SWFA SS 1-4x 30mm Illuminated Mil/Donut

[m24shooter]

Picked up an SWFA SS1-4 with illuminated Donut (Circle/Mil scale) reticle today. Put the mag lever on it too, slapped it in an ADM Scout and dropped that on my BCM middy.
Shiny.
In regard to the cattail, the halves should more accurately be called "right" and "left" as opposed to "top" and "bottom" as they are in the blister pack card.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/midss14.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/ss14.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/ss14knobs.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/ss14crux.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/ss14levermax.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/blk1x.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/red1x.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/blk4x.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/m24shooter/swfa%20ss/red4x.jpg

This will end up on my SDM when I get that put back together.

[5pins]

Looks nice.

[Paulo_Santos]

I love everything about that scope and the reticle except for the thick a$$ left, right, and bottom lines on the reticle, which are visible on 1x. If they removed those lines, the reticle would be perfect. Just blocks too much for my taste.

[m24shooter]

They are chinga monster big.

[BravoHotel]

Very nice looking scope but Paulo has a good point -- those lines are ridiculously thick.

m24- where can I learn more about the upper and barrel you're running? Would prefer not to hijack this thread.

[m24shooter]

It's somewhere in the Explain Your AR thread, but short version:
LRB Rainier group buy lower
Rainier Arms billet upper
BCM 16" midlength 1:7 CL
DD Low Pro gas block
BCM bolt carrier group
Rainier Arms XTC comp
DD Lite 12" rail
Gear Sector handstops (2), QD sling mount, and SF light mount
MBUS Gen Is
Magpul XTs
Bobro Gen 2 pod

[BravoHotel]

Appreciated! I was looking at BCM's 16" Recce SS410 barrel and when I saw yours I thought it may have been the Ionbonded version.

[m24shooter]

BH and Paulo-
In regard to the stadia lines, while they are big, they also serve a purpose. The German #1 reticle (or it may be #4, I don't remember) was originally used for hunting in Europe. It had thick left, right, and bottom stadia that tapered sharply to a point, with usually no intersection. Typically the bottom post came up to the same level as the horizontal lines, but the right and left were evenly spaced. The thick stadia allowed for easy use in close county and low light, which is when a lot of hunting was done. That same utility was brought over into their military glass which were usually low powered, at most 4x. It allowed enough precision to range a target and shoot, while being large enough to allow quick shooting when needed.
This reticle does that as well, with the further refinement of the fine stadia lines inside the circle. Admittedly, the thick stadia are not for everybody, and as you say will be distracting to some. The other side of the thick stadia and donut is that if the illumination is not on, the reticle can be picked up very easily as opposed to other scopes that have much finer stadia.

[Paulo_Santos]

BH and Paulo-
In regard to the stadia lines, while they are big, they also serve a purpose. The German #1 reticle (or it may be #4, I don't remember) was originally used for hunting in Europe. It had thick left, right, and bottom stadia that tapered sharply to a point, with usually no intersection. Typically the bottom post came up to the same level as the horizontal lines, but the right and left were evenly spaced. The thick stadia allowed for easy use in close county and low light, which is when a lot of hunting was done. That same utility was brought over into their military glass which were usually low powered, at most 4x. It allowed enough precision to range a target and shoot, while being large enough to allow quick shooting when needed.
This reticle does that as well, with the further refinement of the fine stadia lines inside the circle. Admittedly, the thick stadia are not for everybody, and as you say will be distracting to some. The other side of the thick stadia and donut is that if the illumination is not on, the reticle can be picked up very easily as opposed to other scopes that have much finer stadia.

I've had a couple of scopes with the circle dot reticle (Horus Talon 1x4, Swarovski 1x6 with circle dot, and an IOR 1.1x4). With a daytime visible illumination like on the Swarovski, S&B, Zenith, it is best to have no lines or very thin stadia lines on the outside and a thin or no outer ghost ring at all. One of the reasons I sold my Swarovski was because on 1x, the reticle covered up too much of the target.

With a non-illuminated or regular illumination that is not daytime visible, you can still get away with the thin stadia lines as long as the outer ghost ring on the circle dot is thick enough to be picked up on 1x, especially on the Front Focal Plane scopes. The Horus Talon is a perfect example and I regret selling it.