Ffp or sfp

Yotekiller

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
131
Location
Idaho
I use FFP. I dial for drop and use my reticle for windage. I do not like worrying about accuracy of subtensions. Dialing for wind isn't that hard it just isn't my thing.
 
Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
3,474
Location
Lewiston ID
I'm a FFP guy. Confident in either choice though...

I prefer to hold wind using my reticle. I also shoot alone 99% of the time, and am 90% of the time shooting a sub 10 lb magnum rifle, albeit with a good brake and recoil is mild on the shoulder. However, there are times when I can't get a perfect NPA (if you practice on anything but 100% flat ground where you can get prone with a rear bag you will too) I know the recoil is going to kick me off target a bit and I'll have to zoom out a bit to make sure I can see my own impact. I am typically adjust the magnification while maintaining sight picture until I'm comfortable and confident with the FOV I'm seeing and being able to spot my own impact for a follow up correction.

I killed my Idaho deer this year at 60 yards with a FFP scope... amazing I know! ;)

If you dial wind, I'd have no issues recommending a SFP scope.

Mike
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
Messages
1,366
Location
North Carolina
SFP for now because I cant find a FFP optic that meats my other criteria (weight, capped/locking windage, thick enough reticle/illumination) Im very interested in the AMG but worried the 6x low end is too much for my eastern hunts. If I can convince myself to build a lightweight short range rifle with a 1-8 on it it would open up options.

In a perfect world I prefer FFP. I have been burned by low light FFP reticles and close to burned by forgetting to check my scope mag in the heat of the moment.
 
Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
1,774
For the sfp guys

Lets say you bump up a small mob of animals . In the mountains.. 1 good animal in the group. Across a good gully 340 yards

Winds 12 knots at ur 2 o'clock..

Animals are just milling for about 20 seconds. You get a good foundation to shoot but the. good billy is in the back..

Animals stay just below the ridge and move off to the right. Stopping a few times briefly but They keep moving, staying tight no shot.. they go single file right before going out of sight at the base of a cliff. Billy gives a quartering away shot at 450.. winds straight in ur face

Can't say this exact scenario has played out exactly a million times, but plenty times similar.

You guys go full max power and hold wind on the first sighting and setup to shoot or take the time to dial wind and elevation?

Me I keep the scope about 6 or 7 power, hold 1 mils elevation and .5 wind off the reticle and get ready to send it. After They start to move All my time was spent building a shooting position and a quick range at 2 known spots. As the animals move I don't have to worry about resetting my windage.
 
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Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
1,774
This is another side too.

How many times have you set up to shoot at say medium long range.. 400-500 yards. Pass on the shot and bump a shooter animal at 100 yards.
If I just dumped 2 mils into the reticle and forgot to dial back (or didn't have time) aim mid chesT... Just sent a round straight over the back.

Happened to me.. has happened to friends.

If 800 plus is your game, hard to argue against 18x plus mag, dialing for elevation and wind and having a full reticle that isnt way too course but for the ranges that are beyond point blank but not ELR....

FFP 3 or 4x bottom to 9 to 15ish mil mil scopes stack th deck in your favor and take a lot of error out of the equation. You can go full power, dial elevation and wind if it time allows. Or keep the reticle at about 6-8x and shoot off the reticle


And to be fair.. reticle holds can be more difficult then dialing.. but with practice it's not appreciably different.. out to 500ish I don't see a difference in hit rates on .4 or .5 mil targets.. which is vital size for most game..even at 300+ with the 22lr it's about the same.
 
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ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
For the sfp guys

Lets say you bump up a small mob of animals . In the mountains.. 1 good animal in the group. Across a good gully 340 yards

Winds 12 knots at ur 2 o'clock..

Animals are just milling for about 20 seconds. You get a good foundation to shoot but the. good billy is in the back..

Animals stay just below the ridge and move off to the right. Stopping a few times briefly but They keep moving, staying tight no shot.. they go single file right before going out of sight at the base of a cliff. Billy gives a quartering away shot at 450.. winds straight in ur face

Can't say this exact scenario has played out exactly a million times, but plenty times similar.

You guys go full max power and hold wind on the first sighting and setup to shoot or take the time to dial wind and elevation?

Me I keep the scope about 6 or 7 power, hold 1 mils elevation and .5 wind off the reticle and get ready to send it. After They start to move All my time was spent building a shooting position and a quick range at 2 known spots. As the animals move I don't have to worry about resetting my windage.





