Which do you prefer in competition - holdovers or adjusting turrets?

[CybrSlydr]

Curious what you folks do in competitions - when you have your dope, do you adjust your turrets for each target or do you prefer to use holdovers?

I didn't pay attention at the last competition to what my group did - I did holdovers as it seemed quicker and I have a reticle that will account for it.

Unless I was really familiar with my optic and adjusting, I think holdovers would be easier/quicker than worrying about going a click or 3 too far. I was surprised just how quickly those two minutes go by when you're looking for the targets.

 

[The4GunGuy]

The answer is "it depends". I just did a video on holding over and I'll post it here (). But, IF you have time to dial, I dial. If the stage is a fast stage, then I'll hold. You also have to consider the reticle you have and is it a tree type reticle that allows you to manage windage during hold over? In the video, I talk about that. Practice both so you can be prepared as stage needs come up, and remember that once in a while, the MD will stipulate that you cannot touch your turrets on a stage.

 

[The4GunGuy]

And here's an example of when you don't remember to hold over!! Dropped 2 shots on this practice session.

 

[Ruff 364]

Depends on time, number of targets, difficulty of shot etc. I'll dial if I can, hold if time is tight.

 

[Matt_3479]

I always dial until the stage specified no dialing which happens roughly once a year. I do practice hold overs for that reason but I always dial otherwise.

 

[Downzero]

I strongly prefer dialing but holdovers are faster and I really ought to practice it more.

 

[lte82]

I dial when: The target distances are substantially different, requiring a large change in elevation and windage (like 500 & 1000). The targets are very small, and require a high level of precision. Any stage where time isn't an issue. Any time I grossly miss the wind call on the first shot and don't want to have a huge hold off the rest of the stage.

I hold when: Time may be an issue, targets are large enough to be a bit sloppy, and all targets are similar enough in distance to not require large changes in elevation or windage (think targets that are all between 400-500 yards). I'll also hold off when I miss the wind call by a small amount and/or the wind is having pick up up and let offs, or switches.

Dialing can be less of a time cost than you think too. While there is more time on the front end to dial, I find that I get my sight picture faster which gives me a some of that time back. Dialing can even be quicker than holding if you have a huge distance gap between targets, because it's easier to dial and shoot to the center of your crosshairs vs searching for that perfect 5.3 mil elevation and 0.8 mil hold on the tree. Sometimes a good compromise is to just dial the extra elevation and hold the wind so you're only dealing with one variable.

You can also experiment with hold unders too, which works well for two targets in the 1-2 mil range elevation difference. Say 400-500 or 400-600. Dial the wind for the short target and elevation for the far target. Shoot the far target with just a wind hold off, then shoot the short target with zero wind hold but holding under the amount you need.

 

[Rob01]

Depends on the stage. You should be able to do both without issue so you can do the one you need when needed.

 

[JustSendit]

I’d practice both but for PRS you’ll end up dialing because there’s time to do so and it’s all known distances. Personally I dial a lot at PRS and rarely for field matches.

 

[Gentleman4561]

I use to be a heavy dialing guy, but now that I am running a weapon mounted laser range finder I almost never dial. Last match I shot I didn’t touch my elevation over the course of 14 stages.

I tend to shoot more field type matches though, so probably larger targets vs what is commonly seen in barricade bench rest.

 

[Bgriff008]

My issue with hold overs is the numbers on the reticle are so small I can’t read them. Also they are black and blend in with the backgrounds we shoot. My eyes are shot. Sure I can zoom in to make them bigger but then I lose my acquisition view for the next target. It’s actually quite frustrating. My scope reticle does light up but not bright enough in the day light. Not sure if they make better scopes that are brighter or not.

 

[Rob01]

They do make scopes where the illumination is daylight bright. I use my illumination a lot at matches.

 

[Bgriff008]

They do make scopes where the illumination is daylight bright. I use my illumination a lot at matches.

Any suggestions? I currently run a vortex viper 5-25x50.

 

[Rob01]

Any suggestions? I currently run a vortex viper 5-25x50.

What’s your price range?

 

[Rippey715]

Dial all the things. Holdovers are the fastest way to miss.

 

[Bgriff008]

lol. That’s the dying question. Don’t really want to go higher than 2k. Not sure that will get me what I really need.

 

[Rob01]

Dial all the things. Holdovers are the fastest way to miss.

Only if you don’t practice it. Lol

 

[Rob01]

lol. That’s the dying question. Don’t really want to go higher than 2k. Not sure that will get me what I really need.

It’s the most important question lol. Under $2K there are a lot of good options like the Tract Toric ELR 4-25, Burris Pro, the Zeiss S3 only illuminates the center mil but the reticle is dark and easy to see even against dark targets. Under a grand the Bushnell Match Pro ED is a good choice too.