Boone and Crocket reticle range test.

[nottoofar]

At last I got out and shot with my 4.5x14 Leupold vxIII with Boone and Crocket Reticle.

I was shooting an H-S Precision .300 win mag with 165gr ballistic tips at 3400fps.

I measured all the ranges with my Leica 1200 scan rangefinder.

I zero'd the rifle at 250 yards then shot 3 shots at each aim point on the rifle. I figured them out to be
250 on the crosshairs
350 at the first aim point
500 at the second aim point
550 third aim point
600 for the bottom post
After shooting 3 shots from each position I measured the group for all 15 shots and it was 6".
Maximum verticle dispersion was 4".
So for my rifle with my load the reticle works great!

Of course it helps when the rifle shoots a 1" group at 250 2" group at 350 and a 4" group at 500 and a 5" group at 600.

 

[SeniorSendero]

How in the hell did you get 165 BT's to go 3400 ft/s? I have to moly coat 150's and stuff them with 79 grains of R22 to get 3400 ft/s and thats HOT!

Do all loads have to be smokin' to use the recticle? What if you used 200 grain Accubonds?

Ronnie

 

[nottoofar]

79 grains of H4831, 165 Nosler BT, 3.50oal, Federal match primers, 26" barrel, puts me right at 3400fps.
80 grains is max for my rifle.

You can use any bullet any velocity. Just customize the aim points to your trajectory.

 

[LOBO]

I second the B&C reticle. I returned last week from my 1st antelope hunt. Me and my father went to Raton, NM. My leupold VX3 4.5-14X50mm w/ the B&C reticle helped me to take a 15 3/8" long antelpe @ 452 measured yards. I just put the 450 yards crosshair on him and squeezed. For me that is the 3rd one down. I was using a Tikka T3 in .300wsm w/ 150 gr Sierra BTSP loaded w/ 58 grs of IMR 4320 that averages 3,044fps. With this load the scope works wondeful! My Dad also took a 14 1/4" long antelpe @ 355 yards w/ his .308 win.

 

[nottoofar]

lobo congrats on your antelope success.
Did you get any pictures, we would like to see your success shots if you feel like posting them.

 

[LOBO]

I have pics that i can email if someone will post them.

 

[MachV]

I'll try to post them if you emailem
[email protected]

 

[brian b]

nottoofar,
Will you please sell me your chronograph ?
B

 

[nottoofar]

brian b sounds like maybe you need my rifle not my chronograph

 

[LOBO]

my pics are under lobos antelope pics heading in the long range hunting forum.

 

[nottoofar]

Thanks lobo,
I edited one of your pics for you at your other post to increase the brightness so you can see it better.
Nice antelope!

 

[goodgrouper]

nottofar,

not to burst your bubble about the b&c reticle, it sure looks cool, but what if you change your elevation a few thousand feet or the air temp suddenly drops? Think those hash marks are still going to be on? Might I suggest getting a ballistic program and click in your minutes for the given conditions? My experience with this shows that it is much more of a "science" instead of just ball-parking it. Another advantage of doing it this way is that your can leave your power setting anywhere you want-which is usually helpful if your trying to connect at long range.

 

[Ian M]

Grouper is right, only most hunters don't want to go to the bother to learn the math and techniques, nor do they buy into the idea that there is time to crank on the necessary adjustments.

Fact is, multiple aiming point reticles do work, but again to make them work you have to practice just like Nottoofar is doing. I tested all of the available reticles a couple of years ago, even photographed live deer through some of them, and shot them a bunch. Made some pretty long kills (525 or so) with the TDS on one of the .308 rifles.

There ain't no free lunch. Atmospheric changes, loads, barrel quirks etc. induce variables that these reticles do not handle automatically.

I believe that the multiple aiming point reticles are good, the NPR-2 is a great example, but we can do similar things with the good old mildot design if we shoot enough to learn what dots are on out to what distance. We can even play games by varying the power of second plane scopes to customize dots to distances.

I am using both, either by learning where the NRP-2 intersections work or where my dots coincide as we shoot our drop charts.

Anything that lets us shoot longer more accurately is worth using. My goal is to continue extending my confident killing distance (as in first shot hits) - and to keep up with wind and mirage reading skills. Much more accurate to click in wind than to hold off - if there is time.

 

[goodgrouper]

Ian M

I have heard guys saying the same thing as you have mentioned time and time again in my gunshop. "Oh there's not enough time to click in hunting" or "I don't take math hunting" but I have a solution to it that takes virtually no time, and the math is already done for you.
Here she goes:
1 chrono your favorite load.
2 plug your info into ballistic software(sierra infinity is great, but JBM lets you even figure out your own real b.c.)
3 enter in your expected weather and elevation.
4 take info and print out a small chart showing your minute adjustments (or inch drop if you prefer)at all the expected ranges.
5 tape this chart to the inside of your scope cover. I find this location easier to see than your gunstock or bipod.
6 buy a scope with quick, finger adjustable turrets.
7 zero the dial at your preferred point blank range.
8 then click to your needed minute that is marked on your turret dial. example: the deer is at 527 yards. I need 6 minutes. Click the dial around to the number 6. Boom. Dead critter.
After some practice this can be done in about 4-5 seconds. Easy. Almost takes the fun out of it. And usually,if the animal is far enough away that you have to do this, they will most likely give you the 4-5 seconds needed to perform this. Hope this can help someone. Good shooting.

[ 09-15-2004: Message edited by: goodgrouper ]