Balisitc Reticles?

[Dogleg]

the MPBR method and simplicity seem to work well.

I was a 30 year fan of the MPBR technique, but eventually soured to the whole thing. OK, so I'm a slow learner.
We all know that most any rifle around 3000 fps, sighted 3" high at 100 will be useable out to 300. So far, so good. Trouble is, I like shooting coyotes and other small things, and that 3-4 inches high trajectory leaves the choice of holding underneath or shooting over. It's embarrassing to miss easy shots with a tweaked out wonderblaster. Then theres that long string of spined animals and a few mystery misses.

Sight in at 200 and those little targets get easy again. What have you given up? Not much really, you can hold on to 250 instead of 300 which isn't that big of a deal. It gets even closer when you consider that since the the 3 high sighting forces the shooter to direct his shots at the top edge of deer sized game's vitals, then there shouldn't be any harm in our 200 yard man holding for the top of the vitals too. End result is both shooters are in the game to 300 yards, but the 200 yard guy made it easy by just aiming at the middle the whole way.

Since most of the ballistic reticles work from a 200 yard zero, many shooters will be positively effected by that alone. The rest of the stadia lines don't weigh anything so even if you don't use them little is lost. If you do, they will get you within the 3 inches that the MPBR technique is happy with, no problem.

 

[Venom 9]

Thats prety much how I see it Dogleg. I figure if a quick shot presents itself and you are zeroed at 200 its just aim and fire. If the shot is further you aren't going to shoot without analizing the situation a bit more and then you decide which hold over is required. I also see it as a potential learning tool to get better at judging ranges and hold over which might help with my other scopes as well.

 

[BCP]

...Trouble is, I like shooting coyotes and other small things, and that 3-4 inches high trajectory leaves the choice of holding underneath or shooting over. It's embarrassing to miss easy shots with a tweaked out wonderblaster. Then theres that long string of spined animals and a few mystery misses.

Sight in at 200 and those little targets get easy again. What have you given up? Not much really, you can hold on to 250 instead of 300 which isn't that big of a deal...

You are still using the MPBR theory with a readjustment of your vital zone to a 2" radius, which reduces your MPBR to 250 yards. Your settings are very close to the calculated values. Take a look at www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi and enter your numbers. With a 2" vital zone radius (note that is a 4" diameter) and a 180gr .30 cal spitzer projectile at 3000ft/s, your MPBR is 255 yards when zeroed at 218 yards! For quick reference at standard target range distances, that would be 1.8" high at 100 yards and 0.7" at 200 yards. Happy point blanking!

 

[Dogleg]

You are still using the MPBR theory with a readjustment of your vital zone to a 2" radius

Of course. Every sighting has a MPBR of some distance, for some size target. I just prefer to pinch things down a lot more than I used to, and 200 yard sightins do that.

JBL is a decent program, but it takes a month to get anything done with it. I usually just use Bullet Flight on my IPOD at my range, manipulate the numbers until it matches the actual drops out to 1/2 mile, then enter those numbers into an Excel program that makes a nice little stock chart.That's more for running turrets than subtension reticles though.
For subtension reticles I just shoot it, and maybe turn the power down if the bullet drop is more than the secondary aim points allow for, and up if it's shooting too flat. If the power is maxed out and it still is too flat, then I'll change the zero range to something a little farther out. Something like 250, 350 and 450 instead of 200, 300 and 400.

 

[BCP]

Of course. Every sighting has a MPBR of some distance, for some size target.

Every sighting has a MPBR? I understood there is only one MPBR per load which is primarily determined by the bullet BC, muzzle velocity, and the vital zone radius. Am I misunderstanding MPBR?

I was a 30 year fan of the MPBR technique, but eventually soured to the whole thing...

I only mentioned the readjustment of the vital zone radius as I got the impression from your last post that you disavowed yourself from the MPBR theory.

 

[noneck180]

Of course. Every sighting has a MPBR of some distance, for some size target. I just prefer to pinch things down a lot more than I used to, and 200 yard sightins do that.

