It’s somewhat rare that OZKP has two of the exact same model of scopes in inventory at the same time. Though we will be releasing plenty of articles on the Lyman 10X SL, this is a perfect use case to discuss and analyze some vintage reticles that Lyman offered from 1977 - 1985.
Most readers are probably familiar with the Duplex reticle, so we’ll start there. Introduced by Leupold & Stevens (now Leupold) in the early 1960’s, the Duplex reticle features heavier outer posts that transition to a fine wire at the crosshair’s intersection. The benefit is simple: the heavier outer posts naturally draw the shooter’s eye toward the center while making the reticle easier to see in low-light conditions or against dark backgrounds, resulting in faster target acquisition. It was a significant development for its time, as most sporting optics of the era still featured some variation of a fine wire crosshair. While fine wire reticles are still offered by some manufacturers today, the Duplex has become the industry standard reticle of the modern era. More than sixty years later, it has stood the test of time, and rightfully so, its simple and effective in varying environments.
The Lyman 10X SL with Duplex reticle.
The Lee Dot is a fascinating piece of shooting history. Known simply as the “Dot” reticle in Lyman literature, it wasn’t developed by a major optics manufacturer, but by Alabama craftsman T.K. Lee. Instead of a traditional fine crosshair or post reticle, the Lee Dot featured a tiny black dot suspended at the center of the crosshairs, providing shooters with a precise aiming point while obscuring very little of the target. The design quickly gained a following among benchrest competitors, varmint hunters, and precision riflemen, where shot placement on small targets was essential. While it never widely adopted like the Duplex, the Lee Dot remains one of the most innovative reticle designs of its era and is highly sought after by collectors today. Per various forum posts and other literature, it is said that Lee used black widow spiderwebs to make the ultra fine wire crosshairs in the Lee Dot (I’m not even kidding). Collectors allege that Lee personally raised Black Widow spiders for silk harvesting.
The Lyman 10X SL with Lee Dot reticle. Rather difficult to photograph!
I am going to assume that many of the readers of this article haven’t looked through a Lee Dot before, I’ll admit this is my first time as well. With that, I can immediately see the potential drawbacks. The Dot is so fine it’s easy to lose in the shadows on an overcast day during my backyard test. Now this isn’t without caveats. Lee did produce various sizes of the dot reticle, and recommended different sizes for different use cases. The smaller dots, like the one featured in this article, were intended for target and benchrest shooting specifically. Larger dots such as 3 and 4 MOA were recommended for general big game and thick timber hunting.
If you’ve been reading our articles, this echos back to the original philosophy of hunting optics. They were selected much like the rifle at the time, for a specific purpose. Hunting setups are designed to be more universal today than they were in the 1970’s, and the manufacturing of optics is much more standardized now. There are no more major scope manufacturers hand assembling scopes these days. With that being said, it somewhat (unfortunately) makes sense why the duplex prevailed long term versus the Lee Dot. Though it may be a handful of weeks before I get to field test the Lee Dot, I can’t wait to see how it performs on the range.
Thanks for reading. If you have any information specifically on the Lee Dot reticle, please feel free to contact us if you’d like to help contribute to the archive. Cheers!
- Hayes
One more look at the Lee Dot close up.