Scope questions

[Dennisr]

i have a new customization underway on a Rem. 700 in 7mm Rem mag. I am looking at scopes and have the following questions. The intent of using the scope is to at least reach out to 500-600 yards. I have been advised to use the B&c reticle on the Leupold scope and have also looked at thbe BFC on Nikon. At the store, both scopes look nice and bright, but trying to find the reticle lines against a dark background in the store, makes the reticle lines disappear. Now I am worried that in low light situations in actual hunting I won't be able to find the lines in early morning/late evening against the darker background of an elk for instance. Any advice here?

Seems that this type of reticle would be preferable in quick decision shooting situations over the adjustable reticles, but need some help on one way or the other. I am not intending to do any competitive shooting, and cannot even see further than 600 yards anyway.......and there are not too many places to shoot that far in Virginia. Help!

 

[Grumulkin]

1. If you get a scope with an illuminated reticle, then if light conditions are low you can turn the reticle illumination on and see it just fine.

2. I suppose the B&C reticle would be fine though I've never used it. My preference is a Leupold Mark 4 with a TMR reticle and a ballistic turret but those scopes only come in matte which you may not prefer with your rifle.

 

[MachV]

I've got a 4.5-14 non ao Leupold sitting here I took off my 7 mag. The only way I could get the B&C reticle to 600 yards was is to turn the power down=PITA to use for me and like you said the little hashes had a way of being difficult to read in some conditions!
I ended up putting a 3-9 Sightron on it with a mildot reticle and could not be happier with the results=Very easy to use @ 9 power to 600 yards and I can still turn the power down to 3X for fast shooting in close quarters.

 

[Dennisr]

Thanks. That was what I was observing in the store. I just couldn't depict the small lines in the dark background of some of the stuffed animals around the walls. I think we try to make the end result too difficult and it is best to keep it simple. I think it is pretty cool to see the video of the guys shooting a coyote a 1000 yards using all of the new fandangles, but I doubt that I ever will have the opportunity or ability to do so....

 

[dig]

I would consider mil-dot or TMR/MLR and in a first focal plane if you are planning to use as a hold over. Dials are the way to go but you are right for fast acquisition mil-dots/lines are great. The issue with reticles like B&C is the must be set on the same power as the are second focal plane and its harder to make adjustments when changing altitude and/or environmental conditions change. I would suggest learning the mil or moa system and purchasing a scope in one of these configurations, you will not go back and will learn as system for all rifles/calibers. For me the line systems are just to imprecise and I hunt and altitudes from sea level to 7500 ft which creates more difficulties. Its easier to print a range card for different conditions and dial or know hold overs.

 

[bruce_ventura]

I agree with previous posters. 600 yds is probably too far for ballistic reticle or a ballistic turret, unless you have previously calibrated it for that elevation and temperature. I would push a ballistic reticle to 500 yds, but only if I had proven that it is accurate at that range with my load.

About half the time a ballistic reticle can be made more accurate by slightly decreasing the magnification. You can also change loads.

If you still want to go down his path, I recommend you consider the Burris E1 reticle as well. It is a good match to a Rem 7 mag at 500 yds and provides windage holdoffs. Still, a mildot will be more accurate and allow you to easily adjust for altitude and temp changes.

 

[bruce_ventura]

Also, of it's too dark to see the ballistic drop lines (without illuminating the reticle), then it's probably too dark to acquire the target at long range. At such a low light level, you would be forced to reduce the magnification and limit yourself to a much shorter range, for which the ballistic reticle is used just like a plex reticle.

Not a bad system. Just be realistic about the range.