Mil-dot vs. BDC

[ishootkittens]

Im at another crossroad. I have decided to go with a nikon scope of somesort for my .270wsm and I was hoping to get some advice. I really want a 4.5-14 or 16X 40 but I dont know what reticle I want. The milidot and the BDC is what im having a hard time with.

The BDC looks really nice but they are just cirlces under the crosshair, but how accurate can those cirles really be. They are huge. I dont want something that I have to guess at! HELP!

what are the pro's and cons of each?

THanks guys.

 

[Loner]

Ones for rangefinding and one is for adjusting your aim after you know your range.

 

[ishootkittens]

so the mildot cant be used as a "Holdover" tool?

 

[canman]

Yes a mil-dot can be used for hold over. The BDC is a good tool but you have to know ballistics of every bullet you use. Same is true of a hold over but a BDC won't help you range. This is a good training tool. www.mil-dot.com/index.htm

 

[ishootkittens]

yeah ive seen those before. THey looked really confusing. But so does everything else until you learn, I guess! well I dont know if you have seen nikon's SPOT ON program on their website but you basically put in any bullet, even if they dont have it listed, you can make your own, and then you pick the reticle you want and booom it calculates what each BDC ring or Mildot represents. I thought they did a nice job with the program, i just wondered what you guys thought about the two reticles.

 

[canman]

I like mil-dots

 

[mikebob]

A good ballistic program will tell you the hold overs on mildots for ? power range. I like mildots better because I still dial up but have mils to hold for wind. A BDC you might not have to dial up but there is nothing there for wind so you have to dial it in. I have several BDC and mildots and I think the reticle with wind holdovers is a must have.

 

[oneholegrouper]

The Mil-Dot is, in my opinion much more versatile than the BDC, with The major benefit being the ability to range your target with simple math(I do it and i'm only 11). In the long run I believe you will be much more satisfied with the Mil-Dot reticle.

 

[jwp475]

Ones for rangefinding and one is for adjusting your aim after you know your range.

Mils are an angular measurement as is MOA and both can be and are used for trajectory correction

 

[Loner]

Mils are an angular measurement as is MOA and both can be and are used for trajectory correction

Any reticle with markings on it can be used for ranging or drop compensating. Even
the old lupy duplex is a rangefinder of sorts. But mil dot scopes are not made for hold
over, they are made for rangefinding, Bullet Drop Compensators are designed for just
that. They each have a distinct advantage in their appropriate field of use. And I have
moa scopes that are made for rangefinding, that wasn't the op's question.

 

[ishootkittens]

wonder why nikon has a ballistics and compensating program for their mildots then? Im confused.

 

[Loner]

I don't know about the nikon specifically but if you have a drop compensator made
up for a certain load and gun it's markings, whether on the turrets or in the reticle
will be on 100, 150,200,250,300 etc.. or the graduations of your choice. A moa or
mildot scope your load will be on the marks at random distances. 110, 168, 214, 278
etc.. Now you can adjust your aim for it but it is not as convenient as having them on
the major yardages. Inch per hundred yard or IPHY reticles and dials are my personnel
favorite.
Do some reading on how to use the various scopes you are interested in and you will
gain an understanding of how they work and what they do best. Most of us use rangefinders.
The only time I really use my scopes ranging finding capabilities in the field has been during
snowfalls and very cold temps when my rangefinder failed.

 

[mikebob]

The mildot card for the military even has hold over for your zero. The mildot was designed for much more than just ranging. That is only 1 part of it's design. One of it's designs was to have multiple zeros for fast target engagement, wind hold over.designed to allow the shooter to estimate accurately the range to a target, to compensate for the bullet drop, and to compensate for the windage required due to crosswinds

From 1 of the designers of the mil dot reticle:
designed to allow the shooter to estimate accurately the range to a target, to compensate for the bullet drop, and to compensate for the windage required due to crosswinds, and be non caliber specific.

 

[ishootkittens]

Those turret scopes sound AWSOME, but i bet they are rather expensive. Any recommendations? For under 500 bucks hehe... sorry, im a college kid!