What I have bought is someone to get me started, a compromise. But which should work well enough for some purposes.

Not illuminated at all, remember the problem with gunshops needing to actually show an illuminated reticle or dot by having batteries on hand ...

I purchased a Leupold 1-4x VX Hog pig plex scope.

I see from the Leupold site the scope is no longer available. Guess some old stock is still available. I know the gunshop still had another one for sale, as the owner had a meltdown when he saw the price tag was $495 on the box from the warehouse and $395 on the scope in the display case. I said "Perhaps it has sat there for a couple of years ..." ... not an appreciated comment.

My reticle is like this, but no illuminated dot:

The German style no4 reticle with thick posts, and fairly thick cross hairs and circle, should be quite useful for using with a shotgun barrel in 1x (my estimate is it is 1.25x).

The same should be fine for medium game for my 7x65R barrel at reasonable distances.

HOWEVER I do plan to use it first on my 12g/.223. As the mount base should be exchangeable on either the 12g/.223 or 12g/.7x65R, or even my 9.3x74R U/O. I will set it up first for the .223, sighting in, doing any regulation changes etc. As shooting some bunnies, and perhaps the odd fox will get 50x the use than the 7x65R.

Will be able to see just how much the thicker reticle impedes or not small rabbit heads at say 200 metres or less.

Will also see how well the 1x scope will work for shotgun shooting and how well I cope using a scope for a shotgun. Something I have not done before.

Will report as it progress.