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Leupold CDS Dial

riv3rbanks

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Joined
Oct 30, 2017
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163
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Deep in the Heart of Texas
I got my new Leupold VX5-HD a couple months ago and have it sighted in tight at 100 yards. It's sitting atop a Ruger American Predator in 6.5CM. I've tried some of the more expensive ammo from Nosler, Hornady, Sierra, and Federal in different weights, but I have found the best groups I get are with Hornady American Whitetail 129 grain ammo. It is nice that this is the least expensive ammo as well. I stopped a nice 10 point whitetail in his tracks from about 50 yards using this ammo this season so it seems like it is an acceptable bullet.

My questions are should I use the muzzle velocity listed on the ammo box? or is it necessary to use a chronograph? Anyone here running this same setup or at least the same rifle and bullet? Also, I live in Texas and mostly hunt whitetail, but plan on hunting more in western states for mule deer and antelope. What is a good average elevation and temp to use?

I'm looking forward to getting my custom dial, but I don't want to rush it for fear of it not being dead on out at 400 yards. Thanks for any advice you can provide.
 
I believe the way it works is you zero at 100 or 200, send the ammo information to Leupold and then replace the current turret with the cds turret. There are plenty of videos out showing this! Good luck.
 
I just sent the info from the manufacturer's website
 
For shooting out to 400 yards in a hunting application youll be fine as long as you didnt muff the information you sent to them.

I have put them on 4 guns. All were very close at 400 yards.

I used actual info from the chronograph and an average of 40 degrees and average elevation of 4000 feet.

The reality is that unless your some precision shooter the box info should be "close enough"


Big picture:

Is being an inch lower because your chrono results are 25fps slower that what you reported at 400 yards really going to matter on a deer? Maybe.... but more than likely not. How many deer are you going to shoot at over 400 yards anyhow? Honestly, ask yourself that.


Changing grain weights and BC's in my opinion will cause a much bigger issue.
 
If you want the turret to be as accurate as possible, you need to run your ammo through a chrono. I have never had the advertised speed of the ammo show up on my chrono. I think it is like the IBO speeds for bows. Faster speeds appeal to the consumer, but the actual speed is usually slower.
 
Get the MOA turret and attach a trajectory chart to the scope or stock AND verify yardage out to max shooting distance.
 
Use a chrono. For what it's worth I was huge fan of the CDS until I learned how to use MOA dials. I've been converted, MOA is much more precise.
 
Get the MOA turret and attach a trajectory chart to the scope or stock AND verify yardage out to max shooting distance.

Forgive me if I am wrong, but isn't the turret the scope comes with NIB an MOA turret? Each click 1/4 MOA. I currently have a trajectory chart for the turret it comes with out to 300 yards and I have verified the clicks get me hitting my target, but isn't the custom dial supposed to simplify it so you won't need a chart?
 
Last edited:
Forgive me if I am wrong, but isn't the turret the scope comes with NIB an MOA turret? Each click 1/4 MOA. I currently have a trajectory chart for the turret it comes with out to 300 yards and I have verified the clicks get me hitting my target, but isn't the custom dial supposed to simplify it so you won't need a chart?

That is correct, I too have been using the MOA stock turret and is a lot more accurate when you get out there a long ways. Difference of say 550-600 on a reg cds is a lot.
In regards to the speed, I put some Hornady precision hunter (their highest end ammo) through a chorno and was extremely close to that on the box. Something to keep in mind tho is the barrel length. Putting it through a chrono is best, but doubt it will be real different than the box
 
Correct, the turret the comes with a CDS scope is a MOA turret.

Try this, input your bullet/rifle data (bc, wt, twist, mv, scope height, altitude, etc, etc) into a well known online trajectory/ballistic program and print the trajectory data out to whatever range you plan to bang steel, paper punch or your actual hunting range. Now go and shoot at all those distances by using the trajectory data and dialing the turret. Will you be close? Probably/maybe, but you not as close as shooting at said distances, making adjustments and making a dope sheet with in the field data rather than computer generated data. This becomes even more apparent as you extend the shooting range.

However, if 300 yards is your max shooting distance, why even bother with a turret? You can take most any modern big game rifle, sight in for a 200 yard zero (+2" at 100) and shoot at a 300 target with only a few inches of holdover. If you are shooting a big and slower bullet, then sight in for +3" at 100 yards.

If you are determined to get a CDS turret then send in your actual/verified trajectory data rather than sending Leupold your bullet model, wt and mv.

IMHO
 
^ This. Like I said, I was a fan of the CDS until I started stretching out to 500+. The Last turret I ordered for my 7 Mag was about 1.5 MOA off IIRC. If you're a 300 yard shooter no worries, but that starts to become a problematic difference at 600.
 
Gotta agree with the above post. I’d keep the MOA turret and just use a chart. If you are dialing the turret it won’t take much time anyway to dial the MOA vs dial up to a certain yardage.
Also factory ammo can sometimes vary quite a bit just from lot to lot and should be verified over a chronograph.
 

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