For some reason my spell-check refuses to recognize the word "reticle." This is perhaps because it prefers the older (possibly more correct) spelling used by Elmer Keith, "reticule." But we know what a reticle is: the specific arrangement within a riflescope (and some aperture sights) that gives us an aiming point.

Although superb for fast, close-range shooting, all post reticles--even this illuminated Trijicon--are limited in range because when holdover is required the post obscures too much of the target.

There are many options, and all are compromises between visibility and precision. The most popular has crosshairs with a thick outer wire and a thin intersection. This should properly be referred to as a "plex-type" reticle because most major scope manufacturers have their own trademarked version. Leupold's, for instance, is the trademarked Duplex, one of the first reticles of its type. The plex-type deserves its popularity. The thick outer wires are bold and visible and quickly allow the eye to center the scope on the target. The thin intersection, on the other hand, obscures little of the target and allows a fairly precise aiming point.

It is thus a compromise between precision and speed. The most precise reticle is probably a thin crosshair. It obscures very little of the target, even when distance requires holdover up the lower half of the vertical wire. Although many reticles have been enhanced (and complicated) by additional stadia lines and so forth, a very thin crosshair remains popular for varmint hunting, where you must have a precise aiming point on a very small target. Those of us who have used such reticles for big-game hunting know that in poor light that tiny wire becomes very hard to see, and it's impossible to see against a dark target.

Bolder, faster reticles that used to be very popular included posts and dots, sometimes also with crosshairs, sometimes not. I wrote years ago that the fastest reticle I ever used was the good old two-minute Lee dot. The post is almost as fast; both remain exceptional reticles for fast use at short to perhaps medium range. This is because that big dot and the tip of the post are unmistakably visible, rapidly drawing the eye to the aiming point. Both, however, are limited. A two-minute dot subtends (covers) two inches of the target at 100 yards and four inches at 200 yards--great for deer, not so great for prairie dogs. At 400 yards the dot covers eight inches. The post probably offers a more defined aiming point so is a bit more versatile--but when distance requires holdover, the target is hidden behind the post, which makes precision difficult (and, at some distances, depending on the size of the target, impossible).