Dialing or Hold Over?????

GG,

Good points all. And I agree. Again, all this is in the quest for good natured debate and I submit that the points you bring up with mirage and shooting angle are very valid.

You are however referring to second focal plane reticles. I for the most part, when possible use First Focal Plane scopes. That removes the issues that you state about needing to be on a fixed power to use the reticle.

On my lightweight hunting rifle, which is a 9 lb 7mm AM, there is a Leupold Mk4 3.5-10x 40mm with the TMR reticle in FFP. I have tested this scope and while it will not track QUITE as precisely as the NF scopes, it pretty darn close. I have also tested point of impact over the range of its power settings. At 400 yards, I tested from 5x up to 10x and there was no noticable shift in point of impact.

With this rifle, there is no mirage issue in any way, if I need to turn down, I turn down. If its low light and a lower power is better suited for the shot for light gathering capabilities, I turn down and still use the reticle at any power setting I need to. I will also add that this is a 1/2 mile rifle and I will not take shots farther then that. Not because the rifle and the chambering are not up to it because they certainly are, I can not shoot the rifle consistantly enough to take +1/2 mile shots. I have shot the rifle to 1000 yards and it would easily take out the vitals at this range but even so, I limit my shooting to 800 to 1/2 mile max with this rifle simply for consistancy reasons.

Before this scope, I used the now discontinued Weaver 4.5-14x 44mm Tactical which also is a FFP scope. As I already mentioned, the standard mil dot system is not the best as there is more yardage between the dots but it will work, again, out to 800-1/2 mile shooting very well. This scope is not in the class of the Mk4 in trackability and no where near the class of the NF. I do not believe its internal workings are as strongly made either, so dialing up all the time would cause wear in these scopes over time.

The clearity of these scopes WILL compare at least as good as the Leu however and not far off the NF. Not as good for sure but for the money, MUCH better then you would ever expect. Also, if you zero the rifle, they are consistant scopes, I have not had one loose zero on me yet once zeroed where I wanted. They also do quite well with point of impact shift over the entire power range. I would rate them very similiar to the Mk4 scopes in this area. At least for the 4 I have anyway.

So my thinking on these scopes is this. They are not made to handle constant dialing up and down. They are clear, they are consistant and they have a FFP reticle, for what they are designed for, which is using the reticle for hold over, they perform extremely well. Whereas if I was dialing up for each shot, they would not perform nearly as well.

For longer range shooting, we are lacking in scopes for this method of shooting. Leupold is making progress but in my opinion, they made a mistake in jumping clear up to their 8.5-25x 50mm Mk4 model for their next FFP scope option.

They say these scopes are designed for 2000 yard shooting. In that case, a FFP is really a waste of time, at this range, dialing for each shot is really the only correct way to do things accurately and consistantly.

Again, in my opinion, they would have been much better off putting the FFP reticle in their 4.5-14x Mk4, especially a 40mm version for a lightweight hunting rifle for long range shooting.

A 6.5-20x option would have been perfect for a longer range hold over scope on a heavier rifle as well. In my opinion, the 8.5-25 is just more then needed for a hunting scope.

The call for FFP scopes for ballistic hold over as well as range estimation if something decides to stop working in your accessary gear is increasing more and more everyday. An example of this, NF has just announced they will be offering a 5.5-22x 56mm with a FFP reticle. I have one on order as soon as they are ready. this may be the ulitmate for long range hold over scopes but in my opinion again, a 50mm would have been much more user friendly on more conventional long range big game rifles. Heavy tactical style rifles however will work well with this scope.

Onto another point you make, angle. I agree, in canyon country, shooting angle can be a critical issue. I will submit however that in many cases, if your IN the mountains, long range shooting generally takes place from one side hill to another and shooting angles seldom are very extreme.

If you shoot from a valley floor up onto a mountain which I know you do often, yes, this is much more critical because you combine long range with steeper shooting angles.

