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Rifle Scopes Are Chistmas Tree reticles really all that useful?

Interesting responses. So basically if you have never had the experience or can google anything about it, it's all impossible is that about right?


I spent Over 24 years in Army, 18 of those were in Special Operations. I have over 96 months deployed in GWOT. Your entire premise is unrealistic. If that situation presented itself with the restrictions that you put on it ANYONE with half a brain would work up a different target package and redo the operation completely. If, as you said, this is from a vet that worked this up in the 1970's then they are embellishing a great deal as 99% of the Military did not have the resources to accomplish that. If you are going into a situation that require you to have 5 different types of ammo then you do not need to work on memorizing all 5 different DOPEs, you time would be better spent ensuring that you SGLI is up to date.
 
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What rifle and caliber are you putting the scope on? I am new to this long range world but I think a high MV flat trajectory over medium distances would be more forgiving and make a tree less useful
 
The Friday (check-in And zero) before the Long Range Shooter’s Retreat in OK last year (or maybe the year before) I shot in 40mph wind gusting to almost 50! I got a first round hit @ 900 too! Not part of the comp or anything but it was awesome, and the most wind in which I’ve ever shot. It was quite a confidence builder for my wind calls. The first day it calmed way down to 25mph.
 
It is harder if they are coming from 10:23 to 4:37....... now that is challenging.............:cool:

see? this guy gets it! (y)

from my civil defense position, i have a bridge that runs from my 8 o'clock out toward 2 o'clock, from about 300 yards to maybe 800 yards before i lose line of sight.
if zombies coming toward us get past our line sight to the bridge, they will eventually be able to reach us from our left, where there are areas of entry at fixed distances of 750, 500, 200 yards, and fucking zombies!!!!
that's why i use an H59 reticle....so i can cover fast movers on the bridge and several pinch points without dialing shit.

plus, i am operator as fuck.
 
This thread is great.
I've been considering something similar. I have a razor 5-20 tree reticle on my semi auto 308. The reticle makes it easy to see the impact, quickly adjust and fire again. I've been thinking about getting a similar scope/reticle for my 300WM. I like the idea of the reticle being the same, but the truth is, I can't watch the bullet through the scope with the 300WM, like I can with the 308. The 300WM recoil makes it tough to use the reticle. It makes me second guess getting a tree reticle for a magnum LR rifle. I think, FFP and illuminated reticle would suit that rifle better. But like someone said earlier, I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Sorry, long winded.
 
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Hi gentlemen, looking at a new scope purchase and i've taking a liking to the Leupold xv3i LRP 6.5x20-50. I can't decide on the regular moa crosshair in ffp or their impact 29 moa reticle that has the "christmas tree" style subtensions below. Its unlikely that I will ever do PRS competions but I like the idea of faster corrections down range. So are the Christmas Tree style reticles truely useful or just distracting clutter for the average shooter. Thanks
I don’t shoot PRS so I think I fall into this category. I’m quite fond of tree reticles for the same reasons most have already said here. I personally find them pretty handy for zeroing too. Never have I thought the reticle was distracting or too much. My experiences are with the SKMR3 and MR4. Different animal than some of the Horus offerings.
 
Everyone see's things differently??!!

I've talked to people that do get distracted by a tree reticle, they hate them.
BTW one of these type of guys, "the worst one of all that I've met" liked the idea of having a duplex reticle in a FFP scope, and asked me if I knew of one he could buy, I'm not BSing either, lol????!!!!
A few days before that conversation, I had met this same guy out shooting and let him try my FFP Athlon Ares BTR which has an all .2 mil tree reticle in it, I briefly explained the holdovers in the reticle to hit the 3 steel at their different distances, he hit them all, the 300Y and 500Y on the first shot, it took a few to hit the 600Y.
I got ahead of myself so let me back up. This guy was already shooting when I drove up to the place I go to in the FS, he was trying to hit that same steel, 300Y, 500Y and 600Y, with his SFP 3-9x40, duplex reticle, capped turret hunting scope, trying to holdover!!!, which of course I found very entertaining, lol. It was a facepalm situation for sure! I couldn't stand it so that's why I walked over to help the poor guy out.
You'd think he'd be totally sold on FFP tree reticles, uh nope.

My personal story using holds goes like this;
When I first joined SH about 13 years ago I found out about FFP scopes. The problem was back then there was, as far as I knew, only Horus, USO and S&B, that made FFP scopes.
Not able to afford the other two I bought a Horus Predator 8-26x50 with a SMOA grid reticle. Well I found out in short order the turret tracking was off by quite a bit, so I was stuck using holdovers only. After a while I got used to holdovers and holdoffs and got very proficient using them. Within a year I had won my first tactical match using that scope.

Years after that, when the Bushnell 3.5-21 HDMR/H59 came out I bought one. In the same timeframe a new long range steel match started up called the AZPRC. Long story short I began to win matches, and the next year, also following year, I won the points series. This was using about 95% holdovers/holdoffs with the "all .2 mil" H59 reticle. Though I did often dial for the 1100Y and the 1450Y steel.

Then there's the 22rf tactical matches, and the Field Target air rifle matches, that I used holdovers in, winning a bunch of them.

Anyway, enough of me.
I was at a practice match last year and watched some of the current top shooters in AZ use holds with tree reticles to hit small steel way out there at different distances, in 5mph-ish wind, that wouldn't be easy to hit prone of the bipod, and this was off a wobbly barricade!!! One lady got 8/8, I was amazed at how good some of them were and WAY better than I ever was off a barricade using holds. No time to dial in this stage because there was only 90 seconds.

So what I am getting at is "YES" a tree reticle can be very useful!