While there is no arguement that a rifle set up properly with a very quality scope will be the most consistant dialing up or down for each shot, I will say that for big game hunting out to 1000 yards, using a properly set up rifle with a ballistic reticle will be more then accurate for most big game hunting situations.
They both have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of using a ballistic reticle is that you never touch the adjustment knobs so there is never a settling in period needed for the scope to settle in.
WIth a top quality scope this is generally not an issue for those dialing in their shots but I have witnessed some top eld Leupold scopes that needed one to two shots to bottom out and stay solid in adjustment. It is rare but it happens. I have not seen this with a Nightforce NXS scope yet.
Still, using a ballistic reticle, there is no repeated adjustment. What does this mean, well you can take quality but lower priced scope and get excellent results as most quality scopes will hold zero very well.
Another advantage to using a ballistic reticle in the field is simplicity and speed. An example is a pronghorn hunt I went on this last week to fill a couple doe tags for the freezer.
We set up an ambush position for a couple herds that were in our area and they appeared right on the mark. My brother took his first at 250 yards or so and I lined up on the next big doe in that herd with my 7mm AM using the Leupold Mk4 3.5-10x 40mm FFP with the TMR reticle. When the herd stopped running after my brothers shot they were around 300 yards.
Dead on hold with my 7mm AM which is zeroed at 275 yards. At the break of the trigger she simply folded. As I came off that rifle I saw the second herd of pronghorns in the valley, ranges one big doe that was standing there at 580 yards. Looked at the drop chart on my scope tube, said to hold -1.75 mils. Bracketed the doe between the -1.5 mil hash and the -2.0 mil line and again she simply folded to the break of the trigger.
The two does were down in under 20 seconds of each other with no scope adjustment made at all.
Just two days before that I took my buck at 730 yards with the same rifle and same sight in with no adjustments at all.
There is also no chance of getting lost in your moas when in the field and loosing your zero. You have to keep notes and return your zero perfectly when you dial up or down and in the field hunting trophy quality animals, its pretty easy to get excited and forget where you are, were or should be in your clicks.
Granted, most on this board are very experienced and do it the "right" way when dialing up for each shot but there still is potential to get load in your moas in the field unless you are very dedicated with your notes and records with your clicks.
I also freely admit that if you are reaching significantly past 1000 yards, you are probably better off dialing in for your shots because bullet drop will use up your reticle very quickly unless your shooting an extremely high BC bullet at high velocity.
For my rifles I like to zero mine at 275 yards and with my 270 AM and 7mm AM they will be dead on at 1020 to 1040 yards at the bottom post of a mil dot reticle.
For my upcoming hunt with Shawn down in Idaho, I will be taking two rifles. My light rifle in 7mm AM that I used on the pronghorn hunt above sighted in in the manor discribed with a 275 yard zero and a semi heavy rifle zeroed at 600 yards.
The rifle set at 600 yards will allow me to reach from 0 to 1300 yards using a Leupold Mk4 4.5-14x 50mm TMR reticle.
For closer range hunting if needed for bad weather the lightweight rifle will be used.
For long range hunting which is the goal, the heavier rifle will be used, that is if it shoots well, still have to get it out to the range and get it set up, finished the barrel break in Tuesday!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
My point is this, obviously dialing up for each shot is the most precise way to use a rifle at long range but for big game hunting, using a ballistic reticle out to 1000 yards will produce consistant results that are MORE then consistant enough for taking deer size game cleanly.
Simply put, use whatever system you are most confident with and go with that, it will work either way is set up properly and you are well practiced in your preferred technique.
For my general big game rifles I like to zero at 275 yards which with my AMs will take me a bit past 1000 yards with a mil dot or similiar scope.
This allows me to use the rifle with a conventional sight in for closer range shots but gives me 1K reach as well.
Kirby Allen(50)