I will also submit that there is alot of long range hunting that takes place on MUCH flatter ground. Here where I hunt, if I had an 800 yard shot at a 27 degree down angle, the bullet would have to travel the last 500 yards underground if you get my point!!!!:D

Simply put, I have NEVER, in 10 years I have been doing what I would call Long Range hunting, ever had to worry about shooting angle. Thats just a result of where I hunt and again, that is certainly not the case for all shooting areas.

As such, let me refine my original comments.

If you want a rifle set up for any and all hunting conditions at any and all ranges you can efficently put a bullet into the vitals of a big game animal, the dial up method will by far be the most versitile and consistant of the two methods. If you do not know the area you will be hunting or do not have access to set up rifles in same elevation and conditions as you will be hunting in, again, the dial up method is certainly the best choice.

If you will be intentionally looking to shoot past 1000 yards on big game or any game, the dial up method is the best choice.

If you can shoot and set up your rifle in the area you will be hunting and do not have a reason to reach past 1/2 mile on your shots. Using the hold over method has great merit, especially on a conventional weight big game rifle.

If you get a quality FFP scope, its usefulness is magnified dramatically for the Hold Over method.

If you use a scope that is does not tract consistantly but will hold zero consistantly, again, the hold over method will serve you better then dialing up simply because its more consistant. And lets face it, not everyone can afford a Leuy Mk4 or NF scope. Then the argument comes in that if your going to spend X amount on a rifle, a quality scope is just common sense.

That is true, but there are more and more long range hunters out there trying to get set up with the best gear they can for the least amount of money using factory rifles and lower priced scopes. Can it be done, yes much easier using hold over then dial up because a lower priced scope can be made to work with hold over where it would not be appropriate for dial up. That said, get the very best glass you can afford, you will never go wrong that way.

Anyway, I agree with all you say, but will add there are situations and areas where the hold over method will punch the tag everytime if used properly. If used incorrectly, it will fail miserably. If used outside its practical use range, again, failure will occur.

I think we agree with much more then we disagree, just come from two very different types of hunting areas and I will again admit that you generally shoot at longer ranges then I do for big game. My longest to date is 1300 yards on pronghorn. Second place is 850 yards which was witness by Shawn and then alot in the 600-750 yard ranges. I fully admit you reach out farther then I do in most cases and that may be why I feel so comfortable with the hold over method for big game.

For Varmints, I have stretched things a bit and again, agree dial up is about the only good way to do things when ranges get much past 1000 yards.

As far as target engaging speed. Let me quickly tell of a pronghorn hunt We had a couple falls ago. We had all tagged out on bucks. Looking to fill doe tags, My brother had one and I had two. We glassed a herd of goats nearly 1/2 mile away. They were heading in a direction where they would drop out of sight into a shallow creek bed and offer us just enough time to get out and set up on the prairie.

We did and my brother lined up first and got ready. I was the ranging man for him. When the herd showed, I ranged them at 325 yards. Simple told him they were at 325 or less as they were coming our way and to hold dead on and forget any hold adjustment of any kind, just shoot when a shot chance presented itself.

The herd walked to a range of 210 yards(ranged after the shooting was done). At his shot, the lead doe piled up to the shot. My turn now. The herd wheeled around and ran back for the creek bed. With the rifle on my shoulder and in a prone position, I was on my elbows with the Swaro RF in my hands. Two of the last does slowed and stopped just before they hit the creek bed. Ranged then at 355 yards. Quickly glanced at my drop chart. took the hold which was simply a top of back shot and the doe I targeted dropped to the shot. This was with my lightweight 7mm AM.

As I came off the scope, across the valley, I noticed another group of pronghorn run up onto the hill and look back to us to see what had happened. Ranged a big doe that was at the bottom of the group on the side hill. Still never taking the rifle off my shoulder. 623 yards. Looked up the hold, fired the shot and again the doe dropped to the impact.

