Am I doing this right? Using Ballistic Plex w/ Burris FFII on A-bolt Hornet

wahoowad

wahoowad

Active member
I recently mounted a new Burris FFII (not the e model) 4-14x42 on my Browning A-bolt 22 Hornet. Sighted it in last week and it is shooting < 1" @ 100 yards dead on. Popped a groundhog at 135 yards a few days later.

This scope has a ballistic plex reticle with several hash marks to indicate bullet drop at specific distances. Burris did not have a trajectory calibrated for this reticle and the 22 Hornet but quickly produced one when I contacted their support. I provided them the ballistics for my factory Hornady load (obtained from Hornady website) and they sent me the ranges the hash marks represented which I keep with me as my range card. Here is what it is:

crosshairs - 100 yards
1st hash mark: 165 yards
2nd hash mark: 237 yards
3rd hash mark: 287 yards
Post: 332 yards

Yesterday I had a great shot at a groundhog at 235 yards. Clear view, flat terrain, no wind, nice comfortable prone position and the shot felt good. I missed that 'hog twice using the 2nd hash mark. The field has a lot of lush grass so I could not see where the bullet hit to compensate. Yes, I could have screwed the shot up a bunch of different ways but everything felt right and I had a great 14x zoom view. There doesn't appear to be a way for me to check the calibration on my own - Burris does not seem to offer a link to calculate your own trajectories. My gun club only has a 100 yard range so I can't check it out very easy at longer distances.

Any advice given I don't feel very confident right now with this setup?
 
Every gun is going to shoot different. Even though you provided the data from the Hornady website the velocity is probably different with your gun. Since you dont know where you were hitting, you may have even been good on elevation but hitting to the left or right. The only way you are going to know is to set targets up at the ranges you need and shoot some groups from a solid rest. This can be done in the field like the spot you were shooting the ground hog.
 
Actual velocity, elevation ASL, barometric pressure, wind, scope height above bore, power range on the scope and ballistic coefficient all are factors in some degree to your down range trajectory. The hash marks are better than a duplex in that they give you a point of reference, but not as good as something like a mildot or moa or mil mark to give you a calibrated measurement. Your scope is second focal plane. The distance between hash marks will change as your power range changes. Your best bet is to get several boxes of ammo and a flat spot and good rest and shoot your gun at various distances and several of your favorite power settings and make yourself a dope chart from actual field observations. I personally like lots of magnification, so I would do it at 14x and shoot a large shoot-n-c target at 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300yds and hold zero for all of them. See where the splash relates to the hold with your reticle. That is where you'll want to hold for a hit at those distances. If it were a flatter shooting caliber, you could skip some of those distances, not sure how close to point of aim you'll be with the little hornet from a 100yd zero once you pass 150yds.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOREYSee where the splash relates to the hold with your reticle. That is where you'll want to hold for a hit at those distances.

Are you saying hold the first hashmark (and then 2nd, 3rd) at my 100 yard target and see where it hits? If so, how do I translate that into the distance that would represent?
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOREY I would do it at 14x and shoot a large shoot-n-c target at 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300yds and hold zero for all of them. See where the splash relates to the hold with your reticle. That is where you'll want to hold for a hit at those distances.

The quote would be the best way.

He is saying to hold the crosshair dead center at each of those distances. Then correspond the hits at each distance with the hash marks.
 
wahoo,
You're working on theory rather than actual in the field experience and practice. The best way to work out those hash marks is to shoot at distances as others noted above for the actual real world "dope." How you do that is on you. If the gun club doesn't have longer ranges, but your hunting grounds do, then perhaps you can set some targets out and get things worked out with some actual shooting in the field?
 
Aim for bullseye at all distances. If your splash mark shows up 1.5 hash marks low at 200yds. when you go back to center, then you will need to hold 1.5 hash marks high at 200yds in the future. You can break the gaps between the hash marks down into quarters and be more accurate as well. Something like 1.25 hash marks equals 225yds. I find the 25yd increments more usefull and easy to remember than the 2nd hash mark is 237yds. Make yourself a little dope chart with these and tape it to the gun or scope. I bet I see more dead piggies in your near future
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I feel for you, man.
This is why ballistic reticles are a gimmick, at best.

Unfortunatley for you, there is no way to prove a reticle without real world shooting, much as the companies selling them would lead you to believe.

