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Glass NOOB need help.


moagm316

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I have some eye issues and am looking for some glass to get me out there, ala 800 to 1000 yds. I have three optics choices in mind.

Mark 4 8.5-25x50mm LR/T M5 Illum. Reticle or M1 Illlum. Reticle

about 1500$

Trijicon TRTR23-2G AccuPoint 5-20x50 Riflescope Mil-Dot Crosshair

about 12 to 1300$

I am absolutely set on an illuminated reticule because of my eyesight issues. Is the higher price point of the Leupold worth it? What is the brightness difference in the reticles?

I like the fact that the Trijicon has no batteries.

As far as a mount goes I am going with a larue either way.

Any thoughts? I am torn here.

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I had one of the first gen Leupold Tactical Long Range scopes.  As it was bought wholesale, I was kinda spoiled on the price...and that was pre-lighted reticle days.

I'm very impressed with the clarity and brightness of the Trijicon scopes!  In my opinion they are brighter and clearer than a comparably priced Leupold.  No batteries, no fuss.

Optics Planet has the Trijicon you mentioned on sale right now:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/trijicon-accupoint-5-20x50-riflescope.html

Jon

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The tritium will fade but these are dual-powered, the second being a fiberoptic light gathering feature.

If you look at the eyepiece, there is a dial  shield that allows the user to adjust the brightness of the fiberoptic, by exposing more or less or none of it to the ambient light around you.

In AZ tritium is a no-no for hunting.

Jon

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If you're dead-set on an illuminated scope, the extra money will definitely make a difference. As the quality of scope goes up, the "ghost" image of the illuminated cross-hair disappears.

I've played with low end Chinese knock-offs all the way to top end Leupold. Each step of the way, there was a noticeable difference in quality.

While the ghost image may not be a problem for shorter ranges... You'll notice for sure when you start looking out to 800+ distances.

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Both are great scopes for the money and you can't go wrong with either of them, IMO. BUt here's some food for thought:

- Focal Plane: Both of the scopes you mention are second focal plane scopes. This means that the reticle will shrink or grow with the selected magnification. Most scopes of this type will have a certain magnification where the reticle is "True." (The owners manual will tell you what that mag factor is.) This is the magnification factor where you would zero the scope and where you would make sighting adjustments when shooting at distances outside the zero distance. Given your stated eye problems, you might want to look at a scope with a reticle in the first focal plane. An FFP reticle doesn't grow or shrink with the magnification, it stays the same size. This allows you to make precise sight adjustments throughout the magnification range instead of at a particular magnification or having to do a mathematical calculation.

Reticles and Turrets - Both of the scopes you mention have mil-dot/milliradian reticles. However M1 turrets and the Accupoint turrets have .25 MOA adjustments. When estimating range to target you must convert from mils to yards/meters (more math) and when making sight adjustments you have to convert from mils to inches (yet more math!) The M5 turret makes metric adjustments - one click = 1 cm, which makes adjustments a little easier. The quickest way to make adjustments and eliminate a lot of pesky math is to get a scope that has reticle and turrets that match - either MOA/MOA or Mil/Mil. FWIW, Mil/Mil scopes allow for more precise adjustments. (There are 6283 mils in a circle vs 360 degrees.)

Mounts - Almost as important as the scope itself. Get yourself a good set of mounts. Pay attention to the amount of adjustment they allow you. It should be on the package or in the user's manual and is usually expressed in mils or MOA.

Don't get me started on ammo. That's a whole 'nother can of worms...

HTH

RJM

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