Rifle Scopes Anyone ever use their illumination?
- Thread starter DS K
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The illumination on a NF F-1 mil-r reticle is just the center floating cross hair. It works awesome for low mag and night vision. I use it every time I’m out.
- Nov 3, 2010
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NV or low power setting used tons of times. Easy to slap a set of 14s on a carbine behind an optic and shoot low light. Did it “save” the shot, maybe no but sure has come in handy on many occasions for me
VERY RARELY. I nearly never use it. Once or twice when the light was failing but otherwise almost never. It's not a necessary feature for me.
I have a Hawke Sidewinder with stepless illumination.
When I first turned it on, inside with the lights on, I thought it didn't work.
When I tried it in low light however, it worked from just barely visible to blindingly bright.
It's excellent for low light situations, it's also very good when spotlighting.
I also have a Bushnell and a Nikko with illum, but both are far too bright and lack the stepless adjustment of the Hawke and I never use it with them.
When I first turned it on, inside with the lights on, I thought it didn't work.
When I tried it in low light however, it worked from just barely visible to blindingly bright.
It's excellent for low light situations, it's also very good when spotlighting.
I also have a Bushnell and a Nikko with illum, but both are far too bright and lack the stepless adjustment of the Hawke and I never use it with them.
I ask because im looking at buying an xtr3 and having trouble finding one with illum.
the only time i needed illum and didn’t have was an early morning shot on a huge whitetail when i lived in WI.
He blended in with the dark bushes and the front sight post on my m1a. Would’ve been the biggest Whitetail I had ever shot, by a big margine.
I guess a Tritium front sight post would’ve helped
the only time i needed illum and didn’t have was an early morning shot on a huge whitetail when i lived in WI.
He blended in with the dark bushes and the front sight post on my m1a. Would’ve been the biggest Whitetail I had ever shot, by a big margine.
I guess a Tritium front sight post would’ve helped
The XTR3 is new, and so far is earning itself a pretty good reputation.
But you won't find one with illumination, because they don't make one with illumination. Yet...
But you won't find one with illumination, because they don't make one with illumination. Yet...
Only hunting with FFP scopes. It’s not always needed but when it burns you, you will be pissed you didn’t have it. Kinda like four wheel drive. I won’t own a vehicle without it even though it gets throwed on only a couple times a year. Hunting from when you can first see and hunting until you can’t see, you will eventually need it.
SFP scopes. Never.
SFP scopes. Never.
Just when hunting hogs at night under a feeder light. Just makes the crosshairs stand out against dark background or black pigs.
I live in Wisconsin, the only time I've had that happen was technically before legal shooting hours. I use good optics to begin with and haven't needed illumination to hunt because they gather enough light to be able to see during legal hours. I can understand for night hunts but that would be yotes and raccoons.
I can count on one hand how many times ive used illumination.
Night matches with dimly lit targets and one particular range where the target is set in a dense cut of trees. Can barely make out the target and can't see thre reticle so a little illumination helps.
Night matches with dimly lit targets and one particular range where the target is set in a dense cut of trees. Can barely make out the target and can't see thre reticle so a little illumination helps.
Batteries are always dead in my illum. scopes before I ever actually need to turn it on. Really hated it on my vortex pst when it was mounted on a LH bolt, it always managed to scrape my thumb. Anyway, only comes in handy when the reticle is blending in with dark target/background. I’m not hunting in the dark.
I’m in the never but buy it anyway group. I like having the NV settings for the future because inevitably I’ll end up w/ NV and thermal. I like the hog hunting under lights reference. Going this fall so I’ll see what you mean. Supposed to have gone end of April but f’n China virus. Thanks Obama.
fairly often when shooting in/out of drastically changing lighting conditions. this is especially true towards the end of supper when evening matches get much closer to dusk with the shorter days. illumination is something I have on all my scopes, regardless of type or purpose. I'd rather have it and not use it than want it and not have it.
