Skip to main content

From Duplex To Complex

From Duplex To Complex

Writing about riflescope reticles without illustrations is rather like writing about Impressionist paintings and depending on the printed word to convey the image. It can't be done. There is, however, one critical difference: If a reticle is too complicated to be described coherently in words, it is probably too complicated to be practical anyway.

One huge advantage of open sights is their simplicity: You line up the front bead with the rear V, and when the bead is on the target, pull the trigger. The only decision to be made is where to hold. With many newer scope reticles, the shooter has several decisions to make before pulling the trigger--decisions that take time, when even the slightest delay can cost you the shot.

The earliest reticle to be widely adopted, as far as I can determine, was the familiar, dependable and still eminently usable crosshair: a thin vertical line intersecting a thin horizontal line, with the intersection the point of aim.

Whether it is an actual hair, as the early ones were, or a thin wire, or a line etched on glass, the crosshair is still probably the best all-around reticle for hunting, target and even tactical use. It is capable of extremely fine placement, and its only real weakness is that, the finer the hair (and hence its accuracy) the more difficult it is to see, especially in low light or against dark backgrounds.

Virtually from the moment of its inception, manufacturers have attempted to create better reticle designs. One attempt was the dot, used either alone or in conjunction with a crosshair. Dots were made in different sizes to accommodate different distance targets and became popular with competition shooters but never caught on with hunters.

Since the earliest makers of high-quality riflescopes were German and Austrian, and since both were enthusiastic hunters and target shooters, it was only natural that many early reticle developments came from central Europe.

Recommended


Not surprisingly, some weird and wonderful designs emanated from the optics capitals of Europe. Posts were particularly popular, both single and multiple, vertical and horizontal, in every imaginable combination.

One that really stood out was a crosshair with thick wires that tapered to thin wires at the point of aim--making it easier to see while retaining precision aiming. This was adopted by Leupold in the United States, named the duplex, and quickly became the dominant reticle design for hunting and all-purpose riflescopes by virtually every manufacturer.

In recent years, with the fad for all things military, sniper and pseudo-tactical scopes have proliferated, along with reticles of ever-increasing complexity. Multiple wires allow aim points for different distances or allow for differences in trajectory between bullet weights.

Others have mil-dot reticles with multiple dots. Some even have crude range-finding capabilities, in which lines of varying lengths supposedly show your distance to target when compared with an object of a known length.

Looking at some of these creations, one wonders if their designers ever tried to use them in actual field conditions. Most of the so-called tactical reticles have little practical application for hunting and even hinder the hunter by cluttering up his view of the animal to such an extent that he cannot find an aim point.

The multiple-choice reticles may be fun to try on a range with targets at known distances, but in the field, with animals moving and the need to concentrate on holding steady with panting breath and beating heart, remembering which line to use can be a baffling puzzle.

A senior representative of one European scope company confided to me, on a hunting trip, that when actually hunting and taking a shot at long range, he ignored the multiple lines of which his company was so proud and simply used the main crosshair and held a little high.

This is an instinctive approach that dates back centuries, which most of us have used since childhood, and which is still the fastest. It may not be the most accurate in terms of actual inches, but it is the most practical in real life.

All of this is not to say the crosshair, dot or duplex is the best reticle design for all time. The other great advance in scope technology has been illuminated reticles, which introduce a whole new range of possibilities. Since they first appeared a decade ago, illuminated designs have been refined and become highly usable.

The main knock on the early ones was the difficulty of getting the right level of illumination under changing light conditions. Generally, one needed less illumination, not more. A too-bright reticle destroys night vision, leaving you able to see the reticle but nothing else.

Trijicon uses tritium, a nuclear isotope, to illuminate its reticles, which are available either as a crosshair or as a tiny tritium triangle atop a post. In low light, you see just the center of the crosshair, or the triangle; in bright light, they are the familiar black.

Generally speaking, I have found that illumination works best with unorthodox reticles. Rather than trying to light up a crosshair or duplex, it is better to design a reticle specifically to make best use of illumination. I have a couple of scopes that make use of these new technologies that I use for special purposes, and they are growing on me. Rapidly.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Gear

New Fiocchi Hyperformance Rifle Loads

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Kimber Hunter Pro Desolve Blak - A Lightweight Heavy Hitter

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Browning BLR Lightweight '81 Stainless Takedown Lever Rifle

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Hodgdon Reloading

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Savage Impulse

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Mossberg Patriot Predator 6.5 PRC Rifle Review

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Marlin Model 1895 in .444 Marlin

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Review: Springfield Armory M1A Loaded Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Long-Range AR Shooting

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

Colorado Pronghorn Hunt

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

RCBS ChargeMaster Lite Review: Not 'Lite' on Ability

The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action.
Rifles

RS Sako Finnlight II

RifleShooter Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the RifleShooter App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Rifle Shooter stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All RifleShooter subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Rifle Shooter stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use