusing diopter wheel to help you focus the reticle on your vision and the second one, will serve for different activities because it won’t feature any reticle.
What are the best spotting scopes that can be used with a reticle?
It’s simple: HIGH-END spotting scopes that cost one or two thousands of dollars and sometimes more. Many brands top the market in the field of spotting scopes and they particularly top those that can be used as a rifle scope with a reticle on. Some of the best are: the Swarovski STR 80 with MOA reticle, the Leupold Mark 4 with Mil-Dot Reticle, the Burris Signature HD with SCR-MOA reticle, and The Bushnell Elite Tactical LMSS with H32 reticle. All of these can turn you hunting trip into a stunning experience.