Scope Question
 

I found what i think, is a good deal on a 3-12X50mm Bushnell scope for $75. The store has a few of them and at the other end of the scope, it has settings for 100-200-300-400 yards. How does that work? Sight in for 100, turn the turret to 200, sight in for that yardage and so on? I thought that would be cool to have all of those setting preset and just have to give it a turn to the 200 yard spot if the shot will be that far. If i get the scope, this will be my new sniper rifle:D:D

RE: Scope Question
 

FG,

That's a scope with BDC (bullet drop compensator). I am getting a Bushnell Banner BDC scope for my Apex. If you have the right wheel in the scope, you just sight in at one yardage then youare set for all other ranges. Basically you need to mimic a cartridge. Since you are getting some BS conicals, a 45-70 wheel seems a good choice. I've not looked into it, but I would actually prefer a wheel without yardage but instead just counts clicks, that would give me more flexibility in loads and ranges depending on what I have chosen for a load.

By "wheel" I mean an insert which goes into the top of the scope that has the graduation marks on it for the different yardages. when you twist the top it turns the wheel which in turn clicks off the elevation adjustments. Each wheel is made for a specific cartridge, ie. I have a 100 grain 25-06 wheel in my 25-06 BDC scope and a 150 grain 7 Rem Mag wheel in my 7 mag. To be honest, I have never used the BDC feature. I have the wheels on both riflesset at 250 yards which gives 6" PBR to 280 yards. I shot a few deer from 200 to 250 yards but most have been less than 100 yards. I've never needed to make adjustments for ranges beyond 280 yards while hunting. Now with a muzzleloader, I could see thiskind of scope coming into its own because the projectilesare so much slower and trajectories more curved. Good luck with it if you get one.

RE: Scope Question
 

Thanks Phil, that helped a bunch! I think i'll go ahead and pick one up soon and give it a go. Be really fun to take a deer out to 400 yards with this muzzy lol.
Good to hear from you again. You havnt been on much. Hope all is well with you and your family.

RE: Scope Question
 

on the bushnell that I have with that on the scope it's to help you focus the scope at longer ranges .
Charlie

RE: Scope Question
 

F.G.,

I'm not familiar with the one Charlie is referring, but if you want the feature of dialing in elevation adjustments (so you can point right at the POI at farther ranges) then make sure the feature isBDC. The adjustments are in the same place one removes the upper cap of other scopes to make elevation clicks. The BDC feature just allows one to make elevation adjustments without removing the cap and the graduations on the wheel just show how much elevation has been "clicked"

Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I and all my family are doing very well.

RE: Scope Question
 

FG

I have a bushnell banner 4x12x50, it is an older scope but it works very well on my 222.

Gotta admit when I first read you question I thought you were taking about an AO (adjustable objective for focus @ various ranges)... So hereare my thoughts....

If this adjustment you are talking about is the elevation turrent- it is for adjusting the range of thescope. It (the scope) should come with 3 maybe four different wheels with different graduations that are gaged to the type of bullet you are shooting. You have to choose the wheel that will serve you best and install that in the turrent. Sight it in @ a 100 as you would normally do and if you have chosen the correct wheel, as you dial up the ranges it should be pretty close. PROBLEM - doubt you are going to find a wheel that was ever set for a ML.

If these adjustments are on the objective end of the scope it is for focus at various ranges to reduce parallax (sp).

Good luck....

RE: Scope Question
 

SL, I also think he's speaking of AO rather than any BDC.

FG - if the scope lookssimilar on the objective endto the one pictured in this link http://www.swfa.com/pc-2085-198-bushnell-4-12x40-trophy-air-gun-scope.aspx- it's AO you are describing.

AO will not adjust your bullet's impact except to help reduce paralax as SL has indicated. Most scopes have no parallax adjustment - they are instead set to be parallax free at a given range (usually 100 yards). I can see very little use for an AO on a scope used on a muzzleloader intended for normal hunting conditions.

RE: Scope Question
 

Yup thats what it looks like. So its pretty much not worth buying then.

