Rifle Scopes G3 or H59 reticle?

[ssteve]

Looking at a Bushnell DMR2 but not sure which reticle to go with.

The optic will have to wear many hats as it will go from my centurion barreled ar15 I use primarily for varmints to my 6.5cm ar10 that I’ll use for my primary hunting rifle as well as range work at distance.

Im leaning towards the g3 reticle since it’s essentially just a basic mil reticle with a couple additions and I’m thinking that in a hunting situation it may be quicker than the H59 but I’ve never used a Horus reticle before.

My other option is saving a few bucks and getting a vortex pst gen2 5-25x50 ffp, but I think I would rather have the additional low end of the dmr2.

 

[Fursniper]

H59 to G3, hummmm, completely different ends of the spectrum almost. Unless you have used an H59 in the field, I'd stick with the G3. Personally, I like the H59 for LR stuff but i think I'd really hate it for hunting.

 

[spife7980]

I opted for the G3. I just dont see how I would ever need to measure that far out to the sides that accurately to make a H59 worth while.

 

[Primus]

G3 all the way. Horus reticle are a bag of smashed assholes.

 

[alaskalanche]

I have 3 DMR 2 scopes and all of them are G3 reticle as they are equally used for hunting and banging steel. I may use one in a PRS style event if I don’t take the AMG off my 7 WSM and put it on my CTR for it. Otherwise I will just “slum it” with the DMR 2 and G3 for that as well.

I am sure HORUS are way nice and after a bit I may get used to them but man they sure look busy to me.

 

[WyoWindCall]

Well simply put, if you suck at shooting like I do, the grid is excellent for the 2nd round follow up shot. Be a good student of the features of both and either is a good choice. I have an H59 in a BEAST and love it, don't want something else, even love it for hunting because of the fast follow up capability. I shoot a lot of prairie dogs and coyotes. We also shoot in high wind here so again, the grid is helpful.

 

[alaskalanche]

Wyo,

You had me at suck at shooting....I am right there with ya. Maybe I could get used to the HORUS after all.

 

[5RWill]

I love the H59 but if you plan to do any hunting it's busy..

 

[stello1001]

I do a lot of hunting. Me personally, I don't like all that clutter of the h59 in the way. Too busy for my applications.

 

[stwcattle]

Touph call here if wanting to use scope for duel purposes. All my hunting scopes have MOAR or Mil C reticles.

Last summer I had a TReMoR3 ATACR breaking in my new hunting 6 creedmoor. I had a NM antelope tag and did not want to spend the time switching scopes and re zeroing so I took the 5-25x56 TReMoR3 and the rifle on the hunt. I ended up getting on the biggest +80'' goat i ever seen. I was so locked into the animal, I never noticed the reticle. My eyes were focused on the center dot and I made a perfect 310 yard shot on the animal.

Now with that said, I have ordered a scope for that rifle and I went with a MIL-C reticle. In my opinion the cleaner reticle is nice when you spotting or having to sit on a animal for a shot.

 

[supercorndogs]

I don't think dueling was on his list. None of my dueling pistols have scope mounts.

 

[WyoWindCall]

Ok, not trying to wack the hornet's nest with a bat here but I don't understand when people say that they like the horus (or grid style reticle) for targets but not for hunting. I look at it with an analytic mindset. When shooting targets I dial my hold and then I have a precise grid for my wind call, I can also use that grid to spot my misses and make corrections. When you dial the scope back from full power the reticle gets finer, so if the thick lines get too busy for you, then back the power off to make it thinner. At 5x on a 5 to 25, the reticle is so thin you damn near cant see it.

Now when hunting I'm all about looking at the calculator and your data charts and wind calls and all the other information that gives us all headaches and analyzing what is my min and max holds for both wind and distance, and I use a bracket method to maximize my hit potential. I can essentially make a box that would be a "kill zone" in the reticle To me, using the grids allows me to analyze what could go on with the bullet if my wind call is off or if I forgot my rangefinder in the truck. Now I will admit that when I hunt I'm not snap shooting. Im sitting on the side of the hill watching a valley so I have loads of time to gather my data before ever getting on the scope. And for those who argue that you cant see enough detail through the grid to tell how many points that buck has or look for that black patch on the antelope...well I say....look the hell up on the other half of your scope! There is nothing at all going on there so it's clear as can be.

