which Leupold reticle do you like??
- Thread starter Trapper Luke
- Start date
Rustydust
Active member
Originally Posted By: HangtimeOriginally Posted By: Trapper LukeGoin to be puttin a Leupold on my 270 and was thinkin bout goin with the Boone and Crockett reticle. Anybody shoot and like that reticle? Which one do you like the best?
Dont know how much it matters but its my deer and elk and whatever else big game gun.
Thanks,
Luke
I really like the VH reticle on the Leupold. All I shoot is AR-15's, and my number one favorite reticle is on a brand that is no longer available. The majority of my shots while hunting at very small targets, is 300-500 yards, and the VH takes care of that very nicely, so it ought to be even easier on the larger targets you are going for. Good luck with whatever you choose !!!
Hangtime
Me too for the VH reticle. After buying a new 6.5-20X a few years ago with this reticle, I liked it so much that I sent my older Leupold in (same power) and had the VH put on it as well. It makes holdover SO much easier for me. Maybe not all would like it, but I sure do.
Dont know how much it matters but its my deer and elk and whatever else big game gun.
Thanks,
Luke
I really like the VH reticle on the Leupold. All I shoot is AR-15's, and my number one favorite reticle is on a brand that is no longer available. The majority of my shots while hunting at very small targets, is 300-500 yards, and the VH takes care of that very nicely, so it ought to be even easier on the larger targets you are going for. Good luck with whatever you choose !!!
Hangtime
Me too for the VH reticle. After buying a new 6.5-20X a few years ago with this reticle, I liked it so much that I sent my older Leupold in (same power) and had the VH put on it as well. It makes holdover SO much easier for me. Maybe not all would like it, but I sure do.
SaltyDog
New member
Over the years, I have made the full revolution (Evolution)in reticle preferences.
Started out Std Duplex Reticles
Moved into the high falutin' BDC type Reticles, then on to the Mil Dots.
Now with a quality laser range finder and M1 Target Turrents...
I am right back to Prefering the Duplex Reticles.
All I need is the range and time to turn the knobs.
As 2much sez. "It never dont work"
The only "guessing" part for me is when the wind cranks up
Started out Std Duplex Reticles
Moved into the high falutin' BDC type Reticles, then on to the Mil Dots.
Now with a quality laser range finder and M1 Target Turrents...
I am right back to Prefering the Duplex Reticles.
All I need is the range and time to turn the knobs.
As 2much sez. "It never dont work"
The only "guessing" part for me is when the wind cranks up
GRIZZLYONE
New member
Just a plain duplex for me.
Trapper Luke
New member
How is the VH reticle when huntin big game like deer and elk?
Doubleclutch
New member
You did say for hunting.
I have shot a 270 for about 40 years with leupold Duplex. Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetails, Hogs ( I refuse to shot hogs anywhere but head shots, or pass), even Turkeys and lots of other things. Depredating deer on crops at night to almost 300 yards.
when hunting, often opportunities happen fast. Way to fast for range finders and calculations. Your 270, if you and it are accurate is good to a little over 300 yards on deer with center hold. If you shoot enough to know and have confidence in your shooting then you will make those slight elevation adjustments without thinking. I consider 10X the maximum ever needed on a hunting rifle and rarely use over 8X hunting. I used a fixed 4X for many years. If I can't see my non lighted reticule, then I could not see the very spot on the animal that I want to hit.
The more you shoot, the better you will shoot.
To me simple is better. Can I shoot much father than 300 yds. Well I have on occasion, but I try to remember that I have two legs and can walk. It seems to be a fad to shoot game at long distance just because we can.
I have never had a problem with a leupold.
I have shot a 270 for about 40 years with leupold Duplex. Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetails, Hogs ( I refuse to shot hogs anywhere but head shots, or pass), even Turkeys and lots of other things. Depredating deer on crops at night to almost 300 yards.
when hunting, often opportunities happen fast. Way to fast for range finders and calculations. Your 270, if you and it are accurate is good to a little over 300 yards on deer with center hold. If you shoot enough to know and have confidence in your shooting then you will make those slight elevation adjustments without thinking. I consider 10X the maximum ever needed on a hunting rifle and rarely use over 8X hunting. I used a fixed 4X for many years. If I can't see my non lighted reticule, then I could not see the very spot on the animal that I want to hit.
