Night Vision 1st vs 2nd focal plane scope with pvs-22.

[niteshooter]

I would like opinions or preferences for which focal plane to use with pvs-22 or 27 clip-ons.
I have a Nightforce nxs 3-15 2nd focal plane which i normally use under 10x to maintain image clarity with my pvs-22. I prefer not to illuminate the retical as it gives me a more defined aim point.
I like the full sized retical at low mag. I don't think I could see it well enough if it were 1st focal plane. I would have to illuminate the retical which might be fine. I just don't want to drop 3 grand on a scope and regret getting 1st focal plane for the clip-on use.
For my next rifle I was thinking of using a Nightforce 8-32 nxs or the ATACR f1 7-35 or 5-25 power model. Just not sure if it's worth the extra cost of the f1 for my personal hunting and target shooting recreation.

 

[Kopfjager1]

Ive used a FFP 3-12x and 3-15x with PVS-27s, never ran the illuminated reticle. The problem with the higher power scopes 25x and up, like you said, the image clarity starts to degrade, I never liked going above 10-12x with the PVS-27s, and with those higher magnification scopes, on 10-12x the reticle is going to be really fine. If I were you, Id get a 3-12x,15x,18x FFP scope. There are plenty of optics under the 2-3 grand that will fit your needs.

Also with the SFP scope when you go to the lower magnifications the reticle is going to "larger", what was 0.05 mRad center reticle thickness on 15x, is now 0.08 mRad, and a 0.2 mRad center reticle is now 0.3 mRad horizontally and vertically. So running the illumination on a FFP scope dialed down to 10-12x will appear to be a finer reticle, but visible.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

the reticle size doesnt change on a sfp scope kopjaeger...unless you are referring to its value for hold

as to the op...i've ran about every optic there is in conjunction with all sorts of clip ons from simrads to pvs30-22-27 etc. the sweet spot has always been 8-12x depending on ambient light. that said the constant size reticle of a sfp scope is damn nice with clip ons. depending on how you are utilizing the optic and its purpose its can serve you well. ffp scopes are totally usable and nearly necessary if you simply hold your dope using the reticle which at night is preferable. if you are using any kind of collimated lrf like the raptar or radius its also nicer using a ffp that you arent dialing as you dont need to worry about dialing back down to zero for collimation and ranging.

this is why there has been discussions and work on a hybrid optic that is ffp above a certain mag and sfp below a certain mag so you can also maintain a usable size reticle down around 3-5x

 

[Kopfjager1]

Killswitch Engage, youre right the reticle size doesnt change in appearance, but the picture does, therefore the reticle is actually covering more of the target when you decrease the magnification. I even did the math for you...

 

[Killswitch Engage]

Yes thats the value

 

[niteshooter]

Thanks for the input guys.
The main reason I'm considering the high mag scopes was to use them as a spotting scope also to better see the impacts on my steel plates 500-1000 yards during daylight . Less stuff to haul around also. 15 power is fine for me to engage the target at those distances but seeing the impact mark can be challenging. My current set up is on page 2 of the precision rifles...show them thread. I was thinking of a similar build in a 300 magnum of sorts and have access to 2 spots to shoot to a mile just for grins. Hence the high magnification deal. But I don't want to screw myself with not enough low mag range to dial down for night time when it's cloudy and new moon crappyest night possible. Those nights just cranking up to 8 power is getting fuzzy. My torch pro helps but kind if washes things out around 400 yards losing a little contrast.

Obviously I don't plan to shoot past 1000 yards at night even though I could. Right now my limit is 500 for reliable hits on a 15 inch plate. That's clear full moon at 15 power but the image is a bit grainy.
Back when I used 4x and 6x dedicated night scopes the 4x Mildot retical was so small using the mil dots was basically pointless. The 6x retical was big enough to see the mil dots.

And yes I have the radius rangefinder specifically for night time. I put it on pulse and hold it on my target to range. Doesn't matter if it's off from the crosshairs as I can see where it's ranging with the Nightvision.

The more I ramble on about this stuff I realize I might just have to get a SHV F1 or cheaper scope just to test the waters and go for more later if needed. Experience never comes cheap.

The real issue is I think I'm the only night vision precision rifle nut in my local area so checking out other people's set ups in person isn't a viable option. Wild River Ranch is near by and they have the good night hunting/shooting stuff available but for the cost you could put a good chunk toward your own scope/rifle etc.

Im cutting this rant off here since I won't be buying anything until I get my hands and eyes on some more scopes to see for myself what I prefer.

Again thanks to all for sharing and add more if you wish or a simple stfu to me is fine also haha!

 

[Surgeon_Shooter]

If your going to be ranging things with your reticle use a FFP. If not definitely get SFP, the reticle is far more visible when used with a clip on and it's a lot easier on your eyes than squinting to find that tiny FFP reticle on 3x haha