We got up and Dad met us there. he said he had never seen anything like that before. From the time my brothers trigger broke until my second doe hit the ground was less then 30 seconds. Me personally, I can not dial up nearly that fast and the only reason that was possible is because I was using the method I was and I was very comfortable and practiced at it.

As far as windage hold off. Just me personally, if I have to hold off enough for windage that I should be dialing it in, that being more then a couple minutes at most, I do not shoot. The TMR and NP-R2 and NP-R1 have hash lines that serve perfectly well for this amount of accurate hold off for the wind. If I have to have the target floating out in the field of view to adjust for windage, I simply do not shoot. That is just me and I am certainly not saying dialing in for the wind is not accurate, it certainly is, I do it all the time long range varmint hunting. Just personally for me, if I have to old off that far for big game, I wait till another day to take such a shot.

Anyway, all good points, I think we agree on alot more then we disagree on on this one.

Kirby Allen(50)
 
Kirby,
You make some good points and as you pointed out, a lot of what one needs will depend on where one hunts.
That being said, based on what the market currently yields, more folks are prefering second focal plane scopes and I also prefer them myself. The ability to see smaller objects around a non-changing crosshair helps for precision placement of the crosshair and that is probably the driving force behind it. For me, an enlarging crosshair found in a first focal plane scope drives me nuts. It never made much sense to me to have a variable power scope that loses it's ability to aim small the more the power was increased. So SFP scopes become the "only choice" for me and also drive the market. This of course gets ironically messed up when you use a BDC reticle in a SFP scope! Now you have a scope that won't change it's crosshair size so aiming resolution is improved throughout the power range, but because of the way the BDC reticles work, the power range must be kept at one power! Despite this irony, these types of reticles in SFP scopes is what is driving the market right now and it leads to what I mentioned earlier. Some novice hunter who has never taken a shot over 400 yards in his life, buys a Burris B-plex or a Leupold B&C reticle scope, and suddenly he thinks he's Carlos Hathcock.
Obviously, someone who is experienced at a compensating reticle (such as yourself) is far more capable of making hits than the rookie with a B&C reticle and you can make them perform to your specifications quite easily. But the rookie is the one most people are aquainted with and consequently, it snowballs a bad chain of events for long range hunters.

One other thing I would like to point out. You mentioned that you didn't believe scope turrets were made to be continually twisted up and down. While this surely is the case with some scope brands (probably most scopes), I have never had a Leupold scope ever "wear out" from constant changing. My .223 CZ wears a Leupold 4.5-14x40 AO in the old Vari-XIII model. Because of the caliber and the quick bullet drop at longer ranges, and the fact that it is mostly used for p-dogs, rockchucks, and ground squirrels, the knobs on it have been cranked thousands of times to shoot multiple targets and it has never lost a click. Not one. So I don't concern myself with that worry anymore. And even if it did suddenly fail, the great folks at Leupold would replace or repair it for free with no questions asked and no shipping charged to return it to me. No warranty cards, no email accounts, no bull.

Anyhow, this thread has been a good one and both sides have been well represented.
 
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Actually in a FFP scope the reticle doesnt change in size, it stays the same size in relation to the target throughout the power range of the scope. in all reality the SFP scope is the one that has the enlarging and shrinking cross hair if you think about it LOL you have to think of it as size in relation to the target and not what your eye sees.

As for being on max power and having a reticle that is so large you cant really use it i know exactly what you are talking about. I first saw this on a swarvoski TDS reticle and on max power i dont think you could use it for a dang thing.

Now on the new Leupolds I have been seeing that are FFP they are making the reticle be standard size when the scope is on max power which helps out alot, i am sure NF will do the same thing when theirs comes out.

