Lesson Learned with Custom Turrets

[lancetkenyon]

I

I get what you're saying Lance… and you shoot, more than me.

But…. there's also more than one way to skin a cat. I'll sacrifice maybe 1/2 minute of "exactness" for those extra two or three seconds of not having to consult a chart or an app.

I can appreciate this.

If you are shooting 600 yards, you are more than likely using a rangefinder.
My rangefinder gives a shooting solution, that is accurate and proven in a ton of varying conditions. If it says "600 yards, 2.7MIL" (or "5.75MOA"), I dial 2.7MIL (or 5.75MOA). Just as fast as dialing to a preset "600".

 

[Taylorbok]

I get what you're saying Lance… and you shoot, more than me.

But…. there's also more than one way to skin a cat. I'll sacrifice maybe 1/2 minute of "exactness" for those extra two or three seconds of not having to consult a chart or an app.

If it says "600 yards, 2.7MIL" (or "5.75MOA"), I dial 2.7MIL (or 5.75MOA). Just as fast as dialing to a preset "600".

Id also doubt it's even half a second faster than me checking the chart in scope cap.
Like you said several ways to skin this cat.

 

[Damage Inc.]

I

I can appreciate this.

If you are shooting 600 yards, you are more than likely using a rangefinder.
My rangefinder gives a shooting solution, that is accurate and proven in a ton of varying conditions. If it says "600 yards, 2.7MIL" (or "5.75MOA"), I dial 2.7MIL (or 5.75MOA). Just as fast as dialing to a preset "600".

Agreed…. and I've seen it happen very fast in the field.

I runt the Sig 6k… and before that, the Sig 3k. I never want to be without a LRF Bino that spits my dope out again. That's the easiest easy button of them all.

Taylor…. I like the chart inside the turret too. Did that for a lot of years.

 

[nuclearmonkey]

Just adding another option to this… For those that run a wrist coach or similar for their dope - my last hunt I laminated 3 different cards that were 2000' of Density Altitude apart. Just a bit of extra comfort for some of the longer shots. We had a 3000' DA shift from one day to the next hunting the same area.

 

[Oldsteelrunner]

Why someone would use a "custom" turret is something I've never understood. The major reason I avoided them was because of the uphill and downhill slopes.

 

[Damage Inc.]

Why someone would use a "custom" turret is something I've never understood. The major reason I avoided them was because of the uphill and downhill slopes.

Funny how uphill/downhill shots effect a turret…. but not a drop chart….

 

[Mike Matteson]

DIY Rifle Scope Turret Labels

Create functional and awesome looking ballistic turret labels. For free! Print them, cut them out and tape them to the rifle scope turret.

turretlabels.com

Using this then Laser Printed onto waterproof vinyl

A BIG THANKYOU!

 

[Mike Matteson]

I believe there range finder that account for the difference in range taking in angle of up or down hill shots. I know for my bow it works.
I print up a card with info on it and tape it to my stock. I do it on excel sheet. Reduce the print size too, so It doesn't take up that much room.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Why someone would use a "custom" turret is something I've never understood. The major reason I avoided them was because of the uphill and downhill slopes.

Is that because you take photos of scopes from the internet and try to sell them as your own?

 

[sika64]

I've always wondered about changing from 10000 feet to sea level-- and large temp swings.

So I have never ordered one- nore will I.

I believe that most go by 1500ft of elevation, so say your turret is set at 4000ft you technically can go up or down 1500ft without enough change in point of impact.

 

[memtb]

Your actual drops may not correspond with the dial but you could sight the rifle in at the halfway mark and minimize any inaccuracy. Once I have my custom dial, I dial it to 400yds and sight in at that distance. This way I know I'll be dead on at 400yds. Shorter distances are never a problem even if they are off a tiny bit and longer distances are closer to the dial setting then they would be if you did a 100yd sight-in with the dial at 100yd setting.

