20 Vartarg Scope question

[Tommie]

Get the one you like and can afford, mount it and enjoy. Forget the opinions of others,
they all are different.

/\ /\ OMG! Truth right here!

 

[K9TXS]

What do you guys think about a first focal plane scope?

FFP is not for me. Due to a double astigmatism and floaters, the best for me is the 2nd plane scope. Unless I power up the scope, the reticle does not get large enough for me to see clearly.

With the 2nd plane scope, I have the same reticle size all the time. With my MOAR reticle on the Nightforce set on the dot between 9 & 12 power, it allows me a quick calibration in my head if needed. The dot is around 10 power (+-). I don't have to go up to 20 power for the calibration.

As soon as I move and get settled, I will sell the FFP and get another 2nd plane. It may not be the Nightforce again, but it will be a 2nd plane.

 

[jackson1]

VarmintShooter nailed it. My own choice would be a Leupold 6.5 x 20 or 8.5 x 25. As I am cheap, I purchased mine used. Have a number of them on my varmint rifles. Set a price point in my mind and held firm. Bought them off Ebay and was lucky enough not to get burned. Bottom line it is your money and your choice. Buy and enjoy and what some else thinks is irrelevant.

 

[chuckshooter]

I'm confused, the OP posted this thread because he was looking for the opinions of others and some people are telling him to ignore the opinions of others and that's their opinion. I think the OP is smart enough to figure out which opinions to ignore, probably starting with this post about my opinions on others posting about ignoring opinions.

 

[Barossa_222]

My Sako L461 Varmint vartarg wears and excellent Meopta R1 7x56. It used to run a Kahles 8x56. Most of my shooting is done at night from a vehicle and variable powered scopes are a hindrance. On my other varmint rifles I have a host of other variables. Swarovski 5-25x50, Weaver V series 4-16x42, Tasco World Class 6-24x50. Until recently I had a Bushnell 6500 series 6-24x50 which was very clear.
I've never been a fan of Leupold scopes, the only variable I've owned was a VX3 8.5-25x50 LR with a fine dot reticle. I sold that with my 6BR. I've seen a lot of nice older ones, the new ones don't blow my hair back, especially the bottom end stuff with the stupid friction turrets.
As for FFP scopes, I'd rather SFP, but that's just my opinion. I've looked through them played with them on friends guns, but never used them in the field. I always thought they 'crowded' the view too much, but each to their own.

 

[Tom Blue]

I use the 20 Vartarg for club benchrest and find that the Weaver T-36 works best for me and my old eyes.

 

[jepp2]

What do you guys think about a first focal plane scope?

I shoot prairie dogs for a month each year. So I spend a lot of time looking through a scope and shooting under various conditions.

My progression on scopes (not listing every single one)
- Leupold 6.5-20 Duplex (no reference points for wind holds)
- Leupold 6.5 - 20 and 8 - 25 Leupold Varmint Hunter reticle (the "system" really didn't work for me, having to use "their" pre-assigned power, loads, and holds)
- Vortex Viper HS LR 6 - 24 with XLR MOA FFP reticle (have 5 of them now on all my PD rifles)

I will admit when I bought the first Vortex, I didn't even know it was FFP and hated it at first. The reticle is so small at the lowest power. For big game hunting I still prefer SFP scopes. But once I realized I really never use the lower powers and my holds don't change when I change the power on the scope. This is huge for me. I know for a 10 mph crosswind at 200 yards (a very common occurrence) I hold 3 MOA into the wind. No matter what power I am set on. My hit percentage is as good as on a calm morning.

Here is the reticle I rely on:

 

[willyp19]

My 20 VT is mounted with a Leupold VX-3 LR 4.5 -14 (40 obj.)

 

[Mark M.]

My 20 VT is mounted with a Leupold VX-3 LR 4.5 -14 (40 obj.)

Do you ever find yourself wanting more magnification

 

[willyp19]

Do you ever find yourself wanting more magnification

Not at all, since I try to keep my shots under 400 yards on prairie dogs. Maybe if I was going after smaller targets like ground squirrels I might need to jump up to a 6.5 - 20.

 

[Alguapo]

My current preference on my 20 Practicals is Vortex HST 6-24X50 w/ MOA . I have used Weaver 36T ( to much and to dark), Leupold 8.5-25x40 ( not clear enough) Nikon Monarch 6-24X50 (still on a Savage .204 LRPV) and a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24X40 ( still on a Cooper .204 Phoenix). I'm in love with the Vortex's so far (3 years). A reasonable price and a incredible warrantee.