Do I Really Need a Bullet Drop Compensator for My Scope?

[Boboclown]

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Looking like the HUD on an F16:
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And then there's:

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The one on the AR is a scope with a night vision adapter.

 

[No_Regerts]

Most modern small bore cartridges shoot flat enough to hold on hair, assuming a 200 yard zero, out to 350 yards or so on the average deer. Some maybe even out to 400 yards. The 6.5 Creedtard is in the first category. Its performance benefits don't show unless high BC/low drag bullets are used and at distances of 500 yards plus.

In my opinion, headstamps mean the most under 500 yards because nothing shoots flat enough to really shoot beyond that without some help. Even with a 250 or 300 yard zero, only a couple of magnums shoot that flat. Being a hunter with a 400ish yard limit, magnums work great for reducing guesswork.

If you aren't shooting beyond 300 and shooting a cartridge with more than 16 inches of drop at 400 with a 200 yard zero, get a basic understanding of your trajectory and keep it simple. If you to shoot said cartridge out past 300, maybe the turret is for you.

 

[titsonritz]

Leads and wind holds become more critical then bullet drop. PA's ACSS reticle does a pretty good job addressing it.

 

[orygun]

I see a small silver button on the new CDS turrets. Has that been added just recently to prevent accidental turning of the turret?

orygun is correct...CDS is different than BDC. I would never buy a CDS because it locks you into one bullet and load, unless you want to spend another $80 for additional turrets/loads. If you don't your special CDS turret is just like any other in that you have to know what each click represents at a given distance.

It is a nifty marketing idea though and see why Leupold introduced it. And at $80 a pop for additional turrets it is an item that keeps on giving for Leupold.

The CDS does not have to be tailored to your load. The standard turret is marked in inches and can be used with any load if you know the trajectory. I use the standard turret and know how many inches I need at distance.
Pretty easy, but not lockable.

 

[Otter]

But that defeats the entire purpose of the CDS though right? The video I watched showed the turret essentially marked in 100 yard increments. Turn the turret to 4 for a 400 yard shot (with a certain load of course). Dial it to 1 for a 100 yard shot. Or did I misunderstand?

 

[bbbass]

Does it pull the trigger, drag it to the road, guy it and load it too???

That's next year's model...

The one on the AR is a scope with a night vision adapter.

Yes, that's what I thought...

 

[Boboclown]

That's next year's model...



Yes, that's what I thought...

To be fair that adapter is actually a good thing. No need to spend money on a NV scope and limit the rifle to only that.

 

[orygun]

But that defeats the entire purpose of the CDS though right? The video I watched showed the turret essentially marked in 100 yard increments. Turn the turret to 4 for a 400 yard shot (with a certain load of course). Dial it to 1 for a 100 yard shot. Or did I misunderstand?

It does not defeat the purpose, but a custom tailored CDS dial would make close to what Otter describes (100 yards is usually "0"). IF the plan is to never shoot another bullet weight or loading, then the tailored CDS dial will be fine.
However...
I know how my rifle used to shoot and didn't touch the dial until 250 yards, where I dial in 2". 300yds = 3", 400 = 7".
I could have received a custom CDS turret, but if I change the bullet weight or load, I would have to get a new dial to match. What I did instead is change the chambering. Now the rifle is almost 200fps faster. I need to get out and find my "dope", then I just change the amount of inches dialed in, not the whole CDS dial.

 

[bbbass]

To be fair that adapter is actually a good thing. No need to spend money on a NV scope and limit the rifle to only that.

No doubt. It's appearance is a hoot tho!

Oh, I think the F16 HUD scope is a good thing also... it would be great if those big worms from Tremors or the Azzblasters ever show up!!! Fit right in with that crowd. Can you imagine what your buddies would say when you show up with one of those to hunt coastal blacktail... all decked out in orange camo from head to toe... with your tactical harness loaded with every other piece of gear known to man???

 

[best defense]

I purchased a Leupold vx 3i 3.5x10x40mm scope and got the wrong model number, without the CDS feature. I bought it on Amazon. I am sure I can return it. However, is the CDS feature that good to warrant sending the scope back to get the CDS? Or is it that important? Thoughts? BTW, I am planning to hunt with the scope, as it has the increased twilight capability.

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Whether or not you will ever really need bullet drop or angle compensation in your scope probably depends more on where you plan to hunt and at what distance you plan to shoot at game animals.
If like most hunters your shots will for the most part be under 150 yards and primarily under 100 yards all that extra stuff in the scope is not going to be much help if any at all.
Are you planning to shoot at mountain goats either up or down hill at 300 yards or more?

In reality, learning to shoot accurately and hit your target on the first shot with a cold barrel would be much more important. Practice shooting in general, even with a simple fixed power scope will do more to bring game home than all the bells and whistles you can put into a telescopic sight.

 

[Member 5605]

No.

 

[MDH]

Well shoot. I'm going to go with the unpopular opinion and say, yes, get the CDS.
There are a lot of guys talking about switching loads, and that's peachy for poking holes in paper, but not for hunting. You find your best performer and then that's the one you shoot at animals. You get your CDS cut for that. Do all your shooting and load development before you get the turret cut. Seriously? How many loads do y'all shoot? I have one perfect load for each gun. For the rest, I'm just chasing tin cans so who cares if my dial is wrong.
I also shoot DOPE on zero out to about 800m, so I don't NEED the CDS, but it removes guesswork. I also have Tremor or Impact reticles in my favorite scopes. Some people find them busy, but my Honda also had what felt like an awful lot of switches when it was new, and now I don't even have to look at the dash to operate things. But on a Tremor, or an H58 or 59, the correction from a near miss is blindingly fast. Where on the Christmas tree did the shot land? Boom! That's your new zero for that shot. And of course everything has spacing and subtension so you can mil and do windage and holdover very quickly once you've practiced.
I use DOPE, CDS, and BDC all in the same scope because they all do slightly different things in very different ways. Have all the tools. But you also have to master all the tools. Don't buy a BDC and then not go and and verify all the hold points. Don't buy a CDS and never shoot using DOPE and holdover. Practice, practice, practice. Whatever you choose, practice. I have just found that guys who don't like these things, often haven't found themselves in situations where the designs make sense.
Go out and put yourself in weird positions, force yourself to take difficult shots in bad weather. Train like you fight. Try all the tools and see if some of them don't shine in particular circumstances.
Or just ignore all of this because just like everyone else here, I'm just some guy typing into his phone, sitting in his easy chair, drinking an old fashioned, and waiting for his wife to come home.
Also, there are zero lock CDS dials. They require button press to turn off of zero.
For the record I'm talking about a MK6 3-18 Tremor 2, a MK 8 3.5-25 Tremor 3, and a MK 5 5-25 Impact 29.

 

[coop44]

Bdc is a relatively new development, if you know how tall the crosshairs are at a distance and the ballistics of your ammo, you can figure it out.

 

[lucky guy]

Technology and quality control are two different things.