I know there has been discussion on leupold cds turret, but for the ones willing to work with it, has anyone figured a way to keep the turret from turning when be pushed or pulled out of a case or scabbard?

Cute Prairie goat!

Seriously though, the best way to keep a CDS from spinning is to replace it with a target turret, which isn't going to spin as it's covered. Load specific turrets for the target turret are available through Leupold & Kenton Industries, if one chooses to go that route.

With the zero stop there is no worry of it spinning. If it is not on zero just turn it back to zero.

I beg to differ. Quite often, one has minimal time for dicking around. Adding another step in the process, simply because of a poor design is silly.

The turret needs to stay put.

I can not believe they opted a turret without a cap? WTH~
I may have to develop one in the shop!

I use tape.

This problem has been around a long time. Back in 1976 Bushnell introduced what they called the BDC (Bullet Drop Compensator) which was essentially the same thing. I was sent one of the scopes with several dials, and used one that worked for my .243 Winchester 100-grain load.

In the field that fall the dial got spun somehow from 200 to 350 yards, probably by taking the rifle out of a case, and I ended up shooting a pronghorn buck at almost 300 yards, on the 3rd shot, when he ran far enough away to get spined after the first two standing shots went over his back.

Of course, the Bushnell BDC didn't have a zero stop--but I did have some black tape, and that's what went around the dial after that.

Caps aren't necessary. Resistance is.



Travis

That's another factor. My wife shot her pronghorn this fall with a Bushnell Elite Tactical 10x. She was nervous about the uncovered adjustments are first, but after she had the rifle in and out of a case several times with no turning, she quit being so nervous. Though she did check the turrets frequently to make sure they hadn't moved!

I've only played with the CDS for a couple of range trips and a few hunts this year. After the first range trip I spent 2 minutes on the drill press and installed a ball bearing zero-stop. Simple and effective. I wouldn't use one without a zero-stop. Will wait until I play with it a bit more in the spring to make a final determination about it, but I think it has promise.

I should note, when I drilled/installed the ball bearing, the adjustments became a bit stiffer to move. I'm guessing that I drilled the hole a bit shallow and the bearing adds a bit of resistance.

Could not agree with the p_g more

I Love the target turrets less to go wrong with less fluff to get in the way.

I usually have to dial my scopes before shooting anything. zeroing one with a dial that only makes one revolution is not adding a step for me. If you ride your horse close enough not to have to dial and snatch it out of the scabbard and want to be ready for a 100 yard shot I can see your dilemma.

Interesting. I was considering a purchase, but might go the optical compensation route instead. Thanks to those that responded here.

I've used CDS scopes on all my rifles since the day they came out. I am not particularly kind to my gear. I hunt country as rough as anywhere in the lower 48.

I am truly baffled at the difficulty people are having with their CDS scopes. The zero stop makes unplanned turning a non-issue.

Dave

I have a CDS sans zero stop and I like it.

Coyote season will decide for me.



Travis

Fixed it.

Throw away rangefinders too.



Travis

Rangefinder?

I'm still using maps and mil scales...

M1 elevation only is a big step in the right direction. they still fit my TrailMax scabbard and don't spin like the CDS.

So what you are saying, if a turret had a cover with a cut away piece facing the shooter so they could still turn it ...

You heard it here first.

Or a lock down thing on to of it.

You've never had the CDS move inadvertently?

Same here.

Probably,...though I don't specifically remember as much.

Dials are DESIGNED to move. If it does so inadvertantly, I'll turn it right back to zero, or whatever distance I intend to shoot. I can zero it without even looking at it, which is the true beauty of the CDS/zero stop. The notion that it takes "too much time" is utter nonsense.

The notion that it would move inadvertently, and not be deemed a major issue, is nonsense.

One of mine moved inadvertently somehow last week. It took all of 1 second to move it back to zero stop, in pitch dark.

I've noticed the guys extolling the virtues of the CDS often don't have much experience with other turrets (there are exceptions, of course). When you've spent some time with a turret that works correctly, it's quite easy to see the design flaws in the CDS.

One second spent checking your turret is one second you often don't have. For example, when hunting coyotes (legally, not on public roadways), I figure 3 seconds is usually how much time a person has between stopping the vehicle, and when the coyote starts moving. In that time, one has to get the gun out the window, load a round, get on target, and fire. Any extra time spent twisting turrets back to zero, because your dog twisted an extra four MOA into the scope when it jumped in the back seat, is time wasted.

Yep with the zero stop non-issue. While it is not a issue, I am not a fan of the CDS, in fact I am not a fan of any of the single turn knobs out there.