I know what you mean about a guy buying a Luepold B&C reticle and thinking he is a pro. a hundered times a fall i will sell a guy a Nikon BDC scope and the first thing he ask me is if it goes 200-300-400-500???? it has gotten to the point that i just wanna beat my head against the wall but instead i spend 15min explaining the whole thing to him all the while knowing he is gonna be flinging bullets at 500yds with that last circle:mad::mad:


i was hoping this topic would turn out this good
steve
 
I rarley ever post anything because I probably know less about long range than anybody on this site. I normally just read and try to learn as much as I can from all you pros.

That being said I'll go ahead and put in my 2 cents worth because opnions are like butts everybody has one.

I started my long range quest useing a burris ballistic plex scope, and leaned alot, It worked well for me out to 550 yards. But was not as consitant at longer distances.

I then went to the dial up method and at first was concerned about it being to slow and if I would always remember to turn my scope back to zero. But with alot of practice it didnt take long and I had it figured out.

My gun is sited in 3" high at 100 yards which makes my zero 313 yards. So I never dial my scope until I am shooting over 400 yards, because I never have to aim off the animal.
From 400 yards out (because I need all the help I can get) I always dial up, for a more accurate shot. As for wind I'm with kirby, if I have to dial more than a couple of minutes I just dont take the shot.

great topic
 
Actually in a FFP scope the reticle doesnt change in size, it stays the same size in relation to the target throughout the power range of the scope. in all reality the SFP scope is the one that has the enlarging and shrinking cross hair if you think about it LOL you have to think of it as size in relation to the target and not what your eye sees.

steve

Good point steve. The reticle APPEARS like it increases in size in a FFP but is not getting closer to the eye.
 
Goodgrouper,

I don't understand why you would post that I use the reticle holdover method??

John Burns

I thought I remembered you saying in your instructional video that you used them for angled shots when your BDC turret didn't have a particular hash mark that you needed? And I also thought the reticle you bring up on the screen in your entertainment video was subtended? If not, the BDC turrets I know you use aren't much different than a bdc reticle in application. It is the same principle of pre-determined numbers or hash marks representing yardage but if I remembered incorrectly about the reticles, I apologize.
 
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Video's

Hey John. Glad to see you on the board. I have purchased all of your video's and I think they are great. I miss seeing you on The Best Of The West program. Hope you return to the show when you have more free time.
 
GG,

With the standard Mil dot reticle, I would agree with your comments about the reticle covering up to much of the target, especially on small targets.

That is not the case with the TMR and it will not be the case with the NP-R1 FFP when it gets here.

The reference lines on the TMR reticle set on any power setting cover the same area basically as the 4.5-14 TMR SFP does on 14x.

I have shot Pronghorns out to 730 yards and never had any impression that the reticle was covering to much of the target, in fact, they worked perfectly well and allowed me to take precision shots.

I have also taken rockchucks out to 1250 yards with the Weaver 4.5-14 FFP and again, had plenty of fur around the mil dots even at that range on 14x.

This arguement is a common one but in fact is really not an issue. Possibly in some varmint hunting it could be, for big game hunting, I can not imagine a situation or a big game animal that the FFP scopes would not perform just as well as a SFP scope. I supose its the perception of this problem that makes many feel this way. First perception is that the reticle does increase in size, as mentioned, that is incorrect.

As far as scope turrets wearing out, my comments were in reference to the weaver tactical. And I also commented that it would not last like the Leupold and NF adjustments. I said if you want to dial up, the Leuy is great, the NF is even better. In my opinion the Weavers are not up to the challange of alot of dialing up and down on the turrets. That was my only point, not that all turrets will wear out. If you want to dial up, you need a scope designed for it and in my opinion the Weaver will not stand up to a long life of cranking the knobs.

Kirby Allen(50)
 
Goodgrouper,

I don't know if you are serious but I guess I will give you the benefit of the doubt and explain how the custom Drop Compensating Turrets work as it is a very different system than a BDC reticle.

If you are shooting at an odd range, let's say 823yds and the DCT on the gun had 4 clicks between 800 and 850 it is simple matter to figure out that each click is equal to 12.5yds and either dial up 2 clicks from 800 or down 2 clicks from 850. Seems simple and in practice it is.

