Scope Rangefinder

Compensating For Range And Wind With A Mil-Dot Scope

Previously I wrote about the principles behind milliradians and mil-dot range finding rifle scopes and described how to simply calculate the range to your target only knowing a dimension such as a deer’s body depth.  Here I will describe how to use the properties of your rangefinder scope and the known distance to your target to make accurate long range shots.

Because the mil-dot reticle measures not just size but also size at your target’s range it can be used to indicate hold-over to compensate for bullet drop and hold-off for wind drift or target movement.  Just as you need to know the size of your target to determine range you need to know the bullet drop table and the wind drift chart for your cartridge.  These are readily available at your ammunition maker’s web site or in the back of any edition of Gun Digest.  If you hand load your ammunition or if you’re just curious you can also enter the bullet muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, sectional density, and altitude into the calculator at the BigGameInfo web site and instantly have a table for bullet drop and wind drift with ranges out to 1500 yards.  Using the calculator I learned that at 6500 feet altitude my .375 H&H hand loaded ammunition has 3 inches less bullet drop and 4 inches less wind drift (in a 10 mph wind) at 400 yards than when shooting at  sea level.

Using the mil-dots in your scope is much faster than adjusting scope knobs and you don’t forget how many clicks back you need to re-zero your scope.  Say, for example, you know you have zeroed your rifle at 200 yards; it hits 3 inches low at 250 yards and 8 inches low at 300 yards etc.  Then in the case of the earlier article where the deer is 250 yards away according to your new range finding scope the table will also tell you that 1 mill at 250 yards is equal to 3 inches and you just need to hold the first mil-dot below the scope center on the aiming point and fire away.  For my .375 H&H a 10 mph direct crosswind would move the bullet 18 inches at 400 yards and the mil-dot range estimation table indicates I need to hold 1½ dots into the wind.  Is that simple or what?  This can all be done without having to carry along any extra hardware.

If you’re tired of passing up longer shots or missing game at extended ranges a mil-dot range finder rifle scope may be your answer.  They are no longer overly expensive, they’re easy to use, and with a bit of practice are extremely accurate.  A mil-dot scope could be the
difference between an empty freezer and a full one.  What are you waiting for?  Scopes with mil-dot reticles suitable for everything from cross bows to black powder guns to big-bore magnum hunting rifles are available for any budget.

About the Author

Steve Woodruff has hunted for forty-five years.  A Michigan native, he most liked rifle scopes
light gathering powers.  After moving west Steve learned to appreciate range finding reticles and scopes with built-in laser range finders.  See what he has for you at http://www.rangefinderriflescopes.com.

Medal of Honor ~ [MP] Sniper-Klasse = HP Scope & Range-Finder [4] ~ True Full HD

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