luisberry13, I've been using this scope since about half a year.
I selected this one
above all others — after comparing the specs of about 40+ scopes between 300 and $500, that had a hold-off reticle (hash lines or dots) and exposed turrets.
My reasoning: (1) For hunting
the bottom end of the magnification is very important — a 6x magnification makes it hard to acquire your quarry for a quick shot if it pops up close-by.
4x is already much better.
3x is really quick — it gives you
twice the field of view than a 6x.
(2) However, often 3x scopes only go up to 12x. The Falcon S18i goes up to 18x
top end mangnification = for shooting out to 100y I wanted at least 16x, and 18x is better.
(3) To me having an
FFP instead of a SFP is so much more convenient — I can memorize just one set of hold-offs, that is valid at
any magnification.
(4) I'm mostly a turret dialer, and I like to shoot long ranges and heavy slugs. Therefore, I appreciate that the turrets dial all of
10 mils (c. 33moa) — in just one revolution! (better than only 5 mils, or an uneven 6 mils).
And if I go beyond that, there is a
turret revolution counter (markings to show me that I'm already one or more full turns up on the turret) (this is a rare feature to find in this price class).
The clicks are very crisp and audible = good quality.
(5) I do not range using the parallax focus (a la field target), instead I use a range finder, much more precise, esp. beyond 40 yards. Therefore, I want to
adjust the parallax with as little turning as possible — and the Falcon delivers that.
(6) For long range shooting and heavy slugs I need a lot of elevation adjustment range as I dial my shots. The Falcon
offers 90 moa elevation adjustment range (only the SWFA beats this in this price class, 120 moa). Mine actually dials 105 moa total.
(7) When I do hold off by a lot of mils, I do get confused by the many lines, and have to start counting: "1mil, 2mil, 3mil, 4mil, 4.8mil — OK!"
But the Falcon S18i
has numbers in the reticle to make this much quicker (2, 4, 6, ...)
(8) Has
IR, with a quick dial:
On Level #1 — Off — On Level #2 — Off — On #3 — Off — On $4 — Off etc. etc.
(9) At
31.1oz this is not a light scope, but it's much easier to save weight on a rifle without loosing quality, than to save weight on a scope and still get good glass and full features. My bullpup only weighs 6 lbs, so no sweat.
(10) The turrets have little holes in them, where one can store pellets, I guess.
Or I can 3D-print
turret bonnets that can be affixed to the turret easily using those holes. For each pellet or power combination, I'd have a turret bonnet. When I switch pellets, I just swap the turret bonnet for one with the adjusted values on the turret tape.
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As I said, there is no scope that has all those features, at that price.
As close runner ups I had:
SWFA 3-15x42 (
BUT: no IR |
uneven 6mil per turret revolution | small eye box due to the small objective lens of 42mm | ugly turrets | very tough and repeatable turret dialing — however $150 to $250 more expensive)
Discovery HD/34mm 3-18x50 SFIR FFP (No. 170108)
(
BUT: Only 3 year warranty | 34mm tube, i.e., fewer choices on rings |
uneven 6 mil per turret revolution | nice wide field of view, even for a 3x)
Have fun shopping. I'd buy the Falcon S18i again, immediately.
Matthias 
