Thread: New reticle for hunters who also compete LR

Hi Norway,

Minox was best known in NZ for its small 35mm film cameras in the 1980's when it was an alternative to the Rollei: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minox#...35ml-front.jpg So we'll imagine them to be lightweight, precise, with good optics and perhaps not very tough.

Feedback on the reticle, my own personal opinion only is that as a hunter I need something that looks simple and symmetrical on low power.

The thick posts need to be easliy picked up under stress when very few brain and retinal cells can be available. They should extend into the kill zone of the target animal at close range so you don't have to rely on the fine central crosshair in low light. So that means a big no.4 or duplex type reticle with small opening only 1 or 2 mRad above, below, left and right.

The minimum hash marks needed are:
Windage 0.2 or 0.5 mRad out to 2 mRad at most because it's very hard to judge wind stronger than that for a first shot hit while hunting.
For target and LR you can dial so hashes are only needed for small wind changes between shots.
Elevation 0.5 mRad up to about 2 mRad which will be the max holdover needed for most hunting in NZ and beyond that you can dial, specially on targets.
It's hard to count hashes when holding over more than 3 or 4 of them. I don't know how people use those Horus things.
Very bold hash marks for extra short range shooting could be helpful as that is often the most high pressure situation - a quick shot at a deer or rabbit up close or finishing a wounded one that you're almost standing on in the dark. Therefore: up to 5m shot needs about 10 mRad and 10m perhaps a 5 mRad cross bar.

The hunter will be using a range finder and looking around at the landscape for a reality check, not estimating distance by milling. In the limited target shooting I've done, the sizes of plates varied quite a lot. So, the finely calibrated right angle ruler and round/square frames will just be distractions.

Special purpose brackets and markings really need the shooter to have read the instruction manual and memorised it, plus practiced. So something based on a standard like the old mildot or maybe an easy to use grid will be better when you buy one second hand or your mate passes you his rifle and says "Here ! Shoot it with this !"

Thanks for showing this idea. Keep it up !