Your opinion on the Nikon BDC reticle

[boricua9mm]

So my opinion is wrong...that is a tough argument to make.

Opinions without experience are little more than range chatter.

Plenty of folks did fine with irons for many a century...I suppose I should retire all of my magnified sighting devices.

Irons have only been useful since the advent of the rifled barrel. As for optics, you're a consistent sub-MOA shooter with your rifles. You probably don't need 'em

Furthermore I do find the reticle to be crap, and I won't share my experience with my own scope with that reticle...why?...because I don't own one, and refuse to because I find it to be inferior. I am not going to buy something that I find inferior just to prove a point...I don't like it, that isn't likely to change...deal with it.

Just to clarify: You don't own one, probably haven't used one for any reasonable amount of time, yet you're declaring it garbage. The internet sure is a magnificent place...

 

[Maverick223]

Opinions without experience are little more than range chatter.

What do you know about my experience?

Irons have only been useful since the advent of the rifled barrel.

No, wrong again, irons have been successfully employed long before the advent of the rifle, or even musket, which they were also successfully employed on. Crossbows and cannons were the first devices to use the sights and would have been far less effective without them, as would muskets and rfles in later times.

Just to clarify: You don't own one, probably haven't used one for any reasonable amount of time, yet you're declaring it garbage.

It would be pretty stupid to buy something that I consider inferior, and FWIW I have a buddy that has one on a rifle that I have shot quite a bit. Probably more than some folks have shot their own rifles.

 

[dtvburns]

In the last week I purchased a Nikon BDC scope, it came at the recommendation of the gun dealer. Then I saw this post. Now I am a novice with rifle shooting, but not with guns I have spent many hours shooting pistols and clays or upland hunting. I began reading this post while I was waiting for the gun to come in and I was getting worried about the scope being a dog.

I have the scope mounted on a Save 12 VLP in 22-250 and I like it. As mentioned before the circles allow for more than one point to use a reference. I shot the gun twice and have 80 rounds through it. Below is a photo of a group of four I shot at 100 yards yesterday, it is just a cell phone pic but that was the best group I have ever shot. The scope seems to work for me.

 

[AKElroy]

that was the best group I have ever shot. The scope seems to work for me.

That is all that matters. Excellent group; no anonymous opinion can change that group, or the future performance of your rig. None of your THR peers are looking through your scope when you shoot anyway.

I have a lot of scoped rifles, two of them wear BDC's & I like them. They simply present an option I may never use, but what is the harm in that? I have crap on my truck I am just figuring out after owning it 3 years.

 

[earlthegoat2]

With a crosshair you get a precise point to aim with. With the BDC you get a precise point for zero and then a bunch of vague circles for the longer and more precise shot. What bozo thought that would be a good idea.

I dont really blame Nikon though. I bet they knew it was sell like crazy with every average schmo out there thinking they can shoot the elk at 500 yards uphill with a 20 mph wind. Isnt it just like shooting at the range?

 

[AKElroy]

I bet they knew it was sell like crazy with every average schmo out there thinking they can shoot the elk at 500 yards uphill with a 20 mph wind.

Dude--What is with the slam? Some, like me, like it with ZERO intention of using it as you describe.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Well, OK

Then why get it? I know it is only 10 dollars more but it really mucks up the picture.

Reticles like this are not handy unless they are going to be used exactly the way they were designed. How many people out there actually know how to use a Mil-Dot scope? Not nearly as many as buy them because they heard somewhere that military snipers have that reticle (that happens to be precisely tuned to the cartridge load they use).

 

[AKElroy]

I do not care for the Nikoplex, and I needed two affordable quality scopes & the Prostaff fit the bill nicely.

