Your absolutely correct Dave. All the aiming points do is get you into the vecinity at some yardage. The data they gave me still has 2+inches of varriance at 250 yards when shot at sea level vs 5000 feet so there has to be some fudge factor considered. Actual results WILL vary from advertised spec. That is why I want to know what drops the reticle is designed around vs what load they used in their gun. It only matters what happens in my gun when I'm in the field, not theirs.

Nikon does have directions for "tayloring" the reticle to your load, but to me it makes more sense to give the data on the reticle setup in inches of drop instead of some specific load or work around explaination. Once the drops are known you just have to memorize the yardages that match up to those drops. I think of itkind of like the sight pinsonmy bow, only you can't move the aim points of the reticle so you adjust the yardages to match them.