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You have a gift for explaining the complicated for us simple folk. You put the hay down where the horses can eat it. Another excellent video. Thanks, Joe.
I know reticle is thinner but by using my 6-24x50 at 9 and using the illumination it makes a huge difference. FFP mil is fast for changing range unlike sfp MOA where the reticle spacing changes depending on magnification. I zero at 300 yds and anything up to 500 is easily done by just using the range card of memory...not hard. for longer shots I have my range card and a VERY simple hold point...rarely use turrets. To each his own and my hunting is open cuts and cross canyon shots on moose and elk. good video for newbs.
What about I little but of both. Hunting and target shooting. I will probably be more time at the range 300 to 500 yard than hunting. Which I normally at 100 - 150 yards.
@@Checo1 in that case I would probably go with an FFP, good for long-range but you can also dial down for close-up situations. Keep in mind the further you dial down the smaller your reticle will get. 👊😎🇺🇸
I'm a FFP guy. At any magnification I can measure a miss in minutes of angle (I'm an MOA guy too) with the reticle and make a very accurate adjustment. SFP scopes with holdover reticles are only correct at a certain magnification, typically the highest magnification. Joe says it best when he says it's all up to the shooter to choose the right scope for themselves.
Great video! I have a vaRiable FFP that I really like because I don’t have to make mil calculations based on magnification. However, zoomed out too far means I have problems distinguishing mils. Zoomed in too far means I can’t always get to the bottom end of the mil scale. It is a 3-5x and for most shots I find I use 6-9x because it is allows me to se the mils for best effect. If I was shooting center fire, it would shoot flatter and wouldn’t be a big deal but I’ve got it on an Airgun and so it Range estimates and seeing the mils it pretty important. Thanks for posting this! Stay clear of the Virus, please.
That was enlightening. I thought I bought SFP scopes because I was a cheap ass and couldn't afford them fancy FFP ones. I have a different perspective now and I will kiss every single one of my SFP tubes and tell them I love them.
Bought a lot of crap scopes before I found your channel. Still looking for something. But now I know all this great info...it's getting harder to choose.
There is a door #4 as well.. I set my variable scopes on a specific power (say 6 x on a 3-9) and leave it there. Then you have a kinda fixed scope without the costs.
I like to package my scopes with my rifle. I don't ever swap my Scopes out. My Hawke and Leaper scopes that I use on my Magnum spring guns are fixed for that particular rifle. That way I know how it works for that particular gun. Same thing with my powder burners. The Leopold gold series that I have on my 7 mm Magnum is probably the nicest scope that I own right now. It doesn't even have mil dots, it's a straight-up duplex reticle. My 7 mm is my Deer rifle and it's zeroed at a hundred. At 50 yards I Kentucky windage and hold a little low. Most deer here in Tennessee are taken at 50 yards. I zero at 100 because if I want to reach out with that rifle, I can. The ballistics on that rifle are incredible. At a hundred yards is where the bullet actually straightens out. What that means for people that don't know..... Is that when a bullet leaves the barrel it actually rises and has a slight arc before it levels out. My 7 mm can go from a hundred yards to 500 yards with no bullet drop . It's a 150 grain bullet going 3000 feet per second. So for that rifle all I need is a duplex reticle. It's the right tool for that tool. I hope this comment was helpful in some small way to anyone that reads the comments. Joe I hope you're having an awesome day.
If you hold low at 50y and zeroed at 100y your gonna shoot very low due to scope mount hight. The bullet does not "rise" the bullet is being pulled to the earth from the moment it exits the barrel crown you are seeing the "rise" as a result of the scope being mounted above the bore. The closer you are the more elevation has to be dialed in to the scope in order to ready the cross hairs. If your scope mount is 1.5 inches above center of bore and everything is opticly centered and the mounts have zero cant/angle/moa built in so the scope is level with the barrel and you shoot at 5 yards you will hit 1.5 inches low if you shoot at 50y you eill be more then 1.5 inches low by a small amount. So if you hold low on a closer shot you will shoot what you hold low plus however high above center of bore your scope is the projectile drop will be hardly any as there won't be hardly any drop from 0 to a 100y (150g 7mag would be about .7 inch of drop from muzzle to 100y) Your 7mag zeroed at a 100y will drop roughly 8 minutes at 500y (roughly 40 inches) if your pushing a normal 7mm 150g bullet with a B.C of .470 to .490 at 3100fps mv that would be a typical 150g 7mm rem mag ballistic tipped bullet hunting load. That's very flat shooting but still a 40+ inch drop at 500y. With that load and a 200y zero you have keep it in the vitals trajectory out to 300y where you will be right at 1 to 1.25 minutes of drop. I hope this clarifies some info of trajectory and hopefully prevents you from wounding a animal on a extended range shot due vastly incorrect knowledge. Not trying to be a smart ass, my husband and I are heavily involved in extremely long range shooting with powder burners and pushing the limits of what's possible with pcp airguns. We have multiple precision long range custom built rifles that are 7 rem mag so we know the caliber well and have spent a lot of time on load devs for them. We love the 7 rem because when you shoot a barrel out it's a simple re-chamber over to my single fav ELR cals the 7STW. And the 7mm/284 heavy VLD type bullets have such an amazing B.C and such a easy cal to do load dev on as dialing in extremely tight shooting loads is super easy with 7mm rem mag.
