Thread: Picking an entry level ~600m scope

Hi Canross,

The point of FFP scope is that the reticle-to-target ratio remains constant through out the magnification range on the scope at any given distance between you and the target. The point of this feature is so that you can use the reticle to assess the distance between you and the target, without having to change the magnification on the scope. On a Non-FFP (as in SFP) scope, the reticle is designed to be used as a range tool at a particular magnification. Usually it is 10x (or multiplier of 10x, such as 20x and 30x).

So, basically, the point of having FFP over SFP is to by pass the need to turn the magnification ring to the "right magnification". All that you get out of it is time saving. It is useful if you were shooting targets that will disappear quickly so that you need to very quickly assess the distance, and the absolute accuracy of the distance assessment is not critical. Say for example, if you needed to shoot a human sized target between 200 to 300 metres using a 223. the drop difference is about 10 inches, easily compensatable by a hold over.

However, when you are shooting out to 600 meters, you need to be much more accurate with distance assessment because the drop difference by mere change of 50 metres will be quite big. Also at this distance it is unlikely your target will need to be shot very quickly. You would want to set up the shooting position properly, take your time to assess distance and adjust your scope before taking the shot. You should have enough time to range using SFP but you should preferably use a range finder. Therefore FFP, in my view, serves no real benefit.

FFP is a costly feature, scopes with otherwise similar features can be a few hundred dollars apart for being FFP vs SFP. I know it is quite fashionable but I doubt its usefulness in most shooting applications except quick mid-distance shootings involving human sized targets.