RE: Scope Question
 

I don't know - it depends upon the model and what you intend to use it for... Bushnell makes many different models - some very cheaply done and some excellent. The AO won't hurt anything except to add a bit of weight. The 50mm objective might require you to mount the scope higher than you would like. I think you would be better served by something like the 2x7 Nikon ProStaff for only a few dollars more. http://www.ultout.com/nikon-optics.htm Midsouth has refurbs of that model for 95 but I would go with anew one for the difference.

RE: Scope Question
 

FG

Here is the pic of the one I have.... it is really handy to have both the adjustable Range ability and the AO on the end of the scope, but for a ML I am not so sure it would serve the purpose. If'n I were you I would be looking for a ballistic reticle.... It works very well for me on this varmint gun, however. I wish I could come up with another one, today all they have is what is called a target turrent with dots or dashes, with this scope the range is printed on the wheel....

RE: Scope Question
 

Well, thanks for the info guys. I think im going to pass until i find one around the same price at a different store. I called and was asking about those and the owner is a real jack ass and rude so im done with that store.

RE: Scope Question
 

FG,

I'm getting the Bushnell Banner 3X9X40 BDC from Cabelas for 79.95 (i think). Originally I ordered from some internet optics sight and they just kept it on backorder and I gave up. I have enough Cabela's points now to buy it, I think I may have coupon in the email to . . .

RE: Scope Question
 

Im heading there right now to check it out.

This one?
3-9 Matte Multi-X/Bullet Drop Coop. 40 3 12 13 40-14

RE: Scope Question
 

F.G.

Yes, thats the one I am getting.

RE: Scope Question
 

Allright, cool. It looks like a good scope for that price, and new! Im going to do some research on it.

RE: Scope Question
 

Not to hijack your thread but I have a dumb question. Tweaking my prostaff is driving me nuts. If your 2" high and 2" left do I adjust the scope by going right 8 clicks and down 8 clicks?

Sorry guys....I am a newbie.[:@]

RE: Scope Question
 

FG, by the way, I was all set to purchase a Bushnell Banner for my Optima and resarched them exstensively. Had I not gotten a great deal on the prostaff the Banner would be on the rifle. If you took a poll of lower end glass users there probably more Banners on muzzleloaders than any other single scope.

RE: Scope Question
 

oldrookie, How many yards you sighting in at? With close range like 50 yard, its a crap load of clicks. Once you get out to 100, then it gets really hairy. I think it was 35 clicks to get 2" @ 50 yards. Sight in 2" high @ 25 and it should put you close to dead on @ 100. Its a PITA at first put once you learn the clicks, it goes smoothly.

RE: Scope Question
 

oldrookie

Most but not all scopes a 1/4" @ 100 yards... So at a hundred if you are 2" high and 2" left you would move the bullet 8 clicks down and 8 clicks right. If you were @ 50 yards the 16 clicks....

If you look @ this scope target you can see the numbers across the top ofthe target that indicate what to do... the evevation numbers have been cut off but on the target they are there also...

RE: Scope Question
 

Thanks guys. I was beginning to think like an archer which is the opposite. I am 2" high and 2" left at 25 yards. What you are saying is leave it 2" high at 25 yardsand just move it left. That should put me close at 100 yards?

By the way, I was told by someone that if you sight in zero at 25 yards it should also be zeroed at 100. Theory being that the bullet hasnt had time to rise at 25 yards and will rise then fall at 100 yards. Is this an old wives tell?

RE: Scope Question
 

Correction in above post....leave it 2" high and move it to the right and should be close at 100 yards.

RE: Scope Question
 

Exactly, Just adjust to the right. 2" high @ 25 will put you really close to dead on. Whats your load?

RE: Scope Question
 

Ranout of the 295g powerbelts.. Going to use 300g hornadys with harvester crushed sabot. At 25 yards, been using 80g of 777 pellets. I will continue with 80g at 100 yards. I am interested in seeing what happens with 100g at 100 yards as well. Been using the kleenbore primers with no problems

RE: Scope Question
 

Yeah that should put your right on @ 100. Maybe an inch or so high. Becareful with sighting in with different bullets thought, You may have to adjust and then re-adjust next time you go with the powerbelts.