@@EDCandLace thanks for the correction I was wrong. That post came after a 10-hour workday and I was six beers in. I didn't articulate myself well at all. I definitely shouldn't have said zero drop at 500 yards that's impossible.... I should have said minimal....after 500 is really when gravity starts to affect the drop. I also should have said the bullet rise was in correlation to the scope. I certainly don't reload magic bullets. I have always been high at 50 yards on a cold bore. I should have mentioned that too. I am 1/2 high and two inches left of center on a cold bore. I hope this explanation makes me sound like less of an idiot. I've worked very hard to develop accurate dope books. I am certainly glad that you called me out on my mistakes and misinformation. The last thing I want to do is misinform someone. I never mix alcohol and firearms... And I will think twice before posting something gun related when I'm tired and half in the bag. The one thing I love about the gun community... Is people like you. I have learned so much just from people sharing their knowledge with me. I read a lot of books too... But books Don't come close to hands on and experience. I am still learning. I really look forward to the day I can go to middle Tennessee and shoot at that huge rifle range. I want to see what I can do at 1000 plus yards with a 300 ultra magnum. I just love the ballistic coefficient on that rifle. The sad thing for me is I never get to get Hands-On when it comes to long range shooting because I live in Chattanooga Tennessee. The longest range here is 200 yards and the 500 is only open once a year because they have to close a road to open it. So a lot of what I do is math using ballistic charts and I have not had the fun of squeezing that trigger and hearing what my spotter has to tell me. Once again thanks for calling me out I needed it.... And so did everyone else that read my drunken post.
@Meh I made a drunken post after a 10-hour workday. I apologize. I did not articulate myself well and I made myself sound like a idiot. I shouldn't have done it. But I am not as stupid as my post made me out to be.
Great vid , thanks for that . Have you done one that speaks to how to compare the optics in scopes ? Is there really a discernible difference between HD or ED glass ? Cheers les
Great video. A couple of cents from my end: 1. If you wanna use your scope for ranging, then I prefer a FFP. 2. If you want to shoot at distances with guns that do not imply much bullet drop, say, within a wooded area with shots within 200yds, a clear SFP is the way to go. For fixed scopes, FFP or SFP, it's pretty much the same thing, and I also love fixed scopes, cuz a decent price around $300 will get you an awesome scope! Thanks again for all the good points, Cyclops--I just miss the strippers at the end of the video, hehe!!
Petty new to optics. You were the one who explained the basics far better than anyone else out there! I do not subscribe to much, but after seeing you make the complicated simple. You were an instant subscribe for me!
Another Excellent Video. Great Explanation of FFP and SFP, as well as your descriptive of Fixed Power. It doesn’t get easier than this Video. Thank You for the hard work you put in to your Channel.
Picked up a Weaver K -6 vintage. You're right on clarity for fixed-power. I have not mounted it yet, but looked through it, and was happy. I like simple scopes. I agree on your holdover argument too on sfp and ffp. I learn quite a bit on your channel too.
I shoot long range steel plate matches and a love the vortex golden eagle 15-60x52. It's a SFP scope and can't hold crazy fine at 1000 yards. Great video Joe
@@CyclopsJoeVideos I've been"watching" a schmidt and bender 12-50 sfp for my 300wsm but good led Lord that's a lot of money and this Corona hasn't helped either
So glad I watched this video. I was about to buy a first focal plane for my Tikka 270 deer hunting rifle. The fist focal plane reticle would have been too thin for low magnification which I use when hunting in the wooded areas. I went with the Athlon HMR 2.5-15 and so far I like it. I can reach out and nail a coyote in the back of the field with the higher magnification. Thanks Joe for the great information.
Hi from England. I have some german and Austrian fixed power scopes. One I had on a remington 700. The optics are superb. By the way I bought that compressor you were reviewing. It does what it says on the tin.
I'm totally onboard with Door #3, I've got a number of low power and fixed scopes by Schmidt Bender, Kahles, Swarovski, and Ziess. You are correct about the clarity of the European glass. The fixed 4 by 32 & 36's are crazy good plus they're lightweight. Great video, take care and be well!
@@allanwind295 - I'm through with lugging anything more than than a typical 1-4x24 Safari style scope. Anymore, my only large scope is a Kahles 3-9x42. Lightweight is the only way to go. Besides, my idea for hunting is getting closer than 150-200yds. I've seen too many "hunters" mess up at 400+yds, regardless of what some character post on his TH-cam video... They never show the ones they hit but lost! Piss-poor hunting ethics!
I Must have watched 20 different videos on ffp or sfp differences . Yours was the most helpful by far. Just a better job explaining period. I just got my primary arms gl 4x18x50 Tuesday. Its ffp . Still waiting on darn mount. Keep up great videos. Chance.
Excellent breakdown! I use a SFP 1-6 on my AR's because the reticle is easy to see. At close range I use the chevron and the horseshoe (Primary Arms ACSS reticle) and at longer ranges I can go on up to 6 power and used the holdovers accurately. On my long-range rifle I have a SWFA SS 3-15 FFP mil/mil scope that I can reliably dial in dope with.
I agree my deer rifles have Schmidt and Zeiss with heavier reticles , I prefer the variables though. My longer range rifles have finer rets duplex and mil type for precision. I have both FFP and SFP , split between FFP for long range and SFP for deer hunting. I usually dial for long range and hold over for deer.
Yes sir, heavy reticles are often overlooked but a must for a no BS hunting rig. The Leupold plex w/firedot is a fantastic reticle for predator hunting, 3-9X40 with a throw lever is perfect on an AR platform rifle. Subscribed....
