Best reticle for africa

[Ontario Hunter]

If you are over 40, the scope should be much better than the rifle. My eyes keep getting older.

I like a swaro 4-AI reticle. I seldom use the illumination. But when shooting something in low light or shade, it is hugely helpful.

I am NOT a fan of a scope that tops out at only 4x, I think it limits the utility of the rifle. For DG you may only be at 1x or 2x. Having the option to zoom in to 6x or higher is a big benefit when shooting PG on the same hunt.

I believe if you put an excellent scope on a rifle, you will be more inclined to use that rifle to the exclusion of others.

The tradeoff for using a higher magnification scope on a dangerous game rifle is the larger objective lens requires a higher mounted scope. High mounted scopes are often/usually slower to acquire the target because shooter is "off the gun." Being off the gun also increases felt recoil. Low power scopes typically have no objective lens bell which allows them to be mounted lower. Shooter mounts the gun with cheek to the comb and full field of view (+ crosshairs) is instantaneous.

I shot hundreds of big game over more than fifty years with only a 30-06 mounted with fixed 3x Weaver. I now have a 3-9x Nikon on that gun but never hunt with it above 5x. In heavy cover it's turned down to 3x. 9x is great for range work but that's about it. My 404 has 1-4x. I hunt buffalo with it usually set at 2.5x or 3x.

 

[grand veneur]

For me and after about 50 years hunting, a very useful reticle when it comes to shooting under bad sight conditions, by poor light at dusk or even at night. For shooting at longer range it works too. Ideally suited for hunting in Africa, especially with big game rifles.

 

[spike.t]

German no4...never had one with a light in it...but never up to now needed a light inside....

 

[fourfive8]

I’ll go with the plain duplex KISS crowd… but oh my, that just doesn’t sound very “Continental” does it

 

[Hogpatrol]

Trijicon Accupoint duplex with green dot and the green post reticles have worked well for me, no batteries required.

 

[flying sailor]

German no4...never had one with a light in it...but never up to now needed a light inside....

I have a Kahles with a German No. 4 on my 602, really like it.

 

[Smull1010]

I’m really enjoying the Leupold VX-6HD 1-6X24 CDS-ZL2 ILLUM. FIREDOT DUPLEX I just bought.

 

[grand veneur]

I also have German reticle Nr.4 on some scopes, but above all on rifles that I use when I know in advance that I may have to shoot at longer distances.

 

[Flipper Dude]

My 3 dangerous game rifles all sport the German #4 on identical scopes. It’s detached on the Lott, but it makes the trip in the case. No illumination. I’m not shooting DG in the twilight. I can see the efficiency on a PG or deer / elk rifle. Or a leopard rifle, probably a must have.

That said, the best $$ I ever spent on optics was the $11,000 for multi focal lens surgery.
20/20 at 64.

 

[grand veneur]

My 3 dangerous game rifles all sport the German #4 on identical scopes. It’s detached on the Lott, but it makes the trip in the case. No illumination. I’m not shooting DG in the twilight. I can see the efficiency on a PG or deer / elk rifle. Or a leopard rifle, probably a must have.

That said, the best $$ I ever spent on optics was the $11,000 for multi focal lens surgery.
20/20 at 64.

As a hunter you cannot always choose when you have to shoot. I also once shot an elephant in the middle of the night.

 

[Flipper Dude]

As a hunter you cannot always choose when you have to shoot. I also once shot an elephant in the middle of the night.

You CHOSE to shoot an elephant in the middle of the night. I choose not to shoot when it’s dark enough that I need a light. If I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I have to follow up after dark, it will be with iron sights.

 

[grand veneur]

You CHOSE to shoot an elephant in the middle of the night. I choose not to shoot when it’s dark enough that I need a light. If I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I have to follow up after dark, it will be with iron sights.

At night you cannot see very much with iron sights. We have in Western Europe, due to wild boar hunting, a lot of experience in shooting at night. As elephants are concerned, at that time we hunted in the south of Zimbabwe crop raiders and they appeared in the corn fields above all at night.

 

[grand veneur]

A former crop raider. Frontal brain shot. Rifle caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum. Hornady 500gr FMJ bullet. Scope Zeiss 1,5-4,5x18, German reticle No.1.