BDC reticle vs. BDC turrets

Tuco

Tuco

New member
Purchased a Rem. 700 in 257 Weatherby a few years back and it has sat in my safe with the tags on it since. Well I am planning on being in Wyoming this fall for Mule Deer/Antelope hunting and figured the 257 should go along. My question is I am trying to decide if I want a reticle with the BDC cross hairs or turrets such as Leupold's CDS system. I am leaning toward a Leupold VX-3 3.5 X 10 scope but have to decide on the reticle system. All opinion appreciated. Thanks guys.
Tuco
 
Plex reticle with turrets. Especially a system like the CDS. very simple and effective. I see no need for dots, circles, or has marks.
 
There is nothing a simple duplex cannot accomplish in the right hands.

I am VERY glad I learned to shoot well LONG before all the "magical reticles" hit the market and clouded my judgement into thinking otherwise. Many of today's hunters/shooters are not as fortunate...........
 
2muchgun, yes I tend to agree with you. I have several rifle/scope combos in my safe and have never had one with the new reticle or turret systems. One thing that I keep running through my head is when hunting things can happen quick and I do not want to get in the habit of thinking I have to set my turret or second guess which stadia line to use and in the mean time miss an opportunity. Actually on my previous Wyoming hunts if I spent a little time I could usually close the range to under 300 yds. The 257 should handle that quite handily. I will consider sticking with what I know and save some coin by not buying the latest. Thanks for your input.
Tuco
 
I just bought my first scope with a BDC reticle, as much out of curiosity as anything. I'll give it a fair chance to prove itself.
 
I've never been a fan of reticles like the Burris ballistic plex and the Nikon BDC stuff. They are just close, kinda like grenades..

The CDS dials from Leupold are very nice. I'd take those over one of the above any day. I had mine cut in plain MOA so they serve as short turrets.

 
I grew up with a plex reticle and still prefer it over most. That said, I have a Lupy with a varmint hunter reticle as well as a Zeiss varmint hunter reticle. While it would be nice to be able to dial in the target, these reticles really come in to play with a moving target at more than 300 yards. Nothing to dial in, just adjust in the reticle and pull the trigger. OK, that's a little simplistic, but keeping the target in the reticle and having the ability to move and have some sort of delineation to follow helps when shooting across a canyon. I agree that the reticle is a little cluttered, but it's easy to get used to it. Just my .02 cents.
 
For me, all I need is a duplex reticle 95% of the time. During that 95% of the time, I don't want anything else going on in my scope. For that other 5%, I'll take a second and dial the yardage up on my Leupold CDS and still have a clean reticle to shoot with.
 
I believe I will get the VX-3 that comes with the CDS availability. When I settle on a load and have the turrets cut I figure I can use the duplex scope as I always have and use the CDS system if I choose to.
Thanks for all the input.
Tuco
 
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