The more you shoot, the better you will shoot.
To me simple is better. Can I shoot much father than 300 yds. Well I have on occasion, but I try to remember that I have two legs and can walk. It seems to be a fad to shoot game at long distance just because we can.
I have never had a problem with a leupold.
VolCrew
New member
Trapper Luke, congrats on posting a question that elicited so many opinions. I will throw mine in as well, hoping to not step on too many toes.
For a little background, I have a number of Leupold scopes with B&C and duplex reticles. I shoot to 600 yards at paper and I hunt predators, deer and hogs with a variety of calibers.
A B&C reticle is just a fancy duplex with hold over points conveniently marked below the crosshair. It is not a ranging reticle per se; the range to the target should be known so the correct holdover mark can be placed on the target. The Leupold B&C reticle is also marked for wind deflection.
You can read more about how this works by downloading the instruction manuals from the Leupold web site. I would always recommend you read the instructions before you buy to make sure you understand what you are getting into.
In short, Leupold has calibrated the reticle and the scope power ring for two different ballistic sets. You look up your cartridge in a table and then set the scope power to an index marked on the ring. Depending on the ballistics of the cartridge, the holdover marks will correspond to different yardages.
All this sounds pretty cool, so why don't we all buy this reticle? In practice, there are several issues:
[*]Cartridge Ballistics – your load’s ballistics must match one of the two sets listed in the calibration tables. If the ballistics do not fall into the two predefined sets, then expect inaccuracies when using the holdover marks. [*]Scope Power – the scope power must be set to the value corresponding to the Leupold ballistic set. Since the reticle is in the second focal plane, there is only one magnification setting that will work for a given cartridge and range. Also, depending on how the scope’s power ring is marked, it may be difficult to accurately move the ring to the same spot after it is moved.[*]Limited Magnification – the power setting that corresponds to the ballistics may be much less than the scope’s maximum magnification. For example, you may be able to use only 8x of a 10x scope.[*]Extreme Ranges – the last “marker” on the Leupold B&C is the top of the bottom post. I don't find that a sufficiently accurate aiming point at those ranges.[/list]
By now, the “clickers” are saying "we told you so". But everything is not as straightforward as they would have you believe. There are several issues that are encountered with clicking over the same range and wind conditions covered by the B&C.
[*]Cartridge Ballistics – you must memorize your load’s ballistics or carry a ballistics table for predetermined ranges. These are typically taped on the scope or stock or carried in a dope book. Also, a factor must be applied to convert inches of drop to scope clicks (or whatever units your scope's erector system uses).[*]Scope Calibration – the scope adjustments clicks do not always move the reticle as planned. Let’s say you have a ¼” per click @ 100 yds scope adjustment. Twenty clicks should move the impact 5 inches at 100 yards. However, it may be more or less. To determine if this is an issue, there are simple tests to do at the range in order to calibrate the actual amount of movement per click.[*]Hysteresis – the failure of a scope to return to the original point of impact when an adjustment is made and then reversed is hysteresis. For clicking to be effective, the point of impact must change in a predictable manner each time the scope is adjusted. Sloppy erectors make the clicking method difficult for the one-shot hunting situations.[/list]
Just as others have said here and as the Leupold manual emphasizes, you still have the responsibility to put in the range time and expense no matter which "system" you use. With either a B&C or a plain duplex, you need to understand what your equipment will actually do over the range of conditions you are planning to use it.
With that said, I would not call you less of a rifleman if you chose either system, or use both, like I do.
For a little background, I have a number of Leupold scopes with B&C and duplex reticles. I shoot to 600 yards at paper and I hunt predators, deer and hogs with a variety of calibers.
A B&C reticle is just a fancy duplex with hold over points conveniently marked below the crosshair. It is not a ranging reticle per se; the range to the target should be known so the correct holdover mark can be placed on the target. The Leupold B&C reticle is also marked for wind deflection.
You can read more about how this works by downloading the instruction manuals from the Leupold web site. I would always recommend you read the instructions before you buy to make sure you understand what you are getting into.