Hi Joe...I do most of my hunting with airguns... for bigbore airguns my favorite scope is the Burris Droptine 2-7 rimfire...second focal plane, all of the magnification you need out to 150, holdover points,etc. With the parallax set at 50, it does just fine..... for small bore/ small game, I like a second focal plane 4-16 with milldots... I’ll gladly go to 10x to use the milldots if necessary, instead of trying to use a FFP on low power... might as well forget seeing the crosshairs in the brush.
Thanks for posting,my son keeps asking me which is better,I tell him it doesn't matter much for us where we hunt it's 100;yards and closer most time 40-50 yards
I greatly prefer a FFP scope for pesting at close range as it allows me to freely select an optimal magnification vs field of view for a given situation, and I just need to memorize (or lookup) the distance to the target to find my holdover. If you dial using tape, then you only need 1 tape. With a SFP scope, magnification is another variable so you have to either 1. lookup both distance and zoom for when holding over, or have a tape for each magnification if you dial, 2. treat your scope as a fixed lens so you have all your dopes at that fixed zoom (which is kinda to Joe's point on fixed scopes), or 3. do the math in your head which I found error prune in practice, i.e. you know you need 2 mil holdover, but because you are at 5x magnification instead of 10x, that means you need 1 mil dot holdover when you look through your scope. I assume someone has a patent on hybrid scopes, as it seems like such an obvious solution: reticle is 2nd focal plane except for the sub-tensions which should be in the 1st focal plane.
Very insightful on scopes. Thank you. The only thing left out was BUDGET. LOTS of folks can't afford a first focal and that's where you're advice is always on target. Stay fafe
thanks joe! this is a really great video about something i've been puzzling over for quite a while. i'm going to rewatch it and send it to a couple buddies.
Found you late last week! Love you just the way you are, maybe not the Coors though! LOL I’m learning and having fun with every post you make. Thanks so much
I really like your video’s you always explain where a person understands the scopes you review my uncle he always preferred fix power scopes and I got a couple of fixed power scopes on hunting rifles I also totally understand first and and second focal plain scope in how they work thank you for these awesome videos
Excellent video. Question: Why are there so few fixed power rifle scopes available nowadays? My understanding is that they were ubiquitous back in the day. What happened?
I totally value second focal plane and if you already know your distances, you can just dial a tactical SFP scope. Or, use a BDC reticle for general purposes. Any reticle can be trued if you have a diagram of the reticle showing how much MOA or mils is each gap or dot. For example, the Vortex Crossfire II series is a serious contender in SFP hunting scopes. But I have really come to love FFP scopes. Especially the Christmas tree style reticles. Where I hunt is on public land that is heavily forested in some parts and open in other parts. 100 yards in one direction and I am in a bunch of trees. Go the other way and I can see a few hundred yards. My laser range finder will react of a leaf of twig and give me 30 yards, which I know is wrong. But I can range in the reticle and FFP makes that easier. For example, a 3 inch wide young tree trunk measures 4 MOA in the scope. That is 71 yards. No need to adjust my scope elevation from the 100 yard zero. Another time, I range 238 yards, For that, I can dial up 2.6 MOA or 11 clicks. Hold 1 MOA right into the wind (shooting in a west direction with a northwest wind.) FFP scopes are a little heavier. But I just like them so much, so, I will suffer with the weight.
25 years ago I bought a Leopold MK III straight 10x for my carry AR(16" Lilja barrel). Scope was duplex reticle,tac turrets and parallax adjustable. Elevation turret was 1" per click, windage was 1/2" per click.This was not a gold ring model the ring was black like the rest of the scope. That was one of the best, quick setups I have used for walk ,dial shoot. I'd like too have the whole rig back,but trust me my buddy just had too have it and paid large for it. No I don't feel bad he's got the jing 🤣 being a Dr. and all. I'm like your no horseshit channel.👍
Great video as usual. Question. Scope recommended for 17 WSM shooting no more than 150 - 200 yards with anticipated average being under 100 yards. 65 years old with fairly good eyes. Savage rifle. Used on wolf size critters.
Nice vid again, didn’t know you were mates with Mike Vaughan,, I subscribe to him too. Both of you are spot on, hi from Wales 🏴 U..K. Keep it going dudes.
Great and very informative video. I was in 2 minds which type of scope I wanted FFP or SFP and this cleared my mind. SFP fits my shooting disciplines better and I can understand why now. Thanks for the info and I'm now a subscriber to be able to learn more and help you in a tiny way, to continue your great videos
Great vid and thanks for making it really clear. No bullshit, just facts and you get to the point real quick. So many reviewers seem to find their feminine side and talk like they are trying to talk $5 hooker out of her pants. I am in UK and only shoot 12ft/lb air guns for the table and pest control. There is a lot of hum for FFP here atm, and I have given it a whirl but just can't take to it. The reticle is so small when I am zoomed out my shitty eyes have trouble seeing much on it and when I am zoomed to a point it becomes usable, I have no field of view and take ages to acquire the target. Had my first taste of fixed magnification with a Berretta scope... the jury is still out, but you have convinced me to keep at it. Right now I am only serious with SFP - the notches on my gun bear testament. Good ammo, good engineering (for me German - Walther current favourite tool - and loving it, just brutal), good glass. That is the winning mix.
Great video, I learned a good bit. I am trying to find a good scope for my break barrel air gun. The one that came with it is crap. It is a 4x40 fixed. I am looking at maybe a lepers 4x9 x 40. I hunt squirrels at no more than 40 yards. I do plan on mounting it on the Diana shock mount when they get back in stock. Keep up the great work my friend enjoy all your videos.
