Thread: Does a spotting scope need a reticle to be useful for long range shooting?

Rushy, my target spotting scope does not have a reticle, and every single one of the spotting scopes used by other competitors that I have had a look thru did not have one.

Having said that, for NRA style target shooting, we know the distances involved. If you are shooting varied and unknown distances, a reticle like mil etc could be useful, but you need to know the sizes of your targets to do the calculations.

As Chris said, be aware that most ranging reticle only work at max magnification (unless you fork out beeeeg bucks for first focal plane) and that is also where mirage gives you the most hassles.

My preference would be a ranging reticle in the rifle scope, and a standard spotting scope. That way you can use the scope reticle for windage holdover and to measure corrections.