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Rifle Scopes Let’s talk Horus Reticles. I want one.

libertyman777

Are you gonna eat that....
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 26, 2007
849
11
57
Heflin, Alabama
I know they aren’t for everyone but based on a shooting game I’ve been playing for years it will be a good fit for me.

I could have a 200-400 yard shot on game around here. But mostly a local match from 800 yards to 1000. Maybe some
F-TR and a PRS match. I have no illusions of winning, I just would like to be competent with what I own.

I’ve shot out to 500 yards a lot back in the day. Been playing around with Airguns for the last 10 years.

So Horus fans, tell me about your scopes. They all look so similar that I can’t really see a dimes worth of difference.

I would like to zero my .308 at 100 and shoot as far as I can lol. I would also like to improve my ranging skills.

I’m at the Bushnell 3.5-20, 4.5-30, maybe a well used USO or NF area price point if that makes any difference.

Thanks,

Paul
 
I own a couple Bushnell HDMRs with the H59 reticle. The marriage works very well on the AR10 National Match and SASS I own. You can dial for decent precision since the 59 has a very fine floating dot, or speed things up by holding over on larger targets without dialing elevation.

My bolt guns carry cleaner reticles though. It just seems to work better.

The clutter doesn't bother me, but some people struggle with it.

 
The scopes I've had...

Some being the old less expensive Horus brand scopes. They didn't track well so it's a good thing they had decent holdover reticles, right!. I got good at holdovers - had too.

After them it was a USO 3.2-17 H58. I didn't like that scope even though it tracked well and that the glass was poor.

Got into a NF NXS F1 3.5-15/H58. I liked it but as soon as the H59 came out I wanted a scope with that reticle so I sold it.

Next I bought 3 of the HDMR's mentioned. They were very good basic featured scopes but the glass wasn't that great, not bad though. I had the 5 mil knob version. When dialed most of the way up for ELR the image quality degraded.

Athlon didn't exist yet which would have changed my decision, but I had decided I wanted close focus parallax combined with the H59 reticle, that meant buying the S&B PM2 5-25. I sold stuff and sacrificed to get them which was one of the best decisions I've ever made because they are just wonderful scopes and I love the reticle! I've had them on my PCP air rifles shooting less than 10Y on occasions, the rimfires out to 675Y, the tactical rifles, and all the way up to the big gun shooting past 2000Y.

Things I've learned...

When holding over in a FFP for ELR distances, without using the turrets, you are forced to dial magnification way down to even see the needed mil lines, doing this gets counterproductive because you are looking way down on the FOV which I don't like to do anymore, especially with the cheaper scopes because the image isn't the best down that close to the edge of the glass. So I either dial most or all the firing solution now.

I still holdover quite a bit but I do so when the firing solution is less than 10 mils and mostly with the scope set around 15x and less than 7-8 mils.

The thing I don't like about the H59 is it doesn't have every mill line numbered which catches me off the correct line once in awhile.

 
if you're going for an horus reticle go for something current like the H59 or tremor 3, avoid the 58 as i think its lines are kind of thick. Bushnell has a clean reticle with their g2 or g3 reticle, those are christmas tree as opposed to a grid. Vortex also has some great reticles in similar styles. if you're want great glass save up and get a night force, S&B or something else. There are some places right now where you can get a S&B 5-25 for as low as $2200-$2500 right now.
 
We sale a good number of HOURS 59 but we sale more Tremor3. The Nightforce ATACR 5-25x offer an amazing scope with these reticle options.

https://www.cstactical.com/p/5564-N...1-ZeroStop-1-Mil-Radian-Digillum-PTL-H59.aspx
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https://www.cstactical.com/p/5565-N...roStop-1-Mil-Radian-Digillum-PTL-Tremor3.aspx

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I picked up a Mark8 with Tremor2 to top my 7.62 when I got into Peacemaker and the 1000yd range. I’m dialimg in most but have taken some time to attempt to use holdovers when ranging 600-1000. If I was going to just use it with the 7.62 I’d probably just stay the course. But now that LaRue is shipping the 6.5CM uppers, I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on one giving me the benefits I see with the other guys on the line. I contacted Leupold and they offer an upgraded reticle for $600. I’m going to do it, just not sure if I should scale back to a straight mil with a TMR or stick with Horus. They offer bother the Tremor3 and H59.

Anyone with experience with any of the above have a recommendation?
 
The Tremor3 makes sense for a round like the 308win. The wind dots could be wildly advantageous in addition to the moving target lines. I have the 7-35x ATACR T3 mounted to my AR10 308 20" barrel. I haven't got to drive it out to varying distances (1,200yds max) like I have with my 6.5creed bolt gun which did not have a Horus ret. So I can't give you a review. I plan to build a 6.5 PRC rifle soon and I'm not sure I'm going to throw a T3 ret on it. Maybe an H59. I need more time behind the T3 before I'll decide if I want to put in on a cartridge that has superior ballistic compared to my 308win or even 6.5creed. I just don't think I'll need wind dots with a 6.5 PRC.
 
