I am by no means the shooter Centercut is but I may be able to shed a small amount of light on using an Athlon FFP scope in HFT.
I have been using the Argos 6-24 FFP mounted on my BSA R10 FT gun for almost a year now. I have included pictures of a UTG scope wheel with distance marking, a Maestro GAPacity comma wheel
https://www.maestro-design.co.uk/product/gapacity-sidewheel-2/ and a side by side comparison of the two tapes.
To your questions-
Question: is a 4” wheel adequate?
Answer: yes but a larger wheel will give you more incremental ranges.
Question: how well does it range at 45 yards?
Answer: For me, at 45 on 16x it ranges very well. I struggle with discerning between 50 and 55 though. But if I’m uncertain when the choice of holdover will vary 1/2 mildot, I’ll bracket measure the target.
https://airgunwarriors.com/field-target/analyzing-effectiveness-of-bracketing/ Question: Does the target disappear on dark, shaded targets?
Answer: for the most part, no. I’m assuming you are going to the FT nats in Baton Rouge in October and heard the stories of shooting FT there. I’ve been told you will want an illuminating reticle for the match as I’ve also been told the Bayou club like to hide their targets in the dark.
1” to 1 1/2” killzone used in >40y targets do not tend to lose all of their paint so much as the 11 yard-3/8” KZ’s do. And be sure to order a sunshade. It helps with clarity of the target.
hope this helps in some way. I’m sure Centercut will be a greater wealth of information on the scope and it’s capabilities. I’ll be testing out the Maestro coma this coming weekend in Grandbury Texas at the Republican of Texas GP and hopeful it will help sharpen my skills. Hope to see you in Baton Rouge
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