Success with CDS dial out to 1000 Yards?

[LostTexican]

Without ever messing with the CDS I don't quite understand it. If it has a set distance on the turret how does it compensate for environmental variables such as pressure and way more importantly the angle you are shooting

Im sure someone will disagree but inside of normal hunting distances pressure and temp don't matter to a hill of beans, off a bench with sand bags and wind flags and normal heart rate sure... maybe a measurable distance.

Most people i know use a range finder with angle compensation, so say i shoot up or downhill and range a target, it gives me an angle compensated reading of 450, I dial 450 and send it.

You have to "true" your selected load and send all the info you provide them to get your custom turret.

 

[Dakota79]

Without ever messing with the CDS I don't quite understand it. If it has a set distance on the turret how does it compensate for environmental variables such as pressure and way more importantly the angle you are shooting?

It doesn't!

For me hunting the same place and generally the same conditions it works great and I'm not Sniping way out there.

 

[freu1chr]

To make everyone aware i have no means of trying to kill an animal past 500 yards i just want to practice at that distance to make the closer shot a piece of cake. i am from Minnesota and the farthest i have ever taken an animal is 100 yards. i want to practice longer ranges so i can confidently take a 400 yard shot with no problem.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

No, it wont be dead on at 1000. And lets say it did happen to be dead on at 1000 your first time out, chances are it wont be dead on the next time out because a lot of things impact where a bullet lands 1000 yards from a muzzle and most of them are not constant. Wouldn't be hard to get it on the nuts or real close for most of your 4-500 yards situations though, if it stays consistent and doesn't lose zero.

This is exhibit 9,384 of why I hate the CDS system. Leupold markets it as buying a shortcut so people can just buy competence and not understand what goes into impacts at distance. That and I feel that a range finder with built in ballistic calculator is a much better "shortcut" than a custom cds turret.

Edit to add: to address original question, I’d advocate using the MOA turret. Where do you have access to 1000 yards? Gopher?

 

[Don Fischer]

I put a vx5hd on my new cooper and am wondering with the data from my bullet will it be dead on at 1000. Would i be better keeping my moa dial it came with on top of the scope or get a custom turret burned for it? I would like to be able to shoot consistently at 1000 yards.

Your question leads me to believe you'd be better off learning to shoot long range. I feel I suck at it and while I plink at inadament target's I do it only for fun, doesn't make me any better at long range but does help me shoot better at normal range! Seem's a lot of people prefer to forgo the skill of hunting and attempt the skill of shooting that they are not qualified to do in the first place, and then a miss or wounded animal is blamed on either the rifle or, more so, on the ammunition! I have never read even one time of a long range hunter missing a shot or wounding an animal. At 500 yds the 1/2" rifle, relatively few of them, become's a 2 1/2" rifle. Most would not except a 2 1/2" rifle at 100 yds but go to 500 yds and it's good to go. We no longer call a 1/2" rifle at 100yds a 1/2" grouping rifle but rather a 1/2" min of angle rifle. Shooting 1/2" MOA at 500 yds sounds better than shooting 2 1/2" groups at 500 yds! That assumes of course the shooter can even hold 1/2 MOA at 500 yds, most probably can't!

500 yds from a field position, even with a bipod is not like shooting off a bench with sand bags even at 500yds! I don't use bipods but my understanding is their support will depend a lot on the ground you set it on! Seem's I've read that the recoil factor come's into play. The tripod after all is attached to the rifle, not the bench! Would you lay the rifle on a flat rock for support without something under it? Put on a tripod, set it on a flat rock and you just did!

 

[brocksw]

Without ever messing with the CDS I don't quite understand it. If it has a set distance on the turret how does it compensate for environmental variables such as pressure and way more importantly the angle you are shooting?

It doesn't

 

[Don Fischer]

No, it wont be dead on at 1000. And lets say it did happen to be dead on at 1000 your first time out, chances are it wont be dead on the next time out because a lot of things impact where a bullet lands 1000 yards from a muzzle and most of them are not constant. Wouldn't be hard to get it on the nuts or real close for most of your 4-500 yards situations though, if it stays consistent and doesn't lose zero.

