Take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I am a hunter first and have only bought my first FFP scope this year for my Bergara B-14 LH Trainer in 22 LR to try playing with the 22LR long range target shooting. But it is not meant for hunting. I went with the Burris Veracity 3-15x50...but could have went with the 4-16 or 5-20 as well. Being that it was on sale for $1000 helped in the decision at the time. The reticle at 3 power is almost useless, at least for me. The glass is very good and adjustments are smooth and reliable. Still learning to use this scope.
FFP is great for target shooting where your scope is constantly cranked up to the higher magnifications.
For most hunting, the SFP will be eminently more practical. Always carry it at the lowest power setting. If a longer shot presents itself, there is usually a little more time to crank the power up. At shorter distance opportunities, you usually do not get that little bit of extra time to crank the scope down, or you will miss the opportunity completely, because you mount the rifle and can only see hair in the scope, but cannot tell which part of the animal you are looking at!
You will need to decide what the majority of use this rifle/scope combination will preform and choose accordingly.
Terrain where you do the bulk of your hunting may also be a major consideration. Open prairie or large open terrain vs thick timber or a mixed bag of timber, meadows, felds, alpine and prairie will determine which scope is best for you. Not only just for FFP vs SFP, but magnification range as well.
If you are looking to get into hunting, a SFP scope will be more practical and a magnification range that tops out at 14-18 will suffice for just about any hunting you will do. I prefer the 2.5-8, 3-10, 4.5-14 power ranges for hunting...they are the most practical. 3-18 may be the largest I would look at...but for you, the 5-20 may be fine...
While most would have you believe that you will need to to take lots of 600 yards shots, most animals are taken are well under 200 yards, where the lower power setting will make it harder to use that FFP reticle, and even worse in low light conditions. In 38 years of hunting, my average shot distance on game is just 137 yards (10-475 yards over the years), and the big game animal I shot up in the alpine yesterday was at just 43 yards (my 4.5-14 worked just fine)! My wife's one shot opportunity was at 138 yards (her 2.5-8 was sufficient to the task).
If you get into the timber, you will want to be able to crank your scope down to the lowest power setting so you have a good field of view when needed for tracking game as it moves through the timber.
MIL or MOA...your choice...just learn how it works so that you are completely familiar with the adjustments and how to use it when needed.
Not an item you want to be wasting time looking up your phone when you should be preparing for a shot opportunity when hunting that may only be fleeting. You need to know and use as opportunity presents itself, or you will miss the only opportunity that may be presented. Keep it simple!
Illuminated scopes...again, only you can decide of this is important to you.
I never had one for many years, and now I have a few...but I hunt dawn to dusk, and in the dark timber...where a lighted reticle may prove to an advantage on a dark moose or a black bear in low light...or even if it is just a cloudy day, and in the shadows, it may be harder to see a reticle against a dark skin. I like having the option now. But as I get older, my eyes are not getting better! LOL
Carry a spare battery if you should need it...better to have and not need, then need and not have. Trijicon's tritium reticles are great for not requiring a battery, and they make excellent glass.
Vortex may have a great warranty...but in my experience when selling them, was they very frequently needed it (we exchanged cases of scopes each year under warranty)...I will never own one...but that's just me. I know lots of people have them and like them.
Leupold is a reliable, rugged product...that also has a great warranty. In 35 years, I have had to send two scopes in for warranty work, and one instance was not the scopes fault (slipped and fell on the rocks and banged the scope). The first instance the scope was mailed out fixed and mailed back; back on rifle in 11 days. The second instance was a scope this spring that was appearing fuzzy and hard to focus. The scope was mailed out, fixed, mailed back, in 10 days. Only cost was shipping out in both instances. Most of the scopes I own or have owned over the years have been Leupold. I now also have Swarovski, Trijicon, Kahles and Schmidt & Bender.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
FFP is great for target shooting where your scope is constantly cranked up to the higher magnifications.
For most hunting, the SFP will be eminently more practical. Always carry it at the lowest power setting. If a longer shot presents itself, there is usually a little more time to crank the power up. At shorter distance opportunities, you usually do not get that little bit of extra time to crank the scope down, or you will miss the opportunity completely, because you mount the rifle and can only see hair in the scope, but cannot tell which part of the animal you are looking at!
You will need to decide what the majority of use this rifle/scope combination will preform and choose accordingly.
Terrain where you do the bulk of your hunting may also be a major consideration. Open prairie or large open terrain vs thick timber or a mixed bag of timber, meadows, felds, alpine and prairie will determine which scope is best for you. Not only just for FFP vs SFP, but magnification range as well.
If you are looking to get into hunting, a SFP scope will be more practical and a magnification range that tops out at 14-18 will suffice for just about any hunting you will do. I prefer the 2.5-8, 3-10, 4.5-14 power ranges for hunting...they are the most practical. 3-18 may be the largest I would look at...but for you, the 5-20 may be fine...
While most would have you believe that you will need to to take lots of 600 yards shots, most animals are taken are well under 200 yards, where the lower power setting will make it harder to use that FFP reticle, and even worse in low light conditions. In 38 years of hunting, my average shot distance on game is just 137 yards (10-475 yards over the years), and the big game animal I shot up in the alpine yesterday was at just 43 yards (my 4.5-14 worked just fine)! My wife's one shot opportunity was at 138 yards (her 2.5-8 was sufficient to the task).
If you get into the timber, you will want to be able to crank your scope down to the lowest power setting so you have a good field of view when needed for tracking game as it moves through the timber.
MIL or MOA...your choice...just learn how it works so that you are completely familiar with the adjustments and how to use it when needed.
Not an item you want to be wasting time looking up your phone when you should be preparing for a shot opportunity when hunting that may only be fleeting. You need to know and use as opportunity presents itself, or you will miss the only opportunity that may be presented. Keep it simple!
Illuminated scopes...again, only you can decide of this is important to you.
I never had one for many years, and now I have a few...but I hunt dawn to dusk, and in the dark timber...where a lighted reticle may prove to an advantage on a dark moose or a black bear in low light...or even if it is just a cloudy day, and in the shadows, it may be harder to see a reticle against a dark skin. I like having the option now. But as I get older, my eyes are not getting better! LOL
Carry a spare battery if you should need it...better to have and not need, then need and not have. Trijicon's tritium reticles are great for not requiring a battery, and they make excellent glass.
Vortex may have a great warranty...but in my experience when selling them, was they very frequently needed it (we exchanged cases of scopes each year under warranty)...I will never own one...but that's just me. I know lots of people have them and like them.
Leupold is a reliable, rugged product...that also has a great warranty. In 35 years, I have had to send two scopes in for warranty work, and one instance was not the scopes fault (slipped and fell on the rocks and banged the scope). The first instance the scope was mailed out fixed and mailed back; back on rifle in 11 days. The second instance was a scope this spring that was appearing fuzzy and hard to focus. The scope was mailed out, fixed, mailed back, in 10 days. Only cost was shipping out in both instances. Most of the scopes I own or have owned over the years have been Leupold. I now also have Swarovski, Trijicon, Kahles and Schmidt & Bender.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
