Custom rifle scope turrets have revolutionized the capabilities of hunters by enabling them to adjust their scope’s calibrated yardage on the fly. Ease and speed of adjustment are key when out in the field, but if you’re new to custom turrets and want to gain these benefits for yourself in your next hunt, it’s important to familiarize yourself with this technology.
At Kenton Industries, we have perfected the art of custom turrets and work with dozens of the leading scope manufacturers in order to provide hunters with the best product possible. If you’re shopping for a custom turret for yourself or a loved one, what follows is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know.
How Turrets Work
Custom turrets are laser-engraved bullet drop compensators that will replace your riflescope’s factory elevation turret. A custom turret is typically made for one particular load. You send Kenton Industries the data and zero range of your rifle, the rifle’s scope, and the type of ammunition, and we build a turret to match the exact trajectory of your bullet. You will simply need to range your target and turn the dial to the appropriate yardage listed on the turret.
At Kenton Industries, each custom turret comes in 50-yard adjustment increments(unless shooting a smaller caliber). The maximum distance is determined by what load you are shooting and what elevation and temperature you are shooting at.
Begin by using the factory target turret to adjust bullet impact until you are sighted in (zeroed) at 100 or 200 yards. Remove the factory target turret by loosening the set screws (or vertical top screw) on the factory turret, pulling it off the elevation shaft and replacing it with your Custom Turret at your 100 or 200-yard zero (0).
Once you're in the field, find the distance to your target using a laser rangefinder. Then, starting at zero (0), dial past each consecutive yardage increment (200, 250, 300, etc.) until you dial in your target distance.
You also have the ability to fine-tune the yardage setting. Between any two consecutive 50-yard increments, there is a series of vertical click lines. The halfway point between consecutive 50-yard increments is a 25-yard setting. You can further split the difference and dial in a shot down to the 10 or even 5-yard increment depending on the distance.
What Information Will You Need?
In order to get the perfect custom turret, you will need some specific information about your rifle setup, including:
- Scope Manufacturer
- Scope Model
- Scope Magnification
- Whether you are using factory ammo or handloads
- Ammo Manufacturer
- Caliber
- Weight and type of ammo
- Ammo Ballistic Coefficient
- Muzzle Velocity
- Measured Scope Height (inches)
- Average Shooting Altitude (feet)
- Average Outdoor Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit)
- Zero Range / Zero Distance
- Click Value MOA (¼, ⅛, ⅓, ½, 1)
- Click Value MRAD (0.1, 0.05)
While optional, you can also supply your field data at 50 and 100-yard increments for an accurate custom turret match.
Common Terms You Need to Know
Before you undertake your search for the best custom turret, familiarize yourself with some common terms to get caught up to speed. Knowing these terms will help you understand the verbiage of different custom turrets and their respective manufacturers.
MOA
A Minute of Angle (MOA) is an angular measurement. A MOA is 1/60th of a degree. 1 MOA spreads about 1″ per 100 yards. ( actually 1.047″) 1 MOA is a different size at different distances, 8″ at 800 yards is still just 1 MOA. This type of angle measurement is used to calculate the distance to a target and to calculate the correction for the bullet impact.
MRAD
MRAD stands for mill radians (or MIL for short), based on a radial line (the unit of an angle). A radial is defined as the size of the center angle of a circle, in which the length of the circle is equal to the length of the radius. This type of angle measurement is used to calculate the distance to the target and the correction for the bullet. When calculating in MRAD, you are speaking of MIL, this is 100 yards (91,4m) equal to 1 MIL.
First and Second Focal Plane
When a scope has the reticle positioned in the second focal plane, the reticle does not increase in size as the magnification is increased. With a first focal plane scope, the reticle does increase in size as the magnification is increased. The first focal plane scope reticle enables a consistent MOA or MIL scale at any magnification.
Ballistic Reticle
A ballistic reticle is a crosshair system that offers multiple aiming points within the scope - these can be dots (mil-dots) or literally multiple crosshairs. Ballistic reticles help shooters adjust their range, but custom turrets make this much easier with less guesswork.
Yardage Format
Custom turrets from Kenton Industries come in three different yardage formats for a unique shooter experience. Choosing your yardage format can be determined by your hunt, range, and background. Please visit our FAQ page for more details on our yardage formats.
Important Calibration Information
It’s important to be aware that, while it isn’t necessary, field data is useful to get a well-calibrated custom turret. The field data must be complete in 50 or 100-yard increments out to your furthest intended distance. You can provide Kenton Industries with the dial-up in clicks and we will make you a turret with the data provided. Only the data you give us will be used, and we will not extrapolate missing drops!
Furthermore, please note that not all scope types seamlessly integrate with Kenton Industries’ custom turrets, and you may have to invest in a custom ballistic strip instead. However, we do make custom turrets for a variety of the biggest manufacturers, so check to see if yours is listed! In most cases, you will be able to install the custom turret yourself, but if you have a Zeiss scope with hunter turrets, for example, and would like to order target turrets, we can retrofit your Zeiss scope with a custom turret or a standard factory target turret. Always make sure that the custom turret manufacturer you intend to do business with works with the type of scope you currently own, but don’t forget that that custom ballistic strips are a worthy alternative.
Finally, be careful of certain altitude and atmosphere considerations when at long range - you should always re-zero a rifle when time and conditions permit. However, your custom turret will work regardless of the altitude for short to medium ranges, but for long-range hunting, you need to determine an approximate 4,000-foot bracket of altitude. Simply average your hunting altitude when submitting your rifle and hunting data - for example, if you hunt between 6,000 and 8,000 feet, select 7,000 feet as an average.
No Substitute For Practice
This probably goes without saying, but your future custom turret is not a substitute for practice. Once you get a custom turret, be sure to take it out to the shooting range to practice using it before your first time with it out in the field.
Order the Perfect Custom Turret
If you’re shopping for custom turrets, it’s wise to work with the industry leaders. At Kenton Industries, all of our patented turrets are made by our highly skilled and trained craftsmen right here in Columbia, Tennessee, U.S.A. We work in partnership with most major rifle scope manufacturers to ensure that our turrets meet their exact specifications of quality and performance for a complete “drop-in” solution.
Our custom turrets are field-proven worldwide, under all conditions. There’s a reason why our customers love working with us - Kenton turrets are always up to the task. If you have further questions, visit our FAQ page, or if you’re ready to be connected to the perfect custom turret for your next hunting trip, contact our team today!