Antelope Rifle?

I respond to devices that way.  A car, piece of equipment, etc that has served me well, deserves my best efforts to repair it.  Sort of like to keep old reliable back into reliable shape.

BEAR

Maybe.

I think the drops from 200 to 300 sounds about right. Where the dots are depends on the substentions- the distance from dot center to dot center, or dot center to crosshair-and what power the scope is set at.

You might try this. Put up a sight- in target with one inch grids at 100 yards and set the scope on it's highest power. A quick check will confirm what the substentions are in inches at 100 yds and at that power. Now change the power ring and watch how the substentions change. Lower power usually means greater substentions.

For instance, the substentions from crosshair to ranging dots in a Leupold 6.5x20 that we had modified, equals 2 moa to the first dot below the crosshairs, then another 2 to the next, and finally another 3 to the bottom dot. All that is at 20x.

Turn the scope down to 12x and those values double!

The simple grid target at 100 will clear it all up.

Yeah, that's a problem with those dot type scopes. You get it figured out at 24x but most likely won't carry it hunting at that power, and then all the values are different. But, the good old reliable xhair stays in the middle at any power!

How about this; Turn your power ring until the dot substention is 2 or 3 inches at 100 yards, then leave it there and don't mess with it. Re-zero so the dot above the xhair is good at 100. That'll put the xhair on at 200 and the first dot down at 300. You can make the dots match the trajectory of whatever load you use, at some power setting. Then, if you aim at an antelope and see the xhair and both top an bottom dots all on the chest you know it is at or under 300 yds. That total subtention will equal 9 inches at 300. Sort of a built in range finder, which is what the real deal mil dot is anyway.

I expect a good 130/270 to be down 10 to 12 inches at 400 from a 300 yard zero. I've also chronoed Winchester factory loads at 2850! You just have to go shoot 'em.

I agree Bear. Too much clutter and too much scope power makes missing easier. Fun for targets and prairie dogs tho. Altho I never had an issue with light while antelope hunting, it always seems to be way early or way late when I see a good whitetail. At those times the highest scope setting gathers the least light. If I've worked out my drops at extended range with the scope at the top end, and have to turn it down to see the deer clearer, well darn!, the drops don't work anymore, at least in reference to dots or bottom duplex tip.

But, that good old xhair stays right in the middle all the time.

I agree with Bear on this one. I have a couple of those multiple recticle scopes. One on a 22-250 varmit gun and another on a 270 I use for hunting.  The multiple recticle scope works well on the 22-250. I have time to lazer the distance and use the correct wire. If I miss thats fine I just look for another varmit. On the other hand the scope on the 270 has caused me problems. The scope has not had any problems it was me that had the problem. Twice now in the heat of the moment when I only had a few seconds to make the shot I have used the wrong wire and missed what should have been pretty easy shot. I don't know why I used the wrong wire I just did. Once I went back to the method I have used for 30+ years most of my goof ups went away. Not that I still don't mess up once in a while but just not has offen.

I will try and describe the method I have use: This method works for most guns that have a "normal" trajectory (243,270,7mm 3006 and the magmums (300 338 etc) It does not work for the rainbow guns (30-30, 4570 etc). I sight in 3 inches high at 100 yards. I you do this most guns will be right on somewhere around 250 yards, flat shooting guns will be a little more, less flat shooting a little less than 250. It really does not matter.  The max rise above line of sight is about 4 inches at about 200 yards. The point where it is about 4 inches low is around 280 to 300. Most big game animals have a kill zone of at least 8 inches top to bottom (some like elk are alot bigger)so any bullet hiting plus or minus 4 inches is dead.  With the gun sighted in like described you can just hold dead on an animal out to about 300 yards and deliever a fatal shot. 

I have found that 90% of my shots are less than 300 yards so by sighting in the way I describe I don't have to think on most shots, I just hold right on and shoot.