JustMe wrote: Why bother?? As you zoom, the relative space between the multiple crosshairs will be changing infinitely relative to the size of your target/game. I think it would be a waste of your time to try to use a chart while hunting to look up the constantly changing holdover values especially if the game is changing distance and you are waiting for it to stop so you can take the shot. In a hunting scenario, there are too many things changing too fast to be looking things up in a chart. What are you going to do? Look at your scope magnification, then at your chart to do the conversion, and then finally use Kentucky windage to hold over the game before you shoot? Having to use Kentucky windage defeats the purpose of multiple reticle crosshairs since none of the crosshairs can be used to hold right on the game. How long do you think the game is going to stand there while you do all your calculations? You'd be better served (faster) to just turn your 2nd focal plane scope to the one power setting that's accurate and use that magnification to hold over and make your shot - to state it another way, just don't zoom for the shot, use one power setting.
ok I'm going to try this again.... and firefox spell checker keeps changing reticle to reticule.i think both are correct.
you might be right, if it actually took that long to just dope range and crank in an elevation correction. Most SFP scopes are setup to use the reticule at max magnification. My NXS is such that I have to use 22x to use the MLR reticle, so that rules out just leaving it there. way too much X.
But if I know what my reticule markings translate to at each power setting, I can perform the same range corrections as if I had FFP. If, for example my 1/2 mil lines @22x become 3/4mil @14x( or would it be the other way, 1/16mil?), all I have to do is the same mil-moa conversion I always do, then dial in the correction. It's faster because I'm eliminating the need to change magnification to dope a new distance.
anything close enough to my zero that I can get by with hold over, I won't need either method because I'm not changing anything.
You're exactly correct on both accounts, 22x is too much power for most situations and you can do all that calculating. However, why do all this calculating when you can just buy a FFP scope and not bother with all the brainiac work. Let the scope be your friend who helps you and not an enemy that creates problems for you to solve -- just saying hit the "Easy" button.
I think a law needs to be passed that all multiple reticle scopes must be FFP scopes, so the customer gets what he thinks he is paying for = convenience of not doing all this calcualting. LOL
Have you guys seen the Android app, Strelok+ ? It's amazing, calculates all your basic ballistics on the spot and shows graphically what your sight picture will look like. It accounts for everything discussed so far and has a very large reticle selection so you can find your scopes reticle. I tried it the other day with my 24" bull AR15 at 300 yards, and it put my rounds right through the bull. Cost was something like $5, I forget exactly. I really like it, and it makes the whole zoom thing a non-issue. In my humble, not that good of a long range shooter opinion, anyways. :twocents:
To go back to the OP's original question, the two loads I use most when reaching out to a grand (I'm blessed with 2 1000 yd ranges within an hour's drive) is FGMM and Black Hills 168 and 175gr SMKs. My long range rig is a LWRCi REPR with a 20" barrel, 3-10x44 scope.
13Fcolt has nailed this one. As for ammo, my gun likes the M118LR better for the long targets, but the BHM 175s are a very close second...but rolling your own will allow you to find that "sweet spot" for your gun.
My formula for converting the reticle to the magnification level is a laser range finder man!
I should have added the disclaimer "For goofing around at the range only. In competition or (God Forbid) battle you really really need to know how to do this yourself for when your cellphone battery goes dead. When the equipment fails, YOU have to do it." My bad. Good point, jtallen83. 8^)
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