Scope plane

nedcbr6

Think of changing my scope but some of the scopes have Front Focal Plane or 2nd Focal Plane what is the difference ???

Cass

• FFP = First focal Plane - A reticle in the First Focal Plane is placed at the front of the erector assembly and remains in the same visual proportion to the target across the riflescopes entire magnification range. IOW the crosshair gets larger/smaller as you zoom in or out.
• SFP = Second Focal Plane - A reticle in the Second Focal Plane is placed at the rear of the erector assembly will appear to stay constant in size across the magnification range. IOW the crosshair remains the same size regardless of the magnification setting used.

nedcbr6

Cheerz Cass

Which is better the FFP OR SFP ???

My shooting at the moment is target practice and crows/rabbits the odd fox if it comes my way
Will be upgrading rifle in the near future but scope first !!!!!

Cass

For target work second focal plane is best. The crosshair remaining the same size prevents blockage for the target and allows for more precise aiming.

Some lads prefer first focal plane regardless of use. I prefer second for both hunting and target work. So it's really a case of which you prefer.

nedcbr6

Cass on the

SFP shooting you have to have if on a preferred Magnification for shooting at a target ??
FFP you can shoot on any Magnification ??
Does it depend on what make of scope how thick or thin the lines get or will they all be around the same on the FFP ???

Cheerz Cass on all the help again

Cass wrote: »

For target work second focal plane is best. The crosshair remaining the same size prevents blockage for the target and allows for more precise aiming.

Some lads prefer first focal plane regardless of use. I prefer second for both hunting and target work. So it's really a case of which you prefer.

Cass

nedcbr6 wrote: »

SFP shooting you have to have if on a preferred Magnification for shooting at a target ??

When you have a second focal plane it means no matter what magnification you use the crosshair will not become "bigger/thicker". So whether it's 100 yards or 1,000 yards the crosshair will not block out the target.

This obviously depends on the thickness of the crosshair the manufacturer uses. For example on Nightforce/Sightron scopes. The crosshair choice is large, but in second focal plane none of them can block out a 1/2" sticker at 100 yards nor the 5" bullseye at 1,000 yards.

FFP you can shoot on any Magnification ??

A first focal plane scope has a crosshair of a certain thickness. What they is again depends on what the manufacturer uses and you pick. When at the lowest magnification the crosshair seems to be a certain thickness. So on the highest mag at 100 yards you can see and make out (for example) the 1" bullseye. When you zoom out to the lowest the magnification setting the crosshair appears to get "thicker" and will eventually block out the 1" target.

Now on larger targets or even game this might not be such an issue as there are almost no vermin/game targets that are so small or at such a distance that this can cause real problems. However some, like me, simply do not like this and prefer 2nd focal plane scopes.

Does it depend on what make of scope how thick or thin the lines get or will they all be around the same on the FFP ???

Pretty much. As i said above it's why manufacturers offer 2st & 2nd focal plane scopes, and a range of reticles. you simply pick those that best suit your preferences and needs.