Question from across the Ocean, where we don't have a lot of PD shooting:

Is there any advantage to using a Mil. dot reticle when PD shooting. If yes, what??

I tend to be a bit of a Luddite - sceptical about things I have not used before. Until now, I have been leery of trying these reticles, thinking a regular (thin) Plex type reticle is less confusing to work with.

Is a mil dot reticle an advantage in terms of gauging distance (what you'd normally use a range finder for these days), or does it help doping the wind - an area where I have heard the Swarovski TDS (I think it is called?) reticle should be an advantage??

- mike

A mil-dot reticle isn' terribly useful for range estimation on prairie dogs if used as an actual mil-dot system. The reason is (and no, I don't have the math handy, but I do remember the results) is that for an approximately 9" target, the furthest you can actually range w/ mil-dots is 333yds.

I grew up in an area w/ plenty of prairie dogs and a .223, so I generally used the hold-dead-on method which worked pretty well out to 225 yds or so (aiming center of mass), and by the time I was having to hold about one dog high to hit them, I knew I was roughly a little bit beyond 300yds. Works well, last long time.

The mil-dot does work pretty well if you have other larger objects nearby of a known size to range off of, like a vehicle or house (both generally a *bad* idea, but the larger the object, the more accurate the mil-dot ranging), or perhaps a fence post or a large sage brush. Otherwise, it works pretty well for hold over points, both for wind and for elevation purposes, which is what I think most people that take one in the varmint hunting fields actually use it for. Keep in mind that the mil-dot reticle subtension is 'calibrated' for one particular power on a variable power scope, sometimes the maximum magnification, where you can't see diddly in a dogtown because of the mirage

I don't necessarily think the mil-dot reticle in a varmint scope is a bad idea as long as the user is aware of the caveats and limitations.

HTH,

Monte

I use one for holdover reference on my .221 Fireball. It doesn't quite have the PBR that some more powerful 22 cals have so it helps me in that regard. Never really tried to use it for range estimation and I never used more than one dot off center. We use a couple different rifles and some have 'em and some don't. not necessary on the 22-250 out to ....way out there.

OK, I hear you guys, that was good feedback!

Range estimation for small targets and long
distances may not be the strength of mil-dot reticles. Besides for PD shooting, one would use a laser range finder these days. Perhaps some application as an aid for hold over.

I'll start another couple of threads about scopes for PD shooting to keep the threads specific.

Thanks for your input!
- mike

It sort of amazes me the number of guys who can quote ballistics from dawn to dusk, yet don't have half a clue on the adjustments and how their scope works, enough to take full advantage of its capabilities.

Most just think, zero it at 100 yds, put it on the flattest shooting rifle caliber they can find, put the cross hairs or dot on the target and shoot. After that just hope they can hit the target they are aiming at.

A good rifle man should rely more on his scopes abilities than on how flat shooting his cartridge is. However that is far from the trend. ( Hello Critics, at about this point)

It amazes me at times of watching guys trying to hit a rock about the size of a chair at 725 yrds on our range. A lot who try have the big target scopes and keep adjusting them, and shooting and still never hit the darn thing. I take a 243 with a 4 x Leupold on it with a dot reticle and hit it all the time. I know the distance, I know my bullets speed, and its trajectory and my scopes elevation adjustments. Occasionally, I may have to adjust for windage, but instead of doing it in the scope, since I can watch the bullet hit at that distance, it is quicker to just apply a little Kentucky windage to it.

A Mil dot scope takes all the guess work out of what I said above if one understands how to use it. Alot of people won't simply take the time to learn it.

I use a mil-dot reticle on almost all of my varmint rigs. I find the mil-dot reticle extremely useful in helping judge hold off for the wind. In addition I have a Premier Reticles Gen 2 mil-dot reticle, where the reticle is in the first focal plane. What that means is the reticle grows as the power is increased. I was able to successfully range prairie dogs out to 600-700ds. Further than my range finders would ever work.