Custom turret question

[rratzlaff1490]

Rookie question, when ordering a custom turret, do you use the velocity of the rifle at 0 yards or the velocity of where the rifle is zeroed?

My rifle is a 300 prc shooting 3293 FPS at zero yard and 2867.6 at 200 yards.

Thanks!

 

[SDHNTR]

I’ll save you… You don’t use a custom turret. Learn moa or mils.

And what on earth are you shooting to get that velocity out of a .300prc? Must be way light. In which case, you likely aren’t utilizing the true value of that cartridge.

 

[Mag_7s]

Second the above. You are limited yourself to one set of unique parameters. Use muzzle velocity and a ballistic solver with appropriate variables.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

It is a light bullet. 168 gr TTSX because of California’s copper requirement and I only wanted one bullet for everything, including out of state hunts.

I’m a keep it simple kind of guy. My scope is a Trijicon tenmile with .25 MOA settings. I like the idea of range, dial, shoot.

 

[SDHNTR]

You have a cartridge built to take advantage of long heavy high BC bullets and you are handicapping it. I live in CA too. Look into Hammer bullets. What barrel twist do you have.


A custom turret is a crutch for those who can’t or won’t learn ballistics. And it paints you into a corner. Do you hunt in more than one location and different elevations, and under different weather conditions? You said out of state, so I assume yes. Then forget about the yardage turret. It won’t work. Do it right.

 

[rifletuner]

Rookie question, when ordering a custom turret, do you use the velocity of the rifle at 0 yards or the velocity of where the rifle is zeroed?

My rifle is a 300 prc shooting 3293 FPS at zero yard and 2867.6 at 200 yards.

Thanks!

I dont like custom turrets. I just use MOA or MIL and work with my ballistic app. But I zero at 100 meters and just put in the velocity that my labradar gives me. So essentially at the muzzle.

Thats a simple system, works at point blank to most ranges I need to snap shoot at, plus I can range and dial up for a shot if I need to. Every hunting rifle I own is set up the same way, so the process is always the same for me no matter what I am shooting.

 

[Rob5589]

It is a light bullet. 168 gr TTSX because of California’s copper requirement and I only wanted one bullet for everything, including out of state hunts.

I’m a keep it simple kind of guy. My scope is a Trijicon tenmile with .25 MOA settings. I like the idea of range, dial, shoot.

How can you not do that without a custom turret? A custom turret locks you into one set of parameters; elevation, temp, da, etc. Shoot at the distances you feel you'll encounter and make a range card. Using an app like Hornady 4DOF or similar will help with environmental changes. Don't make the mistake of not shooting at the actual distances thinking the custom turret will be correct.

 

[wapitibob]

Make your own custom turret label; Avery label and a ball point pen.
Range dial shoot

 

[OverInfinite]

I was curious about this so I through some stuff in my hornady calculator for 6.5 creedmoor with a 140gr Berger. In NM the lowest I've ever been in elevation was 3,200ft on a September antelope hunt at 100 degrees, 70% humidity. 600 yards = 12.61 MOA elevation.
I then went on and put in 10,000ft elevation, 5deg, 20% humidity. 600 yards = 12.28 MOA elevation
So we're talking 0.33 MOA at 600 yards? 2"?
Is that really getting painted into a corner?

I am setting up my dad's rifles with custom turrets because he is the "one bullet for everything" type of guy. I reload for him. And worsted case scenario, he has two turrets for 2 different loads. Or a moa turret for target and long range practice, and then swap a turret on for your recipe for hunting.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Your custom turret vendor of choice will be able to provide instructions. Do your due diligence as "garbage in garbage out" is 100% relevant.

Use a piece of tape with the yardage on your turret and you get a RS thumbs up. Tape a cheat sheet to your rifle butt and you get a RS thumps up. Write yardage on your flip-up scope cover and you get a RS thumbs up. But use a laser etched turret and RS panties get wadded up.

If the rifle will be used in the same general area, during the same general time of year, and in the same general weather conditions, then a custom turret (or comparable) can make a lot of sense. But if the rifle will be used in a variety of locations and conditions, then look at other options.

 

[Formidilosus]

Your custom turret vendor of choice will be able to provide instructions. Do your due diligence as "garbage in garbage out" is 100% relevant.

Use a piece of tape with the yardage on your turret and you get a RS thumbs up. Tape a cheat sheet to your rifle butt and you get a RS thumps up. Write yardage on your flip-up scope cover and you get a RS thumbs up. But use a laser etched turret and RS panties get wadded up.

I don’t think that’s quite it. THLR uses a yardage based turret/tape, and no one is getting their panties wadded up because the BDC turret isn’t the issue.


The issue, is this-

I’m a keep it simple kind of guy. My scope is a Trijicon tenmile with .25 MOA settings. I like the idea of range, dial, shoot.

This (no offense to rratzlaff), is what people say when they believe that there is a shortcut to being able to shoot at medium to long range. The problem, is that there is bo shortcut about shooting competently at medium and long range. It’s only “range, dial, shoot” after you have gained all the knowledge and then put all that into consistent, repetitive practice. And, the moment you put all the work into getting to the point where a BDC turret is a viable thing- you realize you don’t need, nor want a BDC turret.


BDC turrets are for people that do not want to learn how to shoot and account for the variables in the field. So it’s literally the worst choice for someone that wants a short cut. The OP wants a BDC turret to shoot past point blank range, but doesn’t know what whether MV or retained velocity is supposed to be used. That’s why most have a problem with BDC turrets. The OP needs to be mentored to step back and start at square one, and that isn’t BDC turrets.

 

[OverInfinite]

I don’t think that’s quite it. THLR uses a yardage based turret/tape, and no one is getting their panties wadded up because the BDC turret isn’t the issue.


