Calibrated Ballistics Turret is NOT Matching POI

[skipglo]

I recently purchased a Calibrated Ballistic Turret, calibrated for my handload, for my Swarovski X5 Scope. Yesterday I got the chance to shoot long range, and I'm not too happy with the results.

Up to 300 yards the calibrations were DEAD ON but at 400 yards I found that I needed to use the 380 yard mark, since impact was 2"+- high using 400.

At 600 I used 560 mark, since impact was 10"+- high using 600.

At 800 I used 780 mark, since impact was 8"+- high using 800.

At 1,000 I used the 925 mark, impact 56"+- high using 1,000 mark. It should be noted that the 1,000 target was on an upward angle of about 40 degrees, so i'm not sure if actual distance is 1,000 yards....maybe less due to angle, so maybe it isn't off as much as it seems.

I do need to get out again to shoot again and proof these numbers but even still they are pretty far off of the calibrations on the turret.

I entered the ballistic data VERY CAREFULLY when I ordered the turret so I'm not sure what's going on here?

A 40 deg angle at 1000 yards on my 338 is a difference of 70+ inches or 7 MOA! You need to keep that one in mind as angles are a shorter distance! Nothing wrong with your turrets...it's just the math! But due to angle and conditions they are never going to be exact!

 

[bigngreen]

I was out shooting last week and I live in Arizona. Humidity that day was in the area of 70%, very high but it's our rainy season. My prior time out humidity was under 15%. At 450 yards my poi was off 9" from my prior settings in my shooting app I have on my phone. I updated my atmospheric conditions using the app and I needed .5 moa or 2 clicks. Next shots were dead on. Just shows how much one variable can change your setting on a preprinted turret. This is why I've gone to using a app on my phone or using the Kestrel shooting meter.

Humidity is not the cause of that, it's the most minor of the environmental factors even with my slow 308 at a 1000 yards a change from 0-100% humidity is one click.

 

[Ingwe]

A 40 deg angle at 1000 yards on my 338 is a difference of 70+ inches or 7 MOA! You need to keep that one in mind as angles are a shorter distance! Nothing wrong with your turrets...it's just the math! But due to angle and conditions they are never going to be exact!

Only the 1,000 yard target was on an angle...the others were on flat ground and still off.

As I stated in my original post, my 800 yard turret is 8" off...I played with environmental conditions etc and nothing I did made it 8" off

 

[waveslayer]

A 40 deg angle at 1000 yards on my 338 is a difference of 70+ inches or 7 MOA! You need to keep that one in mind as angles are a shorter distance! Nothing wrong with your turrets...it's just the math! But due to angle and conditions they are never going to be exact!

His turrets are off... if the turrets weren't why is he missing by so many inches?

Turrets aren't good past 600 yards, like everyone has stated on this thread.. garbage in garbage out...

Just dial your dope and verify all... which is what DOPE stands for.

You must true any load to your rifle and true it in any ballistics calculator.. even the scope height matters, bore height etc... all will change your turrets

 

[Ingwe]

His turrets are off... if the turrets weren't why is he missing by so many inches?

Turrets aren't good past 600 yards, like everyone has stated on this thread.. garbage in garbage out...

Just dial your dope and verify all... which is what DOPE stands for.

You must true any load to your rifle and true it in any ballistics calculator.. even the scope height matters, bore height etc... all will change your turrets

I agree 100%

Mine isn't much good past 500...4" high

 

[ronstone09]

J

I recently purchased a Calibrated Ballistic Turret, calibrated for my handload, for my Swarovski X5 Scope. Yesterday I got the chance to shoot long range, and I'm not too happy with the results.

Up to 300 yards the calibrations were DEAD ON but at 400 yards I found that I needed to use the 380 yard mark, since impact was 2"+- high using 400.

At 600 I used 560 mark, since impact was 10"+- high using 600.

At 800 I used 780 mark, since impact was 8"+- high using 800.

At 1,000 I used the 925 mark, impact 56"+- high using 1,000 mark. It should be noted that the 1,000 target was on an upward angle of about 40 degrees, so i'm not sure if actual distance is 1,000 yards....maybe less due to angle, so maybe it isn't off as much as it seems.

I do need to get out again to shoot again and proof these numbers but even still they are pretty far off of the calibrations on the turret.

I entered the ballistic data VERY CAREFULLY when I ordered the turret so I'm not sure what's going on here?

I would contact the turret manufacturer and explain your finding Ms and see what their answer is to your problem !

 

[jareese]

I don't understand why people buy "Calibrated Turrets" They are only good for ONE Elevation at ONE Environment Variable... Learn how to dial your elevation in MOA or MIL's and you're set ANYWHERE in the world. Just get your elevation, wind and environment variables, pluck them into your Ballistics App, verify, double verify and shoot.

