Does Dialing Take Too Long?

[Justin Crossley]

Have you ever missed the chance to shoot a big game animal due to taking the time to dial your scope? I'm asking this because I tend to dial corrections even on shorter shots like 200 or 250 yards out of habit. I can't think of a single time it has cost me a shot.

Has your experience been different?

 

[Tod osier]

Have you ever missed the chance to shoot a big game animal due to taking the time to dial your scope? I'm asking this because I tend to dial corrections even on shorter shots like 200 or 250 yards out of habit. I can't think of a single time it has cost me a shot.

Has your experience been different?

I have not dialed on a lot of shots, but I find that getting a good range takes a whole lot longer at times than looking up the dope and dialing.

I have not lost an opportunity.

 

[BBob]

Have you ever missed the chance to shoot a big game animal due to taking the time to dial your scope?

No. That may be because of the style of hunting here. It's all glass, formulate a plan and stalk. I leave my scope dialed up a bit off the 100 yd zero but can't recall ever using that for a quick shot either and end up changing it for a shot anyway. Same for helping rookies. I've always been able to set them up, coach them on what number to dial off their card and still make the shot. Wind calls are not dialed but held over.

To add: We shoot regularly throughout the year dialing up and down at various ranges using simulated positions so it's routine. Rookies have to come out before season to practice and learn or it's a no go.

 

[JDalton]

Yeah, I spend more time trying to get a good range then it takes to dial.

 

[Firestone]

Nope, all hunting rifles are sighted in for 200 so I typically don't need to dial anything inside 300. Past that it seems there is always time, takes longer finding a good rest most the time.

 

[Axlrod]

IDK if it takes too long, but overall it takes a lot longer. First you have to dial. Then you will actually hit what you are aiming at, and have to haul it out of the mountains!

 

[nobody]

No. Not if you practice. My little Colorado buck was shot at 360 this year, uphill, seated, and rested off the top of my pack. To range, dial, sit down, and shoot took me about 30 seconds all in. It has become second nature and isn't a big deal to me.

That said, my first year hunting with a "dialing scope" it cost me a 500 yard shot on a bull because I took so long getting set up and steady and dialed. But I've put a ton of rounds down range since then and my confidence and ability to set up has quickened significantly.

So to answer the question, yes it has cost me a shot on an animal. Which opened my eyes to my shortcomings and I practice accordingly now. I'm not perfect, but now my immediate inclination when I see an animal beyond point-and-shoot distances is to range and dial. Just like anything, you get better with practice.

 

[packer58]

All my hunting rigs are sighted in for MPBR, anything 300 and closer no dialing involved. Iv'e learned to do a little hold over / under inside the 300 mark. My experience beyond 300 is there is usually time for ranging and dialing ......

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

No. Not if you practice. My little Colorado buck was shot at 360 this year, uphill, seated, and rested off the top of my pack. To range, dial, sit down, and shoot took me about 30 seconds all in. It has become second nature and isn't a big deal to me.

That said, my first year hunting with a "dialing scope" it cost me a 500 yard shot on a bull because I took so long getting set up and steady and dialed. But I've put a ton of rounds down range since then and my confidence and ability to set up has quickened significantly.

So to answer the question, yes it has cost me a shot on an animal. Which opened my eyes to my shortcomings and I practice accordingly now. I'm not perfect, but now my immediate inclination when I see an animal beyond point-and-shoot distances is to range and dial. Just like anything, you get better with practice.

Would you still have missed the opportunity on that bull if you used your reticle instead of dialing?

 

[Geewhiz]

Can't say it has ever cost me an animal. Like @Firestone said, zero at 200 and only dial for further shots. Ive been rushed more than once, but never missed out solely b/c of dialing.

 

[JakeSCH]

I like to zero at 100y and dial to my MPBR for the condition i hunt. That usually covers me to about 300-350 yards without needing to touch my dial.

Shooting anything further than that I want enough time to dial and get real steady.

 

[30338]

Range and dial. Do it a lot and it seems pretty second nature. We've not had issues dialing on any critters the last 15 years.

All rifles are zeroed at 100 yards.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I'm specifically asking the guys with 100 yard zeros.

 

[jimh406]

I don't dial for short shots, but I have had times that dialing would have been a lost opportunity. The cases where you have enough time to raise the rifle, and that is about it. That comes about usually while walking/moving.

 

[justin davis]

Never had an issue. Always range and then dial. It’s quick.

Just like bowhunting I always range and then draw bow back. The dialing of a rifle is quicker than drawing bow back

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Yup, takes too long, added 2-3 steps unnecessarily, works fine for all range work, works fine for plenty of big game situations, maybe even most, but it will catch you out, you will meet Murphy when you really don't want to.

step 1. your pull out and use a rangefinder
step 2. you consult your data to see what to dial to
step 3. you dial

You can eliminate step 2 with a speed dial turret already set up in yards so just dial to the yardage.

Or...just up the rifle and shoot middle of kill zone. Hunt whitetails much? Not that coyotes count for this discussion but chase them around with a 100 yard zero for awhile and see how that goes, great practice for whitetails fyi. For the game that uses it's vision and distance to stay safe vs the game that is paranoid and flighty...one of these things is almost mandatory. Hunting...animals...not targets.

 

[Pro953]

100 yard zero here. Dialing no, finding a confident/secure rest, yes.


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[Stinky Coyote]

Never had an issue. Always range and then dial. It’s quick.

Just like bowhunting I always range and then draw bow back. The dialing of a rifle is quicker than drawing bow back

ranging is mandatory for archery, do you use fixed pin or dialling sight? you eliminate one step with fixed pin as it's already hard enough bowhunting and guys get caught out all the time with dialling sights

 

[Matt Cashell]

I also have a 100 yard zero. If I am shooting far enough to dial, I have always had time to dial.

Having a range finding binocular that gives you your elevation correction saves a bunch of time too.

 

[nobody]

Would you still have missed the opportunity on that bull if you used your reticle instead of dialing?

Yes, because my reticle (at the time) didn't have any vertical stadia in the reticle. So I had no point of reference for how to aim. Especially with the wind coming down the canyon.

At the time I was using a 200 yard zero, now I use a 100 yard zero (to answer @Justin Crossley )