Some Follow-up considerations on precision reticles
We've got a poll going on precision reticle preferences and, so far, it is working out more or less along the lines of what I expected, except I thought that there would be a few lost souls who are into grid-type reticles.
https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/post/6112511/precision-scope-reticle-preference
At the time this is written, it is 76% for tree-type reticles (me included), 24% for hash type reticles and 0% for grid-type reticles.
50 people have voted. That is not a lot, but enough to recognize a trend.
In the PRS world, there is a little bit of a trend toward the simpler mil-hash style reticles which brings about the usual copycats who see what the top shooters are doing and try to copy that.
They are not wrong.
If you are already a relatively competent shot confident in your fundamentals, it is not a bad thing to see what the top shooters are doing and explore if the same approach might work better for you.
The difficult part is in recognizing whether the improvement (if there is one) in your scores is due to whatever new gear (or new reticle) that you adopted or due to the fact that you just spent two months of focused daily practice. Perhaps, it is the extra practice that is making you better, not the new reticle. Or perhaps it is the reticle. Or both. It is very hard to tell.
However, as long as your shooting does not get worse, it really isn't anything to occupy yourself with. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and accept improvement wherever it is coming from.
The more interesting, arguably, is what reticle type is the best starting point for people who are relatively new to this. This is where I keep on flip-slopping like a politician in a tight election race.
For years, I was absolutely adamant that a traditional mil-hash reticle like the old Mil-Quad is the way to go for someone new. Now, I am not so sure. I am sure that Horus is not it. There is just too much stuff happening with that reticle and most of it pretty useless.
However, making a new shooter dial everything does not really produce a visual aid for what is happening with the bullet's external ballistics.
Holding with some sort of a relatively simple tree reticle might be somewhat more instructive in terms of explaining how the bullet flies.
Unfortunately, the trend is toward rather complicated tree reticles (I am partially to blame for that since I have been involved with a few of those) and simpler tree reticles do not sell. I wish they did.
Interestingly, the reticle in the Blackhound 2-12x44, with just a couple small changes would be an excellent design to teach people new to distance shooting.
Perhaps, I need to give it some thought and scour the market to see what reticles are still in production that would be good for this. I have children and nephews who express some interest in shooting and hunting.
