What has been your experience dialing a VX3? Do they return to zero?

I've leaned toward ballistic reticles to avoid any corruption of my zero. I am about to send my 4.5-14 VX3 off to Leupold to install a custom reticle with range marks to 600 yds. For the same price, I could upgrade my turrets...

For what it's worth, this is primarily a hunting rig. It's a .280 AI built on a Sako action with a Bartlein 26" barrel. I'd like to expand my horizons to longer ranges. Currently, I draw the live animal line at 400.

Any thoughts?

Mine returns to zero every time. A good friend also has one, same thing with his.

I have had 5 Leupold VX-III and Mk 4's and everyone returned to zero without a hitch. That being said as has been mentioned in a previous post many times i run reticles for all of my game shooting except prairie dogs. BUT I DO NOT RUN THEM AS ADVERTISED!!!!!!!! I calculate my reticle zeros, test them at range, troubleshoot if necessary by adjusting bullet BC, mv and/or drag function until i get the best reticle to trajectory fit. I then recalculate the reticle zeros in 50-yd. increments only for both elevation and windage. Often in the field i may not even know what a particular stadia point's zero actually is, as they are only there to reference the interpolative system of reference that has been calcd. BUT I DO NOT SHOOT BEYOND 400 YDS. IN ANY WIND GREATER THAN 10 MPH!!!!!!!!!

Interpolating between stadia points is accurate enough AS LONG AS A SYSTEM OF REFERENCE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR IT. If it weren't then reticle-rangefinding itself would have no viability, and i wouldn't have killed as much game (mostly coyotes) as i have the past 10 years i've been using my system.

Thanks Sniper,

Did you buy yours with the turrets or did Leupold's Custom Shop do them for you?

Also, what reticle do you have? This scope has a Duplex and I'm curios if the crosshairs are too thick for longer range shooting.

Thanks again.

Thanks Steve,

I've had good luck using a Boone & Crockett reticle on another rifle. To be honest, I'm a little freaked about fiddling with turrets. A fixed point seems fool-proof (provided you have an accurate range) especially in hunting situations. I would like to get involved with shooting nonliving targets at longer ranges and I suppose dialing is the best way beyond 5-600.

Actually I got out my box and looked at it.
I have the Vari-x III Long Range M! Tactical.
Mil dot reticle. It's not the VX version. I hope this still helps.

I find just about every scope returns to zero; I sure haven't had a problem with Leupolds.

But, like most scopes, they will continue to turn once you have reached the elevation and/or windage limit. You will think you are adding elevation, but you aren't. This happens with my .338.

Be sure your elevation is centered for the most part. If you use up a lot of windage, your elevation will top out sooner. You will also get some wierd windage errors with elevation changes because the erector tube is binding against the main tube.

Buff,
Ive had a VXIII 8.5-25 LRT with the fine reticle for long range hunting and then on my F-Class rig.
Yes they return to Zero. however what you will find is that their MOA adjustments not quite "a true MOA", BUT, this isnt normally noticed until you really start getting up there normally past 700+ yrds.
However this can corrected by finding out the actual MOA value of your scope and using a balistic program like "shooter" or "exbal" you can enter the correction unit and it will work out a correct DOPE for you.
This is why I run Nightforce on all my longrange rigs, an MOA is a MOA.

I run a 284WIN for my go to rifle, similar to the 280AI, if you can run a 162 Amax around 2950-3100 youve got a 1000 yrd killer easy!
I drew my line @ 500 yrds, well it has a 823 yrd kill under its belt now, with authority!

My honest opinion, save some money and buy either a Nightforce(if you dont mind the weight) or a March.
Buy once...Cry once.
One more thing IMHO, really you need to either click or use a Balistic reticle,

Regards Runas

My friend had a VX3 and what RUNAS said is very true. At 1k the numbers did not quite match up, the knobs seemed to dial true, but not "true MOA". Make sure you take that into account.

Who cares about the true MOA reading? Aren't you basing your adjustments on real life shooting and not some ballistics program?

A bigger concern when it comes to dialing in a bunch of clicks is to make sure you scope is leveled, or you will track left or right. And then of course, to use a scope level.

I have used several VX3 4.5-14's that had the M1 turret installed and shot out to 1000 yds with them. Return to zero every time!

Last month ran a 100 yd box test with my 9.3x62 that had a 1.75-6 installed and that had CDS dial installed and it returned to zero as well.

Alan

All the VXIIIs I've used and seen returned to zero. I'd go with the turrets. I usually put tape around them, zero at ranges in 100 yard increments to 600, 800 or 1000 yards (depending on cartridge and use) so the turret markings/adjustment reflect reality not a computer program.

Then with the use of a range finder to quickly get a correct range one can dial the range in very quickly and with more accuracy than using any hold over reticle will give you for long range shots.

Larry Gibson

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Gibson:
All the VXIIIs I've used and seen returned to zero. I'd go with the turrets. I usually put tape around them, zero at ranges in 100 yard increments to 600, 800 or 1000 yards (depending on cartridge and use) so the turret markings/adjustment reflect reality not a computer program.

Then with the use of a range finder to quickly get a correct range one can dial the range in very quickly and with more accuracy than using any hold over reticle will give you for long range shots.

Larry Gibson

Great minds think alike: I do the same thing with mailing labels. Just type the numbers with a small font and stick them on.

quote:

Originally posted by Buff:
What has been your experience dialing a VX3? Do they return to zero?


Any thoughts?

Yes, they return to -0-

Have the knobs installed and learn to use them; you'll never look back. The VX3 in the banner pic has target knobs from the factory. I have another just like it but 40mm objective that I sent to the factory like you are. I had the knobs installed.



For all of those who've posted that the Leupold adjustments do not move the reticle in actual MOA, you have something wrong with the scope.

My gunsmith has a precision scope mounting system that is about as fool proof as it gets. The scope is perfectly mounted and leveled on a jig. It is then sighted at a precisely marked board across the parking lot at a precisely measured distance.

It is marked in MOA and mRad. The scope can then be evaluated for total travel and click value accuracy.



The scope on the banner pic is on my new .264 Win Mag. After developing the load, I plugged the load parameters into my ballistic program and set off to the range to check drop data. At about 550 yards, I had to start giving more elevation to make hits than the program said. At 760, it was up to 1 1/2 MOA more.

I played with the program inputs for a while and tweaked the values and got an accurate output for drop, but the values were not even close to actual.

There had to be something else wrong.

We've been seeing a ton of problems with scopes recently, so I decided to swing by the shop and put the scope on the jig. It returns to -0- fine but was screwed up for click values the further out you dialed.

I sent the scope back to Leupold and they replaced the erector system. It functions flawlessly and as advertised now as I checked it for funciton on the jig.

Any of you who have noticed a problem should send it back; it will be fixed free of charge. Leupold scopes work and they stand behind them.

Hey Runas,

How do you like March scopes? Have you tried any?

I am currently playing with a 2.5-25X on .308 X Bolt varmint stalker.