 

[lhodges]

Nikon BDC Reticle

Sometimes I don't understand people ? Nikon's BDC is a very good product for the amount that they are !!! And really shouldn't we shoot to really see exactly what range the circles are ? I have a 3x9x40 on a 280 Ackley Improved, as far as the crosshairs I didn't find them to coarse? My rifle shoots out the bullseye at 100yds !!! Then the first circle is around 250 yards and consistently is in about 4" circle !!! What more does one need for hunting for around $150 dollars? You get in the mention 6x20 VX-III with varmint reticle they are $800 dollars so if thats what suits your fancy splurge by all means but as far as being a quality hunting optic the Nikon BDC works Plain and Simple for hunting purposes. People should use their equipment more and not just a few rounds before the seasons they hunt and I bet they will become better marksman with what they already have. Enough Said.

 

[BrocLuno]

I think the issues are in the fine print. I'm sure the circles are calibrated to some known target factor, just like an old 30/30 reticle is. You need to know what the circles represent? If it's a common game animal belly to back, that's a good ranging tool. If it represents a human torso, same applies. I also notice that each circle gives you two precise points. Top of circle and center "wire" and bottom of circle. I can see that working for 150 grainers, 165 grainers as a pair. Seems it's about how you apply it? Would I buy one - maybe if I had a claiber and barrel length to match their calcs - which are?

I have a couple of Nikons. They are nice scopes. To say they know nothing about "sports" is a bit over the top. They likely know as much about optics as anyone on the planet? What you put on your gun is up to you. What they supply may be useful

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Lawdy we are awaking the dead here. I did have a good giggle at the one poster stating Nikon knew little to nothing about sport optics. Just what kind of quality do you think goes into all those high dollar cameras that the PROFESSIONAL photographers use to photograph your favorite sporting events? Which do you think is easier to produce? A high end camera or a high end scope? News flash, camera! As far as the BDC reticle goes, I don't like it much really but mainly because I have little to no use for it. I install target turrets and dial in my distance after using a range finder. Does the BDC have it's uses? I am sure it probably does but it just isn't for me. I hand load and to sit and calculate each and every "circle" would take a LONG couple of days at the range for true precision not to mention a pretty hefty amount of bullets, primers, and powder. For others though it may just well be the ticket. I do have the BDC in my Nikon Coyote Special sitting on a 220swift so my "experience" isn't from a "buddies" weapon or from the net or magazines. As far as quality of scope, it is top notch which I have come to expect from Nikon since I own 33 scoped weapons (rifles and pistols) and every single one of them have a Nikon of some model sitting on them. I have owned most all the "Big Brands" such as Leu, Zeiss, Swarov, and it seems to me that not a single one of them are any brighter, clearer, longer lasting, or the main thing more ACCURATE, than your higher end Nikons. And sorry but if they aren't 2 times better why are the 2 times more expensive? Makes no sense at all to me to go spend an extra 100 to 400 dollars more on a scope that is, in real world use, no better. Especially in todays economy.

 

[HKGuns]

I have no problems with mine. The reticle is not too thick BTW, works just fine.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Sometimes I don't understand people ? Nikon's BDC is a very good product for the amount that they are !!!

Nikon's scopes are a very good product to be sure. The BDC reticle is something else entirely and in no way makes Nikon's scopes good just because of the BDC reticles mere presence. The optics are going to be good no matter what. It is the reticle that is the topic here.

 

[Pacsd]

Sleepyone, your thoughts about 2 high at 100 dead on out to 300 I think, and that's just me, is a stretch. The only way you are going to insure this is to go out to those ranges and shoot. There was an interesting post on here a few days ago about being 3 high at 100 and then knowing your muzzle velocity, ie; 3100 FPS..dead on at 310, etc. If I was going to go on your premise I surely would test that at various ranges.

 

[supercalvin56]

If I wasn't already married I'd be looking very hard at the Nikon's BDC reticle system. Ok, that is a little extreme but, I do think it is a very good system and a fine product. No discussion is complete without mentioning Nikon's free ballistic software designed for any BDC equipped scope. Simply enter the data from your load and it tells you the drop for all the circles.....VERY useful. If you haven't gone through the software you don't have all the information need to make a informed decision.

http://www.nikonhunting.com/spoton/

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive found the bdc software and reticle to be pretty close to on for my 6x47 shooting 70grn balistics at 3kish using noslers advertised BC and the data from my Chrono....not bad for a 140 dollar scope and free software. Its niffty using the circles i like them beter then hash marks. Ive only shot out to about 500 and im not a good enough shot, or good enough at reading wind to make consistant hits on the 5 gal bucket i was shooting at that far out, but trajectory was pretty much dead on. i just couldnt dope the windage.

