Leica IBS // Ballistic Reticle

M

maverick2

Handloader
Dec 22, 2013
347
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I'm struggling to find much info on Leica's "IBS" or "Ballistic" reticles, so thought I'd air my question here. I'm looking for a scope to put on my 6.5CM that has well-placed holdover marks for some long range hunting (deer to 400 yds, coyotes to 700+ yds, etc...) and that has target turrets available for punching paper. The Zeiss HD5 3-15x42 w/ Z800 fits that bill pretty nicely, but I see that Leica offers something that appears to be similar in their 3.5-14x42 with the IBS and Ballistic reticles. When I go to their ballistic calculator however, no matter how much I play around with the parameters, I can't seem to come up with any combination where their holdover marks match up with any kind of nominal, easy-to-remember yardages. (With the Zeiss Ballistic calculator, I found it's quite easy to play with sight-in distance and magnification parameters to get the ballistics to match spot-on with the holdover mark.) For those of you familiar with Leica's IBS and Ballistic reticles, is it their intent to be able to make it work similar to Zeiss' system, or are the holdover marks placed on MOA or MIL spacing, or something else altogether???
 
Welcome aboard Maverick. I do not have a Leica scope but someone will be along to help soon.
 
I do have several Leica scopes. However, none of my three Leica scopes have the IBS G7 reticle. I do have the ASV on the 3.5-14X42, though I haven't used it yet.
 
I have been running the 3-12x50 with AVS and IBS reticle on several hunts.
I like the scope in general and the glass but fee the IBS is on the thin side, a common "complaint" with Leica scopes that I have heard come up.

I think the Swarovski Ballistic turret and 4w reticle might be a better choice.
The 4w is simple, it's a bit bolder and provides 2 MOA holdover points.
The entire reticle is just bolder and has thicker outside lines that make it pop better in low light.

I took some pics of both reticles the other evening and will try to get posted soon.
 
ccoker":34pg5o2z said:
I have been running the 3-12x50 with AVS and IBS reticle on several hunts.
I like the scope in general and the glass but fee the IBS is on the thin side, a common "complaint" with Leica scopes that I have heard come up.

I think the Swarovski Ballistic turret and 4w reticle might be a better choice.
The 4w is simple, it's a bit bolder and provides 2 MOA holdover points.
The entire reticle is just bolder and has thicker outside lines that make it pop better in low light.

I took some pics of both reticles the other evening and will try to get posted soon.
Click to expand...

Would love to see some thru-the-scope pix of these reticles if you're willing to post them! I've found mfr website graphics of reticles do a good job of showing reticle configuration, but don't necessarily do a good job of indicating how that reticle looks thru the scope and in actual application. (That's probably my biggest complaint about scope shopping if you don't have access to dealers w/ a lot of scopes available...)

To add a dark horse to the race, I've found that Meopta makes a "McWhorter" reticle on their 4-16x44 that looks and functions almost identical to Zeiss' Z800 (overhold hash marks out to 800, and a ballistic calculator that lets you calibrate your rifle/caliber/loads to the scope via mag setting). The more I read and learn of the Meopta option, the higher my interest is. I'm not finding a lot of info on Meopta (or that McWhorter reticle) compared to other scope mfrs, so have sent some queries to Meopta. I'm hoping that particular reticle falls somewhere between Leica's IBS and Zeiss' Z800 in terms of reticle thickness/appearance, which should help it to serve dual purpose for me for hunting and targets...
 
maverick2":3mneq4js said:
To add a dark horse to the race, I've found that Meopta makes a "McWhorter" reticle on their 4-16x44 that looks and functions almost identical to Zeiss' Z800 (overhold hash marks out to 800, and a ballistic calculator that lets you calibrate your rifle/caliber/loads to the scope via mag setting). The more I read and learn of the Meopta option, the higher my interest is. I'm not finding a lot of info on Meopta (or that McWhorter reticle) compared to other scope mfrs, so have sent some queries to Meopta. I'm hoping that particular reticle falls somewhere between Leica's IBS and Zeiss' Z800 in terms of reticle thickness/appearance, which should help it to serve dual purpose for me for hunting and targets...
Click to expand...

I think the "dark horse" is my winner. Dug up everything I could on the Meopta, talked to a few folks familiar with both Zeiss Rapid Z reticles and Meopta's McWhorter reticle, etc., and everything points to the Meopta being the better option for me. (Sounds like the Meopta glass is a little more oriented to low light hunting than the Zeiss, and the thickness of the Meopta reticle affords a better balance of hunting and target work than the Zeiss.) The ballistic calculator works equally well for both mfrs on my caliber, and price is a wash between the two, so that's the route I think I'll go. Thanks for all your feedback!

-- Mark
 
There is not a bad choice between those two. It comes down to preferences. Good luck with that scope, it should be a winner.
 
I have heard nothing but good on Meopta! As Charlie stated either one will do the job!

Blessings,
Dan
 
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