Scope... mil dot or not?

steveh326 · May 24, 2016

Will be finishing up a pre-2013 lower I have soon with a flattop upper. My plan is to install a Leupold Mark AR scope on it. Scope is available either with standard crosshairs that I am used to, or mil dot. Never had a mildot scope, not sure if it's the way to go or not, any advice from anyone?

the mildot reticle is a couple more $$ than standard crosshairs but that's not a deciding factor. so far all my reticles are either standard crosshairs (or some variation) or BDC reticles.

F8L_Funnel · May 24, 2016

Stick with what you are comfortable with. My biggest regret is having too many variations. You know the saying, "Jack of all, Master of none!"

5.56blaster · May 24, 2016

If your willing to learn how to use a mil dot they are good. If you were raised with cross hairs you may want to stick with them. Lots of mil dot stuff out there to help you figure out how to make them work. I use both and had lots of training with the mil dot. Thank you Uncle Sam.

trickg · May 24, 2016

I think that unless you are working as a sniper, there are probably better reticles than the MilDot - at least that's what it seems to me. Take anything I say with a lump of salt though - I don't have firsthand experience outside of using a plain crosshair.

davsco · May 24, 2016

there are basically two ways to hit something at distance. one is to dial your scope for the elevation change and another is to hold over. a scope with mildot or moa lines, or bdc lines, will make it easier to hold over, assuming you know your drops of course. if you're always going to dial for distance, then a basic reticle is all you need. the problem with a basic "+" crosshair reticle is figuring out the holdover with no reference lines. the problem with bdc's is they won't necessarily match your actual trajectory. mil and moa reticles make it a little easier to hold over. if you know your round drops two mils at 300 yards, then you just put the target on the 2 mil line on your scope and you should have a hit. mil and moa lines offer similar benefits for compensating for windage.

E.Shell · May 24, 2016

A mildot reticle is basically a crosshair with lumps on it, so if you're used to using the center intersection of a crosshair, nothing has changed.

If you learn to use the mildots for holdovers, they will provide a much better hold reference than just holding your crosshair out in space someplace over the target.

CSHS · May 24, 2016

I have a Leupold Mark AR 3x9 that's great. It has mil dot, but I probably wouldn't get it again because I prefer the cleaner look. If you're going to 300 yds, just dial up the elevation, no need for the mil dot. You don't want to double-apply the elev correction. Probably some would say the mil dot alone is quicker on target if you don't have time to fool with the dial. Great shooting scope, looks good with the Mark 2 mount.

Wayne1one · May 24, 2016

I like Mil-dots= 2 cents........

If you take Ed's class you will quickly realize that just plain crosshairs won't cut it.......

sailskidrive · May 24, 2016

Which Mark AR scope are you considering? (magnification)

I would go MILDOT as it inherently has crosshairs...

Overboost44 · May 24, 2016

I have the 3x9 Mark AR on here. I like mil dot and wish all my scopes were of this variety.

tomandjerry00 · May 24, 2016

Mil-dots all day. Even if you don't learn the "proper" way of using them, they are very useful for shooting at varying distances. I use dials at the range, but when hunting I know 1.5 mil dot below crosshair will be a 300 yard shot.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

trickg · May 25, 2016

E.Shell said:
A mildot reticle is basically a crosshair with lumps on it, so if you're used to using the center intersection of a crosshair, nothing has changed.

If you learn to use the mildots for holdovers, they will provide a much better hold reference than just holding your crosshair out in space someplace over the target.

Aren't there a lot of newer reticles that are easier to use than the mildot for holdovers, with some even offering estimations for wind?

