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Rifle Scopes Is LRTS reticle thick enough for hunting low light and brush

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gopherslayer

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Mar 9, 2008
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New rifle requires a new scope. Just wondering if the LRTS G3 is thick enough to find in low light and brush at the low end of magnification. There’s not much out there at $1k or under that I’d trust. I’m actually looking at Vortex (gag) LHT but it’s SFP and at 15x I haven’t killed any animal cranked up that high. Just 10x and held over at 540 yards. Simple calcs and hold overs is what I want. If the LRTS were illuminated I’d be all over it.

Anybody have an opinion on the LRTS?
 
I have an LRTSi, 4.5-18.
It is a dandy scope, the 3-12 should fit your needs perfectly.
 
thehun said:
Illuminated variant has a slightly thicker reticle...
Click to expand...

yes they do that’s why I’m asking about the one Doug has in stock at the moment. It’s not illuminated. I could mount up a 3-9 SS but not sure about the reticle in the woods and low light at close range. I feel a Burris XTR2 4-20 would be a bit overkill on a Browning HCS weight wise. Maybe I’m wrong?
 
I'm going between this and the Steiner. Steiner 4-16x has illuminated reticle and not that much more expensive. Slightly heavier. Unfortunately, scopes eat up gun safe storage room. :(.
 
BytorJr said:
I'm going between this and the Steiner. Steiner 4-16x has illuminated reticle and not that much more expensive. Slightly heavier. Unfortunately, scopes eat up gun safe storage room. :(.
Click to expand...
I love Steiner...through and through...but the glass in the LRTS is some of the best I have seen and it is better than the P4XI..and I've had a lot of tier 1 optics...LRTS to me ups NF NXS line in terms of glass...specifically in the 3-12 variant...the 4.5-18 has a bit more CA at from 16x-18x...

If there is one optic I wish I never would have sold...it is the 3-12 LRTS...I couldnt find another 3-12 LRTS so went with the Nitro 3-12 with Deploy Mil...quite honestly...I think they have the same glass...it doesn't have the LRTS' turrets (which I miss)...but it does have a better reticle...that Nitro now sits on a Mk12 Mod 0...the Nitro 3-12 has the same adjustment travel specs as the LRTS...so it makes me wonder if they stuffed LRTS guts into the Nitro body....but...Bushnell discontinued that Nitro model as well...(Got my Nitro from Doug at CL...solid people to do to business with).
 
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One of my gear grinders is how Bushnell separates models by color. Want Tan? Fuck you know Illumination. Want illuminated XRS2, here is gray.

A Tan LRSTSi/LRHSi would have been nice. Why not give people the option.
 
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thehun said:
I love Steiner...through and through...but the glass in the LRTS is some of the best I have seen and it is better than the P4XI..and I've had a lot of tier 1 optics...LRTS to me ups NF NXS line in terms of glass...specifically in the 3-12 variant...the 4.5-18 has a bit more CA at from 16x-18x...

If there is one optic I wish I never would have sold...it is the 3-12 LRTS...I couldnt find another 3-12 LRTS so went with the Nitro 3-12 with Deploy Mil...quite honestly...I think they have the same glass...it doesn't have the LRTS' turrets (which I miss)...but it does have a better reticle...that Nitro now sits on a Mk12 Mod 0...the Nitro 3-12 has the same adjustment travel specs as the LRTS...so it makes me wonder if they stuffed LRTS guts into the Nitro body....but...Bushnell discontinued that Nitro model as well...(Got my Nitro from Doug at CL...solid people to do to business with).
Click to expand...
I love the 3-12 LRTS and wish I'd ordered 2 of the "i" versions. I just didn't know how good they were going to be.
 
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To answer your question...No, the non illuminated reticle in that scope is too fine for hunting in my opinion. Had one, tried it and I lost the reticle before legal shooting light ended. Really wanted it to work out but it just didn’t.

IF the non illuminated reticle was simply as heavy as the illuminated reticle (with the illumination off) then it would be usable for hunting.

Currently running the Razor LHT you mentioned and and it’s tracked true this far and has impressive glass. I’m not a big vortex fan and firmly believe all their scopes below the razor line are trash.
 
Hickswr said:
To answer your question...No, the non illuminated reticle in that scope is too fine for hunting in my opinion. Had one, tried it and I lost the reticle before legal shooting light ended. Really wanted it to work out but it just didn’t.

IF the non illuminated reticle was simply as heavy as the illuminated reticle (with the illumination off) then it would be usable for hunting.

Currently running the Razor LHT you mentioned and and it’s tracked true this far and has impressive glass. I’m not a big vortex fan and firmly believe all their scopes below the razor line are trash.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Good to know on the reticle. I was afraid it was a bit too thin.
 
Hickswr said:
To answer your question...No, the non illuminated reticle in that scope is too fine for hunting in my opinion. Had one, tried it and I lost the reticle before legal shooting light ended. Really wanted it to work out but it just didn’t.

IF the non illuminated reticle was simply as heavy as the illuminated reticle (with the illumination off) then it would be usable for hunting.

Currently running the Razor LHT you mentioned and and it’s tracked true this far and has impressive glass. I’m not a big vortex fan and firmly believe all their scopes below the razor line are trash.
Click to expand...

The non illuminated is as thick as the illuminated except for .5 mil from the center aim point in all directions. Which is the reason I sold my illuminated versions of this scope.
 
So in your opinion is the reticle thick enough at 6X? I usually run at 6X up to 275-300 yards for hunting and then turn up the magnification from there.
Maybe I’m over thinking this and should just use one of my 3-9 SWFA. I’ll have to take it out in the dim light tonight and see what it’s like. I’ve only had it out in dim light in the open fields where it was fine. Tree lines might be a different story.
 
Look for a used lrhs with the donut reticle. Believe it’s called g3h. It’s my favorite so far. I just wish I had a 3-12 to go along with my 4.5-18
 
Baron85 said:
Look for a used lrhs with the donut reticle. Believe it’s called g3h. It’s my favorite so far. I just wish I had a 3-12 to go along with my 4.5-18
Click to expand...
G2H
 

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gopherslayer said:
So in your opinion is the reticle thick enough at 6X? I usually run at 6X up to 275-300 yards for hunting and then turn up the magnification from there.
Maybe I’m over thinking this and should just use one of my 3-9 SWFA. I’ll have to take it out in the dim light tonight and see what it’s like. I’ve only had it out in dim light in the open fields where it was fine. Tree lines might be a different story.
Click to expand...

In my opinion the reticle was too thin for Alabama hunting at last light even at higher powers. A SWFA 3-9 was one of my main hunting scopes last season and that reticle is very usable at all powers in low light compared to the bushy.
 
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