I'm using a Leupold with turrets and have had no problems so far. I've been carrying the scope set at 250yds, but in low light conditions it's was hard to verify it had not somehow moved. So, I put a dab/dot of white paint on top of the turret at the 250yd mark. Problem solved.

I'm one with no experience with other dials. I like the low profile of the CDS, but truth be known if I did not spin dials of any sort that would be fine. I killed my first 30+ mule deer bucks no telling how many cull aoudad, whitetails, etc without 'em.

That works. The foolproof way IMO is the set POI zero at MPBR, which is probably 3" high @ 100, which is the way I hunted before a yardage/MOA dial was ever even though of. In my case for one of the 7mags zero at 260, out to 340 I"m on hair, therefore I don't have to screw around with spinning a turret unless I have plenty of time, just want to shoot a hog,'yote, rock, or whatever way out there.

JG, you have a good point. None of the animals I have taken since I had the turret installed required that I spin dials and in most cases there wasn't enough time anyway. But I'm ready.

Like you, I like being ready. If I get into a situation I'm confident in, I have no doubt I could kill something a ways out there. That's what got me interested in the CDS in the first place. I like 'em, a lot.

+1

Uuhhh...you got me there? I don't road-hunt so I'll have to rely on your experiences.

Are they also problematic with spot-lights?

You act like they spin with the lightest touch. I have used every type dial out there. People who shoot a bunch of long range train themselves to check those knobs before every shot. I cannot say that I have ever had an issue with a cds inadvertently turning.

I used that example to demonstrate that for some folks, a rifle is a constant companion, with them all year long. It needs to work everyday, and doesn't get babied. It may be cleaned once every 5 years, and live in a pickup when it's not being carried.....exposed to extremes of hot and cold, with kids and dogs climbing over it, food spilled on it, gear dumped on it, and basically be treated like a tool. If it randomly re-zeroes itself without warning, it's useless.

shooting coyotes on your own property to prevent stock loss, and for profit on their hides is not "road hunting". It's an essential part of ranch life, and something that happens hundreds of times everyday across the West.

Here's another example for those who may only use their rifles two weeks out of the year:

You're sneaking up through the junipers to get to the top of a ridge. Suddenly, a 30" Mule Deer busts out of the brush in front of you. He stops at the top of the ridge 200 yards off, just long enough for you to unsling your rifle, drop into a kneeling position, and fire. Oops, somewhere along the way, the brush turned your CDS turret. You miss the deer, and he's gone forever.

Of course, you could have reached back and checked your turret every five steps to make sure it's still on....but a better idea is to have a reliable turret.

As for spot-lights, in Montana they are a worthwhile, perfectly legal means of non-game predator control.

I don't let my kids climb over my rifle, my dog doesn't walk on it, and I clean it more than once every five years.

You hunt with whatever floats your boat, I'll continue rolling the dice with the CDS turrets and whacking critters like I have for several years now.

The M1 does not have a cap, why dont they spin when being cased?

Why cant a guy just check the the zero when uncasing the rig?

The M1 is more difficult to turn, when compared to the CDS.

An easy test is to take the heel of one's hand, and strike the turret with a glancing blow in the direction it turns. M1s don't move without a fairl hard hit. The exposed Nightforce turrets are similar or even more difficult. SWFA SS scopes, same story. A Leupold M3 doesn't turn at all (it's hard to turn, even when gripping it). The CDS moves with very little pressure, essentially taking the same amount of pressure as a Leupold Target Turret. The advantage the Target Turret has is it's cap.

I'm a huge fan of capped turrets on any rifle that will see real use.

the knurling on the CDS knobs is more aggressive compared to the smooth scallops of the M1

Same to you.

All I know is that I'd rather take advice on what works and what doesn't from the guys who use the living schit out of their equipment. Even if I don't use my stuff that hard, it's from those who really put a test on equipment that I find what really works, and what is fluff.

I'm really not that tough on my gear, but I know plenty who are. I showed a CDS scope to a cousin who is one of those guys. First thing he did is grab it and spin it, commenting on how useless it would be in a saddle scabbard, which he has under his leg darned near every day of the year. Interestingly enough, a boat paddle 270 with a Leupold 6x has ridden in said scabbard since the mid 90s. He told me the only time it needed rezeroed was after a horse rolled over the top of the rifle and him, and even then it was only off like two inches at 100 yards. Oh yeah, he used it to shoot a mighty fine bull elk this year at around 400 yards, and shoots coyotes, hurt cattle, or whatever else needs killed on the reg.

