Custom Leupolds

[PacificNWhunter]

I'm in the process of ordering a new scope and will be adding a few little custom touches to it. I am going to be putting an M1 turrent for elevation on it and it asks for muzzle velocity as well as a few other things to determine the BDC. I talked to the Leupold rep today and he stated that it would be fine to use the muzzle velocity stated on the box of ammo, and said that it is not necessary to use a chrono. Anyone have any advice? Will the box numbers be ok? Or should I take the extra time to track down a chrono and find out for sure? I'm thinking the later, just hoping to get first hand experience advice.

Thanks, Jordan

[700xcr]

I would track down a chronograph to see what velosity the ammo used out of your gun. My 270wsm produced 100fps faster in velosity then marked on the box by my chronograph  That is if you want pin point your shots at longer distances.

[280ackley]

  The FPS on the box's not right for most guns.  Barrel length alone will affect speed enough to make it worth it to find a chrono.

[PacificNWhunter]

are there any ranges around or gun smiths that have the equipment in western wa able to test your chrono speed? can't find anything in the phone books, will have to start calling tomorrow I guess.

[509er]

Barrel length , humidity, elevation, temperature all affect the ballistics of the ammo.  Might want to consider what elevation you will be using it at the most.  Talk with the Leupold guru's, they will be able to steer you in the right direction.  My friend had one built for his Mark 4 on his sniper rifle, it worked great.

[PacificNWhunter]

That's funny 509er, I got the itch to customize mine after seeing a buddies Mark 4. Working on trying to get the elevation down, I hunt all over so some days I'm around sea level and others I'm around 7-8000 feet.

[JoshT]

Shoot your drop chart before you order the BDC... rarely are they on the money unless you're using data that you obtained. It would really suck to spend all that dough on a BDC turret (built with speculative data)... then have it be off by a couple clicks.

Also, rather than the BDC turret... a plain jane M1 will work for many different loads. You can make up a chart for whatever bullet you plan to shoot, and tape it to the stock. That way, if you find a different load that shoots better... or want to use a different bullet for different game... or you want to move the glass to a different rifle, you won't need to order another turret.

Another option is a standard M1 turret... and then put small adhesive numbers where your actual drop is... it would have the advantages of both the BDC and the standard M1. This is what I do with all my turreted scopes.

[509er]

and then put small adhesive numbers where your actual drop is... it would have the advantages of both the BDC and the standard M1. This is what I do with all my turreted scopes.

This is my plan with my US Optics as soon as decide on a load.

[PacificNWhunter]

Another option is a standard M1 turret... and then put small adhesive numbers where your actual drop is... it would have the advantages of both the BDC and the standard M1. This is what I do with all my turreted scopes.

How do you go about doing this. Site it in and then use the turret to find your elevation and then marking it?

[S.O.B]

First things first, there is no point in doing any of this work if the rifle for said scope is not capable of at least 1/2 min.

[PacificNWhunter]

I shoot a 5 shot 1 inch group at 100 yards with a bench.....

[longear]

I agree with700xcr, I have had Leupold build two scopes for me and they work great. I would definately find a chrono, the ballistic coefficient of your bullet is also important to them. I was told by a Leupold employee when I brought the scopes in that the elevation wasn't that big of a deal.(unless you tell them 12,000 ft and hunt at 500) I figured out an average and have been successful.   

[JoshT]

Another option is a standard M1 turret... and then put small adhesive numbers where your actual drop is... it would have the advantages of both the BDC and the standard M1. This is what I do with all my turreted scopes.

How do you go about doing this. Site it in and then use the turret to find your elevation and then marking it?

Sort of... sight it in at 100. Then use a ballistics program to get your estimated "come-ups" or elevation corrections (which is what Leupold would use for your BDC turret)... then go out a shoot them to verify. I've found my actual "clicks" vs. estimated clicks are almost always off a couple clicks... scope height, BC variance, slight velocity variance, actual click value... can all have an effect on this. That is why it's important to shoot your own chart for as far as you plan on shooting at stuff. Once you've got your actual adjusments... then you can make small adhesive numbers (4, 5, 6, etc) to represent 400, 500, 600 etc... stick them on the turret at the coresponding click value (ie: put the "4" at 4.25", the "5" at 6.5", the "6" at 10", etc.). Pretty simple solution.

What bullet and velocity are you planning on shooting? Let me know and I'll make you up a drop chart out to 1200 yards in 50 yard incriments... it should get you close.

