FFP is not about ranging. It's about using the reticle for holds. All that "trash" is the part that allows you to accurately hit a target when using the reticle for holds. SFP can not do everything a FFP can do in that you can not change the power and make a hold as the subtension of the reticle is not correct. In SFP it is only correct on one power. You can half and double that power and finagle a way to double or half you actual hold but that takes time and you need to be on those exact powers to do that.
The reticle on a FFP stays the same size in relation to the target on it's lowest power as it does at it's highest. It covers no more of the target at it's highest. It comes down to reticle design. My scopes have a dot in the center that is .03 mils or .1 moa so at 1000 yards it covers a little over an inch. Not overly large or covering too much. I have used my scopes to shoot and hit a 12" steel at a mile.
I don't care what anyone uses for their game of choice as I have used both over decades but the right info needs to get out for people wanting to learn about both types.
The FFP was designed for ranging and accurate hold overs on targets by the military. So yes it is used for holdovers as well, but it doesn't matter what you use it for or what you think it's used for, it was originally designed for ranging human sized targets as well.
So I have to take 2 whole seconds to turn my SFP scope to a certain power to get an accurate range or holdover. What real world situations are you shooting in, outside of a very limited amount of certain competitions, where that extra 2 seconds to change magnification is gonna make a difference? But even in competitions with targets at unknown ranges and LRFs were not allowed, a smart person would leave a SFP scope on the designated power before engaging a target for holdover or ranging. Then it wouldn't take any extra time to achieve the same result with a SFP as it would a FFP scope.
And now for example, lets say you have a 5-25x scope with FFP reticle which is sized to .1 MOA...Being completely honest, how usable is that reticle on 5x? You can't even see the hash marks! It's just a blob of crap in the middle of the view. Totally useless except for aiming in the general direction of the target.
However, there are some variable power FFP scopes, sticking with the 5-25x example again, that aren't too bad with the FFP reticle on lower power settings. Unfortunately to do that, your reticle now gets so big on max power, you lose 1/3 to maybe even1/2 of the holdover capability on the reticle because its stretched out beyond than the FOV. So you have a 5-25x scope that can kind if range on 5x, but can only still give full reticle values up to 20x or so.
To each their own and I have nothing against people who prefer FFP scopes. But in reality, there really is not anything advantageous about a FFP scope. FFP costs more money, reticle are not as usable throughout the full variable power range, and most ffp scopes can never aim as small with maximum magnification at long range. These are the facts. I've used them both and know the differences. Use what you like, but don't try to BS people into believing a FFP scope offers more advantages because that is a lie.
Even the so-called "advantage" of being able to range on any power is a LIE because you can't range anything with most FFP reticles on their lowest power settings. At least I can see my full SFP reticle on base power and do the math for ranging and holdovers. So chalk that up as another win for SFP in my book.
