CDS Custom Dial and Different Ammo

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Dec 28, 2019
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Anyone shoot a different ammo with their CDS dial then what the CDS dial is customized for? I found the Hornady Superformance was more accurate yardage wise than the Federal Fusion. The dial is customized for the Fusion in my 308.


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There are so many variables to be taken into account for a "yardage" turret and most of them are dynamic depending on specific conditions. I'd guess that if a bullet other than what it was set up for appears to be more accurate, your original data wasn't very good.
 
I've got a vx-3i on a .280 rem with a cds dial engraved for 154 SST's. I shot it some last fall with 145 Speer hot cors, didn't seem to make a POI difference out to about 400 yds. You can also have another dial for another load made for around $50 if you're shooting longer.
 
I've got a vx-3i on a .280 rem with a cds dial engraved for 154 SST's. I shot it some last fall with 145 Speer hot cors, didn't seem to make a POI difference out to about 400 yds. You can also have another dial for another load made for around $50 if you're shooting longer.

Who makes a turret for $50?


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At 400 yards with reticle dead center, the Fusion wasn’t even hitting the 10” gong. Switched over to Superformance and got hits. I bet my 22” barrel Tikka T3 is not getting the 2800 FPS the factory lists for the Fusion. The Superformance was probably closer in speed to the cut CDS turret and the BC difference between the 150 grain SST and 150 grain Fusion bullet is only .001.


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I need to find a chronograph although my gun also likes the Superformance and the SST 150
grain bullet flat kills and expands at lower velocities.


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I’m going to put the MOA dial back on and get my clicks for 300,400 and 500 and see if I can plug in numbers into a calculator and get my approximate FPS that way. I might even just use the MOA dial vs a CDS.


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I’m going to put the MOA dial back on and get my clicks for 300,400 and 500 and see if I can plug in numbers into a calculator and get my approximate FPS that way. I might even just use the MOA dial vs a CDS.


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The moa dial is really the best way to go. Unless you only hunt 1 area, never change ammo, and give them extremely accurate data the cds is far from a guarantee

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Ok
1st the Cds really has a limit of 500 maybe 600.
It's only accurate for the exact conditions its cut for.
Download the hornady app.
Put you moa turret back on.
Put as much information in the app that you have as close as possible.
Shoot at gong at let's say 300, video yourself or have someone spot your hits.
Keep cranking turrets until your hitting center plate.
Mess with sight height, velocity, bc in the app until the info it is telling you is as close as possible to what you actually have dialed on your turret.
Do it again at 500.
That is called truing you Dope.
Keep doing this to as far as you want to shoot.
If those are the exact conditions you want to hunt in or are very close, send in the data from the app you have trued to get a new dial cut.
 
Educate me, please. If I have an MOA turret and I get my dope confirmed for various yardages, I really don’t need to care what the velocity is, correct? Unless I want a calibrated turret, of course.
If my ammo groups to my liking, I could just get my chart filled in and be done?
 
How would I order a custom Leupold CDS dial based off my MOA clicks at various yardages vs submitting my velocity, bullet, BC, etc?


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The CDS system is ok out to about 500 yards or so. Outside of that, variables like pressure/density altitude, etc charge too much for a preset dial to be accurate.

I print out a dope chart based on expected conditions for every hunt. I wouldn’t make preset dials, it’s a total waste of time IMO.
 
If you are going off the velocity on the box chances are you are way off. Even most optical chronographs suck.

Find someone with either a labradar or a magnetospeed. Even then, chances are your velocity will be affected by your powder temperature. That variable is determined by which powder is used with that load. Some powders are much more temp sensitive than others.

Outside of that, external temp, altitude, barometric pressure, etc can change things a great deal.

Again, 500 yards and in on deer sized game or larger these variables are minimal enough to make pre marked dials like the CDS an okay system with most calibers.

Push beyond that you are asking for issues. You will end up with wounded or missed game without a solid understanding of how these variables affect things and how to compensate/calculate for them.
 
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