 

[KingMedicine]

Nikons are (imho) one of the best scopes for the money. I dont really care for the BDC, but if i can keep getting them for 100 bucks shipped, i will keep buying them. got two of them on my Marlin XS7 and AR

 

[unwise11]

I like my Prostaff with BDC, I shot 2 fair groups with it, using my first handloads today, the groups were not as good as they could've been, but the scope was not at fault, it was my flinching, afraid my gun would explode from my loads.
I don't have an issue with the scope, it's not comparable to a zeiss, or NightForce, but I like it, and as long as I like it, I'm happy..
The reticle is not thick, because it lines up perfectly with a finely defined crosshair target at 100 yards.
Anyhow, It's a different reticle, and most people would prefer a regular Nikoplex or dualplex type.

 

[sscoyote]

Here's mine--a 2.5-8x Encore BDC on a buddies Sav. Striker 22-250. If u look at the pic above my reticle looks the same except of course with only 2 circles instead of 4 as shown. Just matched subtension to verified trajectory, and will be testing it next Thurs. probably. Upper right corner of reticle is the dope as seen on a sticker inside Butler Creek ocular cover. Each whole number of which is where the circles intersect reticle's vertical axis--

P= point blank range (coyote), and wind is calcd for 10 mph relative to 5 SMOA plex post tips--

 

[sscoyote]

For my uses it's not good enough to know just where the center of each circle's zero is at--i wanna know each 50-yd. zero, as well as it's corresponding windage zero. I don't wanna' have to think of where 435 yds. is, just knowing that the circles zeros are 350 and 500.

On some of the BDC circles a fairly accurate system of windage compensation can be applied since the circles are .875 SMOA from the reticle's vertical axis. Some of the reticles use a horizontal plex post tip subtension of 3 SMOA. So if the wind is calcd at .3 of this 3 SMOA PPT subtension or close to it, the windage compensation can be resolved very accurately, since the edge of the circle is right at .3 (.875/3) of the total plex post tip subtension itself (not so on the Encore reticle i posted above).

 

[brotus2]

+1 on post # 40 the Nikon BDC software site.

 

[bhammell]

I've written about the BDC here. It is a a pretty useful tool, especially for those longer shots at distances you would never zero for.

Easy setup too. Just enter some info on the SpotOn web app and you print out a little reference sheet to keep handy.

bhammell
bestar15scopes.com

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

there are several of the russian reticules I like.

 

[FiveInADime]

I've used the top circle on my BDC 6-18x Buckmaster for setting up targets to 600 yards. The outside diameter of the circles at max zoom represent 2" per one hundred yards per Nikon. For 600 yards, I draw a twelve-inch line on a target with a fat-tip marker and have someone move the target out while I look through the scope (bolt removed, calm down) until I match the line to the OD.

This is a very basic usage of the reticle, but there are guys that have applied the modified mil-ranging system to the Nikon BDC reticle with great effect for ranging coyotes/deer.

Getting drop tables/illustrations from Spot On for several magnification levels is very easy and if you input good zero data/velocity it works very well. I made a little pocket sized book that has a bunch of tables/illustrations from Spot On and although I don't hunt game at long range, I can usually drill milk jugs easily enough at ~500 yards in light/no wind.

With all of this said, I just use the BDC for fun and I would never attempt a shot on a game animal past my max point-blank range. A prairie dog or jackrabbit, I might give it a try If I wanted something for long-range game, I would want more accurate adjustments than Nikon offers.

 

[Cee Zee]

It's alive! It's alive! Just a few injections of electrons and badda boom badda bing - it's alive! (Frankenstein mode now off). Sorry. I just get a kick out of these zombie threads. Who says there's no such thing as reincarnation? This thread has been brought back to life 4 times now.

BTW I don't care much for reticles that block half the viewing area.