[JoshT]

First things first, there is no point in doing any of this work if the rifle for said scope is not capable of at least 1/2 min.

Absolutely not true... my .300 RUM will only run about 1MOA at 100 from the bench... but it'll hold that (and often better) all the way out to 1000 yards... and 10" groups at 1K ain't nothing to sneeze at.

[haugenna]

Mine are on their way back form Leupold as we speak.  I spoke with the cs rep and he told me that a bdc comes with a stock M1 turrett and I ordered two others for different elevations.  I will play with the stock one a little to use inches as my drop as opposed to the yardage ones on the custom turrets.

[Jamieb]

Hey Josh.
 Ya want to go shooting next Sat. ? I'll be going up to the same area we went to when you came down here before.
 I need to confirm my drop at 700 yards + for my 7-08.  I run out of adjustment in the scope at about 950 yards so that's as far as I'll be shooting this rifle.  I'll probably bring a few other rifles, all wearing scopes that have 1/4 moa turrets.
Alright now to the topic of this post. Don't buy the BDC turrets. Stick with plain old 1/4 click M-1's. A scope with the BDC turrets is stuck on one rifle with one load. Try to resale one.

[Jamieb]

BTW. Leupolds turn around time is realy fast right now. It's alwas taken 2 weeks, give or take a day, from me putting a scope in the mail to it sitting in my mail box. I got a scope back today that I sent to leupod on Mon. afternoon. The VX-III 3.5x10 got fitted with M-1's.

[G.R.K]

Mine are on their way back form Leupold as we speak.  I spoke with the cs rep and he told me that a bdc comes with a stock M1 turrett and I ordered two others for different elevations.  I will play with the stock one a little to use inches as my drop as opposed to the yardage ones on the custom turrets.

Can someone post some pic's on how to change a M1 turret?

[longear]

Jamieb the scopes not stuck on the gun the caps on the turret interchange!

[Jamieb]

I've never been interested much in a BDC turrets as a matter of fact I hadn't even heard of anyone getting them until I read it here on this site. I've got one scope with a subtension retical and I made it work but I swore I'd never try to make the trajectory of a bullet match a scope again, it took me way to much work and time to make it happen. I ran the numbers through a ballistic calculator and I thought it was going to be easy to match the bullet drop to the scope, well it wasnt.  Unless you've taken the time to (shoot) and confirm the drop, your not going to be able to order a scope with a custom reticle or BDC turrets that matches your actual bullet drop. A ballistic calculator may be close but you'll have to get out and shoot at distance to know the true drop. A 1/4 click turreted scope will work for any cartridge and any trajectory. I've used tall target turrets and M-1's on 22's all the way up to my .375 H&H and it works well and easy.

[S.O.B]

First things first, there is no point in doing any of this work if the rifle for said scope is not capable of at least 1/2 min.

Absolutely not true... my .300 RUM will only run about 1MOA at 100 from the bench... but it'll hold that (and often better) all the way out to 1000 yards... and 10" groups at 1K ain't nothing to sneeze at.

Yeah that accuracy thing is way over rated for long distance shooting. Oh by the way 1  MOA at 1k is about 10 feet so your right it's not important to have an accurate gun for such applications, I'm way wrong don't pay any attention to me.

[Jamieb]

First things first, there is no point in doing any of this work if the rifle for said scope is not capable of at least 1/2 min.

Absolutely not true... my .300 RUM will only run about 1MOA at 100 from the bench... but it'll hold that (and often better) all the way out to 1000 yards... and 10" groups at 1K ain't nothing to sneeze at.

Yeah that accuracy thing is way over rated for long distance shooting. Oh by the way 1  MOA at 1k is about 10 feet so your right it's not important to have an accurate gun for such applications, I'm way wrong don't pay any attention to me.

Do the math again. 1 moa at 1000 yards is 10"

[JoshT]

Yeah that accuracy thing is way over rated for long distance shooting. Oh by the way 1  MOA at 1k is about 10 feet so your right it's not important to have an accurate gun for such applications, I'm way wrong don't pay any attention to me.

Dude... you're a moron.

If 1 MOA = 1" @ 100 yards... then what's 1" x 10? It is correct that 1 "MOA" is actually like 1.024" at 100 yards, but it's not equal to 10 feet at 1K

Have you ever shot further than 100 yards?

How about 400... or 800?

[257 Wby Mag]

Yeah that accuracy thing is way over rated for long distance shooting. Oh by the way 1  MOA at 1k is about 10 feet so your right it's not important to have an accurate gun for such applications, I'm way wrong don't pay any attention to me.

