Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics CDS Question

1. Is the Dial that comes on the Scope a CDS dial the you send in and you get a free one? OR is it a standard dial and you get 2 free CDS dials from the factory?

2. When I called Leupold they said you can zero at 100 or 200 yards. What would be the advantage/disadvantage or does it depend on how far you anticipate shooting with the dial?

Thanks
Pete

A new CDS scope comes with a 1/4 mil turret affixed, no zero stop and a coupon for a free custom dial. Call em with the serial number, bullet bc, velocity, elevation, temp and where you want it zeroed and they'll send you one with a zero stop. Pretty simple and pretty slick.

With one revolution, a further zero would yield the furthest range on the dial, I would think.

Got that right. Furthermore, I have my CDS scopes set up with 240 yard zero's...... It extends your dial up range by just a little. To the OP: Don't know why they told you zero for 100 or 200 because that is bs. You pick your zero......

For big game hunting there are many reason to zero a modern cartridge at 200yd and none I can think of for 100yd. A police sniper who may have to thread a needle inside 100yd yes, but a deer/elk hunter? It makes no sense.

A 200yd zero give you a point-blank hold out to 250yd or so, then a 5-9in drop at 300, then about a 15-25in drop at 400yd. Uber magnums will be flatter still.

Thanks for the info I have never zeroed at 100 before and was wondering why the 2 options

Thanks

i zero pretty much everything with an elevation turret at 100. doing hold-unders for a CNS shot at close range is not my thing, and it is a simple matter to add 2 moa elevation when you leave the truck if you want to stretch PBR.

the downside is it will take that ~1.75 moa away from the 14 moa that the CDS custom knobs have available. 14 moa should get you from 100 to ~600 depending on your cartridge.

I personally don't see the need to zero at 100. A 200 yd zero for my 7mag puts you 1.25" high at 100yds, therefore I don't see the need for any hold under. Just my opinion.

But unless u need the extra clicks on the top end, u could zero @ 100 and still use the dial out to 500+. For people that spend a lot of time shooting at 100 or less maybe it would be ok. I never really shoot at 500.

One of the things I like better about the target turrets and especially M1's is the options on zero without limiting long range options with the zero stop.

I'm wondering if Leupy could calibrate one (if a guy was really sure he'd leave it on one rifle)and leave the zero stop off?

Otherwise, I think I'd just use a CDS like an M1, but I'm not sure the lower profile is worth trading off all I like about an M1.

DJ

To me - thats what sells the CDS. Simple, low profile - made for the hunter. Just my opinion.

I've done it both ways. If you're not too worried about 6-700 max range and like to zero your gun at a hundred, dead on, then 100 yds. makes sense. For long range work an extended zero stretches the yardage on the one turn, zero stop turret.

DF

There's not just "2 options".......like I said before you tell them what zero you want....Simple as that...

See in the pic where the line is inbetween the 2.3 and 2.5? That means it has a 240 yard zero like I specified to Leupold:

I am "zeroing" my CDS at 100. However, that does not prevent me from dialing in 200, 250, or whatever, when in the field. I don't need it to go beyond the ~600 yds the one turn on the dial will give me so there is no benefit I could see by having the CDS "zeroed" at another range.

My .300 Win Mag with 180 gr. NBT/NAB @ 3,050 fps is set up like that, 100 yd. zero. IIRC, the one turn turret will go out to 550, maybe 600 yds. My 6.5-284 with 140 gr. SST's @ 2,950 fps is zero'ed at 200 and the turret will crank out to 650 or so. Not that much difference.

DF

I hear you. Those are the best attributes of it, from what little I've seen.

The CDS's I have handled did not seem to be quite as positive and firm on the clicks as an M1, but I was just in the store and didn't have an M1 for a side by side.

They would probably appeal to me more if they came with a turret cap for those times they needed to go in a scabbard, etc. where they might get spun unintentionally. That's one reason I'll sometimes spin the factory turrets on hunting rifles instead of sending them off for an M1, or put up with the taller target turrets. There are times I want them covered.

I guess the zero stop is supposed to help with that, but I really like to go a few clicks past and come back when spinning a turret, and I guess you can't do that on either end of the zero stop. Not a huge deal on the top end, but would matter more to me when returning to zero.

I think the ideal setup would be a lower profile M1 with a turret cover a guy could put on if he wanted to.

DJ

My thoughts exactly, I added target turrets on my Zeiss then a Kenton custom knob and they are great at the range BUT both the Zeiss or Kenton Turrets were too high for my taste when it came to hunting.

I've used both the M1 and CDS, and I much prefer the M1 for hunting or for target shooting. It's really not that tall (lower profile than the regular Leup target turrets, for sure).

You know, that's the nice thing about ordering your custom dial: You can choose any zero, however, a lot of it depends on your style of hunting and the cartridge/rifle it's going on. Both of mine are on 30-06's and with a 240 yard zero it takes me out to 660 yards with the bullets I'm running....I also want to add that it (CDS) works great and it has also made me want to get a couple more for some of my other rifles....

bsa,

I've tried reticles and turrets. I like turrets a lot better and have traded or am trading my scopes with ballistic reticles.

There are some who claim that reticles are faster. For me, turrets are a simple answer to the problem and are fast enough.

I guess it depends on the shooter and the application.

DF

I run M1's and Target Turrets - and like the M1's by a bunch. I do like covering the Target Turrets when I want to, though.

Have you had any problems with CDS's having to settle back to zero when you spin back? I see that a lot more when I don't go past zero a few clicks and come back, but that has often been on older scopes.

DJ