BDC reticles vs dial turret for hunting

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Aug 19, 2020
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I hunted whitetail and predators all my life with the good old 3x9x40 leupold. Always been enough for my needs but after going on my first mule deer hunt, and definitely not my last, I would Like to extend my yardage. I am very comfortable at 300yds but would like to feel the same way about 500 or even 600. I have a range on the ranch so I shoot a lot. My question is which do you prefer for hunting situations at that range. Am looking to spend around 1k. I liked my friends vx5, just not sure how I feel about dialing in a pressure situation.
Thanks
 

Laramie

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I shoot a Leupold with the B&C reticle. I am comfortable to 500 yards with it - my self imposed limit for big game. Beyond 500, I have found it very difficult to shoot accurately using the reticle. I personally believe that to consistently shoot further, accurately, a dial turret, and a lot of practice, are needed. I also think a Kestrel is necessary as a person starts to increase range beyond 500 yards.
 
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I hunted whitetail and predators all my life with the good old 3x9x40 leupold. Always been enough for my needs but after going on my first mule deer hunt, and definitely not my last, I would Like to extend my yardage. I am very comfortable at 300yds but would like to feel the same way about 500 or even 600. I have a range on the ranch so I shoot a lot. My question is which do you prefer for hunting situations at that range. Am looking to spend around 1k. I liked my friends vx5, just not sure how I feel about dialing in a pressure situation.
Thanks
Like you, I grew up with simple duplex reticles and "holding over" is very natural to me.

A few months ago, I wanted to experiment with dialing, so I bought a VX-3i Leupold with the CDS dial. Took it to the range a few times and absolutely hated it. It seemed so odd to me to hold dead-on at 300 yards.

Sold that scope a few days later and ended up with a Leupold VX-Freedom with the Tri-MOA reticle. Since I have the drops of my loads memorized in MOA, this is a very useful reticle for me. If my load or the conditions change, it's simple enough for me to make a tiny cheat sheet and tape it on my rifle. I actually fit one in the milled cutout of the LW Storm receiver on my Savage rifle. If you dial, you have to know the drops anyway, so just holding over with the MOA reticle is quicker and more natural for me.

The trouble I have always had with the conventional Leupold Duplex reticle is that it's only 4 MOA from the center of the crosshairs to the tip of the lower post. That's not a very useful distance for me. 4 MOA is an awkward 300-400 yard hold for most loads that are zeroed at 200 yards. Certainly not very useful for shooting beyond 400 yards.

I used a Weaver K6 (newer aluminum one) for a few years because it had a duplex reticle with a 6 MOA gap, which was very useful for me out to 400 yards. When I wanted to get to 500 yards, I needed 8 MOA, which is what the Leupold Wide Duplex reticle is, as well as the reticle in my Redfield Revolution. So that's useful to me.

But so far, that Tri-MOA reticle is the most useful. Clear MOA marks to 10 MOA, which should get met to 600 yards at altitude with a 220-yard zero. I can work with that.
 

Lawnboi

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For what it’s worth, most scopes worth their sand as a dialing scope contain moa or mil based reticles, which you can use as a bdc and hold. Holding with some understanding and a good mil or moa based reticle is more adaptable than most bdc reticles Iv come across, and much easier to be more precise.

It isn’t hard to fudge up even a 300 yard shot. It takes me seconds to dial my scope, if at all I have time I always do. I’d rather be as precise as possible. I realize just putting on the spine of what you think is a few inches over works for many, but I prefer to know exactly where my bullet is going.
 

bmicek

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To me, dialing takes out the guess work. It’s the best way to accurately take a longer shot. I am not a fan of BDC reticles. There’s a level of “guessing” involved if you’re between holdovers and to me, it’s just not precise enough to gamble it. Unless it’s within a reasonable yardage but when speaking of longer shots, nothing is more precise than dialing your shots.
 

MTbow

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BDC is great if you can make it line up with your trajectory(if it lines up at odd ranges its really not much good). you can often find reticle substentions in moa and compare it to your ballistics before you buy a scope. also out to 500 or even 600 a change in elevation or temperature won't be a problem. I run a lot of tactical long range scope but still have a few bdc scope around because they are so fast. once you have a range you go to the scope.
the other morning a coyote was walking away over a ridge at 450, I dint have time to look at a dope card let alone dial. I yipped, he turned, I gave him the half past 4 hold and smack, dead.
 

rclouse79

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I made the switch to dialing this year. The one thing I didn’t like about the zeiss rapid z reticle was it had to be on the right power for the yardage markers to match the bullets trajectory. I agree with other posters a bdc reticle didn’t seem terribly precise. I had fun dialing with my new scope at the range. Funny enough the only animal I have shot with it was so close I didn’t even range let alone dial.
 

Bater

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I’d go Razor LHT over VX5 and throw on the free Kenton yardage turret tape if you dig the CDS approach.
 

Shane

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BDC reticles don't account for varying temperatures, elevations, and barometric pressures. If you sight in and practice in the same elevations and weather conditions as you hunt in, then you're good (if you can get along with shots at ranges between the dots). If you shoot and hunt at different locations, elevations and weather conditions, then dialing is best. All assuming you are shooting beyond 300 yards.
 
