300-500 yard scope.

dustinf · Oct 24, 2012

Say 300 yards is your max comfort zone, but you wanted to stretch that to 500. Do you think an adjustable turret or a BDC type reticle is best?

I understand operator error is the biggest factor, but I'd like to eliminate any worry about equipment.

cowboy · Oct 24, 2012

BDC will be slightly quicker to send a round but turret is always going to be more accurate. The BDC uses a one system fit's all rifles where you can customize a turret to your bullet/speed.

fishing4sanity · Oct 24, 2012

IMO the turret is the better way to go, but if you look at Nikon's Spot-On calculator you can print tables for the different magnifications and be accurate for their BDC scopes. When you have the custom turret built with accurate information, that's really a nice way to go. I've got turrets from Vortex and Kenton Industries and both have worked nicely, Leupold's CDS I'm sure would be good also.

Carl · Oct 24, 2012

I've used both, and made longer shots with both, and find the turrets to be preferable. You actually may find the turret to be faster, even if that seems counter intuitive. Under stress, it's just easier to work with the crosshair intersection than some holdoff value. The turrets posses further advantage if you need to hold for a windage adjustment as well. Using a turret, your aim point will at least be on the horizontal crosshair. Holding windage on a BDC usually puts you somewhere out in space.

The flip side of this is that spinning turrets asks a lot more of a scope and mounting system than a reticle based solution does. I have turrets on ALL my scopes, and I've been gravitating towards more and more reliable solutions. You'll want to shoot a lot to verify your scope's behaving itself, map the adjustments at close range, and confirm the drops at longer ranges. Then again, If you want to get comfortable out to 500, more trigger time is a great first step.

spook12 · Oct 24, 2012

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

MinnesotaHunter · Oct 25, 2012

I think you can get the same results from either system. I own both, but for hunting use the BDC type reticle or a standard duplex zero'd at 300yds and use hold over, but normally I won't take a shot past 400yds.

The bottom line is trigger time.

I haven't done much antelope hunting, especially with as many road hunters around as I saw last week in WY Unit 21, but I was amazed at the number of people I saw taking and missing shots well beyond where they should have been shooting. I suppose if you aren't willing to get more than 15yds off of a road to take a shot, you have to take the 500yd shot when you get it.....

Monteman11 · Oct 25, 2012

I have used both, and killed stuff out to 400 yards with either. That being said, the BDC style reticles can get confusing very quickly when the moment of truth happens. The turret is a positive and easy way to dial in the range without looking at a multitude of lines. I like Leupold's CDS systems as it is easy to have a new dial made for a new caliber or bullet types.

thecrittergitter · Oct 25, 2012

I have used both as well. I prefer the turrets on stuff past 500 yards but under 500, I have found the TDS reticle in my Swarovski scope is just perfect. I'm not a fan of mil dots at all and this one has fine lines rather than dots so if its 100-200 yards, just hold on and shoot. If its 300, I shoot the next line, 3rd line is 4 hundred, last line is 500.

You just have to remember that with most scopes that have those reticles in the scope, your eyepiece magnification power does have an effect on POI.....

MinnesotaHunter · Oct 25, 2012

That is the only issue I have with the Leupold B&C reticle I have on my Kimber 84L Select. I am shooting 180gr TSXs in 30-06 because the rifle really shoots them well and to match the ballistics of the round I need to have my magnification set on 7 instead of 10.

Zeiss has a program on their website like Nikon has that will tell you the exact ranges for each line based on your load. I have the Z-600 reticle taped on the stock of my Tikka with the exact yardages for each line, conicidently all are +\- 10 yds from the designated numbers on the reticle.

I shoot a ton of rounds through a Trijicon ACOG with a similar reticle to these, so it is pretty second nature at this point. If CDS dials work for you they certainly have their advantages.

bjtc_brian · Oct 25, 2012

MH, there is a program called iStrelok that gives most reticles and their yardage based upon your ballistic profile. I have found it to be pretty accurate.

Baerman · Oct 25, 2012

I have the Vortex Viper HS scope with BDC recticle and it's working great for me so far. Vortex has a calculator as well, just input bullet coefficient and velocity plus some other field data it shows you what yardage each tick mark represents. I printed that chart and taped it to my stock.