As to the speed issue the custom DCT is by far the fastest method of getting the rifle properly zeroed for the shot. When used properly (as explained in depth in the video) nothing is lost in precision.

In my experience the larger the horns, the less time for the shot. Just because a group of cow elk stand on a hillside and give you all day does not mean a 7 yr old herd bull will let you mess around with a PDA and other assorted gadgets. The name of the game is getting the right zero on the gun in the fastest method possible if you plan on using it under real hunting conditions.

I do use my custom reticle for Windage holds as it is very easy to break into ¼ MOA.

The problem with dialing wind is the changing nature of the compensation and how easy it is to dial the wrong direction under real pressure.

One other thing is right handed shooters (most of us) can not get to the windage turret without breaking the shooting position and also cannot see the dial when we are on the gun. If you have to break your position every time you need to change your windage hold and you cannot easily see how much wind you have on the gun you will get behind the conditions in a tough situation.

Also target turrets and saddle scabbards and mules are not the best mix. While you might get away with a windage target turret on a truck gun it is a real pain if you ever plan on hunting far from the roads.

As to my opinion (if any one cares) on FFP vs SFP reticles I never could get used to the reticle changing size. For me it is more of an issue of use under low light. I designed my reticle to function under any legal shooting light and if the reticle gets thinner when you back of the zoom it can be hard to find.

As to mirage, my custom scopes are built on the 4.5- 14 Leupold and I have never had a problem at 14x.

Rem300ultra,

Thanks, but don't expect to see me on The Best of the West except for the reruns.
 
Kirby,
Sounds like the new reticles in FFP scopes coming out will be a good thing for you and others. And I agree with you on the Weavers. A few guys in our benchrest circuit around here use them for point blank range and I have overheard some of them commenting that they can't dial up to 200 yards from 100 reliably. That is REALLY not going to work for long range!


John,
Thanks for your response.
I was serious about the DCT method being like the reticle method. As I said earlier, they both rely on predetermined lines to represent yardages for certain trajectories. Only difference I see is that the one has the lines on the reticle and the other has the lines on a turret.
That being said, you have had success with them as has Kirby with the reticle system. I know I wouldn't want to be behind either of your guy's crosshairs. But for me, true calculation in MOA (or more correctly IPHY) for each shot is mechanically and physically the most precise method across all conditions, angles, locations, and circumstances. For example, you have a custom turret made for such and such ballistic coefficient at such and such speed at such and such elevation. Some guys do the same with custom reticles. Now, I have worn out enough barrels to know that the bc of a chosen bullet doesn't stay the same throughout the barrel's life. What starts out high ends up being less when the old dreaded dry lakebed takes over the barrel's throat. To make matters worse, conditions, wind direction, and varying lots of the same bullet also add to the bc of the bullet changing. An 850 yard line, subtend, or yardage marker on a turret will not ALWAYS and forever be the true 850 yard POI. However, throughout the life of the barrel, I can always re-measure bc with two chronographs, re-check drops to confirm my calculations, and factor these into my ballistic program on my PDA for a new, true, on the spot calculation in MOA for the very shot I am about to take.

Also, the DCT method gets further off when changing elevations. This can be solved with having multiple bodies made for the turret and attaching the one you need for the elevation you are at. But this becomes more of a hassle than any PDA in my opinion. Now, I know for those who hunt in the same place every year or for those who live in the East, elevation changes are not a consideration. But they are for me as I hunt from 2000 feet up to 12,000 feet. ANd I hunt everything from moose to ground mice so a slight difference in elevation change DOES matter. If all you hunt is deer, a 1000 foot elevation change for our 850 yard example isn't going to make you miss (although it will still hit higher or lower than wanted) so that argument is repetitive.

