Can I get away with a Mil-Dot scope....

[earlybird]

Can I get away with a mil-dot scope out to 500 yrds on a coyote sized target or do I need to get a scope that I dail in after I have a range? If it matters it will be going on a .243. And I am willing to spend some dough to get what I need/want. Thanks for the input fellas.

[NomadPilot]

You can certainly holdover that far. Be exact with subdividing the mils and you'll have no problems. If your scope is second focal plane, make sure your magnification is set for the proper subtension.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Originally Posted by earlybird

Can I get away with a mil-dot scope out to 500 yrds on a coyote sized target or do I need to get a scope that I dail in after I have a range? If it matters it will be going on a .243. And I am willing to spend some dough to get what I need/want. Thanks for the input fellas.

So if you zero at 100M you have 5 mils of drop to the bottom of your scope. I dont know your load details but you now know you have 5 mils to work with. And thats a lot on a 243. I think youre GTG but you should punch it into a ballicts calculator and see.

[CogburnR]

In theory it works ok but I have found that it is more accurate to dial it in.

Holdover for me is difficult at that range on targets that are really about 6-8" high.

With my 243 coyote load it is about 8moa drop at 500yards. 62g Varmint Grenade at 3550fps. or so.

We were out banging gongs at 435yrds and my Buddy was holding over with a mil-dot and having a difficult time ringing the gong with his 6.8SPc. I dialed up 7.5moa and shot a 3.5" 5 shot group on the gong with my 243. He dialed up 5moa and started ringing the gong.

On the other hand I have dumped a running coyote at that range with my 270wsm while deer hunting...offhand.

[Bravo 4]

If you want an idea of how much one of those mildots will cover at 500 yards, set a target up at 100 and see how much one mil covers. Most round mildots are .2 mils and at 500 yards it will cover 3.6", which is a mil at 100 yards.
You will be fine with a plain-ole mildot scope.

[earlybird]

Maybe I should add that I have a 1:8 twist in my barrel and am shooting a pretty heavy bullet (90 -105 gns). So I am going to have more drop than a lighter bullet going faster. (I think that I'm starting to regret my fast twist decision).

[NomadPilot]

I don't think you'll regret your faster twist. You can still shoot the lighter stuff if you want. The 115 DTAC gets rave reviews and the ballistics are pretty amazing. The 105 AMax might be a better varmint bullet while still flying well. (According to Exbal, the 105 @ 3290 has .25 MOA more drop at 500 than the 55gr NBT @ 3800, but 2 MOA less wind drift. I'll take a tiny bit of extra drop for half the wind drift all day long.)

.243 Win + .243 AI Cartridge Guide