Scopes With Turrets...The In's and Outs.

[Shangobango]

I have never used a scope where you can dial in for windage and elevation on the fly. I am beginning to research the specifics on these scopes so I can have one on my .280 well before hunting season starts.

I am not looking for a specific brand recommendations so much as what to know about adjustable turret scopes and the main features or attributes I should be looking for in this style of scope.

TIA.

 

[El Jason]

A zero stop or ability to add one is a must. Or, tape the turrets.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Don’t mix MOA and Mil…pick one and get well acquainted.

Tracking/return to zero and holding zero are way more important than “glass quality”. If you’re spending money spend it on robust internals first.

I would not recommend dialing wind in a hunting situation until you’re very experienced, and maybe even then... Dial elevation and hold wind.

 

[brockel]

If wanting to get into it relatively cheap grab a SWFA 6x or 10x

 

[mtmuley]

Have never felt the need to dial windage. Whatever system you choose, practice. Alot. Dialing should be second nature. Know your ballistics by heart, and don't dial unless necessary. Don't ask me how I know. mtmuley

 

[Potsie]

Have never felt the need to dial windage. Whatever system you choose, practice. Alot. Dialing should be second nature. Know your ballistics by heart, and don't dial unless necessary. Don't ask me how I know. mtmuley

What he said.

Also, when practicing, get in the habit of returning your turret back to zero. Always. Shoot a string, back to zero. You don’t want to be the guy that shoots a target at 1000, then forgets to return his turret back to zero.

Don’t ask me how I know.

 

[mtmuley]

What he said.

Don’t ask me how I know.

We both know. mtmuley

 

[schmalts]

Don’t mix MOA and Mil…pick one and get well acquainted.

Tracking/return to zero and holding zero are way more important than “glass quality”. If you’re spending money spend it on robust internals first.

I would not recommend dialing wind in a hunting situation until you’re very experienced, and maybe even then... Dial elevation and hold wind.

For me it doesn't matter. Any gun I have with an exposed turret has a cheat sheet taped to the thing and I am a hack, I just go by clicks so MOA or MIL is really no difference. But, if you actually do the math thing, then by all means stick to one or the other.

 

[El Jason]

Ima clicks simpleton as well. I used to gauge hikes by how many chews it would take too, so….

 

[Shangobango]

Ima clicks simpleton as well. I used to gauge hikes by how many chews it would take too, so….

Funny you say that, I still gauge both driving distance and time in a turkey setup by how many dips I went through...

 

[WapitiBob]

An Avery label and a pen turns almost any turret into a dialer.

 

[El Jason]

Funny you say that, I still gauge both driving distance and time in a turkey setup by how many dips I went through...

“That’s a two dip trip”

 

[Rzrbck918]

I have several different brands of scopes that all work amazingly well. I know you aren't wanting specific scope info but if you hunt consistently in one area with one round, the Leupold CDS dials are hard to beat. Last year, I put the Sig BDX on a rifle and I was pleasantly surprised by its usability.

All that said, a zero stop is nice but the returning to par is the most important habit you can get into.

 

[Fire_9]

You guys are actually counting clicks and not MOA or MILs? There’s no way I could keep that straight

Good advice so far. Zero stops are great and don’t get wrapped up in the mil vs moa stuff. It’s just a measurement. Pick whatever reticle you like the best and get matching turrets.

 

[noharleyyet]

Check those teeny tiny turret hex set screws...

 

[nhenry]

Check those teeny tiny turret hex set screws...

From experience?

 

[buffybr]

I have scopes with CDS turrets on 5 of my rifles. I like them, a lot! For the scope on my .300 Weatherby, I sent the bullet and range data back to the scope manufacturer and they made a turret for my specific bullet and load, so I can just dial the distance on the turret and shoot. The custom turret for that scope came back with a Zero lock at 200 yards, so for most hunting situations, I have a pbr of about 350 yards with the range turret set at zero. All of these scopes have hash marks on the horizontal cross hair, so I use these for wind instead of trying to dial it in.

I have not had custom turrets made for my other scopes, but for each of them I zeroed the rifles at 100 yards and locked those turrets so that their zero setting is dead on at 100 yards. Then I painted a round white dot in top of the turret, over the zero mark. Then I range verified what turret setting for bullet impacts at 200, 300, and 430 yards (the furthest target berm at our range). I then used a needle and painted a fine white line on the top of the turret caps for those ranges.

I have never killed an animal further away that 350 yards, so with my system I don't have to read the little numbers etched around the side of my turrets or worry about minutes or mils. I just range my target, set the turret top hash mark that is closest to that range, pick the windage hash mark on the horizontal cross hair, and shoot.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I have scopes with CDS turrets on 5 of my rifles. I like them, a lot! For the scope on my .300 Weatherby, I sent the bullet and range data back to the scope manufacturer and they made a turret for my specific bullet and load, so I can just dial the distance on the turret and shoot. The custom turret for that scope came back with a Zero lock at 200 yards, so for most hunting situations, I have a pbr of about 350 yards with the range turret set at zero. All of these scopes have hash marks on the horizontal cross hair, so I use these for wind instead of trying to dial it in.

I have not had custom turrets made for my other scopes, but for each of them I zeroed the rifles at 100 yards and locked those turrets so that their zero setting is dead on at 100 yards. Then I painted a round white dot in top of the turret, over the zero mark. Then I range verified what turret setting for bullet impacts at 200, 300, and 430 yards (the furthest target berm at our range). I then used a needle and painted a fine white line on the top of the turret caps for those ranges.

I have never killed an animal further away that 350 yards, so with my system I don't have to read the little numbers etched around the side of my turrets or worry about minutes or mils. I just range my target, set the turret top hash mark that is closest to that range, pick the windage hash mark on the horizontal cross hair, and shoot.

I like this idea a lot of painting the white line... What did you use, nail polish to mark your own "CDS"?

 

[schmalts]

You guys are actually counting clicks and not MOA or MILs? There’s no way I could keep that straight

Good advice so far. Zero stops are great and don’t get wrapped up in the mil vs moa stuff. It’s just a measurement. Pick whatever reticle you like the best and get matching turrets.

Not exactly counting.... But if my cheat sheet says 24 clicks I just dial it to 24. But yeah, if i only needed maybe 7 clicks, I would just count.. I do have 9 1/2 fingers

 

[buffybr]

I like this idea a lot of painting the white line... What did you use, nail polish to mark your own "CDS"?

I just used a permanent white paint from the Walmart hobby section. It will scratch off with my thumbnail if I want to change it. While I am verifying the marks at the range, I make the marks with a pencil.

These are the distance marks on the top of the turret on my .223. The dot is Zero at 100 yards, and the lines are 200, 300, and 430 yards.