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ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
For the sfp guys

Lets say you bump up a small mob of animals . In the mountains.. 1 good animal in the group. Across a good gully 340 yards

Winds 12 knots at ur 2 o'clock..

Animals are just milling for about 20 seconds. You get a good foundation to shoot but the. good billy is in the back..

Animals stay just below the ridge and move off to the right. Stopping a few times briefly but They keep moving, staying tight no shot.. they go single file right before going out of sight at the base of a cliff. Billy gives a quartering away shot at 450.. winds straight in ur face

Can't say this exact scenario has played out exactly a million times, but plenty times similar.

You guys go full max power and hold wind on the first sighting and setup to shoot or take the time to dial wind and elevation?

Me I keep the scope about 6 or 7 power, hold 1 mils elevation and .5 wind off the reticle and get ready to send it. After They start to move All my time was spent building a shooting position and a quick range at 2 known spots. As the animals move I don't have to worry about resetting my windage.

I’ll play. When I ranged them as I was getting set up my rangefinder told me to dial 6.75 minutes so I spun my turret to 6.75 in about 1.2 seconds. I can guess what 10” looks like on a goat in the scope without using any subtensions. I just reread and now the wind isn’t a factor so now I hold dead on and boom.


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ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
This is another side too.

How many times have you set up to shoot at say medium long range.. 400-500 yards. Pass on the shot and bump a shooter animal at 100 yards.
If I just dumped 2 mils into the reticle and forgot to dial back (or didn't have time) aim mid chesT... Just sent a round straight over the back.

Happened to me.. has happened to friends.

If 800 plus is your game, hard to argue against 18x plus mag, dialing for elevation and wind and having a full reticle that isnt way too course but for the ranges that are beyond point blank but not ELR....

FFP 3 or 4x bottom to 9 to 15ish mil mil scopes stack th deck in your favor and take a lot of error out of the equation. You can go full power, dial elevation and wind if it time allows. Or keep the reticle at about 6-8x and shoot off the reticle


And to be fair.. reticle holds can be more difficult then dialing.. but with practice it's not appreciably different.. out to 500ish I don't see a difference in hit rates on .4 or .5 mil targets.. which is vital size for most game..even at 300+ with the 22lr it's about the same.

I’ll play on this one also. I have literally never forgot to zero my turrets out. Not once. Even with FFP scopes I have never shot an animal without dialing. It’s so quick it’s kinda a no brainer to just dial for me. You still have to range to shoot off the reticle, so what’s the (maybe) extra 2 seconds to dial?

Guys seem to think there going to have these split second 600 yard chances at game. IMO split second 600 yard chances are best passed up for a more ethical shot.

There’s so many things that guys act like it’s impossible or you have to be a mathlete to figure out with a SFP scope. Like wind. It’s really not that difficult.

I have nothing against FFP scopes, currently use a few of them. On a all around big game hunting rifle I just don’t get to hung up on them.


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Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
1,774
its not that it's hard to dial.

It's just in the moment you may forget to reset your windage or elevation turret back to zero after setting up for a shot that you ultimately didn't take.

Even relative chip shots at 400 can become hurried and require changes in elevation and windage.

Did it at the range last week.. playing at 550.. went back to shooting at 200 steel offhand... miss... miss.. dang it! Look at turret. 3 mils still on the erector.

Or times when you stupidly spin the windage knob the wrong way.

but maybe I'm just a dumbass..
 

ckleeves

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
1,520
Location
Montrose,Colorado
Use what works for you. People get way to hung up on these FFP vs SFP debates. Same with mils vs moa.

The theoretical situations are always fun to debate, but In the real world it seldom plays out the way we think. I guess I have never been in a situation where I said “man, if I would have had a FFP scope that bull wouldn’t have gotten away”

Wind is always the unknown. We can take out pretty much every other factor: pressure, distance,angle, temp etc but the wind. Just because your speedometer reads the same in every gear doesn’t mean you know what the speed limit is.

If people spent half as much time actually shooting as they do arguing about this kinda stuff the world would be a much happier place filled with much better shooters.


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bradb

WKR
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
959
I use both and can't even win the argument with myself which I prefer. I most cases I think FFP is better, with probably only the close shot small reticle argument where sfp could maybe win. But I will probably continue to buy both
 
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