VH, I sorta follow that the theory. I have, for many years used a 300 yard zero. When I got my Leupold with the CDS system…..I did the same. My dial zero is 300 yards! My theory is that if I am on at 300, my error out to my maximum range (600 yards) will be minimal…..even with fairly dramatic atmospheric changes, except for wind! I fervently believe, that even with fairly dramatic atmospheric changes…..these effects will be minimal within the 300 yards between 300 and 600 yards!

When I had my turrets built, I compromised on all potential variables….elevation, barometric pressure, and temperature. Again my theory….out to my maximum game shooting range, with the 300 yard zero and using a mean average for conditions my error should be minimized.

After all this is a big game rifle…..I'm not trying to "thread needles"! I also do not feel the need to impress by using the smallest cartridge possible to impress the "keyboard cowboys". I use a cartridge with more than enough bullet diameter, bullet construction, mass, energy (for those that use this as a measure of killing ability) to make good clean kills….. without surgical precision! If I were shooting at much longer ranges and had money or ego "on the line"…..perhaps I would use a different method.

The sad truth is….I have a life with many other activities with neither the time, the money, nor do I feel the need to impress others with my keyboard shooting abilities! memtb

 

[Varmint Hunter]

VH, I sorta follow that the theory. I have, for many years used a 300 yard zero. When I got my Leupold with the CDS system…..I did the same. My dial zero is 300 yards! My theory is that if I am on at 300, my error out to my maximum range (600 yards) will be minimal…..even with fairly dramatic atmospheric changes, except for wind! I fervently believe, that even with fairly dramatic atmospheric changes…..these effects will be minimal within the 300 yards between 300 and 600 yards!

When I had my turrets built, I compromised on all potential variables….elevation, barometric pressure, and temperature. Again my theory….out to my maximum game shooting range, with the 300 yard zero and using a mean average for conditions my error should be minimized.

After all this is a big game rifle…..I'm not trying to "thread needles"! I also do not feel the need to impress by using the smallest cartridge possible to impress the "keyboard cowboys". I use a cartridge with more than enough bullet diameter, bullet construction, mass, energy (for those that use this as a measure of killing ability) to make good clean kills….. without surgical precision! If I were shooting at much longer ranges and had money or ego "on the line"…..perhaps I would use a different method.

The sad truth is….I have a life with many other activities with neither the time, the money, nor do I feel the need to impress others with my keyboard shooting abilities! memtb

If I were shooting big game at the distances that some of our members do, I'd use ballistic software and dial accordingly. But my maximum harvest of big game has been just over 500yds and that is a rather long shot in the areas that I hunt. I'd add that I'm shooting over flat terrain and at about sea level. For my purposes, the ballistic turret works fine. Some of my scopes have the hash marks for holdover. I use the 400yds hash mark and sight the rifle to be dead on at 400yds. The other hash marks are off a bit but not enough to make any difference on a big game animal.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Why someone would use a "custom" turret is something I've never understood. The major reason I avoided them was because of the uphill and downhill slopes.

And maybe because you don't actually own the scopes to put them on? You know, like the one you were trying to sell that you snaked the photos off another site to try and photoshop a username and date onto to trick another member...

 

[Mike Matteson]

if you are only going 500yds. A 2x8 will do the job with duplex cross hairs. In fact you don't really need a range finder either. Set target with showing the area of the chest in deer and elk size. Run you scope to 8 and see how it fills the scope. Take special care at 300, 400, and 500 yards distance. You can quickly pull up your rifle and look at the animal and know almost instantly the range. learn where to hold at those different ranges using the vertical line in the scope. I would raise my crosshairs to the top of the deer back for a 400yd shot. I would raise the point of the duplex changing from light to the heavy bar on the top of the back. Let drive. The round would be on the 400 yds shot about 3" from top of back, and the 500yds placement was the same. So my hold at either yardage would have taken me into about 425 or so and likewise the 500 shot would have take me into the area of 525 or so. Never did figure I needed any more for ranging. I was at those ranges. If I remember I was about 2 3/4" @ a hundred yards. That was with a 25/06 with 120gr Nosler BtSp bullets.