Leupold's reticle illum. Impact-23 MOA

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Ernest49

Member
Goodmorning everyone. Sorry for this long topic, but it's the first time I open a post in this section. I need your help to understand how this reticle works which can be installed in the excellent Leupold VX-6HD 4-24x52 riflescope. Vertical correction up to 23 MOA seems possible without the use of the turret.

https://www.leupold.com/reticles/reticle-illum-impact-23-moa-171

This would be very comfortable for long-range hunting shots on nervous animals, which stay still for short time and give you very little time to aim and shoot. I use this exceptional ammunition in the 308W caliber, now practically unobtainable, because unfortunately Hornady doesn’t produce it anymore. Luckily I still have 10 boxes of 20 cartridges ...

https://www.smkw.com/hornady-super-match-308-win-178gr-bthp

I wrote to Hornady sending reports and feedbacks of the hunt in Romania, demonstrating the incredible accuracy of this ammunition in long-range roe deer shooting in the presence of a continuous and annoying wind. Hornady replied that they don’t produce it anymore because there were not enough sales requests in the US !! It seemed incredible to me that you, American professional hunters, did not appreciate this wonderful ammunition.
Going back to the reticle, the topic of this post, how can I relate the correction reference lines in the reticle's MOA to the ballistics table of my ammunition?
How can I shoot long range using only the reticle references without touching the turrets? The 23 MOA maximum correction reference line with which caliber, with which ammunition and with what optical magnification was it determined?
I am attaching the Hornady ballistics table and thank you in advance for the answer, as I am still an amateur hunter compared to you ....

Range Velocity Energy Traject ComeUpMOA)
(y) (ft/s) (ft-lb) (inch)
0 2775 3043.0 -1.5 0.0
50 2689 2857.0 -0.1 0.3
100 2604 2681.0 0.0 0.0
150 2522 2513.0 -1.1 0.7
200 2440 2354.0 -3.6 1.7
250 2360 2202.0 -7.6 2.9
300 2282 2058.0 -13.1 4.2
350 2205 1922.0 -20.3 5.5
400 2130 1792.0 -29.3 7.0
450 2056 1670.0 -40.2 8.5
500 1983 1554.0 -53.2 10.1
550 1912 1445.0 -68.3 11.9
600 1843 1343.0 -85.9 13.7
650 1776 1246.0 -106.0 15.6
700 1710 1156.0 -128.8 17.6
750 1646 1071.0 -154.7 19.7
800 1585 992.0 -183.7 21.9
850 1525 919.0 -216.2 24.3
900 1468 852.0 -252.5 26.8
950 1413 789.0 -292.8 29.4
1000 1361 732.0 -337.4 32.2


 
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With the ammo table you provided, using the scope reticles lowest grid line (scope magnification on highest power). You would have about 825 yards max. Adjusting the magnification lower will increase the moa correction in the grid reticle markings(in any 2nd focal plane scope).
 
So the reticle is designed just for the 308W caliber with zero at 100 yards and fits perfectly with the cartridge I shoot? Or by varying the caliber and the cartridge, knowing the relative ballistics table, it always allows you to fix the precise point of impact on the target, as long as you set the maximum magnification 24X and you know the distance of the objective and the correction of the elevation in MOA?
 
Its variable since it is an MOA based system, you just have to convert the drop table to MOA in order to use it. In theory you could use the reticle for anything from a .22 Short up to a 20MM Anti Tank round provided you know the ballistic tables and convert correctly. I used to do this on many "BDC" style scopes that are a simplified version of this reticle. Assuming the scope is Second Focal Plane, it should have a line somewhere on the magnification ring. That is to mark the power at which the reticle values hold true.

In regards to your comment about the Supermatch ammo, most US hunters dont regard a match bullet, specifically a BTHP match bullet as a viable long range hunting bullet. I have shot a whitetail with a Sierra 168 gr BTHP Match out of a .308, but it was at 50 yards. It did kill the deer and it barely went 10 ft before dropping over dead.
I personally do not use BTHP's for hunting when there's so many other options and the trend toward match ammo is even starting to favor a tipped projectile.
 
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"Zastava223rem" and "spotstalkshoot" thank you very much for your accurate and kind answers.

Unfortunately I did not answer you before, because I was shock and psychologically destroy by the very serious accident, with the ultralight plane, which my cousin had, who died instantly. He was a 52-year-old, good, polite, kind, nice guy who didn't deserve to die this way. It is a great tragedy for our family.

From your answers I understand that the reticle in question can be used for hunting shots up to about 800 yards, without touching the turret with all the calibers and cartridges. It is sufficient to have the ballistics table with the correction in MOA of the bullet drop.

As for the Hornady Superformance Match 178 gr BTHP cartridge (BC = 0.530), I found it fantastic for long-distance hunting shots, in open territory with lots of wind. Due to lack of space, I cannot reload the cartridges and therefore only have to use commercial cartridges. Also, I hunted long-range roe deer (capriolo) and not deer (cervo). Roe deer is a light and fairly delicate game. It has a weight ranging from 44 to 77 lbs, you do not need a specific bullet for hunting, indeed if you use hunting bullets you do very substantial damage to the meat.
 
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