Been shooting since I could hold a gun but have never shot long range. Recently have been doing a lot of research on the subject. To start with, the rifle is an old Weatherby Vanguard, wood stock, japanese made 24" barrel and action, chambered in .243 Win, currently has a Burris 3x9. Very accurate can put three shots in one inch at a hundred yards so planning to use this as the platform. Ideally I would like to have the rifle as a deer/pig hunting gun first and also have something that I could shoot confidently at a thousand yards max. I would never shoot an animal at that range, it doesnt seem right to me. So anything long range would be on targets at this point. After doing lots of reading and research I was sure I was going to buy the Falcon Menace. Price is right, ffp, magnification seems about perfect, nice reticle, then I found out it only has a five year warranty. Thats a bummer and a game changer. That was about the only scope Ive been able to find in ffp, variable, and thats also in my budget. So Im wondering about going to a fixed power scope although Id rather not and also going to a sfp reticle. Do you guys think a fixed 6x would be enough to shoot eight hundred to a thousand yards accurately? How about 9x in a variable? Wont go much higher than that for hunting. Also thinking I could go to a sfp scope. Sighted in at a hundred yards I could shoot pretty flat at two to three hundred with the .243 then dial up to max power for any ranging or distance shooting. Want to keep things as simple as possible and stay with the mil dot and mil mil adjustments. Leopold makes a nice looking mark ar mod 1 3x9 sfp and I believe burris has some nice looking sfp scopes too.
Rifle Scopes Newbie asking another ffp vs sfp question.
- Thread starter valkyries
- Start date
First of all welcome to the Hide'. I will give you the shortest possible answer to your question. First thing you will find out about long range shooting is you have to be able to see it to hit it. So target size at distance will be a factor in your ability to hit with any type of accuracy. I would not bother buying a lesser expensive optic with a bunch of magnification because glass quality will be horrible. I would rather see you buy say a fixed 10X or 12X with better glass. I also do not think SFP is going to hold you back in any way. Another piece of advise would be to get your budget out of the mud. An extra 150.00-300.00 would really go a long way to getting you something nice. Good luck
The SS 3-9x42 FFP at $599 would be a well rounded scope for you. A fixed 10x for hunting is too high for my style of hunting. You'll probably want to stick with a variable. I will say, to me, FFP is not remotely necessary for a scope under 12x. I actually prefer it be SFP until you get up to a 3-15x or 4-16x or so, then FFP is extremely useful.
I like the little 3-9x40 Leupy you mentioned pretty well for the price, but I haven't used it past 400 yet. I kind of doubt it has enough resolution to be useful at 1000 yards on anything smaller than torso-sized steel.
If you could save up to the $600-$700 range, that puts you looking at some great 'budget' scopes with good enough resolution to be useful at longer ranges:
Weaver 3-15x50 FFP
Vortex hst 4-16x44 SFP
SS 3-15x42 FFP
Sightron SIII 3.5-10x44 SFP
Vortex PST 2.5-10x32 FFP
I like the little 3-9x40 Leupy you mentioned pretty well for the price, but I haven't used it past 400 yet. I kind of doubt it has enough resolution to be useful at 1000 yards on anything smaller than torso-sized steel.
If you could save up to the $600-$700 range, that puts you looking at some great 'budget' scopes with good enough resolution to be useful at longer ranges:
Weaver 3-15x50 FFP
Vortex hst 4-16x44 SFP
SS 3-15x42 FFP
Sightron SIII 3.5-10x44 SFP
Vortex PST 2.5-10x32 FFP
I like my Bushnell stuff the best, buy I have killed lots of animals with a 12x SS. You can't beat Super Sniper. A 10x will almost work in any situation. Put a red dot on top if you really need inside of 50 yards. Make sure its mi/mil. With straight power its the same as ffp.
I should also note. I have a 10x Bushnell and a 12x SS, the Bushnell is much better in low light. However the overall quality of the Scopes goes to the SS.
Think I have found a great scope for my purposes. The Weaver tactical 3x10. Good low end mag for hunting purposes and I think 10x will be enough for any distance shooting. After all the military used a 10x for a long time. Its only available from Midway for some reason and I couldnt find any info on it at the Weaver website. Also has a lifetime warranty
Its sfp, mil mil, which I think will be fine for me as a beginner. I can always upgrade down the road.
Its sfp, mil mil, which I think will be fine for me as a beginner. I can always upgrade down the road.Think I have found a great scope for my purposes. The Weaver tactical 3x10. Good low end mag for hunting purposes and I think 10x will be enough for any distance shooting. After all the military used a 10x for a long time. Its only available from Midway for some reason and I couldnt find any info on it at the Weaver website. Also has a lifetime warranty
Good call. That is one of the best values in a good all around budget scope. They are only available from Midwayusa as an exclusive. Midway actually has had several great exclusives over the last few years and they are very good at working with manufactures and coming up with cool stuff that people want, namely mil/mil scopes. The Weaver won't disappoint.
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