I hunt coyotes in the desert and run a NF ATACR 4-16x50 on my 6mm CM RPR and have used the illumination once in the year and a half I have owned it. The situation was just a weird, first-light shot with a small bush partially blocking him. It definitely saved the shot, as I couldn't tell whether the cross hair (MOAR reticle) was on him or the bush. Once I lit the reticle, I was good to go.
I use it at night in my FFP scopes under spotlight, absolute must have under those conditions.
I've used it enough times that I won't get an FFP scope without it.
I've used it enough times that I won't get an FFP scope without it.
I use it frequently on my 1-6x on my AR but it only highlights the horseshoe center and not the entire reticle to it's useful in speed shooting to pick up the reticle quickly during transitions. I have an illuminated reticle on my bolt gun but I think I turned it on once right when I bought it but have never used it when shooting.
No it wasn’t before legal shooting hours if that’s the implication. When and where i hunted in Wi there were so many tags available that i would get 2 or 3 deer every year. What with the gun and bow tags, antlerless permits and bonus tags.
Not what I was trying to imply, just saying in my case, I have generally been able see well enough.
Range I use to belong to allowed night fire to 600 yards. Targets were lit, but without an illuminated reticle it would have been very hard to accurately engage.
Aside from those few times, nope.
Aside from those few times, nope.
Yes, first light or last light hunting with a dark background and your reticle will disappear even with your quarry within 60 yds.
I've needed it on multiple occasions due to other shadowing of my target in the trees/brush at these times of the day.
I've needed it on multiple occasions due to other shadowing of my target in the trees/brush at these times of the day.
With thicker reticles it is not needed as much.
I have used it multiple times during low light. A couple times with thermal just to make the reticle easier for me to get on target quicker.
I also have a couple NX8s and they are Aimpoint bright which is real nice on 1x during the day
I have used it multiple times during low light. A couple times with thermal just to make the reticle easier for me to get on target quicker.
I also have a couple NX8s and they are Aimpoint bright which is real nice on 1x during the day
I use it at least a couple times a match. When shooting targets that are shot up, especially smaller ones, or shot up in darker areas it's nice to be able to pop the illumination on and have a good contrast. Illumination is one of those "you don't think you need it until you need it" type of things.
40+ years of hunting big game throughout the west. I've never needed it even once.
I did turn it on a few years back while watching a black bear in some heavily shaded timber. But didnt need it. Just flipped it on be cause I could.
I think for varminters or pig hunters there is a justification. Shooting light is less defined and target identification is less critical. While hunting big game, if you can't see your reticle well enough to take the shot, it's pretty hard to see what your shooting at as well.
I did turn it on a few years back while watching a black bear in some heavily shaded timber. But didnt need it. Just flipped it on be cause I could.
I think for varminters or pig hunters there is a justification. Shooting light is less defined and target identification is less critical. While hunting big game, if you can't see your reticle well enough to take the shot, it's pretty hard to see what your shooting at as well.
@Rob01 has it right. Illumination is the only tool for contrast a lot of times. Will you need it on your local gun range—not likely. Or even most manicured hunting spots—not likely. But get off the beaten path. Go into thick timber. Or try to shoot an animal who is directly up against thick timber at dusk or other suboptimal non backlit poor sun times.
Its another tool. If you employ it effectively or use it at all is up to you.
Ignoring all the use behind a clip on NV—illumination has been handy in eliminating fatigue and giving my the contrast to take shots I might have otherwise passed on. Did it save the shot—no. I could have still taken it. Illumination just made it easier.
Id wager 95% of you dont employ illumination correctly or at all despite having it available to you.
Its another tool. If you employ it effectively or use it at all is up to you.
Ignoring all the use behind a clip on NV—illumination has been handy in eliminating fatigue and giving my the contrast to take shots I might have otherwise passed on. Did it save the shot—no. I could have still taken it. Illumination just made it easier.
Id wager 95% of you dont employ illumination correctly or at all despite having it available to you.
I bet most all of that 40 years was with a SFP scope and a duplex reticle more than likely and I would have to agree. I also agree with what you said about big game hunting. Many places have requirements to pull the trigger. Is it a spike or a three point? Small doe or yearling buck? Antlers past the ears or not? Even with a FFP reticle it gets tougher to verify your target as a target at similar times as the reticle goes unless it is coyotes or hogs etc.