Again, not saying the reticle works for everyone but it works great for me since I like to bracket both targets and animals. Not trying to call anyone out, but I have always thought that if it works on a 6" steel plate, why can't it work on a 4-foot wide animal. Its all about knowing how to use the equipment. Hope this is a good contribution to the 9mm vs 45ac.... I mean reticle argument.

I have attached 2 pictures to illustrate what I am talking about, I believe these goats are both around 500 yards out, can't remember, it has been a few years since I took these photos.

 

[WyoWindCall]

I forgot to mention, that's an H59 on a nightforce BEAST, and the other reticle is the TMR? in my leupold spotting scope.

 

[5RWill]

I'm a big fan of FFP reticles hunting having said that without illumination the H59 at lower power hunting is pretty difficult to use at the onset of dusk when lowlight really comes into play. Again that's pretty much due to lack of illumination for myself. To me it's not too busy whilst zoomed in it's in lowlight when you back off that it nearly becomes unusable without illumination at dusk. You could say that about all FFP scopes i suppose but i find the GAP milling reticle a little more usable in lowlight. I do love the reticle though.

 

[Bender]

I was looking out my screen door one night, I got a letter from Horus given to me by the mail man walking up to my door, it asked me to stop looking through my screen door without first paying them royalties.....

G3 all damn day.

 

[CajunAR]

I love my H59s it's the only reticles i run now. While there are plenty of other great reticles, once you really get in and shoot a fair bit behind any of the busier tree reticles all the "expected" confusion goes away. You end up looking through all the suppossed clutter...or at least i do anyway.

That all being said, i'd go with the H59 over the G3 for a few reasons i prefer:
1. . Floating center dot, i almost can't stand shooting reticles with solid centers anymore
2. .2 mil hashes, i love the fact that i can subdivide so precise at distance. How much it really matters vs just eyeing it between the .5 lines in the G3
3. Mover lines are great when shooting mover stages in matches (although the first one has also been added in the G3 so i guess that could be a wash)
4. the fast ranging lines are kinda handy sometimes when showing up to a new range and having to get some quick ranges for practice targets if i don't feel like getting out the LRF

as always, just my .02, if you don't like it at least you got what you paid for it!

 

[doshei]

If you intend to dial either will work. If you intend to primarily hold then the Horus is definitely the way to go.

 

[lawofsavage]

Certainly not someone I’d take advice from ? but I’ve hunted with an H59 on a Leupold Mark 6 when that was the only scope I had. Holding the phone with my hand several years ago is why the pics look so bad, looked much better behind the rifle. Agree that it would be much better with illum. Thinking about getting an illuminated tremor3 for my newest rifle which tells you I like it ?.

 

[steve123]

I've never had any problems while using the H59 to win 2 seasons of AZPRC long range matches on steel. That was with the original HDMR and holding over and off most of the time.

If I can do it so can anyone.

Later on I got S&B's with H59 and did well in night matches even winning some, though I dialed for them.

 

[longshot2000]

G3 all the way. Horus reticle are a bag of smashed assholes.

I am trying to get a visual on that...

.. nevermind.

I know there are a lot of strong feelings one way or the other on Hourus, but I like the H58, H59, and really like the T-3. Now, in the last couple of years, there have been some really good reticles made to give the look and feel of Hourus, without the cost. Those, like the G3 and the SKMR3 (Kahles) are good as well. I have head some good arguments against one of the Tremors. I think it was T-1, and it had to do with some error in the math.

I have seen a novice use a T-3 with a little coaching and hit steel 800 yards out. I wanted foreigners grab guns last week at SHOTSHOW and shoot off the berm with a hunting reticle, and others use the ACSS reticle from Primary Arms and shoot 300 yards and hit paper, so these calculated reticles do work.

I think a lot of it comes down to preference, or maybe what you are used to. I am an equal opportunity scope nerd, so I really have no religious affiliation with scope reticles. I don't like the basic cross, or Plex, as the Germans might say, and I don't like mil-dot. But I am fine with other milrad reticles.

 

[Primus]

I actually like the H27 reticle in lower powered optics. I still think the Gen2 XR is the finest reticle ever made IMO. Vortex and Bushnell also make very clean Xmas tree reticles without all the clutter and sensory overload.

 

[Eric B.]

