Leupold VX 3i 8.5-25X50- 1st or 2nd focal plane.

[NorsemanAlaska]

Only issue with dialing down the 8.5-25 is lead on fast moving targets. Even an issue with 6.5 power at 600 plus yards on targets moving over 20 mph.

Good shooting.

Well I don't think we'll be plinking at moving targets but its good info to have... And I'm too old to shoot critters that aren't standing still and within 400 yards- LOL Thanks a lot...

 

[BRIT]

Hi
Forgive me if you are already aware of this. I have two VX111 scopes and I find the large change in eye relief between minimum and maximum magnification somewhat annoying. Other scopes such as sightron do not do this.
Brit.

 

[NorsemanAlaska]

Hi
Forgive me if you are already aware of this. I have two VX111 scopes and I find the large change in eye relief between minimum and maximum magnification somewhat annoying. Other scopes such as sightron do not do this.
Brit.

Thanks for your input. Personally I've never noticed that I've had to creep up on the scope at higher magnifications...But I'm sure it's different for every person. Shoot safe.

 

[mtmuley]

What cartridge(s) were you plinking with before the decision to go Creedmoor? mtmuley

 

[NorsemanAlaska]

What cartridge(s) were you plinking with before the decision to go Creedmoor? mtmuley

Well when I started this post over 2 months ago it was the Creemoor. Now we're going with the .224 Valkyrie for numerous reasons. But my wife and I mid to short range shoot a .308 for me and a .223 for her...Thx.

 

[yobuck]

It isn't really temperature directly that causes mirage, it is the temperature difference between the ground and the air. I've had mirage issues with air temperatures in the 40°F range. The higher the ground temperature as opposed to the air temperature, the greater the mirage. The closer you are to the ground, the more you will be impacted by whatever mirage is present. The higher the magnification you use, of your optic, the more you will see the effects or the prevailing mirage.

20 power is more than enough magnification for 1000 yards! I too am near sighted but, with my scope properly adjusted, I have shot 7" groups at 1200 yards. 9" to 12" groups at that range are relatively common, when I get the wind read correct. Not too bad for my rifle setup and budget.

All true with regard to mirage, BUT, elevation above sea level dosent factor in, as you will find mirage at all elevations under certain conditions, even on cold below freezing days. As stated, less power is the only way to combat it.
That said, there are times when having the power available is an asset, especially in a hunting situation.
As for the 1st or 2nd focal plane argument, it would depend largely on the proposed use of the scope.
For a target shooter, there might be advantages to the 1st focal plane, and mil/mil, or moa/moa, and there could also be an advantage to 1/8 vs 1/4 clicks.
But no l/r hunter in his right mind will be ranging with a reticle anyway, and most would probably rather the reticle size remain constant regardless of power setting.
Frankly, many wont even care all that much about matching dial/reticle, especially the older guys who had no choices, but somehow grew up without it.

There is no doubt that the single most important factor in the success of long range shooting, and especially l/r hunting, has been the dialing of rifle scopes.
That said, it has been being done very successfully long before the modern day scopes even existed.
Which when we look back, wasent really very long ago when someone might say, (Whats a Nightforce)
Learning to use the dial so that a miss is a hit on the next shot is really all that matters, and it matters not the type of scope, or wether the miss was 4 feet or 4 inches if you understand how to correct for it, AND,
you or someone else saw where the first bullet landed.
Without that information nothing works, and with it take your pick because everything will.

 

[hybridfiat]

Here's my take: if you NEED to range using the mil dots or bars then a FFP is handy. However the reticle will be very fine at low magnification for those close snap shots when it should be thick. At high magnification it will be thick and cover half the damm target.
So I would maybe want FFP when sniping for combatants and a second focal plane scope for hunting every time.
Do yourself a favour and put the 2 types of scope side by side and ask yourself if the change in size when zooming in is worth it.

 

[yobuck]

I would like to be able to watch as someone used a scope reticle for ranging in a L/R hunting situation,
and then dial and make a first round hit, especially when the distances start getting out to 7 or 800 yds. or further.
Fact is very few of us have ever, or will ever, be involved in a sniping situation where enemy return fire is a possibility. I did read the book written by the Ultimate Sniper, and learned that he actually did very little dialing, and preferred doing as little as possible.
His favorite among the guns available to him was a 300 Win Mag with a Nightforce scope zeroed at 400 yds. From there he just held up or down center mass for the vast majority of his kills.
There was no mention at all of using a reticle for ranging and dialing information.
For sure a rangefinder was involved, but id feel it a safe bet that it wasent just a scope reticle.

 

[xdHammar]

FFP - so the reticle remains to scale regardless of magnification power.

 

[jasent]

For ELR 2fp is king imo.

 

[yobuck]

FFP - so the reticle remains to scale regardless of magnification power.

They have been making fixed power scopes like say 8x to 20x with target dot reticles for eons before FFP scopes became a household word. And great custom reticles from people like Premier Reticles were available for many years also. So nothing is actually new and better as for ranging with a reticle.
We even had a flop known as (Accu Range), which did get you pretty much as close as most guys could guess, at least to a point.
But there are always new shooters coming along who think there is.

 

[longrangebo]

They have been making fixed power scopes like say 8x to 20x with target dot reticles for eons before FFP scopes became a household word. And great custom reticles from people like Premier Reticles were available for many years also. So nothing is actually new and better as for ranging with a reticle.
We even had a flop known as (Accu Range), which did get you pretty much as close as most guys could guess, at least to a point.
But there are always new shooters coming along who think there is.

Dont you ever wonder how we managed to kill all those deer without all these fancy things?HaHaHa By the way buddy whats your 20

 

[yobuck]

Dont you ever wonder how we managed to kill all those deer without all these fancy things?HaHaHa By the way buddy whats your 20

Hey Bo, hows it going? Still down here fishing, but will be heading up there for buck season.
And yes it does make one wonder dosent it.

 

[zeeman]

Dont you ever wonder how we managed to kill all those deer without all these fancy things?HaHaHa By the way buddy whats your 20

Hey LRBo your logo looks like somewhere in northcentral Pa .... Cameron County??