223 BDC scope mounted on a 7mm-08?!?.
 

Hey guys. New to the fourm here and first post in general. Please bear with me threw the bad grammar and punctuation. I have been offered a trade that includes a browning A bolt 7mm-08. After a bit of reserch, I have not been able to find any info out there on what BDC style scopes can be used on different calibers than what the scope was intentionally designed for. In my case the 7mm-08 is paired with a Nikon 3×9 BDC scope. So do or can the ballistics match well enough for the application. I'm sorry I do not know the actual model of the scope. And I believe the rifle barrel to be 22 inches.

BDC ret's are set up in scopes to give common drop at ranges to particular cartridges loaded to factory speeds and BC's. They aren't perfect and some aren't even close. What all BDC customers have to do is take their rifles and ammunition that their rifle likes to the range and find where each drop line matches range. So yes you could use that BDC set up for .223 on your 7mm/08 rifle. You will just have to determine where each line relates to range which you would have had to do with a .223 anyway.

H.L. covered it.


Take the BDC scope to the range, with your chosen load. Then shoot the ranges you want to shoot and you'll figure it out.


I used a BDC on a .30-06 for a short while and getting to 400 was easy. Once you shoot it and figure it out then write down, or just remember what yardage each circle corresponds with and you'll have a fairly reliable system


-Jake

First of all, congrats on landing a great trade! The Browning A-bolt is a fantastic rifle.

Even if the BDC doesn't correspond exactly, it'll probably still be useful. You might end up having to use the bottom or top of the circle instead of the center of the circle to aim at longer distances. You may even need to just frame the kill zone between circles. Either way, it'll be better than trying to compensate distance without a BDC.

Thanks for the replies. Will try to find a range, somewhere around here. I think there's a 300yd range, about an hour away. Definitely can't shoot in the back yard anymore��. Kinda torn that the gun has been wrapped in tape,Would it hurt to rub a little goo gone a wood stock? I was thinking about laying a steaming rag on top of the stock, and seeing if I could get the glue loose enough to wipe off.

Goo gone will not do anything good for the stock. For a plastic stock, it'll likely eat the stock plastic, or at least, denature the plasticizer or stabilizers, so you'll ruin the stock. For poly coated wood, it'll likely eat the urethane coating, or again, at least degrade the stabilizer. For oiled wood, it may stain, darken, or lighten the wood, or at least draw oil from the stock which may be difficult to replace for an even finish. It could even denature the wood and cause a "dry rot" type appearance in short time following sun exposure. The harshest solvent I would use on almost any rifle stock is isopropyl alcohol. If you're OK with fully stripping and reoiling the stock, mineral spirits would get it off, but again - it's a heck of a job to redo the finish just to remove a little tape goo which should come off with some dedicated time with rubbing alcohol. You will need to reoil the stock after alcohol as well, but it will be much more uniform than the harsher solvents, and much easier to reoil.

As for the BDC reticle: any BDC really isn't accurate for more than ONE particular combination of ballistic coefficient, velocity, and environmental condition, so even if you were shooting a 223rem, it's VERY likely the reticle would not actually match up with your trajectory. You're ALWAYS stuck trying to learn the relatively random yardages which correspond to your reticle, and then still have to do that relatively random math based on yards, rather than using a proper milling reticle to work directly with your trajectory instead of the ranges. I'm not a fan of BDC's, but you're not disadvantaged in using a 7-08 with it any more than you would be with a 223.

I'm also new to the forum, and I hope you were able to figure out your BDC, but there is an even easier option if you don't have a longer range to shoot at. Nikon has a website and app devoted to their BDC and other reticles. I would link to it, but new accounts can't post URL's, but I have the app on my phone, for the times when I'm at the range. I actually even use the app for other scopes, because it will even give you the full ballistic trajectory of your gun.

Just Google 'Nikon Spot On' and you should get the website.

Check out that website and just simply follow the steps. If you're handloading and don't have a chronograph, there is even a way to calculate your velocity by measuring bullet drop at 200 yards. The app is pretty good overall and has all of the ammo that I've used pre-loaded into it. Good luck and let us know how you make out!

google the drops etc...

you may be able to find a 7mm08 load that corresponds, however, say your gun loves 140s and the reticle matches 120...

many cartridges are similar, but not always....

Thanks for the welcoming. Yes, I have been using the app for a while. I actually even use it to calculate data on my non-Nikon scopes, just because it has been really easy for me to use.