 

[Ingwe]

I don't understand why people buy "Calibrated Turrets" They are only good for ONE Elevation at ONE Environment Variable... Learn how to dial your elevation in MOA or MIL's and you're set ANYWHERE in the world. Just get your elevation, wind and environment variables, pluck them into your Ballistics App, verify, double verify and shoot.

The reason that I tried ballistic turrets is because if mine was calibrated true to the markings, then I would say that it's "good enough" for the big game hunting I plan on doing. I don't plan on killing a deer at sea level, then a Marco Polo Sheep at 20,000 feet.
I few inches within 400 yards because of environmental conditions isn't going to matter.

I'm primarily a hunter, not a shooter, so in my 50 years of hunting experience, I don't see how some of you guys have the time to ascertain conditions with a Kestrel, type it into a computer, dial in your scope, aim and shoot before your shot opportunity is over.

I think that allot of guys nowadays are caught up in the whole "tactical" lol craze and are wannabe snipers, having just finished watching American Sniper and wanting to live the dream

Of COURSE I'm not referring to everyone now, but you all know the type

 

[John Klingenberg]

Sounds like you got the numbers down for dialing where you are and those atmospherics. Just go off what you have. Externals will always vary so BDCs and ballistic turrets rarely match.

 

[jareese]

Sounds like you got the numbers down for dialing where you are and those atmospherics. Just go off what you have. Externals will always vary so BDCs and ballistic turrets rarely match.

Precisely my point

 

[Doug Herold]

Well boys, I guess I'm going to have to disagree with the " majority opinion " on this very relevant thread. I started off using burned yardage turrets, and as I gradually gained competence at longer distances moved on to moa turrets, kestrels, Kilos, BR2 Rangefinders,
wonderful Nightforce scopes (I own 3), and very good apps. I struggled getting my dope calculated in time on a couple hunts at home and also out of the country. Last winter I really had my hat handed to me by numerous coyotes in Canada.
Hey, by the time I range my target animal, calculate the corresponding dope (including wind adjustment), get back in to the scope, that opportunity is often gone.... Long story short: I had Best Of The West build me a 7mag with one of their new scopes (with the 34 mm tube, the Schott Glass,and the anti-cant device integrated the bottom of the reticle). I got them to build me three turrets: one at 3000 ft of elevation, one at 5,000 ft., and one for 9,000 ft. Standard on the Huskemaw is the windage dope which corresponds to the distance. Why don't other high dollar scopes have this? Cause it's protected by their patent. I haven't had this gun long and haven't even shot one group on paper with it. However, I have put about 20 rounds on various steel targets at 3 different locations and have been in the "kill zone" on ALL shots out to 950yds.
I know BOTW catches a lot of grief on this site, but I am waiting to be disappointed. Per definition of this site, I am a hunter not a competitor. I shoot a lot of paper and steel through out the year only to make me a more efficient hunter. Coyotes stop and pee for about 5 seconds, deer weave in and out of cover, wolves are a nightmare. If something grazes like a cow, that is heaven. But a lot don't; and I don't have time to be fooling around with gadgets.
I know a lot of you are thinking, "well what about elevation", "what about temperature "??? Adjust 1 click for every 1000 ft. of elevation change and 1 click for every 20 degrees of temperature change from the temperature at which you had your turret burnt.
Also, BTW, you guys who shoot MOA turrets and are building your ballistic profile, collect the data from your LONGEST distance FIRST and work to closest. Don't just adjust only your mv as you lie to your app, but adjust the BC. Apps just get you close. Live fire gets you to the correct dope for your shot.
Sorry for the long diatribe. Sometimes I just can't help myself.lol. Oh yeah, and if I find that I am wrong and what I'm doing stinks, I'll come back and admit it. Some of you may say, "well why doesn't BOTW have more people shooting their stuff? For one reason, their marketing sucks. Well not really. It's just non-existent.
P.S.:
Right now I'm trying to match the load from BOTW. Sportsman's Warehouse brass is 15 grains iighter than theirs %#^{+*!!!!!!!!!
Good shootin,
Doug

 

[Doug Herold]