To get the most out of a ballistic reticle, I'd suggest zeroing your rifle at the furthest distance you expect to shoot with last hash of the reticle.
Maybe 250yds for your Hornet?
If so, here's what I'd suggest.
Get a piece of cardboard & put bring it out to your 'chuck field. Try to pick an early morning before the wind comes up.
Set it up at exactly 250yds away.
Shoot 5 shots using the 3rd hash mark for your elevation hold. Zero the scope and shoot 5 more to prove it.
Then, decrease the distance in known increments & map out what the closer has marks correlate to in real life.
Move target in to 200yds & use the 2nd hash mark for hold.
Don't zero the scope, but TAKE NOTE of the vertical disparity of your group. If your group centers 1/2" low, then write down 200yds -0.5

DO the same at 150 with the 1st hash. IF you're group is 1.5" high, write down 150 +1.5

And again @ 100yds with the x-hair.


Once you've got that info, make you a chart that correlates that data easily.
It might look something like this?

x hair:______100 +1.2
1st hash:____150 +1.5
2nd hash:____200 -0.5
3rd hash:____250 "0"
(those trajectory numbers are guesses, just to show ya what I mean)

It's easier to wrap your head around known distance increments, so that's what I'd do.
But ya gotta prove those values for yourself!

The shooting part is actually kinda fun, but ballistic reticles still suck, IMHO.

good luck...
 
ewww, I don't like your way Fred. lol

I'd have myself all screwed up doing it like that.

I GOTTA go:

x hair------100 dead on

Then work out the hashes and there corresponding distances. But I'm old and don't learn new tricks very easy.
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I don't know doggin, although Fred's method and mine are the same just reversed on the scale. I never though of doing his way, kind of threw me for a loop, but it has merit. The most accurate you'll be is at your zero distance. For Fred's method that is the end of your reach. If you were to make a mistake on a shot, holding 1 hash versus 1.2 at 100yds it will have far less impact than holding 2 hash versus 2.2 at 300yds. I see the logic in it. I have a habit of shooting using my crosshairs on quick shots up close, so I may be a little off using his method versus mine, but I guess it depends on the average distance that your shots occur and how quick you have to take them. If you miss your calculations, his method will result in a hit more than mine. Thanks for the insight Fred, you got me thinking
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There's no right or wrong way to do use a b-plex. It's a tool, so whatever works for you best is the way to use it!

AR, you've got my logic down. With a b-plex reticle, I'd rather minimize/negate the margin for error on the longer shots, hence zeroing at the furthest distance. ~1" up/down @ 100 is nothing to sweat over.

And it's easier for my brain to deduce a hold between distance with round increments, like the 50yds I used as an example above.
With a flatter shooting centerfire, that increment might be 100yds and I'd ZERO the 3rd hash of the b plex @ 500yds. Then map out 400 & 300 for the 2nd & 1st hashes and use the x-hair for my 200yd hold...

Again, the b-blex is just a tool. And with a SFP scope, you can actually 'tune' your reticle by messing with the magnification ring, but I won't get into that...

As it goes, I kinda like having all my scopes 'speak the same language' of milradians. Once ya got a handle on that system of angular measurement, you'll prolly quit thinking about inches of drop altogether...

Have fun!



 
Since you are restricted to a 100 yard range, try running your data through a good ballistics calculator, with different 'zero' factors to develop some charts that will give you your general rise and fall of the bullet trajectory.

For instance, I have a 4.5-14x scope that has the cross hairs zero at 300 yards, the second line is supposedly at 400, third at 500, and the fourth at 600 yards...

For my initial setting, my ballistics program indicated that with a 300 yard zero, my point of impact should be 3.2" high at 100 yards for my .204 cartridge (my loads)...and 2.7" high at 200 yards, dropping back into the 'bull' at 300...It works out pretty close when applied to real distances,,,Since this is being applied for Prairie Dogs, I can hold low, dead on at 300 yards or less and should be able to have good hits, if I can read any breeze that exists..

As stated, your BD reticle is just a tool that needs to be verified in the real world, after you get the theory applied...One cartridge will show different results than another of different make up...Time and practice will allow you to adjust mentally for any variances...
 
A buddy of mine took some time before he had his ballistic program nulled out right. He actually had to change the drag function via JBM to G7 instead of G1 to get the ballistics profile to fit the trajectory as close as possible. He's used his Varmint Hunter reticle though to take most of his long range coyotes (and a couple badgers).

