Leupold CDS

[SMK1000plus]

All my info is accurate just don't have an exact velocity. Can't get the velocity when you don't have a chrono. The stores around here don't sell them. And with the money I ended up having to spend the last couple months it's going to be a while until I get one. Like I said before if it's way off worse case scenario I pay for a new one whenever I can get it to a chrono. But Leupold thinks it'll be pretty close with the adjustment. Only shooting it will tell for sure.

Just take your rifle to the range and sight it in with the ammo you want the dial to be accurate with, at 100 yards. Record your elevation above sea-level as well as the air temperature during your sight-in at each range, as your testing progresses down range. Sight in at 200 yards recording the increase in turret elevation, in clicks or MOA+1/4s there of. Sight-in again at 300 yards, again recording air temp and clicks/MOA increase from your original 100 YARD sight-in. Do the same at 400 yards, 500 yards, etc., until you reach one full turret revolution (usually @ 600 to 800 yards, depending on your cartridge, bullet and velocity). Send the elevation increase data, along with the ambient temperature at the time of each sighti-n and your altitude, to Leupold. With that information they will be able to build you a very accurate custom turret.

 

[Tgunz64]

Well I called Leupold again last night to see if I could cancel out the order until I can get it chronographed later on. They said it was delivered on Monday. Wife never told me a package came. So now I'll just have to shoot and see if it'll be close. It only took about a week and a half to get.

 

[SpeedGoatShooter37]

Well I called Leupold again last night to see if I could cancel out the order until I can get it chronographed later on. They said it was delivered on Monday. Wife never told me a package came. So now I'll just have to shoot and see if it'll be close. It only took about a week and a half to get.

Not all is lost. You can use the 1/4 MOA turret that comes with it with great effect. Once you get your load chronographed, go to JBM ballistics and make a drop chart using your load's specifics. It'll kick out range corrections in MOA. As with anything though, it's a garbage in, garbage out process.

 

[SMK1000plus]

The fact of the matter is, I have over a dozen Leupold CDS scopes on some of my rifles. I have already completed load development for all but one of these. I have yet to send in for a CDS custom turret/dial yet. Dialing in with MOA turrets is so easy. I may eventually send in the information and have them made but, I'm still debating where I want to move to, after retirement and I want my dials and loads setup for that altitude.

 

[Tgunz64]

I can always just use the one that came with it and dial in. I don't think the cds will be way off. Probably not exact but we'll see. Again I can pay the money later for one after I can get it chronographed if it's way off that is.

 

[BULLBLASTER]

If you are fairly close on the velocity you can set the cds dial to be accurate at 600 yards or some other long distance and then just dial back. Your 100 yard mark may be off but 1/2 moa off is smaller at 100 than 600.

 

[Tgunz64]

If you are fairly close on the velocity you can set the cds dial to be accurate at 600 yards or some other long distance and then just dial back. Your 100 yard mark may be off but 1/2 moa off is smaller at 100 than 600.

Thats what I'm kind of counting on. The scope is going on a 22-250 coyote gun. Where I hunt most or all of my shots will probably be under 400yards. So if it's close out to that range I'll be happy. Maybe take it out to 600 at the range for fun but won't be shooting at dogs at that.

 

[MAD10]

not poking at you I just want to clarify for you....I got a friend that is very much in the same situation as you and after he came over and I went through the details with him his eyes glossed over.

You asked what people thought and everyone is telling you in order to get an accurate dial cut for your CDS you need accurate velocities and other info from your rifle with the ammo you intend to use. The CDS system is only as good as the info provided.

You owe it to the animal you are hunting to be as accurate as you can or simply hunt inside of 300 yards and leave the 500 yard plus stuff for when you get a magneto speed they are about $179 online.

That being said there is another way to velocity true without using a crono and that is inputting the correction needed on whatever distance you shoot into your kestrel or shooting app.

For example say you tell your app your MV Is 2910 you took it off the factory box and you ask it to solve for a 800 yard shot, the longer the better for the algorithm in your solver. It tells you say 7 MOA elevation. You dial 7 MOA and send three shots they collectively splash 3 inches low.