Night shooting we always fix the scope to about 10, sight it in and never change it. You can't dial a scope in, in the dark, always shoot with the mill dots. So I can see why you like the fixed scopes, but very hard to buy.
@@CyclopsJoeVideos if you don't mind could you recomend a good ffp scope for a .25 pcp airgun under 500.00 ? I will be shotting mostly ground hogs and plinking.
I do a little of both with the same rifle. So i went with ffp. Im not disappointed at all and the small retical on the low setting doesnt seem to bother me not one bit. But i went with the blackhound 4-14x44 so its not to thin and not to thick. The only dislike i have about it is the zero stop. It sucks in my opinion, i took that thing right back off about 20 min after i installed it. But the rest of the scope is great for me.
Great explanation mate. BUT I think you reversed definitions at 1:31. I’m FFP the reticle expands with the zoom as you described at the beginning. I believe that’s what you meant to say at 1:31. For hunting use FFP because the reticle gets bigger with the target (so in the scope zoom it should also read FFP). Or did I miss something??
For my purposes a SFP is my preference, but then again I'm not into long range precision shooting. Mainly because I'm too old to enjoy it and it's a money pit and I don't have a big pile of money to throw into it. My hunting rifles (the ones I actually hunt with) have 2-7x or 3-9x Leupold or Burris optics.
Just got a Aztec Emerald FFP for my Uragan and love it. Yes the FOV will suffer at higher magnification but all I do is shoot paper so it's not much of a issue. If I was hunting I would most certainly have a SFP all day long! Enjoy your videos and your funny as shit!
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You have a gift for explaining the complicated for us simple folk. You put the hay down where the horses can eat it. Another excellent video. Thanks, Joe.
I know reticle is thinner but by using my 6-24x50 at 9 and using the illumination it makes a huge difference. FFP mil is fast for changing range unlike sfp MOA where the reticle spacing changes depending on magnification. I zero at 300 yds and anything up to 500 is easily done by just using the range card of memory...not hard. for longer shots I have my range card and a VERY simple hold point...rarely use turrets. To each his own and my hunting is open cuts and cross canyon shots on moose and elk. good video for newbs.
SFP for hunting and FFP for long range targets. I used a fix power scope for years and I'm a fan!
I agree 100% 👊😎🇺🇸
What about I little but of both. Hunting and target shooting. I will probably be more time at the range 300 to 500 yard than hunting. Which I normally at 100 - 150 yards.
@@Checo1 in that case I would probably go with an FFP, good for long-range but you can also dial down for close-up situations. Keep in mind the further you dial down the smaller your reticle will get. 👊😎🇺🇸
Had been leaning toward the 2nd focal plane for my 308 deer gun.
Thanks
Hell yeah!! No meaningless dribble, right down to business, clear concise and thorough explanation!!
Just what the doctor ordered. 👍🤛
I'm a FFP guy. At any magnification I can measure a miss in minutes of angle (I'm an MOA guy too) with the reticle and make a very accurate adjustment. SFP scopes with holdover reticles are only correct at a certain magnification, typically the highest magnification. Joe says it best when he says it's all up to the shooter to choose the right scope for themselves.
Thanks and THANKS for your service 🇺🇸
@@CyclopsJoeVideos Thanks Joe
Great video! I have a vaRiable FFP that I really like because I don’t have to make mil calculations based on magnification. However, zoomed out too far means I have problems distinguishing mils. Zoomed in too far means I can’t always get to the bottom end of the mil scale. It is a 3-5x and for most shots I find I use 6-9x because it is allows me to se the mils for best effect.
If I was shooting center fire, it would shoot flatter and wouldn’t be a big deal but I’ve got it on an Airgun and so it Range estimates and seeing the mils it pretty important.
Thanks for posting this!
Stay clear of the Virus, please.
Video has a common sense perspective and explanation, well done.
Glad you think so!
That was enlightening. I thought I bought SFP scopes because I was a cheap ass and couldn't afford them fancy FFP ones. I have a different perspective now and I will kiss every single one of my SFP tubes and tell them I love them.
I hear ya man ...A GREAT SFP can't be beat
Bought a lot of crap scopes before I found your channel. Still looking for something. But now I know all this great info...it's getting harder to choose.
Arken
There is a door #4 as well.. I set my variable scopes on a specific power (say 6 x on a 3-9) and leave it there. Then you have a kinda fixed scope without the costs.
for hunting I prefer 1x8 since average range 150-300
With your amazing way of explaining things makes it so much easier to understand. No dought your the superman of optics .👍👍👍
I agree with Carl. SFP for Hunting and FFP for target shooting. Just my personal preference. 👊😎🇺🇸
I like to package my scopes with my rifle.
I don't ever swap my Scopes out.
My Hawke and Leaper scopes that I use on my Magnum spring guns are fixed for that particular rifle.
That way I know how it works for that particular gun.
Same thing with my powder burners.
The Leopold gold series that I have on my 7 mm Magnum is probably the nicest scope that I own right now.
It doesn't even have mil dots, it's a straight-up duplex reticle.
My 7 mm is my Deer rifle and it's zeroed at a hundred.
At 50 yards I Kentucky windage and hold a little low.
Most deer here in Tennessee are taken at 50 yards.
I zero at 100 because if I want to reach out with that rifle, I can.
