Advanced Marksmanship Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

[Bob 964]

Recently sold my Remington 700 SPS Tactical with Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 scope with Rapid Z600 reticle. I replaced it with a Savage .308 Tactical (24" heavy barrel) mated to a Choate Ultimate Sniper chassis. I love the gun but the scope has a mildot reticle, which is new to me.

I understand how to use the mildot reticle to calculate range, and I was able to calculate some pretty accurate mil elevation and windage holdovers (before I realized the JBM model would do that for me). The scope is zeroed at 200 yards and I am shooting the Black Hills 168 gr. Match ammo. I was able today to use my mil holdovers with reasonable accuracy at 300 yards.

What I need help on is adjustments of the 2 turrets. It's unclear who manufactured the scope, but the elevation and windage turrets each have a numerical range from 0 to 14, with what appears to be 4 increments between each number. The top of each turret has 3 set screws. I haven't messed with these because I don't know what they do. According to the diagram on top of each turret, turning the elevation turret counterclockwise ostensibly raises the point of impact. Turning the windage turret counterclockwise moves the point of impact to the right.

I know there are those of you who have forgotten more about precision long-range shooting than I will ever hope to learn, and I need you to direct me to a tutorial on this type of scope or take a minute or two to explain the turret adjustments to me. I will be extremely grateful.

Bob

 

[Pat M]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

From what you had written, the little marks (4) between the # = should be 1/4moa (about 1/4" at 100 yards) (so a full # = about 1" at 100 yards)

each click (1/4 moa) =

100yds - 1/4"
200yds - 1/2" per click
300yds - 3/4"
400yds - 1" per click

get it?

 

[Topstrap]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

And the 3 lil set screws in the turrent is how you set your zero. When you find your 100 or whatever zero then loosen those set screws and turn the turrent till the 0 lines up with the tall verticle line on your turrent. Tighten these down and now you'll always be able to reset your zero and the numbers on the knob will align with the numbers on your turrent.

But, you need to know how far you are off bottom so you don't go past your zero on the way down or up to start off. Easiest is to get your zero then count down how many clicks or revolutions down to bottom out then come back up. Either memorize or mark it down so you can find zero again easily.

Topstrap

 

[Bob 964]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

Pat M. --- I get it. Thanks. So... with a 200 yard zero and a bullet that drops 9 inches from 200 to 300 yards, I would adjust the elevation turret counterclockwise 12 clicks. This would move the turret from my 0 to 3.0 (MOA). Right?

Topstrap --- Thanks. That's what I was hoping you would say.

I occasionally suffer from "paralysis by analysis" and have a habit of trying to make things harder than they really are sometimes (e.g., golf swing). Thanks for helping me simplify this.

Bob

 

[Redmanss]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 308_to_yuma</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Pat M. --- I get it. Thanks. So... with a 200 yard zero and a bullet that drops 9 inches from 200 to 300 yards, I would adjust the elevation turret counterclockwise 12 clicks. This would move the turret from my 0 to 3.0 (MOA). Right?

Topstrap --- Thanks. That's what I was hoping you would say.

I occasionally suffer from "paralysis by analysis" and have a habit of trying to make things harder than they really are sometimes (e.g., golf swing). Thanks for helping me simplify this.

Bob</div></div> I don't think you're fully getting it. You have a scope with adjustable turrets. Don't think in how many clicks it takes to move from one step to the next, just dial the setting. You already said you've gone onto JBM to get data. It gives you the MOA setting for a given range and conditions. Put that setting onto your scope and engage.

Also I recommend running a 100yd/m zero provided your scope has enough available elevation to get you to your required maximum range.

Exactly what scope are you now running?

 

[Bob 964]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

Thanks Redmanss. That helps. I have prepared range cards for the ammo I am shooting, using mil and MOA data at different distances and environmental conditions, from the JBM ballistics model.

The scope has no obvious manufacturer information that I can see. Possibly military? It has 4X16 magnification.

Help me understand why you think zeroing at 100 yards is a better way for me to go. The range where I shoot permits shooting out to 500 yards. I seldom shoot at 100 yards; most of my shooting is at 200 - 400 yards.

 

[Redmanss]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 308_to_yuma</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Help me understand why you think zeroing at 100 yards is a better way for me to go. The range where I shoot permits shooting out to 500 yards. I seldom shoot at 100 yards; most of my shooting is at 200 - 400 yards.</div></div> Different people run different zeros for different reasons, but here's mine. With a 100yd zero on a .308 you can run all the way out to 500-600yds (depending on conditions) with only using mil holds. Crank it to your 600yd setting and you can use mil holds all the way from 50yds to 1k and never have to touch your elevation turret. It's the ultimate use of max point blank range, and is really fast and accurate.

Also, you may come across a time where you want to be precise at 100yds. This will prevent you from having to use negative scope settings, and will keep your settings always in the positive range.

Finally, 100yds is an excellent range to zero at as you will have no wind effect unless you're shooting in a hurricane.

Read this thread for many different descriptions and reasons for different baseline scope settings:
What Distance Is Your Zero?

No manufacturer markings, huh? That can't be good..... If you do replace it, get a scope that has matching turrets and reticle (moa/moa or mil/mil). It gets rid of the need for conversions when using your reticle to measure for a dope adjustment.

Best of luck.

 

[Bob 964]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

Thanks again Redmanss. I'll read the thread.
Bob

 

[Bob 964]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

To reduce the level of abstraction (for me at least), the Black Hills 168 gr. Match bullet I am shooting shows a 4.3 inch drop from 100 yds to 200 yds. This translates to 0.6 mils and 2.1 MOA (using the JBM model). If I am zeroed at 100 yds and shooting from 200 yds, I presume I could either raise the crosshairs by 0.6 mils (holdover) or turn the setting on the elevation turret counterclockwise from 0 to 2. Is it this simple?

 

[doc76251]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

It would appear that your turret is marked as a BDC (Bullet Drop Compensating) the first part of your math is correct, it does seem a bit much to me though. There is no telling if the BDC will be correct though. You would be better off getting a regular dial and dialing it directly as you will find out that not all ammo will match the BDC. At close ranges it may be "close enough" but BDC's generally fall apart at longer ranges.

Cheers,


Doc

 

[Bob 964]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

Redmanss --- I have done some research on the scope and, from what I can tell, it is an SWFA SS16X42. Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with this scope?

 

[whitefarms4840]

Re: Need help understanding new mildot reticle scope

Have looked through a SWFA SS scope, for the price they are a heck of a deal. I'd keep it, if you want to upgrade I might take it off your hands.