You go into the truing feature and put in 3 inches low. The solver will reverse engineer the info and give you your actual velocity. Then you send another three with your new velocity in your solver to confirm and that is what you'd give to Leupold.

but to be straight up if you can't afford a Crono, aren't using a ballistic solver and even know what I'm talking about, you probably aren't hand loading or even shooting enough on a regular basis to be shooting animals at long range.

I'm not judging you I'm simply making an observation and giving to some tough love brother.

 

[Tgunz64]

not poking at you I just want to clarify for you....I got a friend that is very much in the same situation as you and after he came over and I went through the details with him his eyes glossed over.

You asked what people thought and everyone is telling you in order to get an accurate dial cut for your CDS you need accurate velocities and other info from your rifle with the ammo you intend to use. The CDS system is only as good as the info provided.

You owe it to the animal you are hunting to be as accurate as you can or simply hunt inside of 300 yards and leave the 500 yard plus stuff for when you get a magneto speed they are about $179 online.

That being said there is another way to velocity true without using a crono and that is inputting the correction needed on whatever distance you shoot into your kestrel or shooting app.

For example say you tell your app your MV Is 2910 you took it off the factory box and you ask it to solve for a 800 yard shot, the longer the better for the algorithm in your solver. It tells you say 7 MOA elevation. You dial 7 MOA and send three shots they collectively splash 3 inches low.

You go into the truing feature and put in 3 inches low. The solver will reverse engineer the info and give you your actual velocity. Then you send another three with your new velocity in your solver to confirm and that is what you'd give to Leupold.

but to be straight up if you can't afford a Crono, aren't using a ballistic solver and even know what I'm talking about, you probably aren't hand loading or even shooting enough on a regular basis to be shooting animals at long range.

I'm not judging you I'm simply making an observation and giving to some tough love brother.

I get what you and the others are saying. All of the info they ask for is accurate. Just didn't know the velocity exactly. Regardless it's too late to change it now on this dial as it showed up monday. So now it's shootbit and see where it lands. And no I don't get out to shoot that often unfortunately. I'll get a chrono eventually.

 

[graywolf]

Unfortunately Leupold turrets can be prone to error in my experience, and don't always track precisely. If you have a turret like that, then chrono data and a ballistic solver isn't going to be as useful as just dialing the turrets and recording the empirical click values out to the maximum distance you plan to shoot.

 

[stx]

Without a known velocity coming from your barrel I suspect you will have pretty poor results with the CDS.

I've seen velocity vary in excess of 100 FPS when comparing chronograph to factory ammo advertised velocities.

I would strongly consider investing In a magnetospeed sporter chronograph.

Strongly Agree! I've owned and used one for over 40 years.....I can't imagine trying to develop loads or long range data without a chronograph!

 

[Tgunz64]

Well I ordered a Magneto Speed V3 today. Ya it's a little late for dialing the velocity for my current dial I ordered but I have one now for future dials and loads. Wasn't going to order it this soon but Midway has it the cheapest and today I saw free shipping again. So what the heck?

 

[LongBomber]

Two tall target tests and you can have it figured. But you need a place you can shoot out to 500Y to get it done.

Even with chrony data I would def shoot a tall target test at 100y and make sure your scope adjustments are true. Sight in at 100, dial up 5 moa shoot 1, dial up another 5moa shoot one. Keep going till you are up 20moa. Do the same thing back down. You can measure on the paper exactly what you scope clicks are. You might be surprised to find out what they really are.

 

[Tgunz64]

Two tall target tests and you can have it figured. But you need a place you can shoot out to 500Y to get it done.

Even with chrony data I would def shoot a tall target test at 100y and make sure your scope adjustments are true. Sight in at 100, dial up 5 moa shoot 1, dial up another 5moa shoot one. Keep going till you are up 20moa. Do the same thing back down. You can measure on the paper exactly what you scope clicks are. You might be surprised to find out what they really are.

That's good advice and I'll try that when I get out. The range I like to use goes out to 600 yards. But at least now I can get accurate velocities