The ballistics on that rifle are incredible.
At a hundred yards is where the bullet actually straightens out.
What that means for people that don't know.....
Is that when a bullet leaves the barrel it actually rises and has a slight arc before it levels out.
My 7 mm can go from a hundred yards to 500 yards with no bullet drop .
It's a 150 grain bullet going 3000 feet per second.
So for that rifle all I need is a duplex reticle.
It's the right tool for that tool.
I hope this comment was helpful in some small way to anyone that reads the comments.
Joe I hope you're having an awesome day.
If you hold low at 50y and zeroed at 100y your gonna shoot very low due to scope mount hight. The bullet does not "rise" the bullet is being pulled to the earth from the moment it exits the barrel crown you are seeing the "rise" as a result of the scope being mounted above the bore. The closer you are the more elevation has to be dialed in to the scope in order to ready the cross hairs. If your scope mount is 1.5 inches above center of bore and everything is opticly centered and the mounts have zero cant/angle/moa built in so the scope is level with the barrel and you shoot at 5 yards you will hit 1.5 inches low if you shoot at 50y you eill be more then 1.5 inches low by a small amount. So if you hold low on a closer shot you will shoot what you hold low plus however high above center of bore your scope is the projectile drop will be hardly any as there won't be hardly any drop from 0 to a 100y (150g 7mag would be about .7 inch of drop from muzzle to 100y)
Your 7mag zeroed at a 100y will drop roughly 8 minutes at 500y (roughly 40 inches) if your pushing a normal 7mm 150g bullet with a B.C of .470 to .490 at 3100fps mv that would be a typical 150g 7mm rem mag ballistic tipped bullet hunting load.
That's very flat shooting but still a 40+ inch drop at 500y. With that load and a 200y zero you have keep it in the vitals trajectory out to 300y where you will be right at 1 to 1.25 minutes of drop.
I hope this clarifies some info of trajectory and hopefully prevents you from wounding a animal on a extended range shot due vastly incorrect knowledge.
Not trying to be a smart ass, my husband and I are heavily involved in extremely long range shooting with powder burners and pushing the limits of what's possible with pcp airguns.
We have multiple precision long range custom built rifles that are 7 rem mag so we know the caliber well and have spent a lot of time on load devs for them. We love the 7 rem because when you shoot a barrel out it's a simple re-chamber over to my single fav ELR cals the 7STW. And the 7mm/284 heavy VLD type bullets have such an amazing B.C and such a easy cal to do load dev on as dialing in extremely tight shooting loads is super easy with 7mm rem mag.
100%, every gun has its scope and let that be the recipe... you can't take the flour & eggs back out of the cake and still expect it to be any good.
@@EDCandLace thanks for the correction I was wrong.
That post came after a 10-hour workday and I was six beers in.
I didn't articulate myself well at all.
I definitely shouldn't have said zero drop at 500 yards that's impossible.... I should have said minimal....after 500 is really when gravity starts to affect the drop.
I also should have said the bullet rise was in correlation to the scope. I certainly don't reload magic bullets.
I have always been high at 50 yards on a cold bore.
I should have mentioned that too.
I am 1/2 high and two inches left of center on a cold bore.
I hope this explanation makes me sound like less of an idiot.
I've worked very hard to develop accurate dope books.
I am certainly glad that you called me out on my mistakes and misinformation.
The last thing I want to do is misinform someone.
I never mix alcohol and firearms...
And I will think twice before posting something gun related when I'm tired and half in the bag.
The one thing I love about the gun community...
Is people like you.
I have learned so much just from people sharing their knowledge with me.
I read a lot of books too... But books Don't come close to hands on and experience.
I am still learning.
I really look forward to the day I can go to middle Tennessee and shoot at that huge rifle range.
I want to see what I can do at 1000 plus yards with a 300 ultra magnum.
I just love the ballistic coefficient on that rifle.
The sad thing for me is I never get to get Hands-On when it comes to long range shooting because I live in Chattanooga Tennessee.
The longest range here is 200 yards and the 500 is only open once a year because they have to close a road to open it.
So a lot of what I do is math using ballistic charts and I have not had the fun of squeezing that trigger and hearing what my spotter has to tell me.
Once again thanks for calling me out I needed it.... And so did everyone else that read my drunken post.
@Meh I made a drunken post after a 10-hour workday.
I apologize.
I did not articulate myself well and I made myself sound like a idiot.
I shouldn't have done it.
But I am not as stupid as my post made me out to be.
Great vid , thanks for that . Have you done one that speaks to how to compare the optics in scopes ? Is there really a discernible difference between HD or ED glass ?
Cheers les
Same here I want a simple scope, that’s what I use when I hunted and works for me
Great video. A couple of cents from my end: 1. If you wanna use your scope for ranging, then I prefer a FFP. 2. If you want to shoot at distances with guns that do not imply much bullet drop, say, within a wooded area with shots within 200yds, a clear SFP is the way to go. For fixed scopes, FFP or SFP, it's pretty much the same thing, and I also love fixed scopes, cuz a decent price around $300 will get you an awesome scope! Thanks again for all the good points, Cyclops--I just miss the strippers at the end of the video, hehe!!
Just discovered You. I love the no nonsense, You tell it like it is. Scopes are tools is the best line I’ve heard this year. Thank You.
Thanks for the input, always useful. Your right about Euro glass. They over build them. You keep safe.
You tell it like you see it. I like that. No BSing around.