Next thing is angle. You have already told us how you compensate for this and I agree it can work and your method works better than the reticle compensating method for sure. However, when ranges start getting REALLY out there, the gap inbetween the lines becomes more crucial and there WONT be a line for it or a click for it all the time. But again, unless you are hunting past say 1300 yards or so, this is a small issue.

And the last thing is the speed issue. I admitted already that the reticle compensater method is faster. And I admit the DCT is also fast. However, as I already mentioned, once one gets used to dialing in MOA, it is only marginally slower than the reticle. The DCT is easier for beginners to pick up on I admit, but once they learn MOA, they can do it fast too. Afterall, it is still dialing to a number-it's just that the number represents something different. ANd once one learns how to dial in MOA instead of using a reticle or DCT, one can transfer that ability to all of his other scopes. No need to spend thousands of dollars retrofitting existing scopes or replacing them with scopes that have different reticles. The industry standard for calibration of scopes is MOA so that works out nice. We might as well use that as an advantage.

Again, it's good to see all the options available to the shooter typed here in this one thread. And it's good we can all choose a method without slandering each other like they do over on lesser sites. I can remember when a thread similiar to this one got started on accurate reloader awhile back and it turned into a nightmare. Just goes to show the quality of people we have here.

By the way, sorry to hear about the Best of the West shows. They were the only hunting show I could watch. It was nice to see someone in the industry filming things east of the Mississippi River and filming things that don't gobble or eat from a feeder. ANd to film the long range kills was icing on the cake. I swear if I watch one more dufus stick a gobbler at 15 yards in Tennessee, I'm gonna puke!
Good shooting.
 
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GG,

Yes, the Weavers are very limited in vertical adjustment range. You really have to be careful when you set one up. On a custom rifle, its not that big of a deal because the barrel threads are true or trued and the receiver and barrel bore are on the same basical axial plain so you can use more MOA in actual adjustment then chasing a barrel that is pointed the wrong way!!!

I have seen this in several occasions where most of the vertical adjustment was used just getting a Weaver Tactical zeroed at 100 yards.

I generally use them on 20 moa rails, you can not use them on 40 moa rails.

I have also seen issues with guys using them on factory rifles with rail bases and the lack of ability to adjust for windage when zeroing with factory rifles. The more windage you have to adjust into one of these, the less vertical adjustment you have.

Simply put, you need to do everything possible to keep these scopes zeroed as close to their mechanical center as possible as there is not alot of room for error.

That said, when sighted in perfectly, for example with my 270 and the 169.5 gr ULD RBBT loaded to 3350 fps, you can zero at 250 yards and the bottom post on the mil dot reticle will be dead on at 1050 yards. Again, thats for a given elevation range and given temp range. Stay in those perameters and they work amazingly well.

Kirby Allen(50)
 
Turkey Hunting

By the way, sorry to hear about the Best of the West shows. They were the only hunting show I could watch. It was nice to see someone in the industry filming things east of the Mississippi River and filming things that don't gobble or eat from a feeder. ANd to film the long range kills was icing on the cake. I swear if I watch one more dufus stick a gobbler at 15 yards in Tennessee, I'm gonna puke!
Good shooting.

Goodgrouper:
I agree with you on the Best Of The West shows and on the gobblers.
 
Hey guys, I am just getting into this Long range hunting (Long range to me is over 600yds) I am currently having a rifle built just for hunting one ore two particular areas where our shooting will be in the 1000yd mark. After reading these post about dialing vs holdover I ask you what would be a good scope setup for someone that is easy to learn and use. I am considering a NF 5-5x22x56mm with NPR1 Reticule. Do the lines on that scope cover to much of a deer, or elk at 1000yds for a precision shot? All I have used in the past is a leupold 4-5x14 with fine crosshairs and I have taken Blacktail deer here in oregon out to 540yds. I have looked through the NF at Sportmans Wharehouse and the lines look large to me, Is that just because I am no used to them?
Any insight that you guys could offer would be awesome!
Thank you
J.P.
 
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