Leupold reticle question

[shoots_5]

Ok, so I'm pretty settled on which scope I'm going to put on my Remington 721 in 300 H&H mag. I'm going with the Leupold VX-3 6.5-20x40 LR with M1 turrets, but I'm a little unsure of what reticle to go with. Purpose of the rifle and scope will be hunting elk/deer out to a max of 800 yards. Any suggestions? I was considering the CPC or fine duplex. This will be my first experience with dialing up MOA and shooting much past 400 yards so I wasn't sure if there was a tried and true reticle for longer range targets.

Also, can anybody tell me what the difference between the Mark 4 6.5-20 and the VX-3 6.5-20LR is if you have the M1 turrets put on the VX-3? Besides a couple hundred bucks anyway?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Desert Fox]

Get the TMR reticule. I'm not sure if it's offered on VX3 model but I'm pretty sure you can have it as an upgrade. If you can swing it get the Mk-4 with TMR. It's a bit more than the VX3 but worth every penny.

Here's a 6.5X20X50 MK-4 with TMR mounted on my 338 Lapua Ackley Improved. You are looking at the range of 1300 yards.

 

[corbin9191]

I'll take that rifle off your hands there Desert Fox :lol: . For long range shooting I really like the mil-dots for a couple reasons. First if you don't have a range finder you can use the mil-dots to get a rough estimate of the distance, another reason I like the mil-dots is because you can have accurate aiming points with them.

 

[JD338]

shoots_5

The DuPlex reticle is a solid performer and all you need if you are going to dial. The fine duplex may be difficult to see under low light conditions.
The Mark 4 has a 30mm tube and the VX3 has a 1" tube. The 30 mm tube will give you more adjustments. Either scope will get your 300 H&H out to 800 yds easy.

JD338

 

[Desert Fox]

I'll take that rifle off your hands there Desert Fox :lol: . For long range shooting I really like the mil-dots for a couple reasons. First if you don't have a range finder you can use the mil-dots to get a rough estimate of the distance, another reason I like the mil-dots is because you can have accurate aiming points with them.

The TMR is mil-dot base reticule. Actually for hunting use the TMR is much more appropriate than mildot. Here's the spec from Leupold.

http://www2.leupold.com/resources/downl ... Manual.pdf

 

[corbin9191]

I'll take that rifle off your hands there Desert Fox :lol: . For long range shooting I really like the mil-dots for a couple reasons. First if you don't have a range finder you can use the mil-dots to get a rough estimate of the distance, another reason I like the mil-dots is because you can have accurate aiming points with them.

The TMR is mil-dot base reticule. Actually for hunting use the TMR is much more appropriate than mildot. Here's the spec from Leupold.

http://www2.leupold.com/resources/downl ... Manual.pdf

Okay, thank you for clearing that up.

 

[shoots_5]

Thanks for all the replies.

Desert Fox, that picture of the TMR reticle is soooo much better than anything on Leupolds website! Looks pretty sweet....and looks really nice on that rifle of yours! Oh, and I just looked on their custom site and the TMR is an option for the VX-3 for an additional $129.99

JD338 actually, from what I read, the long range version of the VX-3 does have a 30mm tube, so I'm still not sure what the difference between the Mark 4 and the VX-3LR is if you have them install the M1 turrets on it. Other than one has a gold ring and one has a black ring and they are a couple hundred bucks different....

 

[jmad_81]

My bro has the TMR on his VXIII 3.5-10 that is atop his 308 and loves it!

 

[nodak7mm]

DF, did you have Nate build that rig? If so send it back for a clean & lube so I can see it first hand. It would be better to see first hand... :lol:

Rod

 

[Desert Fox]

DF, did you have Nate build that rig? If so send it back for a clean & lube so I can see it first hand. It would be better to see first hand... :lol:

Rod

Yep! Nate's rifle. This is the rifle you see on the opening page of the SSG website. It's a switch barrel. Comes with 7WSM and an extra bolt. I don't want to touch the 338 barrel so I will be sending the bolt to Lawton so that they can built me another 7500 Action and then I can shoot the 7WSM barrel . Here's some more picture of the rifle.

 

[JD338]

DF

Is that 308Nate from LRH?
Beautiful rifle!

JD338

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

DF is right about the TMR. I have Mil-dot reticle's on three of my rifles, but I wish they were TMR.

 

[Desert Fox]

DF is right about the TMR. I have Mil-dot reticle's on three of my rifles, but I wish they were TMR.

I really like the TMR when compared with semilar type reticle from other manufacturer. The MP-8 reticle from my IOR is semilar in appearance but I like the center aperture of the TMR better than the floating dot on the MP-8. Here's the MP-8 reticule. You are looking at 1800 yards distance. That's over a mile.

 

[nitis]

Sounds like some of these guys have gotten pretty technical here. No disrespect I really admire the ability of the tactical shooters.

But for what the original poster has inquired about my first question would be do you really need the 6.5-20? Deer and elk are pretty big targets even at 800 yds at 14 power. My buddy has a similar setup on his ultra mag and he has the vx3 4.5-14 it works well for him! He also uses the german #4 reticle. I will probably get either the #4 or heavy duplex. The fine reticles and hashes and stuff get to be hard to see.

Good luck with whatever you get and dont hesitate to call leupold directly and ask them they are very helpful!

 

[shoots_5]

nitis

Thanks....I actually have been reconsidering that. The more I've thought it over the more the 4.5-14 seems to make sense for what I'm wanting to accomplish. I do really like that TMR reticle though....mainly for the open aperature at the center.

Question for anyone using the TMR....when using it for range estimation do you have to have the scope power turned up to the max? If so, with a scope at 20x, on a warmer day doesn't the mirage screw with your estimate?

 

[nitis]

why have the tmr reticle i fyou have a turret dialed in to your load? My dad has an H&H in an old 721 so I like to follow you

 

[shoots_5]

Well, I wasn't going to have the cds dial, but the M1 tactical style turrets. I don't really like cds dials because they are for one load at one set of atmospheric conditions where as just adjustable dials you can compensate for different conditions or if you change loads you don't have to buy another turret. And I like the TMR so that I have a back up for estimating range in case my laser quits or I can't get a good reading at distance. I also like that the target isn't covered by the reticle but actually open so that you can see where that intersection is at rather than having a duplex cover the target.

And I love my H&H....one of the sweetest shooting rounds out there as far as I'm concerned. My Dad has one too and bought me a matching rifle for my birthday when I was younger. That gun has killed a lot of elk.... It will put 165 gr. Accubonds in a .5" group all day at 100 with it completely stock. Just simple wood stock and a fixed 6 power cheap tasco scope. I'm excited to see what it can do with some good optics and a few accurizing trips to the gunsmith!

 

[Desert Fox]

nitis
Question for anyone using the TMR....when using it for range estimation do you have to have the scope power turned up to the max? If so, with a scope at 20x, on a warmer day doesn't the mirage screw with your estimate?

When using the reticule for ranging, use the highest manification

 

[Guest]

Desert Fox, You answered only part of his question. What about the rest of it? I was wondering the same thing so you are leaving us in suspense.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Desert Fox]

Desert Fox, You answered only part of his question. What about the rest of it? I was wondering the same thing so you are leaving us in suspense.
Thanks for the info.

If the scope reticule is located in the second focal plane which most hunting scope are, the manufacturer recommends that the scope should be at the highest magnification to get an accurate reading. Mirage will make reading distance a bit difficult but not impossible. Remember that mirage displaces object being viewed but does not change it's physical size.