Well, I'm an old dog who's comfortable with the MOA system (same as my range buddies) so unless somebody can point out the advantages of MRAD
over MOA, then I believe I'll stick with what I know best.
Lord Pepper--I'm not about to change over all my guns to metric, and I won't mix n' match, thx.
Ultimonk--Good point about the SFP thing--This Vortex is FFP--pretty amazing how that works!
Last call for members posting comments about how MRAD is far superior......
(;0 ]
The choice to go MoA or MRAD, or SFP or FFP is dependent upon your intended use. Rather than falling into the trap of this is far superior to that, look at MoA/MRAD/SFP/FFP as tools, and each tool is better suited than others, for specific things. Pardon me if any of this is redundant for you.
If your intention is to get into F-Class, shoot at targets that are at known distances, shoot from a bench, etc...then a scope with MoA turrets and a finer SFP reticle has distinct advantages.
First, 1/4 MoA or 1/8 MoA clicks are finer than 1/10th MRAD clicks, permitting you to make sharper adjustments to your point of impact and your shot corrections: 1/4 MoA is approximately 0.250 inches @ 100y, 1/8 MoA is approximately 0.125 inches @ 100y, while 0.1 MRAD is approximately 0.36 inches @ 100y. Remember that, despite common usage and association, MoA is not imperial and MRAD is not metric - they are both measurements of angle. As such, 1 MoA is not exactly 1 inch at 100 yards; it's actually 1.05 inches at 100 yards, which will have an ongoing 5% error in adjustment if compensation is not considered. Kind of another topic, but worth mentioning. It's also worth mentioning, that repeated testing has demonstrated that the difference between 1/4 MoA and 1/10 MRAD adjustment boils down to about 1/4 inch difference in impact at 1000 yards, due strictly to the values of the adjustment.
Second, a SFP reticle will give the shooter the same sight picture, with the same reticle sub-tension sizes (not values though), at any magnification. Some prefer this, as the reticle does not get larger as the magnification increases (such as with a FFP reticle), which can result in the target being obscured, thus affecting the shooters ability to make fine adjustments to the point of impact. However, if using a reticle with sub-tension values (i.e. 1/4 MoA per hash-mark), those values will only be true at a specific magnification (typically at max power).
If you plan on getting into tactical match style shooting, shooting at unknown distances and making corrections, shooting at movers, or shooting in a manner that requires quicker adjustments, then a scope with MRAD turrets, and a FFP reticle has advantages.
First, as MRAD adjustment is "coarser", you can make quicker adjustments per click, allowing you to get from one distance to the next in a shorter amount of time. Likewise, given the inherent 10-base system of MRAD/mils, once you understand the math, some find it much easier to make MRAD/mil-based estimations, than with MoA.
Second, a FFP reticle will provide the shooter with the same sub-tension values, at any magnification. Thus, whether the scope is at 5x, 15x, 20x, 30x...you can rely upon the dots/hashes to make point of impact adjustment within the sight picture. Once again, this feature allows the shooter to make adjustments, relatively quicker than with a SFP reticle.
Speaking personally, if I'm punching paper at the range, I prefer a scope with 1/8th MoA turrets, and a very fine reticle in the second focal plane. If I'm shooting coyotes (which appear at random ranges, move, and change their range quickly), I prefer a first focal plane scope, with MRAD sub-tension values within the reticle, and turrets.
To restated with a bit more depth, when shooting paper for grouping accuracy, I don't care about speedy adjustments, and I don't want a big, fat reticle line or dot, obscuring my target at maximum magnification. I have the time to dismount my rifle, range the target, make the required click adjustments, remount the rifle, center my reticle, get composed, and shoot. If I'm shooting at coyotes, the opposite is true: I don't have time to dismount my rifle, range the target, and make fine click adjustments - I prefer to adjust on the fly, and I like that regardless of what mag I'm on, I know the range of each sub-tension line.
Hopefully that helps a bit. Feel free to PM with any questions...even though I don't currently sell Vortex!