Turn the illumination off?

[Alaskapopo]

Okay, with the confession that I am still painfully learning my way around actually shooting an AR at distance I have what may be a stupid question. If the stage has mainly long range targets why wouldn't I turn off the illumination on the scope? I am using the subtension lines and not the center dot. The illumination seems to be more of a distraction than anything at that point. Granted I have an XTR II which makes an Aimpoint look dim combined with a tendency for me to think 11 is always the appropriate setting. That might be part of the issue. .

Sometimes it still helps. At the Texas multigun match with a 300 yard target that was nearly black in front of a black tire it was difficulty to see the black reticle but holding over with the lit dot made it easy.

Pat

[mpeltier]

We used to tape over the fiber optic pipe to kill the "glow" on the TA-11,s for long range precision.....when 3-gun involved shooting at Dinosaurs!

.............now the Dinosaurs are doing the shooting.

[thepunishur]

I have the XTRII 1.5-8

The 2nd focal plan horseshoe is only visible if the illumination is on. So anything 100 yards and in, it stays on. Longer steel, and I turn it off.

[Kirkwoodious]

If I have to use hold over hash marks at distance I keep the illumination OFF on my Razor HD 2 w/ JM1.  Why distract from what you are aiming at or where you need to hold.

[PCKLST]

I run the Nightforce NXS 1-4 and the illumination is not daylight visible so mine is always off. For the price of this scope it would be nice if it was a usable feature.

[Vespid_Wasp]

I don't use illumination when I am shooting at steel that is at distances 200y or greater, generally.  If there is some up close paper I will probably turn it on and leave it on.

 

I don't feel hampered without the dot lit up because my reticle contrasts well on paper without illumination.  It is nice to have though.  

 

 

Razor with JM-1.

 

 

[Nathanb]

The dot is only on for hoser stuff. I shoot s razor hd 

[JesseTischauser]

If there is not a lot of hosing I'll turn mine off too.

[HCH]

I never even turn mine on. 

[toothandnail]

Here it is over 2 years later . . . . 

And I have used ill twice since my last post in this thread

[3GLewie]

I have never used the illumination on my old school Burris MTAC. I can see it at well enough with out ILL out to 300 yds, and for hoser stuff I don't focus that much on the dot any way, just the donut.  Now for PCC I like the Trijicon MRO RDS. 

[Hi-Power Jack]

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 5:04 PM, toothandnail said:

 

I have used ill twice since my last post in this thread

 

What were the occasions ?   Why did you turn it on ?

[toothandnail]

1 hour ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

 

What were the occasions ?   Why did you turn it on ?

Shooting a black steel target, in the shadows(trees), late in the afternoon.

The black reticle was still visible on the target, but red was quicker.

[GetAwayDriva]

Just get yourself a scope whose “daylight visible” illumination is not that....  then you don’t have to worry about whether or not to turn it on ???????

[Dan Sierpina]

4 hours ago, GetAwayDriva said:

Just get yourself a scope whose “daylight visible” illumination is not that....  then you don’t have to worry about whether or not to turn it on ???????

Hell, I seldom turn on the illumination on my Vortex Spitfire!

[eric.goodwin.376]

I only use illumination when needed. Sometimes the long range targets blend the reticle in and that’s when I would use it


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[Timmeh]

Check to see if your illumination is any indication of parralax, scopes like the mark 6 and mark 8 have their illumination disappear before too much parralax. The biggest thing for me is on close paper at 1x, having a dot to aim with, not a black reticle!

[JohnnyD]

I really only use it when I'm on short hoser type stages as the reticle on my Strike Eagle turns into a jumbo red dot.  I can just see paper and pull the trigger.

 

It was a life saver on a hoser stage last year at the MI State Match.  They had a stage in the shoot house that had all the lights off and windows covered with black tarps.  The only lights on were crazy disco lights.  Had I not had any illumination I'd have been screwed.  No way I could have seen a black reticle in those light conditions.

 

[mveto]

I tend to use it on hoser stages, it seems to be quicker to pick than just the reticle. I think of it just like using a red dot on a PCC as soon as the dots on paper pull the trigger.

[Mickster]

Last shooter, last squad, on a backed up jungle run stage in the woods of North Carolina just as the sun dipped below the tree line. Paper IPSC targets were almost not visible to the naked eye. Thru the scope they could be made out if you sort of knew where they were. A black reticle was invisible against the dark back ground and targets. Low illumination saved the day.

 

Other than screwing around, that was the only time in 20 years of 3 gunning where I actually used it.

 

It's like a seat belt. You don't really need it, but when you need it, you really, really need it.

[Adamj]

I turn my Razor 1-6's illumination on only at 1x for closer targets. I only shoot 3-Gun, but at distance I don't need the dot distracting my eyes for a precise shot.