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jerodmartinez
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I will take the advice of a fellow central Texan lol. Im in Brownwood right up the road. Now just trying to decide what scope to get. Like the vx5, nightforce shv, huskamaw, and bushnell. THe Huskamaw and vx5 seem to be the most user friendly. I don't really want open windage turret, and would like to have a zero stop. Budget around 1k. Any advice is appreciated.
thanks
 
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jerodmartinez
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I didn't read the other replies earlier, I will look at the Razor as well. I have read a ton of great things about the SWFA SS 6x42 but I am really not sure about having a fixed powered scope. Might be something to look into.
 

Sponxx

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I didn't read the other replies earlier, I will look at the Razor as well. I have read a ton of great things about the SWFA SS 6x42 but I am really not sure about having a fixed powered scope. Might be something to look into.
Consider the SWFA 3-9x42 Mil Quad
I have 2 and it works wonderful as either a "fixed" reticle or for dialing. Clear enough for hunting hours on piney woods (where it is darker later and earlier).
If you can swing the money (your budget would suggest so) the reticle seems clearer to me over my 6x and 10x MQs. Turrets are also smaller, and the new design seems even easier to read and manipulate.
 

Lawnboi

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I will take the advice of a fellow central Texan lol. Im in Brownwood right up the road. Now just trying to decide what scope to get. Like the vx5, nightforce shv, huskamaw, and bushnell. THe Huskamaw and vx5 seem to be the most user friendly. I don't really want open windage turret, and would like to have a zero stop. Budget around 1k. Any advice is appreciated.
thanks
I’d get an f1 shv and not look back. Lots of guys like the bushnell lrts but that’s not one Iv got experience with.

Swfa has some good offerings if you want to pinch pennies, but the shv will give you things like exposed elevation, illumination, capped windage, zero stop and parallax adjustment.

Read up on leupolds vx line when it comes to dialing.

The shv will do everything you need. Has an moa or mil reticle, which you can hold with, and a elevation turret you can set to zero and dial with. The F1 model allows your holds to be accurate through the magnification range. The reticle does get a little small at 4x but the illumination is there if needed.
 

davsco

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the downside to bdc is it almost never lines up with your gun & ammo choice. so on top of finding and using the 400 yard line, you have to remember, for instance, to hold a foot high or top of target, etc. plus as noted above, atmospherics change from home to where you're hunting which can make the offsets worse.

i don't like dialing when i'm on the clock (at prs matches or hunting situations). esp when it's dark or you're in a hurry (or don't have your reading glasses on...), easy to get it wrong and heaven forbid if you don't get back to zero (zero stops help of course).

so i like a first focal plane scope, and holding over. with ffp, the reticle (windage and elevation lines) is accurate at any magnification, so i put it on the zoom i want, hold over as needed and boom. on site i'll run the atmospherics on my kestrel, dump that into my 'shooter' phone app ($10, bargain) and write down or remember the drops at 2, 3, 4, 5 & 600yds. the problem with ffp scopes is the reticle gets big and small as you zoom in and out. so if your scope goes to 20x and you have it at 6x, that reticle is pretty small/thin. having illumination (including the lines, not just the dead center x) definitely helps. it also helps to get a magnification range that matches your hunting situations. don't get a 4.5-27 if you likely won't zoom past 15x while hunting, but get a 3-15 instead.

second focal plane scopes generally only have reticles that are accurate at full magnification. so if your scope goes to 20x and you have it at 12x, you have some math to do to get the right holdovers.

one scope i have is the nikon black 1000 (iirc) 4-16x50 ffp. i think they are getting or are already out of the scope biz. it checks all the boxes (f1, illum, not too heavy/bulky) though i've been looking for other options.
 

gcronin

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I hunted whitetail and predators all my life with the good old 3x9x40 leupold. Always been enough for my needs but after going on my first mule deer hunt, and definitely not my last, I would Like to extend my yardage. I am very comfortable at 300yds but would like to feel the same way about 500 or even 600. I have a range on the ranch so I shoot a lot. My question is which do you prefer for hunting situations at that range. Am looking to spend around 1k. I liked my friends vx5, just not sure how I feel about dialing in a pressure situation.
Thanks
That's a great question! Both dialing and holding over have their time and place. BDC reticles are great once you know how they line up with your ballistics, but often will be in larger incremental distances (again depending on your ballistics). If you have a shot that falls in between distances you would then be holding somewhere in the middle and simply estimating.

My advice would be to know how to use both. For those quick shot opportunities your BDC will be your best friend. However, dialing in your adjustment will always be more accurate. When time allows I would recommend dialing.
 

robby denning

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I wrote this article five years ago and my mind is still not changed. For sub-600 (I can get to 700+ with 270 WSM), I love the BDC style option. Quick, fast, not a lot to learn, and your eye stays in the scope. You'll see if you hunt big mule deer much, seconds count.


And here's a follow up article with a similar scope and two scenarios where I had no time to dial.


But I'd never argue with the proficient-at-dialing guys. They kill piles of game.
 
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