Rifle Scopes Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

[bohem]

I spent some time on Zeiss' website yesterday to try to understand how the reticle is laid out so that I can calibrate my load to the drop marks on it.

I have not been able to see what the distances between the hashes comes out to be on the drop compensator.

My planned route to tailoring my rifle load to this reticle is:

1) Need the reticle details, then go to JGM
2) Input the bullet parameters and fiddle with the muzzle velocity at a given ASL until the drop at the various ranges mates to the reticle
3) Tailor a load to match that necessary muzzle velocity as close as I can while still maintaining accuracy

4) Once that's done, map the altitudes of the various places I've planned on hunting and repeat steps 1-3 for the given needs.


I'm putting this scope on a 7 SAUM on a stock Remington 7 with a 22" barrel.


Long story short, I need to know how the reticle is patterned, can anyone show me the information please

 

[noname]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

in the top of the reticle the hash marks are 2 moa, and are used for distance estimation.
in the zeiss calculator, follow the steps being sure to hit the power optimization, which the output will be the power when the holdover hash marks are closest to the interval distance. Rarely are they "accross the board".
Or leave it on the highest power, and use JBM to calculate the drops at the hashmarks
Or build you load to compensate for the drop already used by the hold over reticle (the hardest way)

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

I was planning to do the last route you mentioned. I found the reference saying that the hash marks are 2 MOA, but nothing on the BDC portion of the reticle.

 

[noname]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

that's because they will change with each load used and each power setting.
Its rare that game are spotted at 100,200 thru 500 yds. exactly, so the need to have a load calibrated for this is alotof extra work, its alot easier to reduce the power magnification and lift the poi into the hash markings.

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

I'm not quite following you. Here's two snapshots of the screen. How do I lift the reticle into the hash marks under the crosshairs? Zero it at the 6ooy line instead of the 100/200y line?

I don't see anything on their calculator to optimize the power.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_qlqtTxigICE/Sx0fY6CvwRI/AAAAAAAABU8/nAkKmwFYXjk/s576/rz600_lg.gif

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_qlqtTxigICE/Sx0fZOHL3SI/AAAAAAAABVA/RtwX4d6jT7Q/s576/zeis%20calculator.GIF

 

[noname]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

your not quite done, click on reticle analysis form , which will bring up the optimize.

 

[rmfield]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

The primary Hash marks at full magnification are as follows:

200 yards = 0 MOA
300 yards = 2.0 MOA
400 yards = 4.25 MOA
500 yards = 7.0 MOA
600 yards = 10.0 MOA

These are all True Minute of Angle.

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

Great, thank you both for the help.

 

[head2h2o]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

I have been working with the Rapid Z reticle with a 7mmRM. I have the Rapid Z 800. I know that Zeiss has various reticles in the rapid Z line up for various calibers. First make sure that your reticle matches the caliber that you are going to use. Even then you may have to play with it a bit. My approach has been to find the load that I wanted and the adapt the reticle to the load. I started off with 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. With my most accurate load, these were moving right at the top speed that the reticle was capable of accomodating. I decided I needed a little heavier bullet for both the reticle and the hunting application. I went with the 160 gr Accubond. (Awesome bullet by the way, I would highly recommend it in the 7mm chambering) The increase in weight dropped the speed of the bullet. Once I had my 160 gr load, I then entered all of my information into the Rapid Z calculator. After optimizing for power, it gives you a nice drop based on the all you given variables. When you optimize it, it should tell you if the reticle is suitable for you application. As a side note, I actually spoke with Zeiss last week about changing reticles and they stated that they will change any reticle except the rapid z.

Good luck.

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: head2h2o</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have been working with the Rapid Z reticle with a 7mmRM. I have the Rapid Z 800. I know that Zeiss has various reticles in the rapid Z line up for various calibers. First make sure that your reticle matches the caliber that you are going to use. Even then you may have to play with it a bit. My approach has been to find the load that I wanted and the adapt the reticle to the load. I started off with 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. With my most accurate load, these were moving right at the top speed that the reticle was capable of accomodating. I decided I needed a little heavier bullet for both the reticle and the hunting application. I went with the 160 gr Accubond. (Awesome bullet by the way, I would highly recommend it in the 7mm chambering) The increase in weight dropped the speed of the bullet. Once I had my 160 gr load, I then entered all of my information into the Rapid Z calculator. After optimizing for power, it gives you a nice drop based on the all you given variables. When you optimize it, it should tell you if the reticle is suitable for you application. As a side note, I actually spoke with Zeiss last week about changing reticles and they stated that they will change any reticle except the rapid z.

Good luck. </div></div>

Thanks for the advice.

I used JBM and the published BC's from Litz to dope a target muzzle velocity for a few of the Hornady rifle bullets. Looks like I need the following:

162 Amax - 2950 fps
139 Interbond - 3025 fps
154 SST - 3025 fps

Out of the 3 of those bullets I should be able to find something close enough to make an accuracy node be functional with the reticle.

 

[noname]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

any one of the three will give the node-- as long as you change the power to the recommendation of the ballistic calculator.

 

[steve123]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

Bohem,

I bought a Nightforce 2.5-10 with their ballistic reticle.It's similar to the Zeiss.

I did a combination of things to get the hash marks lined up with the actual bullet trajectory.

First I used their,"NF" on line calculator for the correct ballistic reticle and velocity/bulletBC.It gave a specific sight in range for optimum.

Then I went and shot out at 200,300,400,500,600 yards.I discovered that I was on for 200-400Y but I was 1/4 moa high at 500Y and 1/2 moa high at 600Y.

So I slowed the velocity down 30fps and sighted in 15 yards closer than what the on line calculator gave.

End result is that it's lined up perfect now with the hash marks at 200-600Y and I didn't loose any accuracy!

The Nightforce has a zero stop so I set the turret to 0 for 100Y zero to dial turrets if I want.But I leave the turret set at 1.25 MOA high,"tuned for holdovers" so I can use the ballistic reticle for quick shooting,hunting,lazyness.

Steve

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

Thanks for the detail on that. The published dope that's needed for this reticle is above in MOA. I messed with the MV of the 3 bullets that I mentioned above until JBM and Litz's measured BC's worked into that dope.

I certainly plan to shoot it, but I need to have a target to work from first. With component availablity and cost being what it is, I don't want to spend 200 rounds trying to find the sweet spot if I can spend some time doing my homework to get closer at the start.

 

[sscoyote]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

I always use my reticles at the optic's highest power and just calculate holdover in 25 or 50-yd. intervals. In other words if say the ballistics program calls for 8.0 MOA at 500 yds. then that's 1.0 MOA beyond the #5 stadia. There are 3 MOA between 5 and 6 so 1/3= .3. So the dope for that zero would look like this on my dope sticker (placed in a Butler Creek scope cap cover)--
500-5.3

I then calc. windage the same way for whatever stadia interval i'm working with at that range. So the final entry may look something like this--
500-5.3-0.6

Once the system is calcd. and tested i may not even know what a particular stadia lines zero actually is in the field since my system is calcd. for mostly 50-yd. intervals only.

 

[bohem]

Re: Zeiss Rapid Z-600 reticle calibration

Nice method coyote, that's pretty slick for just about any ranging type reticle. Thanks for the insight