BDC Reticles

Georgiak9

NES Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
238
Likes
388
Feedback: 6 / 0 / 0
Are BDC reticles just a marketing gimmick? They advertise these scopes that use these reticles as being calibrated for a specific round, like 5.56 or .308. Problem is, the trajectory of a 55 grain bullet going 3,100 fps is way different than that of a 77 grain going 2,700 fps. The reticle can't be calibrated for both. Chances are it's neither. If the bullet drop hash marks aren't going to correspond to nice easy 300,400,500 yard drops, then wouldn't a straight up MOA or Mil reticle be more useful?
 
BDCs are extremely useful if your bullet/velocity matches. It’s particularly helpful for military applications where most people have the same rifle and ammo. But it can be very beneficial on a civilian rifle too.

Before I get an optic with a BDC, I check it’s drops against my rifles/ammo with StrelokPro. Sometimes it I change my zero slightly (high or low .25-1.5”), then I can get most to line up pretty close out to reasonable distances like 600 yards.

But if you think the optic is likely to live on different guns over time, a mil tree reticle is probably a better option.

Example, this is the Primary Arms M8 reticle in meters. But the calculations are in yards for my 12.5” shooting 77gr TMK, zeroed with 0.3mil high at 100 yards. Pretty damn close. Only issue is ranging for yards with a meters reticle. But people’s shoulders are varied enough that it doesn’t matter too much. It would get me onto a torso if I didn’t have any other method of ranging.

2F187AB5-E2CE-447E-851F-507B128C3968.jpeg
 
Last edited:
BDC’s absolutely work.
There’s a reason Trijicon adopted the ACSS for the ACOG and unfortunately (though I understand) Primary Arms put the kibosh (sp?) on it last year. Just as Pappy said above, if it’s matched to your bullet weight they are nifty reticles.

 
Are BDC reticles just a marketing gimmick? They advertise these scopes that use these reticles as being calibrated for a specific round, like 5.56 or .308. Problem is, the trajectory of a 55 grain bullet going 3,100 fps is way different than that of a 77 grain going 2,700 fps. The reticle can't be calibrated for both. Chances are it's neither. If the bullet drop hash marks aren't going to correspond to nice easy 300,400,500 yard drops, then wouldn't a straight up MOA or Mil reticle be more useful?
BDC's are for known constants, there's a reason why you find them on a lot of military guns.

The ammo is always the same, all the barrel lengths and twists are the same. Basically your variables are all standardized.

For you and I? Yeah we should have mildots or similar.
 
BDCs are extremely useful if your bullet/velocity matches. It’s particularly helpful for military applications where most people have the same rifle and ammo. But it can be very beneficial on a civilian rifle too.

Before I get an optic with a BDC, I check it’s drops against my rifles/ammo with StrelokPro. Sometimes it I change my zero slightly (high or low .25-1.5”), then I can get most to line up pretty close out to reasonable distances like 600 yards.

But if you think the optic is likely to live on different guns over time, a mil tree reticle is probably a better option.

Example, this is the Primary Arms M8 reticle in meters. But the calculations are in yards for my 12.5” shooting 77gr TMK, zeroed with 0.3mil high at 100 yards. Pretty damn close. Only issue is ranging for yards with a meters reticle. But people’s shoulders are varied enough that it doesn’t matter too much. It would get me onto a torso if I didn’t have any other method of ranging.

View attachment 681192
The lesson I learned the hard way is to first true your ammo at the 300 yard range , then go use the Strelok app. Everything was lined up nicely until I actually brought it to the range. Both my scopes with BDC reticles were bought before I joined a 300 yard range last year. It's been a lesson in futility trying to get the drops where I want.Now i know
 
The lesson I learned the hard way is to first true your ammo at the 300 yard range , then go use the Strelok app. Everything was lined up nicely until I actually brought it to the range. Both my scopes with BDC reticles were bought before I joined a 300 yard range last year. It's been a lesson in futility trying to get the drops where I want.Now i know

Using a chronograph gets you really close. Close enough for most work. But yeah, getting actual dope is big.
 
Is there an option on Strelok to zero your scope.3mil higher than the actual target? Could you explain how you did this?
If you click to edit your cartridge, there is a “zero offset” option. It is helpful for the purpose I said, but I think it was intended to let you zero for one cartridge but enter in where other loads are hitting.
 
i have one scope calibrated for 7.62x39 with a bdc. a bushnell. not a hell of a lot of variation with x39 military loadings so it works fine, the ammo IS the constant. lol. it is useful on the other hand for reloading, also.
 
If you click to edit your cartridge, there is a “zero offset” option. It is helpful for the purpose I said, but I think it was intended to let you zero for one cartridge but enter in where other loads are hitting.
That's awesome! That's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks!
 
BDC's are useless to the precision handloader who experiments with different bullet weights and velocities.
Utmost precision was never the intent of BDCs. They are for extremely quick shots that are “good enough”. And they are good for a much wider range than the “exact” ammo usage it was designed for. They’re also not too bad for handloaders either because you can tune the bullet velocity, give its BC, to better match the drops.
 
Back
Top Bottom