Rifle Scopes Shooting a Second focal plane scope.

[SanPatHogger]

So I've been working on a project rifle for a while. Put a Osprey Global 5-30x56 mil dot reticle with moa adjustment on it. Capped turrets. I was only able to shoot out to 200 yards before, but yesterday I was able to go out to 400. I don't have a zero. I zeroed at 100, then adjusted about 3 inches high at 200. It shoots just a little low at 300. I looked at the ballistic drop chart on the ammo box and the spreads seemed to match. I held close to what the 400 yard drop should be and shot a 3.5 inch 7 shot group, just a little high. (This is dead hogs to 400 all day long) The gun is a Remington Sportsman 78 ADL that I pillar bedded and put Magpul bottom metal in to run detachable mags. Also cleaned and adjusted the trigger. Its shoots fantastic. Its primarily a Hog and Coyote gun. I would like to check out a precision rifle match, but I've been told I really need a FFP and MIL turrets. I agree.

I would like to shoot this scope as long as possible before spending more money on another scope. The guys Osprey Global replied o an email I sent and said the MIL reticle is calibrated to work at 10x. The power ring is not marked for 10x..... So I am going to set up a yard stick at 100 yards, set the power on the scope to match the yardstick and put a paint marker line for 10x.

After all this I guess my question is what distance should my zero be. And is it possible to successfully shoot a SFP scope more accurately?
Thank you guys.

Also, I have plans for a longer range, more precision oriented competition/match/sometimes hunt gun. That will have a FFP scope. Just need more funds first.

 

[Rocketmandb]

If you're going to shoot a SFP, dial instead of holding over.

 

[Friday]

SFP scopes get a bad wrap but if you can afford a 2k billy bad ass FFP scope you can afford a range finder and everyone has a shooter app dial up and send it

 

[OXN]

So I've been working on a project rifle for a while. Put a Osprey Global 5-30x56 mil dot reticle with moa adjustment on it. Capped turrets. I was only able to shoot out to 200 yards before, but yesterday I was able to go out to 400. I don't have a zero. I zeroed at 100, then adjusted about 3 inches high at 200. It shoots just a little low at 300. I looked at the ballistic drop chart on the ammo box and the spreads seemed to match. I held close to what the 400 yard drop should be and shot a 3.5 inch 7 shot group, just a little high. (This is dead hogs to 400 all day long) The gun is a Remington Sportsman 78 ADL that I pillar bedded and put Magpul bottom metal in to run detachable mags. Also cleaned and adjusted the trigger. Its shoots fantastic. Its primarily a Hog and Coyote gun. I would like to check out a precision rifle match, but I've been told I really need a FFP and MIL turrets. I agree.

I would like to shoot this scope as long as possible before spending more money on another scope. The guys Osprey Global replied o an email I sent and said the MIL reticle is calibrated to work at 10x. The power ring is not marked for 10x..... So I am going to set up a yard stick at 100 yards, set the power on the scope to match the yardstick and put a paint marker line for 10x.

After all this I guess my question is what distance should my zero be. And is it possible to successfully shoot a SFP scope more accurately?
Thank you guys.

Also, I have plans for a longer range, more precision oriented competition/match/sometimes hunt gun. That will have a FFP scope. Just need more funds first.

Zero at 100. This is the easiest way to control the one data point off of which you'll base all your other ballistic assumptions (which is your zero). SFP scopes are perfectly adequate; a lot of people actually prefer them for both hunting and target shooting.

 

[Southpaw Shooter]

Every scope I own is SFP for benchrest/target shooting and recently I got an awesome deal on a Meopta Optica6 5-30x56 in FFP and its a awesome scope but not to sure I like that reticle growing in size for target work, as the reticle gets bigger is covers more of your tiny target.

 

[supercorndogs]

Every scope I own is SFP for benchrest/target shooting and recently I got an awesome deal on a Meopta Optica6 5-30x56 in FFP and its a awesome scope but not to sure I like that reticle growing in size for target work, as the reticle gets bigger is covers more of your tiny target.

No, that is not how a FFP reticle works. It stays the same size in relation to a target.

FFP, is about consistent wind holds.

 

[b6graham]

You need actual data. Not shit on a box. Though that's at least a start.

I'd get something like the new Virtex Strike Eagle in mil and really just spend time hear reading. Understanding why box data is worthless. Why sfp is use for hunting ELR and KD and not precision/tactical

Dont buy this.

Osprey Global Elite Series: First Focal Plane 3-30X56 - Bluegrass Optics

Osprey Global Tactical Scopes - Incredible quality at an excellent price. High quality Japanese Hoya Glass | Shock resistance, waterproofing, and fog proof.

bluegrassoptics.com

Even if it does outweigh a razor gen2 by 14 ounces
What cartridge are we talking btw?

