FFP vs SFP

Yes, it's like what you said. If you end up with a FFP scope make sure it is illuminated to help you see on low power.

And if you are shooting squirrels, SFP is well enough since you should be pretty close to the target.

Reticle thickness varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model. It doesn’t matter if it’s FFP or SFP. Of course you have to realize that reticle thickness changes with magnification on FFP scopes. 

FFP scope the reticle changes with the target . on low power the reticle is small but on high power the reticle is large , I think it would be best if you look before you buy , but lots of You tube Explanations .

Generally speaking, yes

I would say at lower magnification settings the SFP will be thicker . I prefer SFP because the reticle is a constant. This is preferred by some , but not by others. Really comes down to user preference. 

I have both ffp and sfp, and both work. I guess the real question is how fine do you want it? I suspect you can find versions of both with very fine or very course reticles. All depends on the model, manufacturer and how the scope was designed. I can't really draw any generalities from what I've seen, so yes, look before you buy.

It is going to be extremely difficult to see the center of a FFP reticle at the lowest magnification.

If hunting using lower magnification to scan the area to see your critter you will need to pause for a moment to zoom in higher to see the center of the reticle then take your shot.

Or just leave it at 10x when hunting.

You should look through a FFP scope on the lowest magnification setting before deciding on whether or not it may suit your eyes before buying.

Illumination may not necessarily be bright enough in some day time instances depending on scope.

I like SFP for close to medium range hunting to be able to always see the center of the reticle for quick shots before critter runs off.

I prefer FFP for shooting from a rest and just keep it on high magnification or when hunting long distance where you zoom it anyway to take the shot.

Gets pretty thick and fat at highest magnification. Thicker than a SFP reticle.

Half way up in the FFP power zoom is the perfect reticle size.

Noticed on a FFP 3-12x such as a Vector Veron it's very difficult to hunt with unless it's set on 10x. A SFP Veron no problem at all hunting using the lower magnification in fact its entire useable magnification range.

It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Best to get an in person look before buying. The dealer I bought from, Trenier Outdoors, opened every scope manufacturer he had in stock and let me look throught them before I decided. I have 66 year old eyes and scopes have been giving me fits lately.

The best for me was an Element Helix 6-24x50 in SFP. I can see the reticle in all magnifications.

It is going to be extremely difficult to see the center of a FFP reticle at the lowest magnification.

If hunting using lower magnification to scan the area to see your critter you will need to pause for a moment to zoom in higher to see the center of the reticle then take your shot.

Or just leave it at 10x when hunting.

You should look through a FFP scope on the lowest magnification setting before deciding on whether or not it may suit your eyes before buying.

Illumination may not necessarily be bright enough in some day time instances depending on scope.

I like SFP for close to medium range hunting to be able to always see the center of the reticle for quick shots before critter runs off.

I prefer FFP for shooting from a rest and just keep it on high magnification or when hunting long distance where you zoom it anyway to take the shot.

Gets pretty thick and fat at highest magnification. Thicker than a SFP reticle.

Half way up in the FFP power zoom is the perfect reticle size.

Noticed on a FFP 3-12x such as a Vector Veron it's very difficult to hunt with unless it's set on 10x. A SFP Veron no problem at all hunting using the lower magnification in fact its entire useable magnification range.

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@Batman2 I agree with the statement in bold. It may be a good idea to shop from an online vendor with a liberal return policy so that you can try out the scope and return it for a refund or exchange if you don’t like it. Some will take them back as long as it wasn’t mounted. I usually look through them without mounting to get a feel for it. I’ve returned scopes after testing them like this. Optics Planet has a pretty generous return policy. 


I think it’s really a matter of preference and how you intend to use the scope, and the condition of one’s eyesight when it comes to FFP scopes. I use the Veyron frequently to hunt and target practice. I hunt squirrels using 5x-6x for tracking as well as quick acquisition shots when I can get one off. I really only max it out for ranging. I can’t track a moving squirrel well at high magnifications due to a narrow field of view. However, I find the 3x-4x magnification pretty useless because I can’t really see the reticle. At 5x magnification I’m not using holdover marks and have had pretty good success. 


@JeffS55 you’ve gotten some good feedback from others. Reticle thickness surely appears to differ from manufacturer to manufacturer as well as between models. An illuminated reticle definitely helps to at least provide some sort of visible crosshairs in a FFP scope at low magnification, but unless it’s a duplex reticle or something similar you’ll probably want to magnify the reticle large enough to utilize holdover and windage marks. 


With that said I was wondering if 6x minimum magnification FFP scopes would be a good investment for someone (like myself) who is comfortable using the Veyron on low-mid magnification. The Vector Veyron 3-12x has a thin reticle so I would imagine that another brand FFP scope with minimum 6x magnification would likely be sufficient considering what I stated above. 

Generally speaking, do SFP scopes tend to have wider thicker etc crosshairs than FFP scopes? My old eyes are having trouble picking up thinner crosshairs against a dark background. IE gray squirrels in the shade for instance.

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Yes, because the reticle line thickness appears to remain constant per magnification. As someone stated it all depends on what the optics Co has speced out in the reticle design as to how thick it is. The downside is the hash marks for holds does change significantly from lower power to higher power.

In FFP the reticle appears to shrink at low magnification and grow at high magnification though the reticle thickness actually remains the same as well as the hash marks.

Some FFP scopes have thicker reticles like the "low power variable optics/LPVO's". One of the most versatile I can think of is the Athlon Helos G2 2-12x42 DMR. This is a great all around "do almost everything well" scope!