Rifle Scopes Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

[pdogsbeware]

Whatever you call them: ballistic compensating turrets, engraved turrets, etc. Why do people pay for them!? Are they handy? Oh heck yes, no denying that! No counting clicks, no forgetting what range your set for. But I'm a cheap*** by choice, so I racked my brain for a way to replicate those fancy turrets.

This is my solution, it's a high-tech, super-duper, exclusive, proprietary system I patented (not really...) Just take a simple piece of masking tape, wrap around the turret (you can trim the tape to fit) and write your ranges on it! 3 minutes and it saves you $100!! You can use pen, fine tip sharpee, whatever color you want.

Plus, if you ever change your load or round to one that has a different trajectory...just put a different piece of tape on! Please, feel free to enlighten me if I'm missing something you get for paying for them. I don't claim to know it all. Just thought I'd see if I could save someone else money, or make someone's life easier. It's nice on a big prairie dog town not having to count clicks, just dial to the range and squeeze!



You can't tell in the picture, but the tape is translucent enough to still see the MOA markings underneath, so you can still dial in a specific amount if you wish.

What do you guys think? Any comments?

 

[vonbalkenbush]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

I was gonna post a really snide comment at first, but after thinking about it. I think a few modifications to your idea and you could have something really usable. Like maybe a laminated DOPE card that you could slip over your turret for the given location you're shooting at. Then slip if off, and use a different one for when your location changes along with the atmospheric conditions. Hmmm.... Now you got me thinking...

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

Why were you gonna make a snide comment? About what in particular? I'm just curious that's all. I know it sounds silly when you first hear it described, and I'll admit it looks reatarded! ha But it's functional for what I do.

But that is a good idea. That's one of the reasons I couldn't understand paying lots of money for a turret thats only correct for one environment. I shoot in colorado at 50 degrees, low humidity, and 8600ft, then in N. Dakota in 90 degrees, humid, and 1100ft...huge difference!

 

[hyena74]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

the only change i would make would be to use the blue painters tape because it has a waxy coating on it making it totally waterproof and it leaves no residue when remove...and you can draw on it with a fishers space pen.

 

[flyrodder]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

Whatever works, man. I saw a post where a guy used a Dremel to grind a big arrow in the top of his elevation knob to help remind him to turn the knob back to zero. People were shocked that he had done that to a high-dollar scope, but these are tools and if they need to be modified to do what you want, why not? On one of my rifles the elevation knob almost bottoms out at 100 yards, so I can't see the index mark. I scratched one into the scope body.

You could probably get fancy and print some labels up on your computer if you settle on a load or two and a set of ambient conditions, but is this really much different than a range card taped to your stock or tied to your scope, flapping in the wind? Better than having knobs made and then changing loads (or even powder lots).

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

Two more great ideas! I don't think I'd have the attention span to get the spacing right on computer labels though haha But on a hunting rig I'd definately go for the painters tape/waterproof idea...I never thought of that!

 

[JustMy02]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

You could just use extra fine map markers (map pens, alcohol pens, etc) that contrast with the colors on the turrets. Mark it and add the whole number (ie, 300 = 3). If data changes, a little rubbing alcohol on some tissue and it's gone. In the meantime, it's waterproof.

 

[doc76251]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

Here is another bit for you.

In the arts and craft stores or office store you can find "tape" in various colors and widths that are used to lay out lines on "white boards". It's some kind of vinyl material that is very thin and most scope knobs will turn down over it and not disturb it. I use it to mark my "Zero" on the windage and elevation turret to ensure I am not "one rev off" but it certainly can be used to mark elevation corrections and such. Have Sharpie, will travel.

Cheers,

Doc

 

[Drifter™]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JustMy02</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You could just use extra fine map markers (map pens, alcohol pens, etc) that contrast with the colors on the turrets. Mark it and add the whole number (ie, 300 = 3). If data changes, a little rubbing alcohol on some tissue and it's gone. In the meantime, it's waterproof. </div></div>

I've done that, and it works nicely.

My eyes couldn't see the small faint numbers on the turrents very well, so I used a white Sharpie Poster-Paint pen to write larger numbers. Stayed on until I used rubbing alcohol to remove it.

 

[phreakmode]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

I have a couple 4" vinyl printers and have made a handful of custom labels in the past that have worked out pretty well. Here is one I made with .5" all weather tape with a clear coat.

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

That looks a hell of a lot nicer than mine! How did you get the intervals on the labels to match those on the turret? Trial and error? Disclaimer: I'm not computer savvy so there very well might be an obvious and easy way I don't know about ha And do you mean a painted clear coat? or just laminating paper layed over it?
But that does look pretty sharp!

