Patent ID: 8705173

Claim:
A reticle system for a variable optical power sighting device, the sighting device including an objective lens system that produces an image of a distant target at a front focal plane located behind the objective lens system, an adjustable erector lens system located behind the front focal plane and configured to produce an erect image of the distant target at a rear focal plane rearward of the front focal plane, an eyepiece lens located behind the rear focal plane and configured to focus upon the erect image, and an optical power adjustment mechanism operable to adjust an axial position of at least a portion of the erector lens system along an optical axis of the erector assembly so as to adjust of a degree of image magnification of the sighting device, the reticle system comprising: a rear reticle located proximate the rear focal plane and viewable through the eyepiece in a field of view thereof superimposed upon the erect image, the rear reticle including first and second bracketing marks spaced apart from each other a pre-selected distance, and a scale including graduated measurement indicia spaced apart along a radial direction radiating from the optical axis and either increasing or decreasing in magnitude toward an outer boundary of the field of view; and a front reticle located proximate the front focal plane including an indicator portion radially offset from the optical axis so as to appear in the field of view in alignment with the scale of the rear reticle, the indicator portion thereby appearing to shift in the field of view and move along the scale in response to adjustment of the degree of image magnification to indicate a measurement corresponding to a size of a feature of the distant target subtended in the field of view by the first and second bracketing marks.