JBL is a decent program, but it takes a month to get anything done with it. I usually just use Bullet Flight on my IPOD at my range, manipulate the numbers until it matches the actual drops out to 1/2 mile, then enter those numbers into an Excel program that makes a nice little stock chart.That's more for running turrets than subtension reticles though.
For subtension reticles I just shoot it, and maybe turn the power down if the bullet drop is more than the secondary aim points allow for, and up if it's shooting too flat. If the power is maxed out and it still is too flat, then I'll change the zero range to something a little farther out. Something like 250, 350 and 450 instead of 200, 300 and 400.

J.C start speaking english already..lol..I use this//it's good enough to get me close..then I tweak it.

http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator

 

[Brutus]

I really liked the idea of Ballistic Reticles for my 10/22. Thankfully I got two gopher shooting summers out of it before it failed on me. Unfortuneately I've had nothing but grief with this Burris 2-7 power scope. Reticles loose x2, and very recently a nitrogen leak.
I have very bad luck with this scope. (this one I own, a lemon for sure)

 

[Dogleg]

Every sighting has a MPBR? I understood there is only one MPBR per load which is primarily determined by the bullet BC, muzzle velocity, and the vital zone radius. Am I misunderstanding MPBR?

What I mean is every sighting will have a maximum ordinate, which you have to decide if you can live with. What I see happening is people making their 50-225 yards targets harder to hit to gain a theoretical advantage from 250-300. I now view that as too much pain for not enough gain at short range (under 300 yards) Past 300 you need a plan anyway.

 

[Dogleg]

J.C start speaking english already..lol..I use this//it's good enough to get me close..then I tweak it.

http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator

I see they have changed their chart now. Before it was only 1-500 or standard long range target distances. Now they at least have even hundreds to a thousand yards, but I want to go by 50s or less past 500. I could just use the IPOD, but find the stock charts faster.

All the programs seem to need tweaking at long range, but they are all good enough for the 5 and under stuff. I believe the targets, then lie to the program until it tells the truth.

 

[Northman999]

I bought a Leupold Rifleman with their proprietary ballistic reticle this summer and threw it on my Stevens 200 in 300 win mag. My first experience with a ballistic reticle and I was not really expecting much. After sighting it in I was pleased to find that hitting targets out as far as the reticle is calibrated was easy peasy - line up the target with the appropriate hache mark and fire. I would definitely buy another one.

 

[noneck180]

I see they have changed their chart now. Before it was only 1-500 or standard long range target distances. Now they at least have even hundreds to a thousand yards, but I want to go by 50s or less past 500. I could just use the IPOD, but find the stock charts faster.

All the programs seem to need tweaking at long range, but they are all good enough for the 5 and under stuff. I believe the targets, then lie to the program until it tells the truth.

The ipod sounds like a good tool..haven't bought one till they work better.for a phone.

 

[Highwind]

Yea the ballistic plex feature on the Burris (or others like it) is a keeper for me. I was looking a Leica one time that had a similar feature, but I (visually) thought that the lines were too thick. It was nice glass but I prefer to really focus on the game and thinner lines work well for my eye.

 

[Omega]

"Try", no doubt. Remember, they were also paid to write articles abotu new and wonderful things. "Stick With" might be a stretch. I think they would have used them and subsequently announced that, while not without merit, such gadgets were not truly necessary and would serve only as a crutch for the unpracticed.

Sorry but that is a silly self serving statement. You have no idea what either of the gents would have said or done.

 

[Dogleg]

I remember JOC writing about useing the top, middle and bottom of a dot reticle as aiming points in a story about a 600 yard elk. Hell, if he were still on the right side of the grass someone might have named a reticle after him by now. Who knows?

In a nearly random jump the Leupold standard duplex reticle makes a fair subtension device as well. Every one I have spans 3 MOA from center to thick post at top power. With so many cartridges being suitable to the 3 high-3 low-shoot to 300 method it's worth noting that at 400 yards the bottom post will give you 12 inches of elevation, which is about what you'll be needing. Use the center 0-300 and stick the infinity pin on for the 400s.

 

[Cpt.Flan]

Cheers.