Sightron ffp or sfp?

[6.5grendel]

I've been looking at the Sightron SIII's in 6-24x and have been reading reviews on them. It seems they are great for the price from most reviews I have read. I would most likely get the MOA2 reticle. One review I read said at low magnification the reticle is hard to see in low light in hunting situations on the ffp model because the reticle is so thin and recommended getting it in the sfp model. Has anyone else had this experience? What would you recommend for reticle in the Sightron and would ffp or sfp be better?

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have a 4-20x50 s-tac(sfp) with the moa2 reticle, it is the best scope I have used for prairie dogs and load development. But even on lowest power setting the moa dot and hash marks are not visible in low light,sunset and later. If an illuminated center dot is an option the scope becomes more versatile.

 

[czim]

I have the S3 FFP in MIL and really like it a lot. Very clear glass and durable. Backed down to low power, I can see the crosshair in low light, but you will not be able to make out the hash marks. I used it on a PRS rig for 2 years that doubles as my go to hunting rifle. The scope is very impressive at gathering early and late light. If this scope will only be used for hunting, I would get it in SFP.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

Consider your background and lighting. I love fine xhair and varminter reticles. Light to medium colored background as is usually the case in the desert here, even in low light, I can see it fine. Shooting groups at white graph paper, never a problem till dang near dark. Dark green vegetation and even during the day is not so good, especially if in the shade of the canopy.

 

[6.5grendel]

Thank you. I might look into the S3 with illumination and weigh out the higher cost vs a reticle that might be hard to see at times. I've also been considering the vortex pst with illumination but worried optical quality wouldnt match the Sightron. There are no sightron dealers close to me so I have never been able to look through one to compare to anything.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Saw this new sIII and can’t see anywhere if it’s second focal plane or first does anyone know?
Edit: in case anyone was interested. I e-mailed Sightron and they said this scope is 2nd focal plane.

 

[SageRatSafaris]

And here's a video of the reticle changing size (Sightron SIII 6-24x50 FFP reticle MOA 2 subtensions):

 

[Sniper338]

I have the FFP mil

 

[flatlander]

I've been a long-time fan of the SIII scopes, have owned 4 or 5 of the 6-24x50s with the mil hash reticle, plus one ffp 6-24x50, and a couple of 8-32x56 SIIIs that are on LR BR rifles. Have always liked the optical quality & tracking of these scopes, and still have a few of them.

I tried using a couple of the sfp 6-24x50s in some of the earliest PRS-style matches I used to shoot, and quickly gave up on them, as they had no zero stops, which cost me a few zeroed stages when I lost track of my zero. Using a sfp scope on movers is a pain too - you've got to do the math for whatever magnification you're using if you're going to use the mil hashs to hold for lead. It's not that it's impossible to do - but it's a PITA. Why screw with it when using a ffp scope negates the need to do the math? The lack of a zero stop was more critical - you're going to be shooting targets at varying distances in most of these matches, so dialing for distance gets confusing if you forget to dial back down to your 100yd zero after finishing a stage. And if you're using a MOA scope, you're likely to have to use more than one revolution to reach out to 1000yds or more, which makes losing track of your zero that much more likely. And if you're thinking of using the mil hash marks for hold-over reference, again, you're stuck doing the math to compensate for magnification settings other than what the reticle was calibrated for. None of this stuff really matters all that much when you're shooting at home, doing load development or practicing - you're not under time restraints or the stress that needing to work fast (while other shooters are watching) induces. So why handicap yourself with a sfp scope w/o a zero stop if you're even thinking about shooting in competition? I've gone to ffp/mil scopes with zero stops on all the rifles I shoot or have ever shot in completitions, using Athlon, Bushnell, & Kahles scopes, and would really like to try one of Sightron's newer SV scopes - but they don't have a zero stop.

ETA - a mil scope with 10 mils per revolution will get you out past 1000yds with most any cartridge that's suited to LR shooting, so lack of a zero stop in that case isn't as critical as it would be with a scope with only 5 mils per revolution.