This is the first in a recurring series of articles where I will offer my opinions on current technologies, innovations, improvements, trends, fads, and hyperbole, and try to determine which is which.

The Burris scope with Ballistic Plex reticle mates well with this Sako rifle in .338 Federal. I used this rig on a mule deer hunt in Utah and, as it turned out, did not need the bullet drop compensating feature. I shot my deer at 110-yards. I did shoot some prairie dogs with it out past 400-yards though and reaffirmed what I knew from using the Ballistic Plex reticle previously. It does help considerably when shooting at extended range.

Bullet drop compensating reticles are simple and easy to use once you determine at what range each aiming point intersects the bullet’s path. Some shooters expect too much of them and others are confused as to how to utilize them effectively. Some shooters simply don't need them because they don't shoot game at long range, either because the terrain they hunt doesn't present long shots or they simply choose to practice the art of hunting and close the distance before shooting. Fact is, shots over 300-yards are seldom if ever required for most big game hunting. There are exceptions though, particularly out west and on the large bean fields in the south. For these situations a bullet drop compensating reticle can be a definite help in achieving accurate shot placement at long range.

Burris has had their Ballistic Plex reticle on the market for a few years in both rifle and handgun scopes and more recently a couple other major scope makers have offered the option of a bullet drop compensating reticle. The only difference between the various brands is the configuration of the subtensions. Burris uses small horizontal lines, Leupold gives their subtensions a duplex look, and Nikon incorporates a series of circles. It's likely other scope manufacturers will offer this feature in the near future.

Most of you have seen the ads for scopes with bullet drop compensating reticles. They make it look easy to connect on targets and game at long range. While the scopes do work as advertised, the ads don't tell the whole story and may lead some novice hunters to shoot at ranges beyond their capability. Scopes cannot guarantee ethical humane kills on game. Diligent practice with your chosen firearm at the ranges you plan to hunt will. The BDC reticle is not a substitute for marksmanship but it can be a useful aid for the skilled marksman.

This is one of many useful charts related to the Ballistic Plex reticle you can access on the Burris web site. The most critical information provided is the amount of correction at 100-yards. If you have ballistic software you can use this information to save yourself a lot of headache. You will, of course, still need to shoot the rifle at long range to verify your zero.

Nikon goes into considerable detail on their web site in their directions for using their BDC reticle and, to their credit, makes it clear the rifle should be shot at long range to ensure the bullet is impacting where it should. This is the key to using any bullet drop compensating reticle. You must put in the range time at distances you plan to shoot and learn where the bullet will strike at various ranges. You must also, of course, have the basic marksmanship skills to fire accurately at extended range under field conditions. Many hunters do not.

All the BDC reticles on scopes intended for big game rifles work best with the popular bottleneck bolt-action rifle cartridges from the .243 to the 300 Magnums. Most of the popular rounds fall pretty close into one of two groups: those launching a bullet around 2800 feet per second and those that push them to a little over 3000 fps. For example, a 7mm/08 with 140-grain bullet would fall in the former category and a .270 with 130-grain bullet will fit into the latter. A BDC reticle can be setup to perform well with any of the bottleneck cartridges that fit into either group or somewhere in-between as long as appropriate weight-for-caliber spitzer bullets are used.

The catch is if you're using one of the popular bottleneck rounds mentioned you don’t really need the BDC reticle when shooting big game out to 300-yards and 300-yards is a long shot for the majority of hunters. Zeroed two-inches high at 100-yards any of these rounds will be within a couple inches of center at 200-yards and four to eight-inches low at 300-yards.