How To Use Rifle Scope’s Modern Reticle

Nowadays, riflescope reticles can end up being underutilized and overlooked tools. Traditional reticles, like the mil-dot reticle, were the standard for a long time. However, modern Christmas- tree style reticles, (lets use the Vortex EBR-9 as an example), offer far more functionality.

It helps to think of modern reticles like advanced tape measures, but for rifle shooting. 

Admittedly, modern Christmas-tree style reticles have so much going on that can be overwhelming at first. But once you become familiar with them, it becomes easy to leverage improved wind and elevation holds, faster follow up shots and the ability to range targets effectively.

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Holding Over For Elevation

The most common use for modern reticles is elevation holds. When shooting rifles at long range or making precise, close range shots, you must account for bullet drop and optic offset. You can find your elevation holds, also referred to as D.O.P.E. (data on previous engagement) by using ballistic calculators such as Ballistic Advantage or Hornady Ballistics, to name a couple. This is done by either dialing your turret or “holding” (i.e., aiming higher) to compensate for the bullet drop at a specific distance. 

Modern optics’ reticles include hash marks and/or ballistic drop compensators (BDCs) to precisely account for bullet drop at various distances. This allows you to engage targets faster without needing to redial your turrets between shots. 

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Another benefit of modern reticles found in certain LPVOs and non-magnified optics is that they account for optic offset at close ranges. That’s one reason holographic and prism style reticles feature a circle around the main dot. The bottom of this circle can typically be used for precision shots at close ranges (within 5-10 yards) in order to account for optic offset. 

Shooting With The Wind

Modern optics make holding for wind a breeze (if you have an accurate wind call). Gone are the days of relying on basic “Kentucky windage.” Before modern optics, shooters had to guess how much to hold left or right to compensate for wind. Now, with ballistic calculators and quick/short wind charts, you can determine the wind compensation needed and precisely apply it using your scope’s reticle.

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If you’re unfamiliar with quick wind or short wind charts, they simplify wind holds based on your rifle’s wind number. You can learn more about wind numbers and find yours here. 

For example, we’ll use a .308 bolt-action rifle, which typically has a wind number of 4 mph. This means that in a 4 mph wind, you hold a tenth of the target distance in mils. If your target lies 800 meters or beyond, you add an additional 0.1 mil to that hold. 

For instance, if your target is 500 meters away and the wind is blowing 4mph left to right you hold 0.5 mil left. Below is a quick wind chart based on a rifle wind number of 4 mph, with data for 8 mph and 12 mph winds in case the wind is two to three times stronger.

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If your rifle has a different wind number, such as 5 mph, simply replace 4 mph, 8 mph, and 12 mph with 5 mph, 10 mph, and 15 mph, respectively.

Follow Up Corrections

Traditional reticles, like the mil-dot, have a lot of open space. While some shooters prefer this for its simplicity and reduced distraction, it can make follow-up shots less precise. When shooting a target that’s in front of a berm, if you miss the target, the easiest way to make a correction is to use the point of impact as your new aiming point. 

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The illustration below demonstrates this concept (the red circle represents where the bullet hit).

Having a christmas tree style reticle gives you plenty of aiming points for follow up corrections. Traditional reticles lack reference points for a new aiming point, leaving you “aiming in space” and guessing where to adjust.

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Using Modern Reticles To Estimate Range

Knowing your target’s distance is critical. Rangefinders are excellent tools, but they aren’t always available, and using one takes time. Many modern reticles feature built-in range estimation tools, allowing you to quickly determine target distance without lowering your rifle. The Primary Arms ACSS reticle below exemplifies this. It features hash marks to line up the width of an 18-inch target or height of a 70-inch target to estimate its distance. Once you know the distance, you can use the corresponding aiming point to hit the target. This demonstrates the importance of learning your reticle to maximize its potential.

The Mil Relation Formula

There’s also the Mil Relation formula, a more advanced ranging technique. While using the Mil Relation formula takes more time, it doesn’t limit you to a certain target size or set distances. 

To use the Mil Relation Formula, take the target’s height or width in inches, multiply by 27.78, then divide by the target’s measurement in mils to get the distance in yards. The formula written out looks like this: 

(Target Height/Width in Inches × 27.78) ÷ Mil Reading = Target Distance in Yards

For the example above, if a target is 18 inches wide and measures 0.9 mils in your reticle, the calculation is: (18 × 27.78) ÷ 0.9 = 555.6 yards.To simplify the process, if your targets are consistently 18” wide, you can pre-calculate 18 × 27.78 = 500.04. Then, divide 500.04 by the mil measurement to quickly get the distance.

To further streamline this process, create a chart mapping mil measurements to specific ranges, eliminating the need for on the spot calculations. Below is an example chart based on an 18-inch target in 100-yard increments.

Don’t Take The Hashes For Granted

Every reticle is unique, incorporating features like range estimation, ballistic drop compensators, wind dots and more. Taking the time to research your specific reticle will help you maximize its capabilities. Modern optics can be a large investment and learning to use your reticle effectively makes that investment worthwhile. As a result, you’ll shoot faster and more accurately.