Well boys, I guess I'm going to have to disagree with the " majority opinion " on this very relevant thread. I started off using burned yardage turrets, and as I gradually gained competence at longer distances moved on to moa turrets, kestrels, Kilos, BR2 Rangefinders,
wonderful Nightforce scopes (I own 3), and very good apps. I struggled getting my dope calculated in time on a couple hunts at home and also out of the country. Last winter I really had my hat handed to me by numerous coyotes in Canada.
Hey, by the time I range my target animal, calculate the corresponding dope (including wind adjustment), get back in to the scope, that opportunity is often gone.... Long story short: I had Best Of The West build me a 7mag with one of their new scopes (with the 34 mm tube, the Schott Glass,and the anti-cant device integrated the bottom of the reticle). I got them to build me three turrets: one at 3000 ft of elevation, one at 5,000 ft., and one for 9,000 ft. Standard on the Huskemaw is the windage dope which corresponds to the distance. Why don't other high dollar scopes have this? Cause it's protected by their patent. I haven't had this gun long and haven't even shot one group on paper with it. However, I have put about 20 rounds on various steel targets at 3 different locations and have been in the "kill zone" on ALL shots out to 950yds.
I know BOTW catches a lot of grief on this site, but I am waiting to be disappointed. Per definition of this site, I am a hunter not a competitor. I shoot a lot of paper and steel through out the year only to make me a more efficient hunter. Coyotes stop and pee for about 5 seconds, deer weave in and out of cover, wolves are a nightmare. If something grazes like a cow, that is heaven. But a lot don't; and I don't have time to be fooling around with gadgets.
I know a lot of you are thinking, "well what about elevation", "what about temperature "??? Adjust 1 click for every 1000 ft. of elevation change and 1 click for every 20 degrees of temperature change from the temperature at which you had your turret burnt.
Also, BTW, you guys who shoot MOA turrets and are building your ballistic profile, collect the data from your LONGEST distance FIRST and work to closest. Don't just adjust only your mv as you lie to your app, but adjust the BC. Apps just get you close. Live fire gets you to the correct dope for your shot.
Sorry for the long diatribe. Sometimes I just can't help myself.lol. Oh yeah, and if I find that I am wrong and what I'm doing stinks, I'll come back and admit it. Some of you may say, "well why doesn't BOTW have more people shooting their stuff? For one reason, their marketing sucks. Well not really. It's just non-existent.
P.S.:
Right now I'm trying to match the load from BOTW. Sportsman's Warehouse brass is 15 grains iighter than theirs %#^{+*!!!!!!!!!
Good shootin,
Doug

Oh yeah, for those of you who don't know it, Huskemaw builds yardage turrets primarily.

 

[Swiftkill]

As was said before, there are a lot of variables. I don't think anyone mentioned Barometric pressure and HUMIDITY; they said weather. If you are off by 2" at 600 yards, that is pretty **** good. I don't use the dials, I use Strelok ballistic calculator and set up my parameters for where i think I'll be hunting or shooting and use a few different elevations and average temperature. They have photos of your actual reticle and it shows the spot on your reticle for hold. or use tables. You can take a screen shot of that and save it in your phone. If I am just out in the field I have it printed and put it in a plastic sheet sleeve. If you make them small enough you can just tape over them with clear packing tape like an makeshift lamination. I like to shoot ultra fast cartridges in the first place, so for hunting everything is almost a dead hold out to 400 yards. I often sight in at 300 yard zero or 275. Most hunting situations you don't have too much time to screw with anything.
ALSO, did you do a box test with your scope? Is it precise? Could be that your scope adjustments are off and don't show up much till after 400 yards.
I also learned to check my Zero almost every time when I got to where I was going to shoot or hunt. It is almost always off by .25 or .5" at 100 yards with as little as a 2000 ft change in elevation and going fom 50% RH to 10% RH in the desert. .5 inches at 100 yards from a 220 swift is a huge difference at 300 or 400 yards, let alone 500 or 600 yards. Play with ballistic calculators and change the variables to see the differences.

 

[Swiftkill]

I just saw Doug's post, and I have to agree with most of it. Hunting is different than paper or steel shooting. Coyote hunters know all about the grief of time for a target to stand still!. I like a clean scope with a Varmint reticle with 5 or 6 stadia lines. Leupold LRT Varmint or Zeiss Conquest Varmint 1000, etc. You can make the stadia lines match whatever you want, almost, well, you can figure out where the lines will COINCIDE with your stadia lines. . SO, the 3rd line down might be 430 yards instead of 400, 4th line down 485, 5th line down 560, etc. so what, as long as you know what that is. Then you can really mess with it by making your center zero 300 or 350 yards.. you'll never miss a reasonable hunting shot from 100 to 500 yards.... with a fast cartridge. The only reason ARs in 5.56 are used at 600 yard matches is because the shooters know the distance and are sighted in for that. Good luck eyeballing 275 and 325 yards and hitting it with that set-up. MAYBE you'll his somewhere on a man size sillhouette, maybe.