Did I screw up or am I ok?

[Misfire]

Hello everyone,

I've been lurking here for sometime, digging through old posts trying to get all my questions answered. Hopefully I won't ask any tired questions. I'm in the process of "trying" to put together a medium/long range hunting rifle. I've had a hard time deciding on optics. I need something that isn't too strong on the low end but has enough magnification on the high end. (I'm sure you all have never heard that before.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif)

Here is where I think I screwed up. I bought what I thought was the perfect scope. It is a Leupold Mark 4 LR/T M3 3.5-10 with a standard duplex reticle. I was so excited about the scope that when I cousulted the Leupold website for specs I looked at the M1 instead of the M3. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif They are NOT the same. (of course..)

The M3 that I bought has 1MOA elevation adjustments and 1/2MOA windage instead of the M1's 1/4" that I "think" I wanted. To make matters worse, the elevation turret comes with several caps that are premarked for bullet drop for several specific calibers and velocites. Of course the rifle I want to mount the scope on is none of the above. (Rem 700 Sendero 7MM Mag)

Here are my questions....

Do I sell the scope and buy another?

Do I see if Leupold can swap the turrets out?

Do I mount the scope, ignore the marks on the turret caps and make my own drop data. (would do that anyway...)

How much of a disadvantage is 1MOA clicks going to be in a hunting situation?

If this was a used scope it would be a no brainer. I'd mount it and see what it does. The problem is that it is new and I don't want to mount it if I need to sell it. I bought it from one of those mail order wholesale places..All sales final. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I actually read a review on this particular scope where the author mounted it on a .270. He found the cap that was the closest to the round he was shooting and loved the scope. He actually said that he loved the 1MOA click adjustments also. I'd really like to keep the scope, but I don't want something that is going to be hard to zero and "close enough" in the accuracy dept.

I know this is a rookey mistake, but we live and we learn.

Thanks for any advice you could offer!

Confused in TX,

Chad

 

[Centre Punch]

Hey Misfire,
You have a fine scope, which if i am not mistaken was designed to meet special forces criteria. Iam a big Leupold fan and will always buy them over any other, they just do it for me.

Mount your scope and enjoy its superb optics, calculate your own drop tables and dont worry about your zero as it is equally superbly reliable in its repeatability.
Ballistically of course your 7mm Rem Mag lies between 30-06 and 300Win Mag, so you should have no problem with your bullet drop calculations (but dont ask me how to do it), all i can say is: shoot a bullet of the same BC at the same velocity and it will have the same trejectory. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Good shooting, Centre Punch.

 

[Shawn Carlock]

Chad,
I have and have had several m3's they are great, they are fast with the minute clicks and more than accurate enough for the ranges you will want to shoot. The biggest complaint people bring up is lack of fine adjustment. the worst case situation is that your zero falls between 2 clicks, this would make your zero 1/2 minute off. If you are shooting a gun that shoots 1 moa, this amount off is almost meaningless. If your gun shoots 1/2 moa your zero could be off (practicaly speaking) 1/4 moa. Looking at a 600 yard shot you are looking at a mechanical error of only 2.5-3.0 inches, big deal. Mount that baby up and enjoy.

 

[Misfire]

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. I contacted Leupold and it will cost me close to 200 bucks to convert the turrets to 1/4" clicks. I'm going to mount it up, shoot it and see what happens. If it doesn't work out, I'll be posting it in the classifides. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Rob01]

The M3 is a great scope. I loved mine. I only sold it to get a USO. As far as the pre marked dials you have the MOA marks below those and can use those or do like I did and remark them. All you need is some masking tape, krylon paint and a fine sharpie marker. Tape off the MOA marks and the numbers 0,5,10 etc. Now paint the top with the Krylon,I use tan as it's easier to see. Now just write you actual data for the load above the corresponding MOA mark with the sharpie. Then write for what load it is on the top of the dial and you're set. You can also tape off the markings and paint the top green or black again if you like. The other good part is that all the dials are marked in the same MOA so you actually have 4 dials, I think they still come with 4, that you can use for different loads or shooting loactions if the elevation/temp changes. I couldn't find the close up pic of the dial but here's the pic I used when selling my scope and you can see how i marked the dial

The 1 MOA marks won't hurt you at all for hunting either. You'll only be at most 1/2 MOA off so that's only 5 inches at 1000 yards. Like I said I loved mine and used it at tactical competitions for a few years and it worked great. Good luck with yours.