Rifle Scopes Using the reticle

[BigHog]

Hello everyone. I have a rookie question and can't find my answer anywhere. Sorry in advance of irritating anyone.

I recently purchased a used Nightforce 3.5-15×50 NXS with NPR2 reticle. A buddy from work talked me into buying it. I put it on my Remington 700 260 and hit the range.

I used the reticle to hit all the different ranges from 100 yards to 600 yards. Zeroed at 100 yards being one hash mark above the cross hairs. 200 yards being the center cross hairs minus 2 clicks down. Done this all the way to 600 yards. Just using the reticle itself and maybe a click or two either way to find tune the group. I was thinking that's the way I should be using the scope. When I got home I started thinking maybe I should be using the center cross hairs and dialing up or down for different ranges.

If someone doesn't mind, can you tell me the proper way to use the scope? I've never have a scope with any type of mil dot before. In the pass just used a little Kentucky windage. The scope didn't have a user manual either.

Also if you click up and down. How do you know for sure how much to come up and down for different ranges?

If the has been discussed before on SnipersHide. I couldn't find it.

Thanks

 

[Supergyro]

Let me tell ya, it's been discussed on this site before, though maybe not in nomenclature you're familiar with.

You should learn to both dial and hold off for drop. The scope turrets are the same scale as your reticle, so if you have to hold 1.5 mils to hit your target, dialing 1.5 mils up will bring your impact up to the center crosshairs. (Actually, it's the other way around, but it's best to speak in terms of "come up"s to avoid confusion, as that is what your turret will read.)

As for knowing your "come ups" for different ranges, you can shoot at each range to build a table of known drops/come ups (known as DOPE) or input your data into a ballistic solver (eg: app for phone) to tell you your drop/come ups.

Either way I encourage you to keep reading and learning as you've just scratched the surface of precision long range shooting.

 

[mcmillanman5]

Here are a couple of videos that will help you understand what MOA and MIL actually are and how to apply that to shooting.

MOA
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VA2PZBD5Tjg

MIL
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5AGsHSIsVo

From there you can use a free ballistics calculator such as JBM to input specifics regarding your setup to get a jumping off point to shoot distance.

JBM - Calculations - Trajectory

Remember that it's important to input correct data into the ballistic calculator and it is also important to keep real world data. I personally would zero the crosshairs and either dial or use holdovers to make shots (or both). There are guys here way more knowledgable about precision shooting than myself who can undoubtably answer your questions better. I do think those videos will help build a foundation with some terms that will help you better understand how your scope works and how you can apply it.

 

[sscoyote]

Yes--no sense having a resource right in your FOV and not use it. I also calc. windage for my reticles as well. The NP-R2 has windage stadia every 5 MOA. Suppose the 10 mph windage for your load is 3.5 MOA, then 3.5/5=.7. So if your 400 yd. shot requires 3.5 MOA of windage from DF's post above then dial 8 MOA and hold 70%of the 1st 5 MOA stadia line into the wind. The dope for 400 yds. on my range sticker would look like this--
400-8-.7
etc...

 

[BigHog]

Thanks guys. I think I have it figured out now. The videos explained a lot.

I have a ton of other questions but will search and see if they have been discussed before.

 

[SporterII]

Ballistic calculators are fun to use. Free. Hornady bullets site has one easy to use and self explanatory. Go there. Go to ballistic resources and then to ballistic calc. The pages have bullet BC info and you can plug in the info and play with that for a while. Wind hold and elevation given in MOA.