Weaver is my number#1 choice when it comes to fixed power I'm just old school that's what I grew up on vortex is my favorite for longer range.
Weaver T24 is an all time favorite
Spot joe you nailed the pros and cons perfect keep up the good work
Petty new to optics. You were the one who explained the basics far better than anyone else out there! I do not subscribe to much, but after seeing you make the complicated simple. You were an instant subscribe for me!
Thanks Jeff
Great job Joe!
Another Excellent Video. Great Explanation of FFP and SFP, as well as your descriptive of Fixed Power. It doesn’t get easier than this Video. Thank You for the hard work you put in to your Channel.
Thanks Henry 🍻
you are like the big brother that is always trust worthy and knowledgeable with great patient always go to,thanks for all
This guy does know what he's talking about 👏👏👏
Picked up a Weaver K -6 vintage. You're right on clarity for fixed-power. I have not mounted it yet, but looked through it, and was happy. I like simple scopes. I agree on your holdover argument too on sfp and ffp. I learn quite a bit on your channel too.
Thanks Buddy
I shoot long range steel plate matches and a love the vortex golden eagle 15-60x52. It's a SFP scope and can't hold crazy fine at 1000 yards. Great video Joe
Thanks I got my eye on a really nice SFP coming soon
@@CyclopsJoeVideos I've been"watching" a schmidt and bender 12-50 sfp for my 300wsm but good led
Lord that's a lot of money and this Corona hasn't helped either
@@CyclopsJoeVideos I'll be looking for that video for sure Joe. 🙏👍
Valdada Terminator
Very Helpfull, thank you for the easy to understand no-nonsence explanation, your genuine honesty is very much appreciated.
You are more than welcome
So glad I watched this video. I was about to buy a first focal plane for my Tikka 270 deer hunting rifle. The fist focal plane reticle would have been too thin for low magnification which I use when hunting in the wooded areas. I went with the Athlon HMR 2.5-15 and so far I like it. I can reach out and nail a coyote in the back of the field with the higher magnification. Thanks Joe for the great information.
I have 2 of the Bushnell 10X Tactical Elite scopes and I have used them on everything, probably bought em 12-15 years ago, thanks joe !
I got second focal plane scopes. I know my dopes. For every ranges, i can Kentucky windage it...
And i'm French...
🖖🏻🇫🇷😎🇫🇷😇🇫🇷🖖🏻
@Meh So I got the good ones. They've hitted the ground more than one time. They still work... 🤣
@Meh We're good! Just saying I don't mess with my scopes quality...
damn man what scope you holding on too
Hi from England. I have some german and Austrian fixed power scopes. One I had on a remington 700. The optics are superb. By the way I bought that compressor you were reviewing. It does what it says on the tin.
Thanks one eye scope guy !
Your info is very useful and your personality is not boring . 😊
I'm totally onboard with Door #3, I've got a number of low power and fixed scopes by Schmidt Bender, Kahles, Swarovski, and Ziess. You are correct about the clarity of the European glass. The fixed 4 by 32 & 36's are crazy good plus they're lightweight.
Great video, take care and be well!
The weight (and size) you don't really appreciate till you lug those large zoom scopes around for a while.
@@allanwind295 - I'm through with lugging anything more than than a typical 1-4x24 Safari style scope. Anymore, my only large scope is a Kahles 3-9x42. Lightweight is the only way to go.
Besides, my idea for hunting is getting closer than 150-200yds. I've seen too many "hunters" mess up at 400+yds, regardless of what some character post on his TH-cam video... They never show the ones they hit but lost! Piss-poor hunting ethics!
I Must have watched 20 different videos on ffp or sfp differences . Yours was the most helpful by far. Just a better job explaining period. I just got my primary arms gl 4x18x50 Tuesday. Its ffp . Still waiting on darn mount. Keep up great videos. Chance.
Thanks for that
Excellent breakdown! I use a SFP 1-6 on my AR's because the reticle is easy to see. At close range I use the chevron and the horseshoe (Primary Arms ACSS reticle) and at longer ranges I can go on up to 6 power and used the holdovers accurately. On my long-range rifle I have a SWFA SS 3-15 FFP mil/mil scope that I can reliably dial in dope with.
Great choices Dennis !
If a 10X scope gives you wood, your easy, but not cheap. Love your vids, thank you.
Must be the grunt in me wanting to come back out... but I'm a big fan of the KISS principal
@@michelt4390 Me, too! I'm liking the Primary arms KISS reticle.
If one does decide to go FFP I recommend one with a good illuminated recital to make aiming at the lowest power setting easier.
I love how informative your videos are! Thanks for always posting great content!
You are.morr than welcome
Well done. I knew quite a bit of this information but I would have had a much more awkward time trying to explain it as well as you did!
Lol , thanks
Thanks bud. I watched the FFP vs SFP with vortex and fell asleep. I need optics for dummies, so Thank you for all your videos!
Glad you like them!
I agree my deer rifles have Schmidt and Zeiss with heavier reticles , I prefer the variables though.
My longer range rifles have finer rets duplex and mil type for precision.
I have both FFP and SFP , split between FFP for long range and SFP for deer hunting. I usually dial for long range and hold over for deer.
Where I live almost all shots are inside 75 yards in heavy timber . So bright with heavy crosshair is the way to go
Yes sir, heavy reticles are often overlooked but a must for a no BS hunting rig. The Leupold plex w/firedot is a fantastic reticle for predator hunting, 3-9X40 with a throw lever is perfect on an AR platform rifle. Subscribed....