Dude... you're a moron.

If 1 MOA = 1" @ 100 yards... then what's 1" x 10? It is correct that 1 "MOA" is actually like 1.024" at 100 yards, but it's not equal to 10 feet at 1K

Have you ever shot further than 100 yards?

How about 400... or 800?

TFF!! I know what he's saying though, I tell my old lady its feet, not inches too. grin.....

[JoshT]

Nice... I can here her now... bragging to all her friends about your 3-footer!

[PacificNWhunter]

JoshT
.300win mag shooting 165 grn box says 3100 ft per sec. But I am going to testing that soon through a chrono.

[Tony 270WSM]

Good advice on here. Run it through a chrono and test it at range as well. Double confirmation of your actual velocity. Had a load be 50fps from what Federal claimed. First found out it was off by checking the actual drop using clicks and then holdover at 400 and 500 yards. Confirmed in two different ways in the field so wasn't just making a mistake. Then later found a guy with a chrono and put a couple through. Findings were confirmed by it as well.

I have the VX3 CDS scope and am going to get the custom turret for my load once I can confirm the velocity from a chrono then actual drop at distance. Nice thing about it, it just takes some allen screws to change from the regular turret to the custom one. Not on there forever by any means, doesn't have to be sent in to be changed.

Was thinking about the hunting I do, so will have it be for 2500 ft and 50 degrees (middle of the road) plus all the other info. That way, should be less than 2 inches off at 600 yards no matter what. Out here I hunt 500-2000 feet but hope to get back to Idaho at some point and upwards of 5000 feet.

[JoshT]

I figure my drop chart for 3000' adjusted... I figure that's a good average for the areas I hunt... and going up to 6k... or down to sea level doesn't seem to effect my adjustments at all.

PacHunter... I'll fix you up a chart and send it to you... PM me an email address and I can put together a nice one for you out to 1200 yards.

[GEARHEAD]

go for it, i did, i shoot factory only as i don't shoot much. the first thing is, make sure you have a factory bullet your rifle likes. be sure its also one made for long range, tipped boat tail etc, is what you want. the higher the bc the better. then just contact leupold, fill out the chart, which will ask for your bullet data, be sure to get the bc for the bullet too, length of barrel is important as well, if you are a 24 in bbl, your fine, as the factory fps is probably from a 24 inch bbl, but check their web site to be sure. very important, is that you pick a temperature as well as altitude, that you will frequent most or be your primary, mine is set for 2300 ft with a 53 temp.
now while waiting for the scope to be returned to you, ya need to study your rounds ballistics and creat yourself a range card. you need this data, and can find it on the web, i use one called JBM. it will tell you your hold unders for maybe 450 yards at 25 degree of angle, you need to know your temps and altituded as well, and of course wind. i have all this data on a card from 300 to 1000 yards. i have data from 300 to 700 yards that fits into my scope cap, giving me my wind, angle, temp, and altitude variables. your scope and rifle are almost useless without this extra info. a quick example. your target is 456 yards. on flat ground at your chosen altitude and temp, you will smak it dead on. but this target is 28 degrees above you, its 20 degrees warmer than your scope setting, and 2000 feet higher too, the above knowledge provided on that card you made up, will tell you to drop that cross hair maybe 3 inches. if the temp, angle and altitude are the other way around, maybe you got a 3 inch hold over. good luck.

[high country]

I had cams made when mark was doing them for leupold......before they got greedy if I were you I woud trust NO chart anywhere till you shoot the distances yourself. then before you have the cam labled, take a piece of white adhesive paper and cut it so you can see the lines on your turret (if you are using a non turret scope just set your zero and take notes) shoot the distances you range and adjust the cam/elevation the required number of clicks to achieve zero.....map it on a piece of paper/the sticker on your cam. repeat at all ranges.

you will find that most ballistic data is usually goo to about 400 yards than starts to walk away from your gun becoming useless at 700ish yards. with practice (I use clay birds) at 1000k nothing is safe.

[PacificNWhunter]

Thanks for the advice guys, and thanks to all who have been answering all my IM's. I just ordered a 4-5-14x40mm VX III with an M1 turret! Can't wait for it to get here!

[700xcr]

Just found out that the Remington semi truck is going to be in town this weekend. Leupold will be on board too along with Springfield Armory and other vendors. They are going to have some show deals. It will be in Kennewick Washington Saturday and Sunday at Ranch and Home off Columbia Center BLVD. Too bad it alwayd come around when cash flow is low.