 

[supercorndogs]

O.P When you sighted in at 100, that was zero. What you dialed into your scope, for the longer shots, was your dope for those distances. Write it down for future use. It is not helpful to think of your adjustments in linear terms. Think of your adjustments in terms of what you dial. So for 400 it was probably about 6 MOA up, from a 100y zero. 1000 would be around 30MOA up.

SFP is adequate, but kind of a PIA for long range shooters. Personally I wouldn't take a SFP hunting either. I don't want to have to be thinking about what power I am on, to know my wind holds are correct. Its nice to be able to power down, to help see through mirage, and not have to refigure everything. There is a good reason 90% of people here are going to recommend FFP for long range shooting.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

The bulk of all my shooting is with SFP's with tree rets. You use them long enough an you will know where to hold at the three most popular power levels to,... you.
Mine are minimum power,... ret doubling power,... an max power.
PS, those that tell you the ret doubles at 1/2 power,... don't have a clue don't have a clue when it comes to Leupold an many other scope mfg'ers

 

[brianf]

Add to it that some SFP are not calibrated at max power.

Read the manual

 

[1holeaddict]

This is exactly what i do with my SFP Vortex scopes. Minimum power, Half Power, Max power.

 

[supercorndogs]

I spin my mag ring until I can see what I want to see, then rock and roll.

 

[b6graham]

I spin my mag ring until I can see what I want to see, then rock and roll.

FFP ftw

 

[SanPatHogger]

Thank you guys for your input.
When I bought my SFP scope I did not know what it was. I bought it at the gun show in Robstown. I knew I wanted MIL dots and I knew I wanted BIG. I did NOT want turrets because I didn't know what they really did and maybe was intimidated. At the time I was just hunting and limited to a 200 yard range. The glass is very clear and when its starting to get dark it adds quite a bit of light out in the field. I bought it for a hunting gun. But now have the itch to be able to hit very small targets at a lot of different ranges, and further then hunting ranges.

I went out in the field, set up a few targets, zeroed at 100.
Moved to 200 and shot low. Adjusted the scope, shot again about 4? inches high at 200 and moved to 300.
Shot at 300 and was a little low. I noticed the drops on the ammo box lined up with what I saw on paper, so I rough measured on the target backer with my hands and moved to 400. Lined up the cross hairs where they should be and noticed the bottom mil dot was just low of my 3 inch orange target dot. Used the bottom dot and shot 7 rounds, 3.5 inch group. I like that I can get close. But I want VERY close.

My next step is to put a yard stick at 100 and see what power the retical is accurate at. Osprey Global told me 10x, but the scope is now marked at 10x.
If I knew where my dots were correct it would give me a place in the retical that would match my drops.

The problem is I don't have a zero. I'm just kind of using the SWAG method. What should my zero be? 100 or 200? Then I would hold zero at my next range and shoot 3 and measure the drop, write it down.... Basically build my drop data as far as I can hit. Note where the dots are zeroed when they line up, that could be useful as far as target is at 400, bottom dot is 440, hold slightly low with the dot...?

The gun is a Remington sportsman 78 in .243

Thank you guys again for all your input.
Is there anybody that does shoot a SFP scope and how do you build your data?

And to totally ruin all of this... A buddy at work handed me a FFP Falcon 5.5-25 and said "here, use this till you can buy the scope you really want"
I put it on yesterday morning.

I like the SFP scope. Just need to learn and build my data to shoot it more accuratly.

Thank you guys again.

 

[SanPatHogger]

Also I have an AR with a cheap ass SFP mil dot scope. So I'll probably use whatever advice I get on that gun too. I like to carry the AR strapped to a backpack and ride the mountain bike out into the brush or fields and have places that a 400 yard shot at coyote is pretty regular. Thanks again.

 

[Steel head]

You can effectively use a graduated reticle in SFP but it’s not easy mode like FFP.

You need to do some homework to find what the subensions are at various marked magnifications then you need to always be aware as to your current power settings.

 

[roggom]

^^^ Exactly.
I have both FFP and SFP, but on my hunting rifles, especially ones for moving game (pronghorn etc) I use a SFP with a drop reticle. My Ziess has the numbers on it, the Leupold is simple, 200Y zero, 300, 400, 450 500. I have been lucky to find ammo that tracks with the reticle for those rifles. Ziess and vortex have apps or a website that will tell you the drop at various magnifications. Some others, you will have to research and some math.

I like the prominent reticle of a SFP in the field, and when I am stalking, crawling or traversing, I dont have the luxury of pulling out a dope sheet and dicking around with turrets. Point, shoot, DRT.