 

[gotzero]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

I cut the sticky parts of Post-Its off and wrap them around my ERGO knobs on USO scopes. I then spend some time in a known-range area and write in my ranges. Works like a charm, no permanent mods, and easy to change if I ever need to.

 

[Shredder58]

Re: Homemade ballistic drop turrets! Save yourself $$

Hmmmm...some interesting ideas. I really like what Phreakmode did with those labels. So nobody is offering anything like these made to the specs you provide? Maybe a good idea for one of our good SH vendors...

 

[DroidSniper]

Custom Turret Systems | Affordable Custom Turret Labels

Old thread resurrection but it keeps coming up in google. in any even The linked Product works very well for me.

 

[TheGerman]

If its stupid and it works, its no longer stupid.

 

[libertyman777]

If its stupid and it works, its no longer stupid.

Yep. The airgun guys have been doing this for years.

 

[Sigma05]

I use 5mm masking tape for model making. On my S&B scope I actually can keep the original markings and it sits right in the middle. For night shooting I do the same with glow in the dark tape.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[Wyfox]

I've used a label maker in the past and it worked great. Just play with the font size, I used periods for each click then a yardage indicator. Its easy when you use a ballistic calculator that gives you number of clicks for each yardage. I also utilized the second line and printed a wind hold in mils above each yardage. After I wrapped the label around the turret I cut a piece of clear packing tape and went over it for durability.

DYMO® LetraTag Plus Label Maker | Staples®

 

[MrSwede]

Thats the way I always do it. The urge to spend 100 bucks on something you can make yourself, at home, in 15 minutes... I never did understand that.

I use white electricians tape and a superthin (0,1mm) permanent marker. When I'm done marking it I put clear tape over it. It stands up to rain, mud and filth this way.
I do this for verified dope, or to convert moa turrets to mil turrets.

 

[GunMax]

The home made ones are the best!!

 

[thegrayham]

Custom Turret Systems | Affordable Custom Turret Labels

Old thread resurrection but it keeps coming up in google. in any even The linked Product works very well for me.

Those seem like a great idea, will likely be giving them a try.

 

[Standardelg]

Great post. Something almost as cheap - but looking a lot better (requires a printer, scissors and some scotch tape): I've hacked together a small tool at http://turretlabels.com

Feedback and ideas appreciated

 

[atomic41]

Great post. Something almost as cheap - but looking a lot better (requires a printer, scissors and some scotch tape): I've hacked together a small tool at http://turretlabels.com

Feedback and ideas appreciated View attachment 6916022View attachment 6916023View attachment 6916024

Nice! If I can figure out your tool I'm going to make some. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Standardelg]

Basically you just need to measure your turret diameter and height with a caliper and plot it in (it only accepts mm right now, will make support for inches some day soon). I've divided the label/turret in 4 "bands". The lower one is the "units" band (has markings for each click and each full "unit" mil/moa), then 2 bands - one for 1st rotation and then one for 2nd rotation (this is where the distances are put). Top band is used for giving your label a name, eg load data, environmental settings for table.. You can define the height of each band with the "ratios" - sum must be 1 of the 4 bands ratios. So you can skip some of the bands, if you don't have a lot of real estate (low turrets). Play with the colors, the font size - and share some pics it with us if you make something awesome (colors and contrasts make a huge difference in readability and visibility)

 

[atomic41]

Basically you just need to measure your turret diameter and height with a caliper and plot it in (it only accepts mm right now, will make support for inches some day soon). I've divided the label/turret in 4 "bands". The lower one is the "units" band (has markings for each click and each full "unit" mil/moa), then 2 bands - one for 1st rotation and then one for 2nd rotation (this is where the distances are put). Top band is used for giving your label a name, eg load data, environmental settings for table.. You can define the height of each band with the "ratios" - sum must be 1 of the 4 bands ratios. So you can skip some of the bands, if you don't have a lot of real estate (low turrets). Play with the colors, the font size - and share some pics it with us if you make something awesome (colors and contrasts make a huge difference in readability and visibility)

You rock, this is a cool tool and it's awesome that you are sharing. Last night I figured it out but since my home printer doesn't work anymore I tried it this morning at work and my work computer is having trouble. I'm not sure if it's a security block or what. I might have to create the file at home then e-mail it to myself.

Anyway, thanks again I'm looking forward to playing with this!

 

[Geno C.]

Anyone have the 5-25 ATACR F1 measurements?

 

[ruebarb]

Any specific type of label to print these?

 

[Fig]

I already think in mills.

 

[Standardelg]

Any specific type of label to print these?

I'm using normal paper - and scotch tape around it. You could probably print it on some expensive waterproof type of "paper" made for ink jet and laser printers.