I would agree with Critter, that past 500 yds, you will likely want the turret becuase the bullet drop is so great at that point you need to be spot on.

MinnesotaHunter · Oct 25, 2012

Brian

I downloaded that app for my ipad a few months ago and messed with it, but was unable to determine what magnification setting my leupold needed to be on. I assumed max power, but I didn't have a range I could shoot more than 200yds on to validate the results.

Is there somewhere in the app I missing that gives me that info?

Thanks

Ross

noharleyyet · Oct 25, 2012

Carl said:
I've used both, and made longer shots with both, and find the turrets to be preferable. You actually may find the turret to be faster, even if that seems counter intuitive. Under stress, it's just easier to work with the crosshair intersection than some holdoff value. The turrets posses further advantage if you need to hold for a windage adjustment as well. Using a turret, your aim point will at least be on the horizontal crosshair. Holding windage on a BDC usually puts you somewhere out in space.

The flip side of this is that spinning turrets asks a lot more of a scope and mounting system than a reticle based solution does. I have turrets on ALL my scopes, and I've been gravitating towards more and more reliable solutions. You'll want to shoot a lot to verify your scope's behaving itself, map the adjustments at close range, and confirm the drops at longer ranges. Then again, If you want to get comfortable out to 500, more trigger time is a great first step.

This, especially the last sentence.

schmalts · Oct 25, 2012

If your max is 500 yards either will work. The biggest thing to remember is that with a BDC style you need to make sure the magnification is set at the same setting you calibrated the yardage.
If you dial in the 500 yard hash mark with the scope turned to 9X you better have it set to 9x when the time comes or you will be way off in elevation. I never figured why they don't just make the BDC style in first focal plane to cure this

jlmatthew · Oct 25, 2012

I have a Zeiss 6.5-20X44 on my 300 Win Mag with target turrets, but I think I'd still try to get within 300 yards unless I was in some really open country

bjtc_brian · Oct 25, 2012

MinnesotaHunter said:
Brian

I downloaded that app for my ipad a few months ago and messed with it, but was unable to determine what magnification setting my leupold needed to be on. I assumed max power, but I didn't have a range I could shoot more than 200yds on to validate the results.

Is there somewhere in the app I missing that gives me that info?

Thanks

Ross

You might have an old version. Recently the developer added a magnification bar to adjust your magnification. You can set it specific to what your scopes min and max are too.

Also, it will very much depend on what your velocity is calculated too. If you are relying on a Chrono, then it won't be as accurate(chrono's aren't as accurate as one would think). Measuring drops at ranges is the best way to get your correct velocity. GSeven's ballistic calculator(http://www.gseven.com/ballistic-program) has been for me the best way to get the "true" velocity as it has that calculation as part of it.

BC's are going to have to come from the manufacturer, which in theory "should be" fairly accurate.

I am fairly new to this, but have learned a lot in the last year or so, so I understand where you are! Feel free to PM me any questions and I will try to point you in the right direction.

sbhooper · Oct 26, 2012

Baerman said:
I have the Vortex Viper HS scope with BDC recticle and it's working great for me so far. Vortex has a calculator as well, just input bullet coefficient and velocity plus some other field data it shows you what yardage each tick mark represents. I printed that chart and taped it to my stock.

I would agree with Critter, that past 500 yds, you will likely want the turret becuase the bullet drop is so great at that point you need to be spot on.

That is the whole issue with the BDC. You have to know exactly what range each mark will hit at. I have a Bushnell Elite with it and I figured all distances out to 500 yards. They are taped to my scope. I have not yet tried a shot at anything that far, so I can't really pass judgement.

I have a sniper buddy that is spot on with his turret scope. It still boils down to knowing the exact ballistics for the load that you are shooting. He shoots a .308 regularly out to 1000 yards and knows exactly what it is doing.

MinnesotaHunter · Oct 26, 2012

bjtc_brian said:
You might have an old version. Recently the developer added a magnification bar to adjust your magnification. You can set it specific to what your scopes min and max are too.

Thanks, Brian.

I updated my app last night and there it was. I always confirm the zeros of each line on the range just to be sure.

I wish I had updated it prior to my WY trip, but both my shots ended up being under 300 so it really wasn't an issue.

Ross

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300-500 yard scope.

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