Best reticle for africa

[Inkgardener]

I’m not sure I agree fully with this.
Recently, on a friendly big bore competition shoot, my brother who never shot a rifle above .300WM, bested with a scoped .375H&H, myself, a current PH and a past PH/competitive big bore shooter, trying the same course with iron sighted rifles (.375H&H and .500NE)

Good optics make you shoot better.

I agree, and also in low light I can see better with optics. In low light I can’t even see my irons.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I’m not sure I agree fully with this.
Recently, on a friendly big bore competition shoot, my brother who never shot a rifle above .300WM, bested with a scoped .375H&H, myself, a current PH and a past PH/competitive big bore shooter, trying the same course with iron sighted rifles (.375H&H and .500NE)

Good optics make you shoot better.

Good optics only help you see better. Everything else about shooting is the same. Seeing is a big part of shooting for sure, but if you can’t shoot with irons you just need to practice, and know your limitations.

 

[grand veneur]

Many modern rifles no longer have iron sights. I am sure that there are younger hunters who no longer practice, let alone master shooting over open sights. No matter, it works that way too, but for hunting in Africa, especially for hunting dangerous game, no matter which scope with which reticle one use, the rifles should also have for a lot of reasons open sights.

 

[Houston Bill]

I really like the reticle on my Swarovski Z8i 1-8x24 scope with the 4A-IF. It is an illuminated red dot in the center and you can also have an illuminated circle around the red dot if you want. Works great in low light and shows up great against the dark hide of buffalo.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am a follower of the KISS principal. Stick to standard crosshairs.

@MS 9x56
As much as I like the KISS principal I don't like standard cross hairs.
They are to fine for my old eyes.
I prefer the duplex reticle with medium to heavy outers and diner cross hairs in the middle. Helps me centre it quicker with the heavy outers and allows for greater accuracy with the finer centres.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

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.

@Ontario Hunter
All my scopes are always set on the lowest power when hunting. Game can appear anytime and it would be just my luck something would pop up at 30 yards and my scope is set on 10x. That's why I set at the lowest power if it's far enough away you usually have time to crank the power up but if it's to close you don't have the time to crank it down.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

...Poached from another site:

"If thou sucketh with iron sights
thou will surely sucketh with thy
red dot. For it is thy lack of
practice not thine sighting system
that bringeth woe into thy heart"

@TSIBINDI
With my ageth eyes I can't seeth open sights and couldn't hiteth thy target if'n it was tied to thine muzzle.
With thine red dot I can hiteth Rhine target at reasonable ranges.
Mine shooting is fine with thine optical advantage but severely sucketh without it .
Bob

 

[SETH RINGER]

WHAT YEAR IS IT? 2025? ILLUMINATED!