In short, Leupold has calibrated the reticle and the scope power ring for two different ballistic sets. You look up your cartridge in a table and then set the scope power to an index marked on the ring. Depending on the ballistics of the cartridge, the holdover marks will correspond to different yardages.
All this sounds pretty cool, so why don't we all buy this reticle? In practice, there are several issues:
[*]Cartridge Ballistics – your load’s ballistics must match one of the two sets listed in the calibration tables. If the ballistics do not fall into the two predefined sets, then expect inaccuracies when using the holdover marks. [*]Scope Power – the scope power must be set to the value corresponding to the Leupold ballistic set. Since the reticle is in the second focal plane, there is only one magnification setting that will work for a given cartridge and range. Also, depending on how the scope’s power ring is marked, it may be difficult to accurately move the ring to the same spot after it is moved.[*]Limited Magnification – the power setting that corresponds to the ballistics may be much less than the scope’s maximum magnification. For example, you may be able to use only 8x of a 10x scope.[*]Extreme Ranges – the last “marker” on the Leupold B&C is the top of the bottom post. I don't find that a sufficiently accurate aiming point at those ranges.[/list]
By now, the “clickers” are saying "we told you so". But everything is not as straightforward as they would have you believe. There are several issues that are encountered with clicking over the same range and wind conditions covered by the B&C.
[*]Cartridge Ballistics – you must memorize your load’s ballistics or carry a ballistics table for predetermined ranges. These are typically taped on the scope or stock or carried in a dope book. Also, a factor must be applied to convert inches of drop to scope clicks (or whatever units your scope's erector system uses).[*]Scope Calibration – the scope adjustments clicks do not always move the reticle as planned. Let’s say you have a ¼” per click @ 100 yds scope adjustment. Twenty clicks should move the impact 5 inches at 100 yards. However, it may be more or less. To determine if this is an issue, there are simple tests to do at the range in order to calibrate the actual amount of movement per click.[*]Hysteresis – the failure of a scope to return to the original point of impact when an adjustment is made and then reversed is hysteresis. For clicking to be effective, the point of impact must change in a predictable manner each time the scope is adjusted. Sloppy erectors make the clicking method difficult for the one-shot hunting situations.[/list]
Just as others have said here and as the Leupold manual emphasizes, you still have the responsibility to put in the range time and expense no matter which "system" you use. With either a B&C or a plain duplex, you need to understand what your equipment will actually do over the range of conditions you are planning to use it.
With that said, I would not call you less of a rifleman if you chose either system, or use both, like I do.
Urimaginaryfrnd
New member
http://swfa.com/Leupold-45-14x40-Mark-4-LRT-30mm-Riflescope-P2550.aspx
http://www.kentonindustries.com/pics/picbytype/
You can custom order from Leupold custom shop many of their scopes with a choice of target knobs with covers, M1 tactical knobs or CDS (custom dial system) knobs. Both Kenton and Leupold custom shop will also engrave knobs to match the balistics of your bullet and caliber. Leuold will also build a custom reticle with balistic hold over marks for your caliber. Balistic reticles only work at the highest power but diling in correction works at any power so when you dial down the scope to 6x or so in low light to brighten the image if you dial in correction you are dead on where if you were to use a balistic reticle you will shoot over the target as only the center X is true at lower powers.
http://swfa.com/Trijicon-5-20x50-Accu-Point-30mm-Rifle-Scope-P12885.aspx
Before deciding I suggest you also look at Trijicon with its illuminated reticle.
http://www.kentonindustries.com/pics/picbytype/
You can custom order from Leupold custom shop many of their scopes with a choice of target knobs with covers, M1 tactical knobs or CDS (custom dial system) knobs. Both Kenton and Leupold custom shop will also engrave knobs to match the balistics of your bullet and caliber. Leuold will also build a custom reticle with balistic hold over marks for your caliber. Balistic reticles only work at the highest power but diling in correction works at any power so when you dial down the scope to 6x or so in low light to brighten the image if you dial in correction you are dead on where if you were to use a balistic reticle you will shoot over the target as only the center X is true at lower powers.
http://swfa.com/Trijicon-5-20x50-Accu-Point-30mm-Rifle-Scope-P12885.aspx
Before deciding I suggest you also look at Trijicon with its illuminated reticle.
Song Dog Assasin
New member
I like the fine duplex myself.