COMPETITION-> BUSHNELL ERS 3.5 - 21 x 50 with H59 reticle on a 6.5 CM RPR

HUNTING-> Bushnell LRTS 4.5 - 18 x 44 with G3 illuminated reticle on a 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro

Each reticle works very well for the intended use but I'd never reverse the use of these reticles.
I will state that the illuminated G3 reticle is great for dark backgrounds and at the lowest setting, where reticles on FFP scopes tend to "disappear" as they get small. Bushnell's illumination is excellent!

 

[Eric B.]

I opted for the G3. I just dont see how I would ever need to measure that far out to the sides that accurately to make a H59 worth while.
View attachment 6869286
View attachment 6869287

I use the H59 on my 6.5CM competition rifle and use the horizontal marks constantly B/C I do not dial.
But my G3 illuminated reticle on my 6.5 PRC hunting rifle is simple enough for faster use when hunting. It's got all the "windage" I'd ever use for hunting.

 

[LiveToDrive]

I have a DMR II with H59, I had to try it. The g3 seemed simple compared to my two other Athlon scopes. The H59 seemed busy, but I thought I'd get used to it. I was wrong... I love everything else about the scope, but I may sell it so I can replace with g3 version.

 

[Nikon147]

Going to ressurect this for a second.

Midway has the XRS II with G3 for 1058, and the H59 for 1208, free shipping on both.

I just got an LRTS and I love it, this is obviously a step up.

Really considering picking one up while they're still in stock, but torn on reticle.

This won't be a hunting scope, just for steel and competition. I like the G3 on my LRTS, but I also like the EBR2C on my PST Gen 2, so the christmas tree is helpful to me.

Thought son the value of the extra 150 for the H59, really thinking I don't need it.

 

[HousePlant]

I don't like the G3, but it's fine for competition especially until you are capable of consistently achieving 80% on target in a real PRS match. At that point, you've honed your ability to dial and handle windage on the main crosshair and you may need something more to take you to the next level. Still, it's not like users of the G3 reticle have never won a competition. It was designed by one of the most well-known competitive shooters, after all. The funny thing is, I achieve better scores using a Nikon FX1000 with it's non-tree reticle (with .2 MIL incrementsin all directions) than I do with any tree reticle. I'm not PRS'ing a zillion times a year and we're talking two different guns (I have far better DOPE history for the Nikon gun) but... still. I rarely, rarely find myself depending on a tree. You need a lot of experience to be able to mentally process all of that capability in real time.

 

[Nikon147]

I don't like the G3, but it's fine for competition especially until you are capable of consistently achieving 80% on target in a real PRS match. At that point, you've honed your ability to dial and handle windage on the main crosshair and you may need something more to take you to the next level. Still, it's not like users of the G3 reticle have never won a competition. It was designed by one of the most well-known competitive shooters, after all. The funny thing is, I achieve better scores using a Nikon FX1000 with it's non-tree reticle (with .2 MIL incrementsin all directions) than I do with any tree reticle. I'm not PRS'ing a zillion times a year and we're talking two different guns (I have far better DOPE history for the Nikon gun) but... still. I rarely, rarely find myself depending on a tree. You need a lot of experience to be able to mentally process all of that capability in real time.

This is kind of my thinking too. I'm not a serious competition guy. I'm mostly ringing steel.

I think the G3 is fine for me.

 

[ssteve]

Funny this was resurrected as I posted it a couple years back. I ended up with the drm2 and the g3 reticle. Worked great, loved the scope. Then I got a eotech 5-25 with the md3 reticle and ran that for a bit over a year on my 6.5cm and loved it. Problem is that I am stuck using the floating dot going forward now cause I liked it so much.

I sold my creedmoor with eotech a few months ago and had Spartan rifles build me a 6.5prc. I pick it up Friday and needed an optic. While I want something lighter weight as it will be packed around a bit it’s not my primary concern and so I picked up the midway deal on the bushnell xrs2 with the H59 to get me by for a while and maybe go MK5 later in the year. Ive shot the h59 once since posting this and I don’t at all foresee it being “distracting”. Not sure if I’ll actually utilize much of what it has to offer but I do hold for wind so I’m sure it won’t hurt. Also at the end of the day I figure it will be good to train with it for a bit regardless of the outcome.

 

[FredHammer]

My DMR3 with EQL reticle is really nice. Each 1 mil mark is it's own floating dot reticle.

 

[5RWill]

I like that reticle quite a bit didn’t realize it was a thing