variable magnified reticle...

[mustad]

I saw a couple of scopes today where the reticle is magnified in direct proportion to the object. Does anybody have any experience with this? My thought is that the more you increase the magnification of your scope, it implies that the object you are trying to shoot is further away. I always thought the further the object is away, the finer you want the line of of the reticle to be. One could argue that the more you magnify the object the larger it is and therefore the larger the lines of the reticle need to be, but I'm just wondering if this feature is more a gimick than something that helps.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers,

[doubleA]

I have Zeiss and Swaroxski scopes that have first plane reticles. They are not for everyone but I sure do like them on certain rifles. They work very well in low light situations due to the recticle getting easier to see. Seems that most european makers offer them while the other dont.

One thing about the scopes with a first plane reticle is that there is absolutely no shift in impact while going through the power ranges, this cant be said with scopes with a second plane reticle.

[mustad]

Thanks doubleA.

Just out of curiosity, how much of a difference in impact points have you seen in a reasonble quality scope? Is it significant?

I've looked at the Zeiss and Swarovsky and will be looking at the Kahles scope today. Right now, I'd have to say I prefer the Swarovsky over the Zeiss (I looked at their 30mm models). I wouldn't mind looking at the Smith and Benders, but they are very difficult to find around me.

Cheers,

[trailer]

ORIGINAL: mustad

I wouldn't mind looking at the Smith and Benders, but they are very difficult to find around me.

The only dealer for Schmidt & Bender in Canada is Wolverine Supplies according to S&B web site. www.schmidtbender.com

[doubleA]

Sorry Mustad, with my statement about the changing of impact I did not mean to imply that 2nd plane reticles shift when the powder is changed but meant ...by the reticle being in the second focal plane,it can by design indeed shift POI's.
In my experiences POI hasent change more than a inch with quality ie. Leupold, Nikon etc when going from lowest to highest power but have known others with the same scopes that have had more change.
The thing to remember is that all scopes(2nd plane), whether cheap or expensive can be affected, though in the real world it's nothing to lose sleep over.

On another note, I am looking at a Schmidt & Bender for a 6.5x284 project I have going. I had the privledge to shoot 2 rifles equiped with S&B's and they are nice scope to say the least.

[mustad]

Thanks double A for the clarification. I did not know that.

I tried the Kahles yesterday, and between that the Swarovsky and the 30mm Zeiss, I prefer the Swarovsky. Just put the order in today for the 2.5-10x42mm. Can't wait.

Cheers,

Dan

[trailer]

Which reticle did you order with the scope ? I have the 4A on my 7 mm-08 and the TDS-Plex on my 270 WSM although I haven"™t had chance to take advantage of the TDS at this time...

[mustad]

I went with the plex reticle.

[Ridge Runner]

also as the case of most scopes the actual distance between the reicle substentions change with the power increase, military scopes were set to range with the mil-dot at 10 power, fcc reticles can be used on any power.
RR