RE: Scope Question
 

Just to make sure I understand the post above, at 25 yards the number of clicks per inch will be 16?

RE: Scope Question
 

Give or take, yes.

I tried a scope a few years back and got so p'd off that i tore it off and never put it back on until last month :D. It just takes practice to figure out the # of clicks.

RE: Scope Question
 

FG...I dont know what will happen with this load. When I first bought the rifle I was horsing around with sights at 25 yards. I was shooting the 245g powerbelt and 250g hornadys. The performance was almost identical. I also have some speers that sabotloader made reference to in 300g.

Thanks for info on the scope. Plan to shoot a lot tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you guys know how it went.

RE: Scope Question
 

Have fun! Bring a couple band aids just for safety.[8D]

RE: Scope Question
 

Chit 30+ clicks is probably one time around the wheel!

RE: Scope Question
 

oldrookie, the bullet doesn't really rise - it starts dropping from the time it leaves the bore - relative to the line of bore. A scope generally sits centered about 1.5" above the bore so line of sight is always above line of bore initially. A picture is worth a thousand words so:

Hope you can get an idea from that. You'll see that the bullet path does intersect the line of sight at two points - a near-range point and again at the zeroed range You'll also see that, even though the bullet is dropping, it actually does travel above the line of sight between those two intersections.

2" high at 25 yards might be good for a near zero at 100 yards - but no guarantee.

RE: Scope Question
 

Thanks Underclocked....that makes sense. The highth of the scope above the borehas already taken care of most of the "initial rise". Then, the higher the scope is mounted above the bore the flatter the trajectory of your illustration. For example, the highth of my rings are medium, someone who has rings mounted high or low would change the trajectory of your illustration.

RE: Scope Question
 

That actual trajectory of the bullet would not change regardless of sights used, but the points at which the bullet crosses line of sight would.

RE: Scope Question
 

If your load is in the 1600 to 1700fps range, your 2" high at 25 will put you in the 4 to 6 inches high at 100. To be close at 100 you may need to sight in about .25 to .5 high at 25. If the load is around 1400fps, you would need to be about .75 to 1 inch high at 25 to be close at 100. Not having all the load info makes this an estimate but it should be close enough to get you on paper.

Good luck.

RE: Scope Question
 

Thanks for the info guys. I just got back from the range and actually it turned out pretty lucky. I was 2 inches high and 2 inches left at 25 yards the last time I shot. So when I got out there today I left it alone and moved to the 100 yard table. As it turned out I was slightly low of center. Made the necessary adjustment to the right and it was a done deal.

By the way dmurphy, the load info is 300g .452 hornady xtp hp,100g triple seven pellets and kleenbore primer. I shoot a CVA Optima. Indianapolis is about 500 feet above sea level.....what velocity is that generating?

RE: Scope Question
 

How low was it?

RE: Scope Question
 

From Hodgdon website - a 2 pellet charge of T7 behind a 300 grain bullet yields 1641 fps at the muzzle. Seems a bit optimistic to me - but maybe not.

RE: Scope Question
 

FG.....I am between half and two thirds of an inch low at 100 yards. Inside of half inch left of center.

My biggest problem to figure out now is swabbed barrel vs fouled. Big difference for the Optima. If I keep it dirty the groups touch. As soon as I swab....wow! Could be wide left or right on the first shot.

Kind of makes me nervous for hunting season. How do you spend the first one to set yourself up for a no miss second?

RE: Scope Question
 

Cheapest way i can think of to see if it makes a difference it to switch your primers. It always amazes me when i switch something out on my rifle to test out and have it make a huge difference. Kind of like when i was shooting my 45 with pyrodex and then switched to triple7 and tightened the groups big time.

RE: Scope Question
 

I know you mentioned CCI and others use triple seven primers. What retailers carry either one of those? I buy most of my supplies from Gander Mountain and they only carry the kleenbores here in Indianapolis. Their black powder dept sux.

RE: Scope Question
 

Just go to the shotgun reloading section and buy the CCI 209 shotgun shell primers. Same thing. They are brass and have a red paper cover where the primer flash hole is. May also find winchester 209 shotgun primers, Be a good idea to get a box of them too and start shooting again.