When to dial?

[Saiselgi]

I’m curious, at what yardage do you guys start dialing? I’ve found on closer shots I just hold over. However I’ve shot with guys that will start dialing even when the shot is still inside the kill box.

Admittedly I am a bit paranoid about dialing, so I avoid it as much as possible.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

I dial at 500+ yards and if I have all the time in the world. But I rarely find I get all the time in the world.

Some guys are great at shooting targets, but when it comes to hunting and getting animals killed they spend way to much time dinking around.

I personally think it’s critical to be able to shoot quickly out to 500 without spinning a turret.

 

[Bubblehide]

^^^^^^ this^^^^^^

 

[Corvus Corax]

I dial at ranges past maximum point blank range.

 

[sneaky]

I dial at 500+ yards and if I have all the time in the world. But I rarely find I get all the time in the world.

Some guys are great at shooting targets, but when it comes to hunting and getting animals killed they spend way to much time dinking around.

I personally think it’s critical to be able to shoot quickly out to 500 without spinning a turret.

No comment on your dialing

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[BBob]

I like to set my turret to ~200 yds and hold accordingly for a quick shot if needed. That said I almost always have time to range and dial exactly what I need. My style of hunting and where/what I hunt with a rifle generally leaves time for setting up a shot.

 

[Lawnboi]

I can sometime dial faster than counting hashes. Honestly I’ll dial a 300 yard shot if i have time.

I’m a believer that we are more accurate for the most part with a center hold.

 

[WCB]

350 and out I dial. If you have time to range you have time to dial. I do practice with just using the mil dots so if for some unknown reason I lose my turret barrel I'm not SOL.

 

[Tmac]

I hold over to 400, maybe a touch further. Watched a very competitive 1,000 yard BR competitor range, check wind, get out his phone, enter data in the app, then dial for 225 yard shot. Elk did not wait. He said I’m dead on at 100 and had no idea where to hold... He rarely hunts. I was thinking hold mid body and kill the dang elk.

There are shooters and there are hunters, some do both equally well, some not so much. I believe inside 400 yards or so you are better served to be a hunter with a reasonably flat shooting cartridge and a 200-250 ish yard zero that knows his holds.

 

[fightthenoise]

I dial damn near everything. It’s kinda like archery for me how you have your shot cues that you step through that slows the process down. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. It’s also the most accurate way to go about it due to the consistent center hold. It literally takes two seconds to get the dope my rangefinder spits out and spin the turret. If that’s the difference maker then it’s probably best I didn’t take the shot.

If I’m sitting on an alfalfa field and I know everything will be <300 I’ll just dial up 2 MOA (I zero at 100) and aim center mass at whatever steps out.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

No comment on your dialing

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

To soon ass hole.... and exactly why dialing in hunting situations can burn your ass

 

[HighUintas]

This is my first year hunting with a rifle. I grew up hunting with a slug gun, so it was always just point and shoot at close range. So I am pretty good with accurate snap shots off hand and in various positions, but the dialing is completely new to me!

I missed out on a decent 6x6 this year at 400 and then 300 because I didn't have a dope card written out and didn't have my dope memorized. I could have held over or dialed for that shot really easily had I known my dope!! Then I later smoked a younger bull at 110 off hand when I didn't have to think about dialing etc.

Game plan for next year: memorize dope, practice ALOT with quick shooting in various situations at 300-500 both dialing and holding over.

 

[Sobrbiker]

If I’m carry a scopes rifle, I’m usually gonna be shooting an animal I glassed up-therefore I’ll dial all the time. I don’t like maximum point blank range as even with a 6” radius, that’s up to 6” high or low of where I want to hit.
I know my rifle, know my dope and can hold over to 700 if I have a good range, but prefer to dial, and know exactly where I’m putting it (within the acceptable MOA group size of my load-most people don’t factor that a 1/2moa group on the bench can and most likely will quadruple in size under field conditions and improvised support-all of a sudden your 6” high at 300 point blank hold is 12” high. It’s math...
My bow has a 5pin slider and if I have time I range and dial and use my center pin as the aiming point. I can guesstimate and gap shoot if needed, but I prefer precision.

 

[CApighunter]

I feel solid out to 300 without dialing and have my holds for 200 and 300 memorized. Anything past that and I’ll dial, but I’ve never had to take a shot much past 300. Think my average shot distance this year is 50-60 yards...

 

[ericwh]

Zero at 100, dial for 200 yards. Go hunting, hold dead on for 1 and 200, hold over out to 400.

^ That is my new plan. I have been zeroing at 100 and then holding over for everything. But, with a sfp scope, I don't like being required to be at max zoom (or do extra math) to hold over for a 200 yard shot.

I'm using a reticle with hashes every 2moa. Seems like you would dial whenever you can't use your reticle accurately enough. Like when .25moa off on hold = 2" error or something.

 

[gcronin]

I’m curious, at what yardage do you guys start dialing? I’ve found on closer shots I just hold over. However I’ve shot with guys that will start dialing even when the shot is still inside the kill box.

Admittedly I am a bit paranoid about dialing, so I avoid it as much as possible.

Honestly, it really depends on the situation at hand. If you have the time to dial you will always be more accurate in doing so. My rule of thumb is to know your holds for those quick shot opportunities, but dial when you can.

 

[Browninglover1]

I dial everything outside of "close". If I have time to range the animal, my turrets are getting adjusted.