This is exhibit 9,384 of why I hate the CDS system. Leupold markets it as buying a shortcut so people can just buy competence and not understand what goes into impacts at distance. That and I feel that a range finder with built in ballistic calculator is a much better "shortcut" than a custom cds turret.

Edit to add: to address original question, I’d advocate using the MOA turret. Where do you have access to 1000 yards? Gopher?

I put a 4 1/2-14x scope on my 6.5xx06 just to fool around with shooting long range, it had those range finder circles in it. I zeroed for 8" target for 100 yds then made up a chart to use to 500yds. While I had that scope on there I never used it over ux and always dialed in the range to the target. I was surprised how well I normally shot at 500yds like that. Normally I said, things change from day to day! Shooting and hunting are two different skills and for a few one can complament the other but that is not normal. I never even tried shooting at long range with any kind of wind. Tried it at 100yds and saw the difference the wind makes. Cured me! The 1/4 min turret that come's on scopes today is more than adaquate for long range so long as you actually can shoot long range. I'm gues int the MOA turret adjust's at 1/4" at 100yds. You will notice that all the 1/4" adjustment dials on all factory scopes are set to give 1/4" @ 100yds.

 

[Don Fischer]

verify all your actual drops, then call Leupold with all your data.

If you take the short cut of reporting MV, zero, Bullet weight and BC, it's highly unlikely it will be accurate past 550ish yards.

I have often wondered about these dials and dialing them up. If the scope is set for 500 yds, what is the drop at 563 yds? How about the rise at 471 yds? Confusing for me!

 

[brocksw]

I'm gues int the MOA turret adjust's at 1/4" at 100yds. You will notice that all the 1/4" adjustment dials on all factory scopes are set to give 1/4" @ 100yds.

MOA turrets shouldn't adjust at 1/4" per "click". It should be 1/4 MOA or .26175". Not important at close distances, but extremely important at 1000 yards.

 

[232401a]

Everyone should read this about 50 more times...because it's a fact.

100%. And also keep in mind that 600yds isn't a magical number where things got squirrelly. Things are getting progressively more squirrelly every yard after the bullet left the muzzle.

A friend talked me in to shooting his $10K gun on an elk at 800 yds with his assurances the setup could do the job. Aimed for center rear quarter and with 4ft of heavy wind drift, I hit the elk in base of head. One shot and quick kill - but I had never shot anything past 250 yds previously and had no business taking that shot. I had never even seen that gun until 2 minutes prior to shooting.

Some of those LR guys will have you believe they never miss.

 

[brockel]

Some of those LR guys will have you believe they never miss.

It isn’t just LR guys

 

[2rocky]

my Leupold VX3i tops out at 750 yards with a 200 yd zero with my rifle and load combo. I'm convinced that LR shooting (450 yds plus) versus hunter riflemanship is akin to NASCAR versus every day driving. Adjusting the setup becomes much more important and the little things become the big things.

The first question is, do you have the money, time, components, and setup it is going to take to be proficient at 1000 yards? The Ea$y way is to pay $5500 for a rifle that is built for that purpose with a load developed that shoots 1/2 MOA shipped to your door with 6 weeks - 6 months lead time. THEN pay $1800 to go to as LR school and learn the finer points of reading wind and unlearn the bad habits you have from 30 years of undisciplined practice...We all have that.

Then you gotta shoot..A LOT to maintain your good shooting form. I just know it is more than I want to shoot since it's not my job. Most guys I know who got into LR Shooting the Ea$Y way I described, think "did it once, now I'm an expert" and shoot 3 shots before the season to sight in.

 

[belshawelk]

i have shot 800 with my VX5 with CDS. I did not hit plate first time, did second. First was a miss close enough to know it me. Even though I have 3 guns that are legit killers from that distance, I would never shoot at a critter. Longest shot I have made is 725 and killed a cow, while it worked I should not have done it and never will again. I am pissed I did it, even though the gun is way more capable of it. 550 is the max for me. I let a cow go this year at 625. I prefer 400 and under. Actually I like bow range now that I think about it.

Without ever messing with the CDS I don't quite understand it. If it has a set distance on the turret how does it compensate for environmental variables such as pressure and way more importantly the angle you are shooting?

exactly. great for flat tundra