What's your take?

W

warbirdlover

New member
Would you prefer a simple ranging recticle that you just move to a different dot along the crosshair?

OR

Would you prefer a "ballistic turret" like on a Swarovski where you dial it to the yardage?

OR

Sight in for 250 yards so you can hold dead on out to 300 yards?

I've been using the last method but not sure if others are better.
 
I have been using the 2.5-3 inches high at 100 yards sighting as espoused by Jack O'Connor since I read his books in the early 70s. I've never had to shoot at over 220 yards, and it has never failed me.

My most recent scope is a Nikon Buckmaster with the BDC circles. If I ever have to shoot beyond 300 yards they might be a benefit, but I doubt it will ever happen.
 
a simple dot and a way to find range.

I already know where the bullet will land and how high to hold over the target.

no dialing in, no BDC, etc....
 
Just my $.02 but after investing as much time and money as I do into each hunting trip, I only go out sighted in to aim dead on. I practice target shooting with hold over and dialing in yardage just in case but supposing a game animal presented me with a target long enough for me to do my calculations (which doesn't always happen) I would hate to let buck fever lead me to making a simple computational error resulting in money and time wasted.

As for shooting targets, ballistic turrets all the way. That's just plain fun. No stress or time crunch... just being one with my rifle... doing my thing... the soft grass underneath me in the prone position... the crisp break of my trigger... the welcomed punishment of my recoiling magnum... that faint echo of lead on a steel target after the reverberating sonic boom... followed up by joy of knowing I hand loaded something capable of precision and accuracy... ahhhh bliss...
 
You're talking different applications.

For target work, a single setting works because you know the range and can zero for a known range. Set it and forget it.

For hunting, where shots are often fast and instinctive, zero at 250-ish yds and hold dead on out to 300-ish (MPBR technique).

For tactical shooters (target shooting at unknown ranges at targets scored by hits), range the target (maybe with a mildot reticle), then crank the turrets for the appropriate correction.

I use the MPBR technique, it works just fine.
 
Hey. I guess I've accidentally been doing it right all these years. And now I remember where I got that from years ago. The Jack O'Connor book! I loved reading his stuff.

Thanks!!

:D
 
I have, use & like both. Fortunately my scopes support both techniques so I can use the one best suited to the event instead of being "stuck" with a single option.
 
My most recent scope is a Nikon Buckmaster with the BDC circles. If I ever have to shoot beyond 300 yards they might be a benefit, but I doubt it will ever happen.

black mamba
Click to expand...

But if you are going to use those circles don't you need to have the rifle sighted to zero at 100 yards instead of Jack Connor's method?
 
But if you are going to use those circles don't you need to have the rifle sighted to zero at 100 yards instead of Jack Connor's method?
Click to expand...
You don't HAVE to sight in at any distance with a ballistic reticule. Most do use the 100yds though. If you sight in at different range for zero you just recalculate the other aiming points accordingly.
My Hensoldt is zeroed at 250 yds, but dialed in afterwards for 100 yds. I figure I'm splitting the difference in aim off for everything from 100 to 600 yds that way.
 
Ok seriously, reticle information is a good thing. I personally like the "I'm a moving vehicle "... leading windage as well as the holdover stadia.

Simple is also a good thing, so find a scope that has just enough information to make you feel comfortable about the shot that you are placing.
 
some of my rifles have BDCs. I sight them in for 100 yards and use the dots for very 100 yards beyond the sighted distance. they tend to work very well.

the rest have either mildots or standard crosshairs. all ofthem are sighted 1 inch high at 100 yards and I guestimate my way around 300+ yard shots. never really learned how to use mildots and dont really want to carry mathmetical formulas with me while hunting. BDCs are easy...everything else is KISS.
 
I have a couple of scopes with the BDC dots below the crosshair. Just recently I've started to use the dots, and have put stickers on the scopes to remind me of the range of each dot. Prior to this I just had the standard crosshairs and sighted in the rifles at 200 and 'adjusted' by aim point if I knew the distance. It always worked pretty well, but now that I have more rifles and each with varying trajectories, that approach is less precise (due to memory fuzziness). But...using the dots, I blasted a big hog this evening at just under 400 yards, using a rifle that I previously would not even have attempted the shot with. I intend to get more familiar with my BDC dots.
 
I prefer turrets for anything past 200-250yds or so.
Realistically, 99% of my shooting is at 300yds or less, so it's immaterial for centerfires.
For my .22lr though, I definitely am a turret spinner past 50yds.
 
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