Originally Posted by Jeff_O
Hey Jordan! Long time. Your kids must be getting BIG! smile

Yeah, I know how FFP’s work and what their advantages and disadvantages are. I think the OP would be well-served by a SFP scope; or at least shouldn’t rule one out for their stated purposes. Also, if they do decide to stick with FFP in their spec, they should handle one and mess with changing the X’s and make sure a reticle that changes like that suits them. I personally don’t like it. Very distracting.

A lot of folks have done a lot of very good shootin’ with SFP scopes.

ETA: I just re-read the OP. I hope he realizes that if you are dialing for elevation, you do not need to worry what magnification a SFP is set to. That’s only an issue if you are using a holdover reticle for your elevation... in that case, the scope has to be set to full power. If you dial, it doesn’t matter what power the scope is set to.

There’s an exception I’ll mention just because Jordan is a sharp guy and will point it out. smile It’s pretty much irrelevant to the OP but in the spirit of technical accuracy here it is. The exception to the above is the windage hash marks that I mentioned in the SFP Zeiss 4-16x50 with the #93 reticle. For those to be correct the scope does need to be at full power. With the OP using it for hunting, at 500 max, I contend that’s a non-issue... but there it is.

They are getting big, indeed, Jeff! How's things with you?

I know you know how FFP reticles work, but I thought it needed to be pointed out that while the absolute linear dimensions of FFP reticles vary with mag changes, the relative dimensions (i.e., the angular subtensions) remain constant, which is exactly their primary benefit. I would also point out that holding corrections for drop and wind drift are only two of the uses in which FFP reticles are advantageous. They are also very handy for measuring angular corrections when a previous shot is not on the intended POI (whether your own shot, or when spotting for another shooter), leading moving targets, estimating distance using the reticle, estimating target size, etc. In all of these scenarios the constant angular subtensions mean that you don't have to worry about he magnification setting; a good thing, since I'm often not on max magnification when using the marks on my reticle. I would argue that these are handy features even for 500 yard shooting and in.

Of course good work can be done and has been done with SFP reticles. But FFP reticles give more flexibility and make it easier to do that work in a variety of scenarios.