R Lawrence
on 9/17/2010
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Mil-Dot Scope is an MOA-Dot Scope
THE BAD
The Mil Dot reticle is NOT graduated in Mil Dots; it is graduated in 5-MOA increments. I took my rifle and Barska scope to the range, and I re-zeroed it at 200 yards with Federal 168 grain .30-06 Match ammo. Then, I tried shooting it at 300 yards, and I got crazy results based on my ballistics software and the Mil-Dot reticle. Then, I shot 4 rounds in rapid succession at the 400 yard target holding on the first “Mil-Dot”. The rifle and scope grouped well, but my hold over didn’t make sense.
When I got home, I posted a target with MOA markings on it at 25 yards, and I put the rifle on a bench rest. Viewing the MOA target at all magnifications from 3x to 12x, I discovered the problem. My Chinese (Barska) Mil Dot scope wasn’t really a Mil Dot scope; it was an MOA scope with dots spaced 5 MOA apart. Now, all my shot groups made sense.
Despite the parallax adjustment, this scope had the worst parallax performance of any scope I have used.
THE GOOD
Mounted on a Weatherby Vanguard .30-'06, the rifle and scope combo held a 0.63 MOA group at 400 yards. The turrets are graduated in MOA, so having an MOA reticle in a scope with MOA turrets isn't so bad.
Also, the lenses are MUCH improved over previous Barska scopes.
I put a lot of rounds down range, and the recoil did not affect the scope.
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