I run the ballistics of my load through any std. ballistics program, check at the range and then adjust mv and bullet BC and also sometimes drag function to get the best fit possible at several different ranges. But honestly it's hard to null out a ballistics profile for any given load without understanding the systems involved and that usually takes some time.

If your load is not matching the reticle to only the 2nd stadia down (4.3 MOA) there's something drastically wrong someplace. Most ballistics programs aren't off that much at 250 yards.

Here's what i would do. Zero the gun and shoot at 200, 300 and 400 yds. Note where the bullets impact in inch per 100 yds.(IPHY), i.e. if the 200 yd. group is 4" low that's 2 inches per hundred yds., if 12" low at 300 that's 4 IPHY, and if 24" low at 400 that's 6 IPHY. Now the stadia points on the Burris BP reticle as advertised are 1.5, 4.5,7.5, and 11.0 IPHY.

Now 2 IPHY is obviously gonna be between the 1st and 2nd stadia (1.5 + 4.5). There are 3 IPHY between the 2 (4.5-1.5). 2 IPHY is .5 IPHY below the 1st stadia (2-1.5). so now .5/3.0=~.2. So your zero for 200 yds. is referenced as 1.2. Now do the same for the rest of your zeros and u'll get a reference (dope) chart that looks something like this--

200-1.2
300-1.8
400-2.5

The 50-yd. zeros will be very close to right in between those calcs--
200-1.2
250-1.5
300-1.8
350-2.2
400-2.5


IMO, besides a completely intuitive system that provides for even hundred yd. zeros for the stadia this sytem is as efficient as it can get. Put the dope in a Butler Creek scope cap cover that's referenced at a glance only and you're good...enough...to go.
 
Knockemdown, I don't think that they are a gimmick.

I have a BP on my CZ, the first hash(300), 2nd(400), post at 600. My 11 year old can nail the silhouettes at those ranges all of the time. It's very simple. He shot his 1st coyote at 286 yards this winter by using the second hash. One shot and that was it.
 
I understand gonzaga.
I've no doubt that the tool can be employed to work to a shooter's satisfaction. If you've found the tool works for you, then by all means ROCK ON!!!

I know that SS & his buds are very accomplished riflemen who employ use of ballistic type reticles.
I'm basing my opinion on the fact that I prefer a more standardized system that isn't rifle/load specific. Given the fact that I sometimes travel to hunt around the country, I'm potentially shooting under very different conditions.
Where mapping out a ballistic reticle is not a realistic option, I can re-zero a turret & adjust my dope in a flash with a pocket ballistics program.
Or, if I have to hold, at ranging power, a MIL is a MIL is a MIL. It's much easier for me to switch between rifles and have that same baseline reticle and not have to wonder which rifle is zeroed where & how far I need to hold off for which, & whatever & what not.
Too many variables to keep track of! For me, I know my rifle's dope in mrad & that's it, just two digits to remember or read off a dope card. And I'm employing the SAME tool for a different task, which lends to competency & consistency in that tool's use...

For a shooter with one rifle that shoots one load from the same location, under the same conditions, at the same target, at the same distance, then a ballistic reticle makes sense. I'm just not that kind of shooter...

Most important is that if you can hit your target & have fun shootin', then ROCK ON!!!
 
I agree with both Fred and Gonzaga.
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I have a few scopes with the BP type reticles and while they do work and I have played with mine out to 750 yds shooting steel here in Texas and they performed fine. I can also relate a story that shows exactly what Fred is saying is a drawback. I sighted my Tac.20 dead-on at 200yds and with my VH reticle I was hitting about 3/4 of an inch high with my 300 yard crosshair here at sea level. So when I got to Arizona in the Globe PM hunt egg shoot I am thinking OK hold bottom of the egg at 300 yards with my 300 yard CH..... well I was shooting about 2 inches higher due to the elevation so I ended up just holding an inch above the egg with my 200 yard main CH and busted it first shot. Now when shooting larger animals there is more room for error so some of the hard critical data is not as vital but it gives you the idea.
 
I admit I did not read the whole thread so I appologize if this was covered, but..... the drop points are calibrated for a specific magnification. My FF II is a 3-9 and the drop points are calibrated for 9x.

Make sure you are on the correct mag setting for your drop points.
 
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