Great post man
Keep up the fantastic info!
Fixed-power scopes are like prime lenses. There's just something wonderful about how they're put together.
Without a Doubt
Hi Joe...I do most of my hunting with airguns... for bigbore airguns my favorite scope is the Burris Droptine 2-7 rimfire...second focal plane, all of the magnification you need out to 150, holdover points,etc. With the parallax set at 50, it does just fine..... for small bore/ small game, I like a second focal plane 4-16 with milldots... I’ll gladly go to 10x to use the milldots if necessary, instead of trying to use a FFP on low power... might as well forget seeing the crosshairs in the brush.
Good job explaining. Been trying to wrap my head around the whole FFP vs SFP. You helped!
Good deal Robert
Thanks for posting,my son keeps asking me which is better,I tell him it doesn't matter much for us where we hunt it's 100;yards and closer most time 40-50 yards
Jeeese …. You tell Nothing But The …. Truth.
Love your videos, getting my Education Every Time I Tune In👌🏽
Great stuff Joe. All the info, none of the salesman type BS.
Yeah man , pushing one brand all the time to me makes other guys credibility drop to ZERO
Thanks for a great information
Super helpful information. I hadn't considered some of these things but I will for sure now. You're the man Joe!
Thanks Tay .
I greatly prefer a FFP scope for pesting at close range as it allows me to freely select an optimal magnification vs field of view for a given situation, and I just need to memorize (or lookup) the distance to the target to find my holdover. If you dial using tape, then you only need 1 tape. With a SFP scope, magnification is another variable so you have to either 1. lookup both distance and zoom for when holding over, or have a tape for each magnification if you dial, 2. treat your scope as a fixed lens so you have all your dopes at that fixed zoom (which is kinda to Joe's point on fixed scopes), or 3. do the math in your head which I found error prune in practice, i.e. you know you need 2 mil holdover, but because you are at 5x magnification instead of 10x, that means you need 1 mil dot holdover when you look through your scope. I assume someone has a patent on hybrid scopes, as it seems like such an obvious solution: reticle is 2nd focal plane except for the sub-tensions which should be in the 1st focal plane.
Love your videos. Your "KISS" method of explaining things does it or me. Appreciate it brother !
Love it every day is a school day. I’ve learned something. And you answer questions befor they’ve been asked. Cheers
Thanks
Very insightful on scopes. Thank you. The only thing left out was BUDGET. LOTS of folks can't afford a first focal and that's where you're advice is always on target. Stay fafe
Yeah, 10 power with MOA dials and mil-dot reticle. Leupold Mark 4 M3 comes to mind if you can find one.
FFP for my airguns under 100yrds now my long distance powder burners SFP all the way for me .
thanks joe! this is a really great video about something i've been puzzling over for quite a while. i'm going to rewatch it and send it to a couple buddies.
Thanks Skip
Found you late last week! Love you just the way you are, maybe not the Coors though! LOL I’m learning and having fun with every post you make. Thanks so much
Lol , thanks for that . I have a blast doing this
I really like your video’s you always explain where a person understands the scopes you review my uncle he always preferred fix power scopes and I got a couple of fixed power scopes on hunting rifles I also totally understand first and and second focal plain scope in how they work thank you for these awesome videos
Excellent video. Question: Why are there so few fixed power rifle scopes available nowadays?
My understanding is that they were ubiquitous back in the day.
What happened?
It’s just not what sells anymore
So glad I found your reviews … Luke from the southwest of the uk
Tha ks for that Luke
Good to see you doing well brother Joe. I my self prefer 2nd focal plane. And Bud light. 👍🇺🇲✌
Lol I’ll go either way ...On the BEER
Thanks for your honest opinion, always great videos awesome work!!!
I totally value second focal plane and if you already know your distances, you can just dial a tactical SFP scope. Or, use a BDC reticle for general purposes. Any reticle can be trued if you have a diagram of the reticle showing how much MOA or mils is each gap or dot. For example, the Vortex Crossfire II series is a serious contender in SFP hunting scopes.
But I have really come to love FFP scopes. Especially the Christmas tree style reticles. Where I hunt is on public land that is heavily forested in some parts and open in other parts. 100 yards in one direction and I am in a bunch of trees. Go the other way and I can see a few hundred yards. My laser range finder will react of a leaf of twig and give me 30 yards, which I know is wrong. But I can range in the reticle and FFP makes that easier. For example, a 3 inch wide young tree trunk measures 4 MOA in the scope. That is 71 yards. No need to adjust my scope elevation from the 100 yard zero.
Another time, I range 238 yards, For that, I can dial up 2.6 MOA or 11 clicks. Hold 1 MOA right into the wind (shooting in a west direction with a northwest wind.)
FFP scopes are a little heavier. But I just like them so much, so, I will suffer with the weight.
Great honest information Joe, much appreciated!
25 years ago I bought a Leopold MK III straight 10x for my carry AR(16" Lilja barrel). Scope was duplex reticle,tac turrets and parallax adjustable. Elevation turret was 1" per click, windage was 1/2" per click.This was not a gold ring model the ring was black like the rest of the scope. That was one of the best, quick setups I have used for walk ,dial shoot. I'd like too have the whole rig back,but trust me my buddy just had too have it and paid large for it. No I don't feel bad he's got the jing 🤣 being a Dr. and all. I'm like your no horseshit channel.👍
Great video as usual. Question. Scope recommended for 17 WSM shooting no more than 150 - 200 yards with anticipated average being under 100 yards. 65 years old with fairly good eyes. Savage rifle. Used on wolf size critters.
