nikon "spot on" and BDC reticle

[Thebear_78]

I have owned a few Nikon Prostaff scopes with the BDC reticle. In thier price range the nikon is really hard to beat and while I generally run leupold scopes on all my rifles I have found when looking for a cheaper scope there isn't anything that compares to nikon glass in the sub 200 dollar range.

I first used a 3-9x50 with BDC on an encore 30/06 barrel. The circles worked out extremely well with a 165gr load. Considering the circles are 2moa it is pretty easy to use them as a range finding tool. I used them to check range estimation figuring that at 300 yards the circle would be 6" in daimeter, just over two circels deep was about right the the size of a whitetails chest. I used it on three whitetails that year at 90, 300, 360 yards. All first shot solid hits.

Recently I picked up a 3-9x40 prostaff to put on a marlin XT17 in 17 HMR. The BDC worked out very well with the 20gr Hornady XTP load that I have been shooting. The reticle allows easily to shoot at extended ranges even with the rainbow like trajectory of the 17 HMR. Hitting a 20oz pop bottle out to 300 yards is fairly easy.

The "spot On" Iphon App was very easy to use and not only did it have almost all factory loads it has the option of custom loadings. It not only allows you to adjust the zero to most effectively use the circle spacing to take the maximum advantage of the reticle.

It also has a pretty good ballistic calculator on it along with the ability to print field cards. For a $4 app it is an excellent buy.

here is a screen shot of the spot on progam with my 17 HMR dialed in.

 

[sscoyote]

Nice to know you like yours Bear.

I also like the Nikon's since you get a decent BDC reticle and low-profile tgt. turret all for a decent price in most of their models.

I have 2 2.5-8 Encore's--on a Savage Striker 22-250, and a Browning Buckmark. Took the Buckmark out several months ago and was shooting at a softball-size dirt clod at 230. I needed 30 MOA to get there from 50 yd. zero, and just cranked the optic back to 4x, and used the reticle's lower post tip as a reference (now at 30 MOA). Hit it maybe once in 5. Then cranked it back up to 8, and added 15 MOA into the turret, and once again was all around the target, finally hitting it again. Then back down to zero once again at 50 no problem. Also like how they set up their post tip subtensions for windage (10 MOA total, easy to break down). Sure have had a lot of fun with Nikon's lately. Here's to 'em--

 

[Barton Hege]

Great to hear shooter's experiences with Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program. I have been using it for 8 years, long before Spot On came out. What a difference it has made! Made my longest shot on a deer a few day's ago in Ks., 586 yards. This was an unusual Ks. deer season, way above the normal windy frigid days I am used to from years past. This was a 59 deg. evening, no wind and a good solid rest for my T/C .300 Win. and Nikon MONARCH 2.5-10 BDC reticle. I have shot target's with this rifle to 600 yards and never would consider a shot if I wasn't confident. Nikon's BDC scopes and Spot On are a great combination.

Keep the pics and post's coming!

 

[Shurshot]

I don't have the app on my phone, but I use the website all the time. I use it to determine a closer zero to first site in a rifle so that it will be zero at 200 yards after I zero at the closer point first. of course you still have to check the 200 yard zero when you are done, but it will get you close to start depending on how good your data is.

 

[MPFD]

I love the APP! I just got a 30-06 and put my Prostaff 3-9 on it with BDC and it looks like at a MV of 2900, it will line up just about perfect with the circles out to about 500 yards.