Question on Scopes with Mill Dots- LRD reticles

[gethuntin]

I have a few scopes that are either Nikon MD or Leupold LRD reticle that have dots, and i simply use them for hold over points. I go to the range and see where they hit at certain ranges. My question is do they stay stationary or do they also move when you adjust the crosshairs?

Thanks

Eric

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have a few scopes that are either Nikon MD or Leupold LRD reticle that have dots, and i simply use them for hold over points. I go to the range and see where they hit at certain ranges. My question is do they stay stationary or do they also move when you adjust the crosshairs?

Thanks

Eric

Eric.

THe dots are on the reticle, and move with the center crosshairs when adjusted. Your scopes have the reticle in the second focal plane, and so are only calibrated at one magnification - typically the maximum magnification. Some scopes, however, are calibrated at some other magnification. Check your owner's manual or contact the manufacturer to verify.

BTW,

I am glad to hear you are checking to see what ranges correspond to the dots on your reticle by actually shooting those ranges. Just make sure you always do that at the same magnification with the same ammunition.

 

[gethuntin]

Thank you for the reply, just thinking if i ever changed my zero so i hit dead on at 250 or 300 instead of 200 for example i wasnt sure if my dots would also move. If i did change zero i would have to hit the range. Oh darn lol.
I was also was thinking of a combo LRD and CDS not sure if the situation would ever arise i would need both or not but it would be good to know if i was cranking on the dial that my dots are moving and i couldnt just use the dots if something drastically changed beofre the shot.

 

[TooFarEast]

The distance between mil's will change with magnification. You can use this to your benifit for both hold-over and rangfinding. I used to hunt with a guy that was a USMC sniper and was into longrange hunting. He would laminate a spreadsheet to the side of his rifle stock that would give him formula's for hold-over on deer. Basically he said he figured a Whitetail was 18" tall from the line on his back to his belly. He would zoom in the scope to where the mil's were lined up so the deer's midsection was between the mils. Then he would look to see what power the scope was on and his spreadsheet would tell him the yardage and the hold over. He would then adjust based on what he had figured on his spreadsheet. That is the way it was explained to me but I am not Military. I imagine someone with a military background would be able to explain better. He said it is basically the same thing that he was trained in sniper school, but adjusted the calucations for shooting deer instead of people.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Thank you for the reply, just thinking if i ever changed my zero so i hit dead on at 250 or 300 instead of 200 for example i wasnt sure if my dots would also move. If i did change zero i would have to hit the range. Oh darn lol.
I was also was thinking of a combo LRD and CDS not sure if the situation would ever arise i would need both or not but it would be good to know if i was cranking on the dial that my dots are moving and i couldnt just use the dots if something drastically changed beofre the shot.

If you dial a change in your center crosshair zero, the distances you have previously used the LRD dots for will no longer be accurate.

The CDS dial and LRD reticle are two different ways to accomplish elevation adjustments for long range shooting.

If you are interested in long range shooting, I highly recommend researching the books and DVDs of David Tubbs.

TFE,

That is not how any military or LE precision marksmen I know were trained to use mildots for ranging, especially since many now use first focal plane (FFP) reticle scopes, where the reticle subtensions are constant throughout the magnification range. Most people use mildots at their proper subtension, and measure a target of known dimension, then extrapolate the range.

Me, I use a laser rangefinder.

 

[gethuntin]

I am with you rangefinder is much quicker for me and i dont trust my math in a pinch. Jut thought about adding a cds to my LRD scope. Thought using the CDS for a little more precision if i had the time beings the dots can be on the large side when shooting smaller critters.

 

[manbearpig]

I'm a military guy, not a scout/sniper. I used to mil everything, then I bought a Leica RF, now I will only mil if my backup batteries die.

Second focal plane (SFP), the reticle is on the same plane as your eye, when you increase magnification the image gets larger but the reticle stays the same. One mil is exactly 3.6" at 100 yards, the linear distance that 1 mil subtends with SFP scopes is dependent upon which power you are on.

 

[SURVIVORTYPE]

Yea milling is a thing of the past. Range Finders are the norm now, even with snipers in theatre. Milling can be pretty close if you are good within a shorter distance. For me, up to 500-600 meters I can get close. Beyond that if I am off of by .1 mil, that translates to ALOT downrange. Depending on the bullet and caliber, that can mean a miss in tens of feet. I wouldn't use milling for a hunting application. You have to have a known reference point's size in inches and use a formula to get the right info for it to be close. Urban situations with license plates and windows, stop sgns, etc is much easier. In the back country, everything is so varied in size. You can use a milling formula to to find out the size of the animal if you have a range finder though. Say for example the height from the hoof to the top of the shoulder. Or its antlers. Or its body length. You can mil this out, laze it with your range finder and use a formula to find out the size in inches of what you are trying to mil. PM if you want some info on the formulas. They are all over the net but if you don't want to search hit me up.