SWFA SS 1-4x24 Tactical vs. Vortex PST 1-4x24

[Militant83]

So with second focal plane as long as you are on 1 or 4 power it doesn't affect the reticle?


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[OdinIII]

No problem, just making sure you understand your options.

[Militant83]

No problem, just making sure you understand your options.

Was I correct on that understanding with that... I have not really shot with optics aside from red dots. So this is all fairly new to me.


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[OdinIII]

Was I correct on that understanding with that... I have not really shot with optics aside from red dots. So this is all fairly new to me.


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With SFP, the reticle appears to stay the same physical size to you. As you turn up the magnification, the image grows but the reticle appears to stay the same size to you causing it to cover up less physical area on the target. BDC is only accurate at 1 power setting.

With FFP, the reticle appears to grow and shrink with the magnification. It will always cover the same amount of the image. This causes it to become very small on 1x. BDC is accurate at all settings. This feature is much more useful is high powered, wide magnification scopes such as 5.5-22x.

[OdinIII]

So with second focal plane as long as you are on 1 or 4 power it doesn't affect the reticle?


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With SFP, the reticle doesn't appear to change to you but since you are magnifying the image, it does change in size in relation to the target.

[Militant83]

So does the same go for the mil-quad DM reticle on the classic ss 1-4 as it does the BDC?


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[OdinIII]

So does the same go for the mil-quad DM reticle on the classic ss 1-4 as it does the BDC?


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The classis is SFP like the MTAC. The BDC and ranging features need to be used at 4x.

[Militant83]

The classis is SFP like the MTAC. The BDC and ranging features need to be used at 4x.

Ok makes since now... At 1x it functions as a red dot for close engagements. Thanks for insight.


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[BrigandTwoFour]

So does the same go for the mil-quad DM reticle on the classic ss 1-4 as it does the BDC?


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BDC on a SFP scope will typically only be accurate at a the max setting. That means that at 4x, you can use the ranging features and mil hashes for your BDC needs without problem. However, as you decrease the magnification to 1x, those values will not match up. You can still do it at other magnifications, but you would have to do math conversions quickly in your head as the marks will now account for different values (a 1 mil mark at 4x will cover 2 mils at 2x, and 4 mils at 1x). In any case, that is beyond the intent of the reticle. At 1x, the presumption is that you are in a "high speed shoot fast" situation that is close enough to not require any ranging or holdovers. In that situation, put the glowing center aim point on the target and fire. If you are far enough away that you need to use the range finder and BDC markings, then you are probably far enough away to zoom it up to 4x.

FFP scopes are more useful in higher magnification ranges like 2.5-10, 3-9, 4-16, 5-20, etc. The intended uses of those optics is different than a 1-4x, and the user may always want their ranging/dope marks to correlate with their ballistic data.

[Toyoland66]

Ive got a good lead on a used SWFA 1-4x24 HD that I'm highly considering. Bit before I spend that kind of cash I like to weigh out all of my options. Im just having a hard time spending that much when the classic is so much cheaper.


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I got one for Christmas, haven't got a mount yet so haven't shot it, so take this for what it's worth.

It checked all of my boxes: rotary illumination adjustment, true 1x bottom end, capped turrets, and the FFP reticle is an awesome balance of speed at 1x and precision at 4x. Does have some downsides: price, weigh (17 oz I think) and supposedly batteries don't last long if you accidentally leave it on.