I don't have too many years of experience with CDS, but for 2 years now I have used them exclusively both in eastern and western, mountains, plains and woodland hunts. I agree with Prairie Goat that if I was one to have a daily, working rifle I would not have a turret (probably a 6x36 LRD), but through hard use for 2 long seasons, scabbards, cases, backpacks, brush, treestands, ATVs, and ground stalks I have yet to have it move more than 1 or 2 clicks off and usually it was right where I left it.

I should add that I had a zero-stop model.

Until I see more movement, even under hard use, for me, the lower profile and ease of use trump a taller target turret for almost all uses I can see in the near future of general BG hunting use.

[quote=tdn]I don't have too many years of experience with CDS, but for 2 years now I have used them exclusively both in eastern and western, mountains, plains and woodland hunts. I agree with Prairie Goat that if I was one to have a daily, working rifle I would not have a turret (probably a 6x36 LRD), but through hard use for 2 long seasons, scabbards, cases, backpacks, brush, treestands, ATVs, and ground stalks I have yet to have it move more than 1 or 2 clicks off and usually it was right where I left it.

I should add that I had a zero-stop model.

What do mean by zero stop model?

You can send in for an MOA or load specific CDS turret, which features a zero stop. This allows slightly less than one turn of elevation, but ensures that you won't be off by more than one turn. It's also possible to build your own zero stop into your existing turret, as one poster here mentioned.

True- one of the turrets I used I kept it in MOA, but had them add the zero stop. Another I added the zero-stop myself with a small ball bearing (1/16" ?)

You think kids will not twist on your M1s Maybe you need something with caps that can only be unscrewed with a monkey wrench and leave the turrets alone.

As to your example, I only tote one on a sling about 4 months of the year between deer and squirrel hunting, but have never had a issue. Neither has anyone I know who has one. That mountain your railing against is a mole hill.

Could it happen, sure, but given that we are dealing with leupold the scope could fail almost as easily. If I had a rifle that I just had to depend on day in and day out through the year it would probably not be a leupold. I would argue that a bullet proof scope is going to help you a lot more than a bullet proof turret on a leupold. For the four months a year when I am trying but failing to treat my gear with respect a CDS works pretty well.

The only rifles I've seen stay in line, year in and year out, carry fixed power Leupolds. Interestingly enough, most of them are Rugers. These aren't rifles that have the turrets twisted, though.

I agree with you that if you're relying on scope you'd be adjusting on, a Leupold likely wouldn't be a first choice, unless it was a Mark 4 fixed power. Though I am liking my Mark 6 3-18 thus far. We'll see how it lasts.

And no, I don't think I'm making mountains out of mole hills. I had two CDS scopes, with zero stop. Both adjusted themselves on multiple occasions. It was generally only a few clicks, but several MOA a time or two. Completely unacceptable, especially when there are better designs out there, for the same price, with the only detraction being a bit of added turret height.

I am going to try a couple of the NXS 42mm compacts this week if there are any in stock at sport optics. It is not a blessing to have one of the biggest internet retailers of high end glass right down the road. I have too many scopes...but I guess that means I have too many guns, and I will never admit to that. But it is not like I have a bunch of scopes sitting in the safe unmounted.

I don't even want to think about how much money I would spend if I had something like sport optics nearby!

I'd like to try one of those 42mm Nightforce scopes one of these days.

My 3.5-10 Leupolds with CDS have not turned unless I wanted them to. Work great for me. No issues with M1s either but I tend to check that both are where I left them. This stuff is not hard.

Nice to see all the pros and cons here. I just put a scope with CDS on my .243�guess I'm gonna go find out for myself!

Agree completely. I've had a CDS adjust itself 180 degrees on an elk hunt. It has gone away.
I now have several Weaver Super Slam scopes and they have a great turret design, lift up to turn and push down to lock. Simple, dependable, and effective. Low profile, too. They are on my two go-to rifles and are performing well.
IMHO these are what a turret should be.

BTT...

zero stop mod for those with CDS dials...

CDS zero stop --HOW TO

I do like the dial on the SSs but I had one of three have the POI wander about 2 MOA over about 15 MOA of dialing. The SS dials are very like the zeiss victory

There's quite a bit of resistance on the turrets on the Vortex Viper 6-24 PST. Yet I accidentally spun it up to about 600 yds from zero simply pulling the rifle across the carpeting in the back of the station wagon. I would hate to think how many times the turret would get spun during 20 miles on horse back or a day of busting brush.

Yes, it has zero stops. Zero is easy to return to. If you happen to think to check after baling off the horse to shoot a six by six bull

I was putting the rifle together for a buddy. The scope was mounted on a MK V in 340. He became painfully aware of the problem during the first year elk hunting with the rifle/scope combo.

The Mk V was wearing a different scope sans turrets for this year's elk season.

I'll take my turrets under a lid, thanks.