First Focal Plane or Second Focal Plane??

[HighCountryHill33]

I'm probably overthinking this, as I've read every bit of literature I can find on the subject, but is FFP or SFP better for long range hunting/shooting? Or, is this primarily a preference thing?

 

[WeiserBucks]

Both can work well with practice, especially if you use the 2FP scope at the appropriate magnification to have the reticle be true. I like 2FP for short to reasonable range hunting and FFP for long and windy . I own both and can use whichever suits the situation.

 

[Trevor73402]

is FFP or SFP better for long range hunting/shooting?

FFP for long range. The reticle is always correct no matter your magnification setting. Once you get comfortable with it, you most likely won’t ever shoot a SFP optic again. I never have.

 

[J&A Outdoors]

Ive found FFP really comes into play when your holding for wind along with elevation instead of dialing.

100% of the time I am holding for wind in the reticle while hunting.

FFP Is highly valuable in a hunting situation due to the fact your reticle subtensions never change regardless of magnification.

if you run SFP your subtensions change depending on what power zoom your on. FFP is a non issue.

oftentimes When your about ready to take an animal thoughts usually go to the wayside - you tend to forget whether or not your equipment is set to the proper magnification for the correct wind call. this can result in a miss or a wounded animal.



for that - FFP is my go to every single time.

 

[kupper]

I have both an much prefer SFP for hunting and targets for the most part. with ffp the reticle on the low end is hard to make out and often times need illumination to see proper, on the upper end it normally takes up more of the target then SFP does. 95 percent of the time when im making a long range shot im doing so on max power where my reticle sub-tensions are correct. should i need to back off the power ill do it to half the max power so that now my ret is just 2x what its labeled. an example being having moa hash marks every moa at 24x, if i back off to 12x all the lines are now 2 moa. the only time I see ffp being advantageous is for multiple target rapid engagement.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

If you are hunting, go with SFP. Just dial and don't bother with the reticle.

If you are target shooting, go with FFP. Just dial and don't bother with the reticle.

FFP works great except when you have a dark "target" at relatively close range and you can't see the reticle and you cannot zoom in.

 

[Lawnboi]

Power range makes a big difference in choice. A sfp optic with a max mag of 12 would be no big deal for me, as I will usually be on max power for a longer shot. A 20x scope, I may not be on max power for the shot for one of many reasons; fading light, mirage, FOV etc.

Bear in mind this is coming from someone new to long range.

 

[Varminterror]

FFP for me. When hunting, I’m more likely to need to hold over quickly rather than have time to dial, and I’m more likely to mess up a wind hold, so I don’t want a variable scale reticle. I feel a lot worse about putting a bad shot on a game animal due to a mental error than I do about missing a target.

 

[ghostmoney]

SFP for me, I want the reticle visible at low power for a close quick shot in dark timber as most of my animals have been taken under 100 yards. If I am taking a shot that I need to make corrections for, I am at a distance that I am going to want to be at full power anyway.

I can see low light situations being nice to be able to dial the magnification down to get a brighter image, but with my ATACR I can still see enough to shoot at full power until past legal shooting light. My ability to easily see the cross hairs at close range trumps the ability to dial down for low light.

I would like to the the NF Mil-xt reticle on low power as I currently have a FFP w/Tremor3 reticle on my PRS rifle that is very hard to see at low power and illumination doesn't do the whole cross hair.

 

[WCB]

Realistically for long range you are going to want to dial so it really doesn't matter. For quick follow up shots/corrections FFP would make the most sense with the correct reticle.

The low magnification "too small" of a reticle argument doesn't apply to me as my scope is NEVER on the lower end of my power. My main gun has a Bushnell LRHS on it 3-12. It may have accidentally got set below 6x once. Plus that scope has a nice open circle that if it did get low you have a aiming point anyways.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

You’re overthinking it, especially if you dial.

 

[davsco]

yeah if you dial then it doesn't matter too much.

the prob with ffp is that the crosshairs can be tiny if you're at the low end of your magnification range.

the prob with sfp is that if you're not at max magnification (generally for most scopes), then your reticle lines aren't what they say they are and you have to do a little math if you want to hold for elevation or wind.

both problems are mitigated if you get a scope with a magnification range matching the ranges you intend to actually shoot at. don't get a 5-50x scope if you'll rarely have it above 15x.

 

[mtman]

I too use SFP scopes, and for longer shots dial on max power.

 

[trailrider121]

I went from SFP scope to FFP and really enjoy the FFP. I think its a preference thing and find what works best for you. I find the FFP is just easier, just because the reticle stays the same and can make adjustment on follow up shot if needed.

 

[FSB12B]

Good answers above. Honestly, I use both. I dial both. This is a hell of a black abyss to five into and research. Trials and tribulations to find your personal preference is what’s going to work best for you. Don’t steer clear of either for any reason, there are fantastic options in both planes. There’s always more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Varminterror]

If a guy is dialing range, they’re probably shooting far enough for wind to make a difference in POA, so we’re still holding.