I was burned with a 3-15 FFP with a .05 mil reticle and no illumination on hogs. It was darker than I would have shot at the exotics or any deer. That reticle is thicker than most. I dialed down to let light through to see my pig but my reticle was so small it was impossible to make out. If I turned the mag up I could see my reticle but couldn't make out the pigs. Had I had an illuminated reticle or my leupold 3-9 I would have had a pig down. Like @Rob01 alluded to, better to have it and not needed then get in a position that you wished you had and could have utilized the tool. Non-illuminated scopes will treat you well 99.9% of the time though.
Note: Statistic was made up on the spot
All my shooting is indoors up to 100. Black targets are hard to see. It helps.
The only time I have used illumination was in a dimly lit indoor range, shooting at a black target spot. The red illuminated reticle really stands out against a black target. Other than that (shooting at some target that your reticle blends into) Ive never needed illumination. Like others have said, it gets too dark to identify a target before it gets too dark to see the reticle.
Black bear hunting is a real world scenario where I think an illuminated reticle would be beneficial.
Black bear hunting is a real world scenario where I think an illuminated reticle would be beneficial.
Out of all the hunts I have been on, over 30+ years, I have only needed illumination three times. But those three times, it was invaluable to make a successful hunt.
This. My black reticle on black targets doesnt provide enough contrast. Illumination creates the contrast that I need.
Only for black pigs in low light, and only when I don’t have a thermal scope on me. Not very often, but when I need it it’s helpful.
Never on rifles but quite often with my air rifle shooting chipmunks for fun off my back deck. My back yard has a really dense hardwood canopy and it’s pretty dark under good circumstances in the afternoon, but my deck faces west so it creates a weird glare vs dark target issue, sometimes low illumination helps to find the reticle on a small fast target moving around in deep leaf litter and Ivey. In most of my rifles I have taken the CR2032 out and keep several in the packaging in my rifle cases or my gear, seems to avoid the dead situation and they’re around if I think I’ll need them. Knew a guy that keeps a spare duct taped to his stock, good solution but looks like shit.
I have used it to made a contrast when the target was all black and the black dot got more than a little lost in that sea of black a little bit of soap will never wash a way my tears .
My barricade practice target at 375 is to the west in heavy woods, in summer I wait until the sun goes down and it cools off a bit, I'll walk up and run a stage or two right at dark. It comes in handy for that.
I often kill an animal at first or a last light - I can think of many...Including my avatar. I set my illumination for those twilight minutes ahead of time. I would not have taken the shot without illumination.
Used mine to finish out a range session last time I was out. Right at dusk. Set on lowest power it came in handy.
On my two target/comp rifles that have S&B/Minox, never used illumination while actually shooting, just when playing around the yard for fun when it’s getting dark outside doing dryfires. I wouldn’t pay extra for it if it wasn’t already included but I do enjoy turning it on sometimes just because.
On my old 260 hunting rifle with an SHV F1 and my 300 BLK carbine with a Zeiss 1-4 LPVO, it gets used a lot, and I would not have a FFP hunting scope/LPVO without it. But I hunt in the woods mostly so it’s always darker than in the open fields would be.
On my old 260 hunting rifle with an SHV F1 and my 300 BLK carbine with a Zeiss 1-4 LPVO, it gets used a lot, and I would not have a FFP hunting scope/LPVO without it. But I hunt in the woods mostly so it’s always darker than in the open fields would be.
really like the illum feature. much prefer to have on any hunting scope. shoot a lot of paper and i often find it very helpful,even in bright fl sun when my eyes are acting up,it seems to help me concentrate and hold reticle center on target. this is the ONLY criticism i have on my athlons. the illum is blanked out in bright sun. my votex,zeiss and crimson all work well in sun. all my scopes are SFP if that matters.
I use mine quite a bit. Hunting, and banging steel......late in the afternoon, it can make a difference. YMMV.
Best,
Will
Best,
Will
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