I flew out to West Palm Beach, Florida to meet up with team shooter John Rodriguez (@318bolo). Shout out to Hollywood Tactical Gun Club in Okeechobee, FL. The club is very nice with steel hanging from 200 to 1000 yards on the long range.
To commemorate the launch of the new Leatherwood M1000-PRO rifle scope, we decided to test the Practical Accuracy of the M1000-PRO out to my rifle and ammo's maximum effective range.
History of the ART
The Leatherwood ART scope was developed by Second Lieutenant Jim Leatherwood and his brother Charlie Leatherwood in Lingleville, Texas. The original Automatic Ranging Telescope (ARTel) was a 3-9X40 rifle scope with an integrated mount that provides external elevation adjustment to correct the bullet drop of 147 grain M80 Ball 7.62X51mm ammo from 200 to 600 yards. During the Vietnam War, the Leatherwood ARTel was the standard issue rifle scope for Army M14 rifles.
For the 50th Anniversary of the original ARTel, Hi-Lux has released the improved Leatherwood ART M1000-PRO 2-10X42 riflescope. Featuring the general caliber cam, the M1000-PRO can effectively compensate for virtually any caliber from 22 to 50 BMG.
Zeroing Procedure
In order for the M1000-PRO's integrated base to be properly calibrated, you need to set the correct cam setting and zero the rifle scope at 200 yards. As we were using Hornady 168 grain A-Max TAP Precision .308 Winchester, we selected an initial cam setting of 370.
In the interest of saving time, we zeroed our M1000-PRO scope approximately 2 inches high at 100 yards.
Basically, the ART scope base provides a varying amount of external adjustment as you turn the cam. You can follow this video for a quick start video tutorial to get the ART scope initially setup.
Here's a general rule of thumb when calibrating the Cam setting. If you are shooting HIGH, adjust the cam setting (1-2 tickmarks) HIGHER.
If you are shooting LOW, adjust the cam setting (1-2 tickmarks) LOWER.
Auto-Ranging the M1000-PRO
We were experiencing heavy mirage out on the range. At around the 500 yard target, visibility and estimating wind calls became increasingly difficult. However aside from one shot, we were able to get first round hits out to 700 yards.
We did not dial the adjustments turrets for any of the shots. Rather, we used the automatic ranging trajectory cam to compensate for the bullet drop.
Final Thoughts/Remarks
The M1000-PRO performed admirably from 200-700 yards. By turning the cam to distance of the target, we were effectively able to place the bullet within the center of mass on the targets. Our only first round miss came from misjudging the wind direction.
For shooters who do not have rifle logs with all their DOPE data in varying atmospheric conditions, the M1000-PRO would be a great scope. Once it is calibrated, all the shooter has to do is Frame, Aim and Shoot!
Atmospheric Data
Temperature: 85F
Humidity: 80%
Wind: WSW 6MPH, with gusts up to 10MPH
Gear
Rifle: Patriot Ordnance Factory ReVolt in .308 Winchester
Optic: Leatherwood M1000-PRO 2-10X42
Ammo: Hornady 168 Grain A-Max TAP Precision 308 Winchester
Cam Setting: 370 (M1000-PRO)
Rodey C Kuenzer
December 08, 2019
I have “ART” M1200 ON 6.5 Creedmoor and I’m hitting 1780 yards easy. The next step is to go out to 2080 yards. But I think I’ll need to add 40-45 moa base. This scope is very easy to use once you understand the set up proceedure. I’ll buy the 1100 for my other medium rang rifle 700-1000 yards.