Hunted with a buddy this past year and he made 3 1st shot connections using his VH reticle at 650, 535, and 470 yds. with an AR-10 243 (the 470-yarder was a couple shots since we couldn't determine range), and he doesn't take his reticle as far as he could. Mostly he is a committed turret twister, but he also has the VH reticle for the intermediate ranges...mostly. That was the only way he would've killed these dogs this last year. Turret wouldn't have worked.
This past year i killed 2 coyotes on 1st shots at 470 and 557 with my AR using this 3 MOA (4 MOA windage) reticle--
...and placed in the middle of the pack on the one relay i had time to shoot at a (9"x4") steel prairie dog shoot (10 UKD targets) at our local range against some very high dollar optics and "sniper"-style rifles, and i couldn't even see 1 of the tgts. over a rise from my position. This was accomplished from ballistic program reticle calcs. only---no testing (not that i'm suggesting this approach for game).
This is the 2nd long-range coyote taken with this rig at 435 yards using reticle cald. to it's load. This reticle has an excellent (calibrated) windage system--
This rig was a totally different story. The velocity was off some (and probably the bullet BC also) as they often are--
This rig required several trips to the range and some troubleshooting to get it right. Once i used a .375 BC and 3100 mv it is now ready for coyote season. I went between a G1 drag function to G7 and then G5 and then back to G1 to finally get it right...to 600 yds.--point being that the math doesn't always work. These are the 1st 3 shot connections at 325, 400 and 525. The 1st 2 were with reticle and 3rd was turretted, Nice thing about this reticle (NP-R1) is that it's the same as the turret so it allows me to use both without having to calculate 2 reference systems.
Here's a buddy's rig using the Ball. Plex reticle calcd. only for his load at 425 yds. I've found interpolating between stadia lines actually quite accurate for both rangefinding as well as downrange zeroing--
One thing's for sure, as has been overstated here you have to test the system to ensure it works, and shoot in variable winds to find out just how well the "whole system" works.
When it comes to wind i calc. a system with reticle only, but only go to about 400 in ~10 mph winds and maybe ~500 in ~5mph or so.
After the experiences i've had in matches and hunting i'll take a 2nd focal plane tree reticle in a variable powered scope that's calibrated as close to the reticle for intuitive hundred yd. intervals to ~500-600 yds.
This past year i killed 2 coyotes on 1st shots at 470 and 557 with my AR using this 3 MOA (4 MOA windage) reticle--
...and placed in the middle of the pack on the one relay i had time to shoot at a (9"x4") steel prairie dog shoot (10 UKD targets) at our local range against some very high dollar optics and "sniper"-style rifles, and i couldn't even see 1 of the tgts. over a rise from my position. This was accomplished from ballistic program reticle calcs. only---no testing (not that i'm suggesting this approach for game).
This is the 2nd long-range coyote taken with this rig at 435 yards using reticle cald. to it's load. This reticle has an excellent (calibrated) windage system--
This rig was a totally different story. The velocity was off some (and probably the bullet BC also) as they often are--
This rig required several trips to the range and some troubleshooting to get it right. Once i used a .375 BC and 3100 mv it is now ready for coyote season. I went between a G1 drag function to G7 and then G5 and then back to G1 to finally get it right...to 600 yds.--point being that the math doesn't always work. These are the 1st 3 shot connections at 325, 400 and 525. The 1st 2 were with reticle and 3rd was turretted, Nice thing about this reticle (NP-R1) is that it's the same as the turret so it allows me to use both without having to calculate 2 reference systems.
Here's a buddy's rig using the Ball. Plex reticle calcd. only for his load at 425 yds. I've found interpolating between stadia lines actually quite accurate for both rangefinding as well as downrange zeroing--
One thing's for sure, as has been overstated here you have to test the system to ensure it works, and shoot in variable winds to find out just how well the "whole system" works.
When it comes to wind i calc. a system with reticle only, but only go to about 400 in ~10 mph winds and maybe ~500 in ~5mph or so.
After the experiences i've had in matches and hunting i'll take a 2nd focal plane tree reticle in a variable powered scope that's calibrated as close to the reticle for intuitive hundred yd. intervals to ~500-600 yds.