Leupold CDS system

[BigDog1955]

This winter I switched scope in my Parker Hail .270 Win and install a Leupold VX-2 4x12x40mm for deer hunting that I do one week a year. I purchased a case of Hornaday 140 gr BTSP Interlocks so I would have shell's for life
I also built a RAP 6.5 Creedmoor and installed a Leupold VX-3 4.5x14x40 for target shooting. I'm shooting Hornaday 140 gr EDL Match in this rifle. I also purchase two cases of shells for it. Should last a while. I sighted in both at 200 yards and now have to wait for the new dials to see how that system works. Both scopes are windage reticals and I really like the look of them. My new .22LR rifle scope is a Weaver Grand Slam 5x20x50 EBX Varmint, I shoot the .22 every week and some times more, and the two reticals look some what alike. I don't like the duplex retical as much so I switched. Anyone use CDS on a Leupold?

 

[Varminterror]

I have CDS on a couple VX3’s. Honestly, I don’t enjoy it. Environmental conditions change too often such I don’t want to get pulled into a false sense of security with the CDS - the 600yrd tick mark isn’t always correct for 600yrds, for example, when we start a match at 23 degrees in the morning in still air, then a warm front blows in with a 20mph tailwind and we finish the match at 68 degrees in the afternoon... I know some guys would dial to their 600 tick then correct up or down from there, and when I’m hunting, I usually do the same with my card data...

I just can’t help but think of my CDS knob kinda like a stopped watch - only right twice a day... CDS dials are wrong more often than they are right.

 

[cdb1]

I have CDS on a couple VX3’s. Honestly, I don’t enjoy it. Environmental conditions change too often such I don’t want to get pulled into a false sense of security with the CDS - the 600yrd tick mark isn’t always correct for 600yrds, for example, when we start a match at 23 degrees in the morning in still air, then a warm front blows in with a 20mph tailwind and we finish the match at 68 degrees in the afternoon... I know some guys would dial to their 600 tick then correct up or down from there, and when I’m hunting, I usually do the same with my card data...

I just can’t help but think of my CDS knob kinda like a stopped watch - only right twice a day... CDS dials are wrong more often than they are right.

I’m not a fan of CDS. I’m a fan of Leupold. If I were going to twist turrets(I don’t) I wouldn’t use CDS.

 

[cdb1]

When I was selling firearms and optics, several of my customers bought scopes with CDS turrets. To do it right the distance from the center of the objective to the barrel had to be measured. Invariably the customer brought the rifle and scope to me to make the measurement. After a while other people started bringing their rifles and scopes in for me to measure. I didn’t mind because Leupold treats their dealers like kings. As an aside and to be fair, even though I’m not a fan of their scopes, Vortex treats their dealers top notch too.

Getting back on track when I received feedback after the people received their custom turrets it was mixed at best. The people who didn’t chrono but depended on the velocity printed on the box had worse experience which of course is to be expected. But even those who did chrono told me the adjustments weren’t that precise. A few were happy, the majority weren’t.

 

[Chuck R.]

I've got a CDS dial VX6 1-6X with the Multi-Gun reticle on one of my ARs.

Before sending off for the custom dial I took the time to develop a load and chronograph it at about the temp range when I'll be using it most. Out to 600 or so on 10" plates it's about spot on. A friend of mine has one on his 300WSM and from 100-600Ys it's also well within the kill zone of a deer (8" or so)

Depending on the distance/target size you're working they do work pretty well.

 

[jmr40]

On a hunting scope I much prefer a BDC type reticle. Zero at 100 yards and you don't have enough bullet drop at 200 to worry about. The hash marks are close enough at 200-500 yards and they are much faster to use than dials. I find the hash marks right on the money for my 30-06 loads. The 308 may be 2-4" low when using the hash marks out to 400-500 yards, but close enough to hit a big game animal. It is a lot easier to hold 4" higher than the hash mark than 4' high using a duplex reticle.

I have one Leupold VX-2 CDS scope and chose not to send off for the custom dials. I wanted to be able to use it with multiple loads, maybe even on different rifles. It is easy enough to use a ballistics calculator to figure out bullet drops and most of them also tell you how much to move the dials at various ranges. Print off a cheat sheet and you're good to go. Change loads or rifles; re-calculate, print a new cheat sheet and you're good to go again.

I used it on a 308 for a while, but the Leupold's with dials are easily moved. I was concerned that the dials could be moved while carrying the rifle in the field. I moved the scope to a 22 that I use to shoot out past 200 yards. I have it zeroed at 50, and by using the trial and error method have figured out where to set the dials at various ranges out to 225 yards. This requires a lot of dial twisting, well over 1 full turn of the dials between 50 and 200 yards. It has been very reliable for about 2 years now. So far it has always returned to the correct zero at whatever range I'm shooting.

To be honest, if you plan to do a lot of dial twisting, long term there are better options for this than Leupold. But they are a lot more expensive. But for occasional use I think they work pretty well.