CSHS · May 25, 2016

If you're buying. http://www.midwayusa.com/promo/leupold-deal-days-416

redsandman6 · May 25, 2016

I always get mil-dot based/ranging reticles. that is my preference. the only thing I would add is to make sure the reticle and the turrets are in the same units. it can get confusing when they are not the same.

trickg said:
Aren't there a lot of newer reticles that are easier to use than the mildot for holdovers, with some even offering estimations for wind?

yes, (https://www.leupold.com/reticles/) but the scope the op asked about may not have some of these reticles as a option

BigSteve57 · May 25, 2016

I've been looking for a scope in the 2.5x-8x or 3x-9x range with a reticle like Leupold's TMR reticle.
I noticed that lots of Leupold's scopes have a mildot reticle but MOA adjustments for elevation & windage.
I would want a mildot reticle to have the same units of adjustment.
So, just know what you're getting.

steveh326 · May 26, 2016

thanks everyone for the replies and advice. I did notice that the Leupold mildot has the turrets in mils also, so they match. I originally intended to go with just a standard 3-9 but now with my old eyes, I am thinking maybe I'll try 4-12 instead. max distance I'll be shooting is 300 yards.

leaning toward giving the mildot a try. I don't think it will take that much to get used to, and then I would have the option of either using the mils or cranking the turret for distance, as long as I don't double up and do both...lol.

erwos · May 26, 2016

trickg said:
Aren't there a lot of newer reticles that are easier to use than the mildot for holdovers, with some even offering estimations for wind?

Some BDC reticles even offer fast ranging capabilities. Unfortunately, BDC haters are legion and often irrational and ill-informed, which is why the option is seldom promoted. Suffice it to say, BDC reticles work fine if you get one supported by a decent ballistics app, such as Strelok Pro.

trickg · Jun 1, 2016

erwos said:
Some BDC reticles even offer fast ranging capabilities. Unfortunately, BDC haters are legion and often irrational and ill-informed, which is why the option is seldom promoted. Suffice it to say, BDC reticles work fine if you get one supported by a decent ballistics app, such as Strelok Pro.

For the kind of rifle shooting that I always particularly enjoyed - prairie dog shooting on the rolling pasture ground of SW Nebraska - I think a BDC reticle would be particularly helpful. Dad and I always just eyeballed an estimate for holdover on a plain fine wire crosshair reticle. A BDC reticle would take the guesswork out of it, provided we were good at range estimations. I mostly shot a .223 when we were varminting, and from what I gather, a lot of BDC scopes are made with the .223 in mind.

I understand that not everything is perfect - that a BDC scope is based around a specific calibration consisting of a specific barrel length, muzzle velocity, altitude, bullet weight, etc, but it could still be pretty close, and more than good enough for a weekend varminter.

davsco · Jun 1, 2016

i know you're just talking varmints like prairie dogs and groundhogs, but still i think they'd appreciate clean humane kills vs potshots. no matter what reticle you use, know your drops and how they match up with your reticle's lines or dots with the ammo you're using. you can definitely get a decent rangefinder for under $200. and if you do have a mil or moa reticle and you know the approx size of your prey, you can use that to estimate the range.

trickg · Jun 1, 2016

davsco said:
i know you're just talking varmints like prairie dogs and groundhogs, but still i think they'd appreciate clean humane kills vs potshots. no matter what reticle you use, know your drops and how they match up with your reticle's lines or dots with the ammo you're using. you can definitely get a decent rangefinder for under $200. and if you do have a mil or moa reticle and you know the approx size of your prey, you can use that to estimate the range.

Have you ever been prairie dog shooting? For the most part, with rare exception, it's either a hit or a miss, and a hit is pretty much an instant kill, no matter where you hit it. On a rare occasion you don't get a clean kill, but if you hit almost anywhere on the head or body of a prairie dog, it's done - hydrostatic shock from a bullet moving 3200+ fps does a number on them.

You don't have a lot of time to be fiddling with a range finder - they move, and they are always at oddball ranges, depending on where their burrows are in proximity to your location. If you're going to be successful in a prairie dog town, you need to be able to eyeball your ranges pretty accurately and quickly, and you need to know your rifle well enough to know how the bullet is going to react to cross wind, which is in addition to rise or drop of the terrain.

Scope... mil dot or not?

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