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I actually just mounted up a Bushnell HDMR 2 with a Horus H59 today. I was coming from a NF SHV 4-14 F1 with the Mil-R reticle. I've become a huge fan of the H59 in one range session! After zeroing the optic and doing a tall target and box test I went out to my long range spot where I have steel from 305-940 yards. I proceeded to check my dope dialing to see if things had changed (went to higher 34mm rings which changed scope height a minute amount) and then decided to practice holding over. That's when I became a believer! From my 100 yard zero, it was dead easy to make precise holdovers and wind holds from 305-690-760-830-940. I did it like that just to see, normally I'd dial the closest target and then hold but that H59 reticle makes holding accurately so easy so easy.Gotta love those 0.2 mil hashes! I had a feeling I'd like the reticle and I sure am glad that I was right, haha.
 
The more I run my Tremor 3's, the more I love the reticle. It's basically a H59 with the wind dot system added and a few other minor changes but it works and allows me to run dope any way I want.

- I can dial elevation and hold wind in mrad values with the great .2mil hashmarks on the reticle. I usually do this beyond a certain distance which could be anywhere from 400-800 yards just depends on the round I'm running.

- I can hold elevation and wind in mrad values with the Horus grid system.

- Or I can hold elevation and hold wind using the dots.


The dots do work very well. They take a little bit of use to get down right but I actually find myself making less error or smaller errors with wind thinking in the dot system vs going on wind holds in mils. I know that it's the exact same result but it's just a mental thing for me and probably different for others.

The H59 is also a favorite of mine, I have a few scopes with it as well and it works great just doesn't have the wind dots or the T3. It's my second favorite to the T3. Personally I wouldn't buy any other Horus reticles than these two, even if I was saving a significant amount of $$ I'd still pay the difference to get one of these. As a reference I have also used H25, H37, H58, and Tremor 2. H58 and Tremor 2 were my least favorite, I actually hated the Tremor 2 as you were pretty much stuck with using wind system only for holds and all the super fine marks made it very busy and cluttered. That says a lot because I'm not one that finds a Horus reticle to be cluttered or distracting other than that one.

If you're going to be at the PNTC Fall Brawl this weekend I can bring a few flavors for you to check out if you want to see them in person.
 
If you are planing to shoot F class it's a waste of time and money. F class is shot at known distances on targets where each ting = ½ MOA so reticles with rulers are pretty much useless and redundant. (mil turrets are also a PITA on an NRA target. Match the turrets to the ruler, in this case the ruler is the target with ½ MOA lines. Pretty much every serious F class competitor runs high magnification 2nd focal plane 1/8 moa turrets.

For PRS sure, but one other thing about Horus, you typically pay $250 to $500 more for one of them than you do for a scope with anyone else's Christmas tree in it.
 
I just went to the H59 And I love it. it's perfect. and at high power it is still very precise with the floating center dot
 
Would the Horus be a good recommendation for a new long range shooter? I'm looking at the H59 to top my 16" AR10/308.
 
Would the Horus be a good recommendation for a new long range shooter? I'm looking at the H59 to top my 16" AR10/308.

I don't think being a new shooter versus a veteran is really the issue. It's about application.

It may look incomprehensible for a bit to a newer shooter, but it just takes practice to figure out how to use it effectively. So it boils down to whether or not you have a use for it.
 
Because of the wind dots, I prefer the T3 over the H59. They are easier for my old eyes to stay focused on versus the .2mil hash marks. They are easy to use, if miss, just hold next dot.

As mentioned above, holding often times not advantageous at distance on small targets if having to turn power down to hold. I hardly ever catch myself holding more than 3 mils, 600 yards with my 6 creed, unless its a IPSC size plate.

I would recommend a quality scope like a NF, USO or S&B because you may find yourself dialing elevation and holding wind more than you think you will. The center dot in both the H59 and T3 allows for precise shots when dialing elevation and holding wind.
 
another on to consider is the H102 reticle. just ordered one to sit on large frame AR
 
Ask yourself this question “Am I really going to hold for elevation and wind at extended ranges or am I more than likely going to dial my turrets for elevation and wind”

After running these types of reticles for a "bit" I have found that unless I am engaging multiple targets at various ranges I tend to dial my elevation and hold for the wind.
I am very comfortable with holding off as well as dialing but find that I prefer have my target closer to the center of the optic both for calling my shots and witnessing impacts. The wind changes quickly and often enough that I have come to prefer to be able to make those adjustments on the fly.


 
I don't think being a new shooter versus a veteran is really the issue. It's about application.

It may look incomprehensible for a bit to a newer shooter, but it just takes practice to figure out how to use it effectively. So it boils down to whether or not you have a use for it.

This guy is correct. Also, the pictures of the H59 on Google don't do it justice. It really is a great reticle. My only bone to pick with it is that it doesn't really have an ability to achieve hold-unders. Not that I utilize them that much, but I have. I am still grabbing one for one of my AR's. The floating dot has become a big selling feature to me. It's either the floating dot, ala the H59 or SKMR 3, or an open center such as used on Kahles' AMR reticle.

If you can ever make it to any precision rifle match, I'm sure you would have a vast multitude of reticles you could look at first-person. The other issue is your budget, obviously that can narrow your options.
 
My only complaint is i wish they would label each line and change the font every other line making it more difficult to accidentally pick the wrong one.

I will say I like the + sign floating center crosshair better now than the dot since I've been using the Athlon reticles, it's easier to pick up on lower mag and more intuitive for centering.
 
As im selling my uso h59 I love the hell out of it but i want to fund a new rifle. Ive had the h59 and the tremor 2. I thought the tremor 2 was too busy but the h59 was perfect. The only down side i found was at extended ranges the center dot would cover up where i was trying to impact or hold a tight group. So that is my only wish.. That it was a little smaller/thinner.