The issue, is this-



This (no offense to rratzlaff), is what people say when they believe that there is a shortcut to being able to shoot at medium to long range. The problem, is that there is bo shortcut about shooting competently at medium and long range. It’s only “range, dial, shoot” after you have gained all the knowledge and then put all that into consistent, repetitive practice. And, the moment you put all the work into getting to the point where a BDC turret is a viable thing- you realize you don’t need, nor want a BDC turret.


BDC turrets are for people that do not want to learn how to shoot and account for the variables in the field. So it’s literally the worst choice for someone that wants a short cut. The OP wants a BDC turret to shoot past point blank range, but doesn’t know what whether MV or retained velocity is supposed to be used. That’s why most have a problem with BDC turrets. The OP needs to be mentored to step back and start at square one, and that isn’t BDC turrets.

No offense. But different strokes for different folks. I will agree that it takes a lot of practice to stretch cartridges out to 1,000 yards. But 90% of people aren't or shouldn't take shots past 6-700 yards. and I hate to say, it's not THAT hard to be competent at that range.
Decent wind calls will get you there...
Show me how a 300 prc shooting anything less than a 200gr bullet is going to see wildly inaccurate readings for a BDC turret. Because I don't see it with my setups.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

The cool thing about custom turrets is you can always slap the original turret back on. Ain't nothing wrong with a nice turret made for your usual hunting situations.

 

[tankgijohn72]

I just make a new range card for each specific load and tape to the stock. Range, dial, shoot. Main thing you have to worry about is that the card is only good at one elevation. More than +/- 2000ft from your elevation on the card and you start missing

 

[Formidilosus]

No offense. But different strokes for different folks. I will agree that it takes a lot of practice to stretch cartridges out to 1,000 yards. But 90% of people aren't or shouldn't take shots past 6-700 yards. and I hate to say, it's not THAT hard to be competent at that range.
Decent wind calls will get you there...

Sure. It doesn’t take “that” much. But what is “that” much? It is a tiny percentage of people that are capable of on demand hits on 10-12” targets in the maintains and wind from from novel locations at 600 yards and beyond.

Again, I didn’t say a BDC turret is the problems- the reason that people want a BDC turret is the problem.

 

[SDHNTR]

​

the reason that people want a BDC turret is the problem.

Bingo! This is exactly the problem. People want the easy button. Can't blame em, it's human nature, but it also causes problems. The fact that there are shortcuts to everything in the hunting world is the very reason why the Western woods are so crowded with hunters and why we can't draw tags. All the easy buttons broke down the barriers and jammed the woods with yahoos. People don't want to learn, they just want to do. It's sad.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

Glad I asked. Lol

 

[eric1115]

I was curious about this so I through some stuff in my hornady calculator for 6.5 creedmoor with a 140gr Berger. In NM the lowest I've ever been in elevation was 3,200ft on a September antelope hunt at 100 degrees, 70% humidity. 600 yards = 12.61 MOA elevation.
I then went on and put in 10,000ft elevation, 5deg, 20% humidity. 600 yards = 12.28 MOA elevation
So we're talking 0.33 MOA at 600 yards? 2"?
Is that really getting painted into a corner?

I am setting up my dad's rifles with custom turrets because he is the "one bullet for everything" type of guy. I reload for him. And worsted case scenario, he has two turrets for 2 different loads. Or a moa turret for target and long range practice, and then swap a turret on for your recipe for hunting.

This is part of why people are cautioning you about trying to do an "easy button."

You are backwards in trying to make your worst case scenario. Going from 100F to 5F makes the air more dense, but going from 3200' to 10000' makes it less dense. These variables often, though certainly not always, offset one another to some degree.

3200' at 20F is 9.8 moa for a similar load to yours.

10,000' at 70F gets 8.6 MOA. That's enough to push a good vital hit well outside the vitals even if you do everything else right.

The time it takes to learn to do everything else right makes that easy button unnecessary. The steps that the easy button removes are going to become second nature through that learning process, so are no longer a choke point in the shot process.

 

[SDHNTR]

Glad I asked. Lol

In all seriousness, you should be. Hopefully you are now aware of the right way to do this and you will be a better hunter because of it.

 

[OverInfinite]

This is part of why people are cautioning you about trying to do an "easy button."

You are backwards in trying to make your worst case scenario. Going from 100F to 5F makes the air more dense, but going from 3200' to 10000' makes it less dense. These variables often, though certainly not always, offset one another to some degree.

3200' at 20F is 9.8 moa for a similar load to yours.

10,000' at 70F gets 8.6 MOA. That's enough to push a good vital hit well outside the vitals even if you do everything else right.

The time it takes to learn to do everything else right makes that easy button unnecessary. The steps that the easy button removes are going to become second nature through that learning process, so are no longer a choke point in the shot process.

Really not trying to poke the bear just want to clarify. I gave wildly different elevation and temp swings. I am aware that those conditions you posted are very capable. Especially 3k ft @ 20 deg in the plains and central us.
Let's take your example: but instead of setting a turret up at either of those extremes extrapolate the most common elevation and turrets that will be found on a hunt with that gun.
So instead of 20 deg vs 100.. how about 50-60deg? And instead of 3kft vs 10kft.. how about 6-7,000ft. Can we assume then the most you would be off is 0.6 MOA? ROUGHLY.. I don't have your load data, I am just extrapolating from your given data.
0.6 is roughly 3-4" at 600 yards.. not dead on. But also not widely off enough to make me super nervous.
I don't agree that easy buttons are the reason people are in the woods now. I think that it has more to do with availability of information, a more welcoming group of hunters and social media pushing the cool factor of it. (For good and bad) Hunting has definitely gotten easier. But it has always been getting easier since the first stab with a sharp rock.