Illuminated reticles, worth having or not?

[Divernhunter]

One poster stated he hunted for 40 years without this feature. I have hunted since the 1960's without it. I quickly started putting only Leupold scopes on my hunting rifles/pistols after using cheap ones for a shot time. I now have 3 VXR 3X9X40 duplex Firedot scopes on rifles replacing the old Varri-X II and VX2 Leupolds. I have not used them hunting yet but will be using them soon. I have some local hunting(pigs/exotics) coming up and an Elk hunt in Oct. I wish I had one on my trips to Africa because I was unable to see a warthog in a very dark area that had huge tusks and it would have been better on a night hunt I was part of.
I hear good things about the Trijicons but do not care for the part of replacing the element. Besides I have never had a Leupold go bad and I have over 20 of them. If it isn't broke do not mess with it so I will stay with Leupold on my hunting firearms.

 

[njc110381]

A quick email to the importer and they've asked me to send it in. Got a reply the next day, can't fault that. It's a 12 week turnaround but that's no big deal, I appreciate I'm not the only person who requires service!

 

[Scrumbag]

NJC, really like illumated rets and worth it I reckon. Have a few and if we can meet up somewhere you're welcome to have a play and put a few rounds down range with some of my rifles with them on.

 

[Ridge Runner]

My rifles are bullet drop compenstor, lighted recticle, and pallelax adjustable. Lifetime warranty. My pistol scopes are non lighted.

My 2 cents: contact Leopold and ask them about repair or replacement of your scope.

Lighted reticle is meant for hunting in low light conditions (early morning/late evening:cloudy low light conditions).

Would you own a vehicle that not all bell and whistle didn't work, even if you purchased it used with a lifetime gaurentee? It'll get you from point A to point B and back, but wouldn't it be nice for the air conditioning or heater to work, when needed?

Unless you are a "fair weather" hunter, a lighted reticle available scope is an advantage that should work and be an asset to your hunt.

Is it absolutely needed? No? Is it nice to have? Yes. With Reservations.

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

Don't like them at all. Shot lots of bushpigs at night, no battery scope, no other artificial light. Just the moon, experience plus a Zeiss 2,5-10x52. Stalking them in millie fields and forests.

 

[Royal27]

A lighted reticle improves your sights in low light situations and brings your eye to the center faster.

Do they improve the sighting mechanism? Factually yes. You can take shots with a lighted reticle that you can't take without, and more quickly even if only my milliseconds.

Are they worth it? That's up to the individual user, just like open sights vs scope, or bow vs rifle.

 

[Countrylife]

How many of you with lighted Trijicons have hunted in Africa with them? Did you have any problems with import/export issues? The reason I ask is that I came across this from the Trijicon website:

TRIJICON EXPORT COMPLIANCE

Trijicon Products are subject to export controls administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce or the U.S. Department of State and require an export license to be shipped outside of the United States. Export or re-export without prior authorization from the U.S. Government is prohibited. For this reason, we only sell directly to established distributors, who have provided the necessary information and documentation required for proper authorization to export.

For additional information, please contact the Trijicon Export Compliance Team by calling 1-248-960-7700.

It seems to be a generalized statement, so does anyone know which scopes it actually applies to and does it apply to individuals or just businesses? I'll be calling them, but I was hoping for some real life experiences.

 

[Hank2211]

A lighted reticle improves your sights in low light situations and brings your eye to the center faster.

Do they improve the sighting mechanism? Factually yes. You can take shots with a lighted reticle that you can't take without, and more quickly even if only my milliseconds.

Are they worth it? That's up to the individual user, just like open sights vs scope, or bow vs rifle.

I see that quite a few people have said that they've hunted for years (decades in fact) without an illuminated reticle. I have no reason to doubt that - I did the same for many years . . . until I first used an illuminated reticle. Since then, every one of my scopes has been illuminated.

I use the Swarovski's, and while there is no doubt in my mind that the scope allows me to take shots I might not have otherwise, this is not my main reason for having them. These scopes allow me to get off faster shots during daylight hours - your eye is drawn instantly to the right spot, and, more importantly I think, they allow me to take better shots.

Of course, I don't need to use illuminated scopes - I could pretty easily go back to what I was doing before these scopes came along, but if the technology makes me a better hunter, I see no reason to turn it down, within the bounds of my personal hunting ethics.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

[Ed Lally]

I hunted for 58 years without an illuminated reticle, however using 58 years as a reason to write them off without further consideration is akin to abandoning shoes or even rifles because "that is not the way we did it in the past". Nostalgia is great, especially regarding hunting but most everyone wants to use the most efficient bow, arrow, bullet construction or rifle caliber. I prefer a lighted reticle as it allows me to take a more ethical shot in marginal condition. Plus, for those of us with 73 year old eyes, we need all the help I can get regarding sights. Regarding export restrictions, when leaving NY for South Africa, I have twice been questioned regarding "export" of my illuminated and un- illuminated high-end scopes. In both cases, possession of the proper customs form for reentry to the US carried the day and I was allowed to leave the US with my scopes. Most high end scopes carry export restrictions so there is a catch 22 in the law but, thankfully, in my situation, common sense ruled the day.

 

[cagkt3]

How many of you with lighted Trijicons have hunted in Africa with them? Did you have any problems with import/export issues? The reason I ask is that I came across this from the Trijicon website:


It seems to be a generalized statement, so does anyone know which scopes it actually applies to and does it apply to individuals or just businesses? I'll be calling them, but I was hoping for some real life experiences.

You are not shipping the scope out of the US. You are taking a personal effect with you. I believe the intent of this statement is in regards to selling a scope to someone overseas and shipping it to them.

But I'm not a lawyer, or well versed in export regulations. I do know they mention hunting Africa in their marketing, and sponsor DSC's hunting show Tracks Across Africa.

 

[Hank2211]

You are not shipping the scope out of the US. You are taking a personal effect with you. I believe the intent of this statement is in regards to selling a scope to someone overseas and shipping it to them.

But I'm not a lawyer, or well versed in export regulations. I do know they mention hunting Africa in their marketing, and sponsor DSC's hunting show Tracks Across Africa.

I am a lawyer, but not qualified in the US. However, I have had challenges with this in the past, and can tell you that the wording of the applicable provisions can easily lend itself to an interpretation which would prohibit you from taking such a product out of the US without a permit.

Swarovski illuminated scopes are subject to the same restrictions as the Trijicon. I was told by a government official that I could not take such a scope to Canada, notwithstanding that the scope was made outside of the US and could be easily purchased in Canada. When I asked how they enforced such a requirement, I received a dirty look and told that those were the rules.

Canada has essentially the same provisions, and eliminates doubt by giving permits to "temporarily export" such scopes, provided they are returned to Canada.

The logic behind such regulations is to prevent other countries from accessing certain types of technology. Illuminated scopes, night vision, thermal imagine, etc., are all part of that. If people were allowed to take such equipment out of the US so long as they intended to bring it back, it's easy to see how much could go "astray." Better to require permits so the return of the equipment to the US can be verified if need be.

Having said that, I don't believe the US actively enforces this particular rule, although as I said, Canada does.

 

[Opposite Pole]

This is all quite bizarre as you can purchase those same scopes in other countries usually without any kind of restrictions.

 

[Hank2211]

This is all quite bizarre as you can purchase those same scopes in other countries usually without any kind of restrictions.

Can't disagree with you - that's absolutely true. But the government doesn't want to get into those distinctions, so they just make blanket rules.

Wish I could do that.