Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics OK fellas, give me some input on the Leupold LRD Reticle

Upgrading a 7mm Rem Mag that shoots the 160 Accubond at 3050.

Considering the VX6 2-12 with the LRD reticle.

Strelok suggests its good out to 600 with a 300 yard zero.

I would like to know as well.

Not having a windage reference in the LRD limits its utility significantly. I would prefer the B&C reticle over the LRD and the Zeiss Rapid Z over either.

John

Sure, you can make the dots work well enough out to a good long range. But as stated above, at those long ranges, the wind is what is going to get you, not so much holdover.

At least with an elevation turret, you can dial in the holdover, then simply slide straight across the wire to "hold" for wind. With the LRD, except on a calm day, you are simply holding out in a blank area of the riflescope with no reference points.

If you're serious about longer ranges, then you should get serious about dialing.

Anyone else?

Anyone else?

It's true, wind is the trump card. Where the LRD shines is at "short" long range...where a hold for wind isn't as big a factor and you can hold on hair for it (or close)...and I prefer a fixed so that what you get is going to be the same every time you look through the scope.

I love to dial, but I'm also a fan of simple. Simple for killing is a LRD that the exact points have been shot to confirm in a fixed scope where nothing moves based on power. If you want to play long, nothing beats dialing to the middle and sliding the cross hairs, but the LRD has a lot of pro's at "short" long.

It's true, wind is the trump card. Where the LRD shines is at "short" long range...where a hold for wind isn't as big a factor and you can hold on hair for it (or close)...and I prefer a fixed so that what you get is going to be the same every time you look through the scope.

I love to dial, but I'm also a fan of simple. Simple for killing is a LRD that the exact points have been shot to confirm in a fixed scope where nothing moves based on power. If you want to play long, nothing beats dialing to the middle and sliding the cross hairs, but the LRD has a lot of pro's at "short" long.

I have only used the LRD on one hunt thus far (but have one on a slug gun for this fall) and I liked it a lot.
Here it is with a lope that was taken at 396 yards (used the 400 yard dot). With the 6x36 that was about as far as I would use that reticle on an animal that size with larger ungulates probably 500.



I have also used the B&C as well (no pics though) and like it for shots when I had plenty of time to select the right stadia and concentrate. It is a bit more cluttered and a bit too fine for me. While the windage is a plus, my thought was that if I am shooting far enough to really need much windage adjustment I probably should be dialing as well or just not taking that shot if I am not equipped.

Hope that is helpful in some way. With the 12x top end the LRD might be mo better enough to overcome some of it's limitations I found and if you are not shooting a ton in high winds, it might just be the ticket Doug!

Jay, how does the LRD work in the low light deer woods compared to the heavy duplex?

If you're cost conscious, a VX2 6-18 with the LRVD is the way to go.


About 425 dollars with knobs and capable of this is you apply yourself....

At first and last light the heavy duplex is much more visible. I like the HD in the woods because it stands out even when there is plenty of light, but the real deciding factor is when I can't see the limbs. I use both the LRD and the HD in 6x42's and when it's to dark to pick out limbs, still being able to see the reticle becomes a null point (to me). The HD does give a bit more time over fields where I don't worry about limbs.

First dot in that scope will raise you 2.2 MOA.

Second dot will raise you 4.8 MOA.

Start of the duplex will raise you 7.8 MOA.

http://www.leupold.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/BAS_Inst_Manual.pdf



Travis

Appreciate it. Nothing like a heavy reticle for a MPBR deer rig.

I shoot a 7mag/160's/3000fps topped with a 2-12x VX6, regular duplex. The CDS makes it almost cheating when the wind is cooperating. It's the best duplex reticle of any scope out there, and it works at any power. I do not like cluttered, hashed, dotted, etc reticles on anything.