BDC Reticle?

[dieselmudder]

Have all the parts to build my 6.5 upper. Sans optic and mount, curious if any factory offerings of a BDC reticle are near similar to the trajectory? If not ill just go with a quality Mil Dot reticle. Will be used for varmint/predator hunting, and casual target shooting.

[Savage Shooter]

I wouldn't bother with a BDC - they are mostly marketing hype. If your load isn't right on the mark with what the drop points were calibrated at, they are likely not going to be close enough over longer ranges to use accurately. If you are going to be shooting "varmints" like prairie dogs, you will need finer aiming points so you don't obscure your target at longer distances.

The EBR-2C-MOA on my Viper is a bit of overkill for casual target shooting (in which case, just ignore all the subtensions), but it's really helpful for shooting Prairie dogs and ground squirrels with variable winds at 400+ yards.

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-viper-pst-6-24x50-ffp-riflescope-with-ebr-2c-moa-reticle/reticle

[LRRPF52]

For me personally, the conditions even within a few hundred miles are so drastically different for me, that a BDC reticle would be inappropriate.

Sometimes I'm shooting at 4400ft in temps that vary from over 100 F to below freezing.

Then I'll go up to 6300ft at one range that has targets out to 800yds, uphill.

Then I'll go down to Price and up to a range that is 6600ft elevation.

Then up into the mountains where the campsite is 8600ft, and the hunting is at 9200ft-11000ft.

This is why I look at my little Kestrel, and carry a smartphone with ballistics program that allows me to enter barometric pressure, altitude, temperature, BC, etc.

[BjornF16]

I ditched my BDC scopes in favor of MIL reticles...

[nuthead]

Yep what LRRPF52 said... they're just a gimmick really. They sort of work out to 400m or so for most cartidges but if you want to push the distances and make consistent first round hits you really need a rangefinder, barometer and thermometer and either a smartphone or (i prefer) a detailed databook with pages for different levels of baro (and temps).

Ideally you would also gather data about the MV effects of temps if your powder is temperature sensitive

I use a kestrel 2500 for wind baro and temp - its probably the cheapest one with everything you need for shooting

[Lightning8]

I disagree. I have had good results with BDC reticles - specifically the Primary Arms 4x14 ACSS scope with a 308 and a 6.5 Grendel. Took the Rem 700 308 LTR with the PA 4x14 ACSS and was steadily hitting out to 800 yards at the Legion range in Blakely GA.

[KentuckyBuddha]

If you stay with the same load, stay in flat ground, stay in a reasonable temperature and humidity window, and if you are happy with whatever power setting it is that it works as a BDC for that load...it might well be a panacea for you.

Otherwise it won't.

[dmsims21]

I have a BDC reticle and the Nikon Spot On ballistic app. Just enter in your specific scope, bullet, and velocity. The app shows you the yardage that each mark on the scope lines up with.

[dieselmudder]

I disagree. I have had good results with BDC reticles - specifically the Primary Arms 4x14 ACSS scope with a 308 and a 6.5 Grendel. Took the Rem 700 308 LTR with the PA 4x14 ACSS and was steadily hitting out to 800 yards at the Legion range in Blakely GA.

Im running the same optic on my .308 bolt gun. Very happy with its performance. The hold overs are dead on for a 168 grain load. Are you saying the holdovers are matching the 6.5 trajectory?

[LR1955]

Im running the same optic on my .308 bolt gun. Very happy with its performance. The hold overs are dead on for a 168 grain load. Are you saying the holdovers are matching the 6.5 trajectory?

DM:

I would say yes to about 600. It is at around 600 where I think that despite the lower initial velocities of a Grendel firing high BC bullets in the 123 grain range, that said bullets will perform better than the 168. I would predict that as you go past 600 using a BDC made for the .400 G1 BC bullet ranges that you will not need as much elevation for hits. Not by much by noticeable.

LR55

[dieselmudder]

Awesome. Thanks for the input

[Klem]

I don't use them. BDC's will never be more than a clumsy ready reckoner.

You can put tape on your turret and mark it or even commission Leupold to make you a custom BDC turret (for some of their scopes) that suits a particular load...until you travel somewhere else or shoot at another time of the year. I suppose if it is big game at closer ranges any discrepancy caused by different temperatures and altitudes might not be noticeable. But for the type that frequents shooting forums like this a BDC turret will not be top on their Santa list.

[LRRPF52]

At one of my courses, a guy had an 18" Grendel with the 3.5x ACOG with the 7.62 NATO reticle/BDC in it.

With the 120gr PPU load, he was way high at 600yds. We were at 6600ft in freezing conditions.

[lamrith]

If you stay with the same load, stay in flat ground, stay in a reasonable temperature and humidity window, and if you are happy with whatever power setting it is that it works as a BDC for that load...it might well be a panacea for you.

Otherwise it won't.

Just FYI - That scope is a FFP, so power setting does not alter mildot or bdc accuracy. Climate and load itself matching the bdc will be the big issue as mentioned a few times...

That said the 308 dbc in the scope is fairly close to grendel drop up close, but it is not something I would ever rely on for serious shooting or hunting. I have that same scope on my grendel, but I have it more for its built in ability to range objects without use of a laser rangefinder than for it's BDC functionality. It is a pretty cool scope and big bang for the buck. Do it again though and I would likely just go with their 4-14x44, mil/mil FFP version and keep it simple since for longer targets I am still having to come out from behind the scope to check ballistic table for drop anyway, why not use a rangefinder and get it exact....

I may even move the ACSS to the 308 and put the mil/mil on grendel here soon.

[KentuckyBuddha]

I have a few FFP scopes and prefer them. I didn't realize we were talking about any particular scope specifically, but thank you for pointing that out. That would neutralize the one problem.