Joe check out the SWFA SS Ultralight 2.5-10 ...I can't say enough good about this scooe
Nice vid again, didn’t know you were mates with Mike Vaughan,, I subscribe to him too. Both of you are spot on, hi from Wales 🏴 U..K. Keep it going dudes.
Hell yeah man , Curt is the Best !!
Cyclops Videos Joe W Rhea couldn’t agree more, hope he’s recovering well from his bump in the car. All the best from across the pond.
I have 2 Hawkes. 4x12x50, 3x9x40. The 3x9 can’t take my hw80 double impact of the piston. It’s been back to warranty twice. The 4x12 is all good.
Excellent review of first and second. I’m with you on the fixed power for hunting. Definitely not enough to choose from.
Very clear explanation - just what we need. AND some practical tips too.
This answered for me the type focal plane to get.... thanks so much
Food for thought, thanks Joe.
Great and very informative video. I was in 2 minds which type of scope I wanted FFP or SFP and this cleared my mind. SFP fits my shooting disciplines better and I can understand why now. Thanks for the info and I'm now a subscriber to be able to learn more and help you in a tiny way, to continue your great videos
Thank you, you made it very easy for me to figure out what i need, Vortex Strike Eagle 1x8x24
Great info as always I prefer 2nd for hunting
Great vid and thanks for making it really clear. No bullshit, just facts and you get to the point real quick. So many reviewers seem to find their feminine side and talk like they are trying to talk $5 hooker out of her pants.
I am in UK and only shoot 12ft/lb air guns for the table and pest control. There is a lot of hum for FFP here atm, and I have given it a whirl but just can't take to it. The reticle is so small when I am zoomed out my shitty eyes have trouble seeing much on it and when I am zoomed to a point it becomes usable, I have no field of view and take ages to acquire the target. Had my first taste of fixed magnification with a Berretta scope... the jury is still out, but you have convinced me to keep at it. Right now I am only serious with SFP - the notches on my gun bear testament. Good ammo, good engineering (for me German - Walther current favourite tool - and loving it, just brutal), good glass. That is the winning mix.
Great Comment my friend !!!🍻
words of wisdom thank you
Great video, I learned a good bit. I am trying to find a good scope for my break barrel air gun. The one that came with it is crap. It is a 4x40 fixed. I am looking at maybe a lepers 4x9 x 40. I hunt squirrels at no more than 40 yards. I do plan on mounting it on the Diana shock mount when they get back in stock. Keep up the great work my friend enjoy all your videos.
Night shooting we always fix the scope to about 10, sight it in and never change it. You can't dial a scope in, in the dark, always shoot with the mill dots. So I can see why you like the fixed scopes, but very hard to buy.
Yeah the Leupold fx3 and SWFA SS are my go to scopes
Dang great stuff there, helps me explain to folks why I use second focal plane with 10 power from memory on holds.
Thanks Man
Thank you for all the information. I have learned a lot about scopes thank to these videos.
Thanks Rick
@@CyclopsJoeVideos if you don't mind could you recomend a good ffp scope for a .25 pcp airgun under 500.00 ? I will be shotting mostly ground hogs and plinking.
I do a little of both with the same rifle. So i went with ffp. Im not disappointed at all and the small retical on the low setting doesnt seem to bother me not one bit. But i went with the blackhound 4-14x44 so its not to thin and not to thick. The only dislike i have about it is the zero stop. It sucks in my opinion, i took that thing right back off about 20 min after i installed it. But the rest of the scope is great for me.
Great video! I'm sure this helped a lot of people.
I hope it did
Seems like all the Air gun hunters / youtube guys use 1st focal plane, im like you grew up with 2nd focal plane i just hold over. good info Joe.
I’m with ya
Another great video Joe !!!
Thanks Daniel
Thanks for the very well explained differences in those Scopes Joe really appreciate it... take care and stay safe
Thanks for this valuable information! You’re helping me make better buying choices.
Thanks Joe, very good advice and descriptive video.
I'd like to see you make a video on setting a scope up on a rifle. I'd like to see the process to use.
Great idea 👍
Another good video. Thanks
Great explanation mate. BUT I think you reversed definitions at 1:31. I’m FFP the reticle expands with the zoom as you described at the beginning. I believe that’s what you meant to say at 1:31. For hunting use FFP because the reticle gets bigger with the target (so in the scope zoom it should also read FFP). Or did I miss something??
My mistake ! Good eye 😳
For my purposes a SFP is my preference, but then again I'm not into long range precision shooting. Mainly because I'm too old to enjoy it and it's a money pit and I don't have a big pile of money to throw into it. My hunting rifles (the ones I actually hunt with) have 2-7x or 3-9x Leupold or Burris optics.
So far all ive used was el cheapo fixed box scopes i got a long way to go!
Lol you will get there
@@CyclopsJoeVideos well I can tell you that I really do appreciate these videos you do on the Scopes stay safe brother
Thank you for this. It's been incredibly helpful!!
Another incredible video thanks Joe
Thank You
Wow I learned a LOT with this video! Thanks Joe. Awesome channel. ^5
Thank you for that
Just got a Aztec Emerald FFP for my Uragan and love it. Yes the FOV will suffer at higher magnification but all I do is shoot paper so it's not much of a issue. If I was hunting I would most certainly have a SFP all day long! Enjoy your videos and your funny as shit!
Thanks Shane