buffybr

Last winter I used my Cabela's points to buy a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x40 scope with their CDS reticle. I was hoping to use this scope on a Dagestan Tur hunt in Azerbaijan that I had booked for the end of this past August.


Unfortunately I waited too long the send the ballistics information to Leupold for them to make the turret for my particular load for my hunt. I mounted this scope on my .300 Weatherby and I worked up a sub moa load with Barnes 180 grain TTSX bullets at a muzzle velocity of 3248 fps.


On three different days I shot 3 shot groups off the bench at targets set at 100, 200, 300, and 430 yards. They were shot with the zero at 200 yards. Since all targets were shot with the crosshairs on the center of the target, I measured the 100 yard rise and the 300 and 430 yard drops, and supplied Leupold with that information.


When I learned that I wouldn't have my custom CDS turret for my hunt, I set the turret that came with my scope to a 100 yard zero, and put small white paint spots on the top of that turret for the 200, 300, and 430 yard settings.


When I got to Azerbaijan, I verified the 100 and 200 yard turret settings on my scope. I didn't get an opportunity for a shot at a Tur until the sun was setting on the last day of my hunt.


I gave my guide my Nikon Monarch 7i VR rangefinder, and he called the distance to the feeding ram at 328 yards. There was no wind so I adjusted my scopes turret to one mark past my 300 yard dot and I squeezed the trigger. When I came out of the recoil of the shot I saw my Tur tumbling in a cloud of dust down the steep hillside. He tumbled out of sight and for at least 300 yards down the slope. Two of the guides headed off to the fallen Tur and the head guide and I took a less steep route the bottom of the canyon where we all met.


It was pitch black when I got to my Tur, but in my headlamp I could see that my bullet had hit him in the center of his chest, within an inch or so of where I had aimed.


So this past Wednesday morning the custom turret arrived from Leupold. I installed the custom turret on my scope, and Wednesday afternoon I took it to the range.


There was a stiff 10-15 mph crosswind from the left so I set up at one of the benches, and prepared to just shoot the 15" steel gongs that we have at each yardage berm.


I held one windage mark into the wind on the 200 yard gong, and after the shot I could see the copper colored hit from my TTSX bullet in the center of the 200 yard gong.


I then set the CDS turret to 300, held one windage mark into the wind on the 300 yard gong although I couldn't see exactly where, the bullet did hit the gong.


The same thing at 430 yards. Set the CDS turret to 430, held one windage mark into the wind and heard the bullet hit the gong and could see it swinging.


Of course I'll shoot it again on a calm day, but for now, I'm very satisfied with this scope and the CDS turret system.