First Focal Plane vs Second Focal Plane (FFP vs SFP)

Focal plane describes where the reticle sits in the optical system, and it decides one thing you will notice on every shot: whether your reticle's holdover marks stay accurate as you change magnification.

First focal plane (FFP)

In an FFP scope the reticle is placed ahead of the magnification lenses, so it grows as you zoom in and shrinks as you zoom out. Because it scales with the image, every hash mark subtends the same value at any power. Dial to 6x or 20x — your 1.5-mil holdover is still 1.5 mils. That is why FFP dominates long-range and precision shooting, where you hold and dial constantly. The trade-off: at the lowest magnification the reticle can look very fine, and at the highest it can look thick.

Those two complaints are worth taking seriously because they are the real cost of FFP, not a theoretical one.

At the bottom of the zoom range on a high-magnification scope — say 5x on a 5-25x — an FFP reticle can shrink to the point where the hash marks are genuinely hard to see, especially against a dark or cluttered background. Illumination largely solves this, which is why serious FFP scopes almost always have an illuminated centre and why it is worth paying for one that is bright enough to use in daylight.

At the top of the range the opposite happens: the reticle thickens and can start to obscure a small target. On a 25x scope aimed at a distant prairie dog, a chunky tree reticle covers a surprising amount of the animal. Manufacturers manage this by designing the reticle around the magnification range, which is part of why a good FFP scope costs what it does.

Second focal plane (SFP)

In an SFP scope the reticle sits behind the magnification lenses, so it stays a constant visual size no matter the power. The picture is clean and the aiming point is consistent, which many hunters prefer. The catch: the reticle's subtensions are only true at one specified magnification — usually maximum power. Use the holdover marks at any other setting and they no longer measure what they claim.

This is the part that bites people, so it is worth being blunt about the arithmetic. If your SFP reticle is calibrated at 20x and you shoot at 10x, every subtension is worth twice its marked value. A hash labelled 1 mil is now covering 2 mils of target. Hold on it and you will miss by the difference, and you will not know why.

There is nothing wrong with SFP as long as you either dial your corrections (which uses the turrets and ignores the reticle entirely) or remember to zoom to the calibration magnification before using holdovers. Plenty of experienced hunters do exactly that without a second thought.

The practical consequence for how you shoot

Focal plane is really a question about method rather than quality.

If you correct by dialling — reading the distance, turning the elevation turret, holding centre — focal plane barely matters. The turrets are unaffected by it.

If you correct by holding — reading the distance and using a hash mark instead of touching the turret — focal plane matters enormously, and FFP is the one that lets you do it at any magnification.

Most hunting is dialling or point-blank. Most practical and competition shooting is holding, often while changing magnification between targets. That, more than anything, is why the two camps prefer different things. For the units on those hash marks, see MOA vs MIL.

Which should you choose?

• FFP for precision rifles, PRS, and any time you hold or dial across the magnification range.
• SFP for hunting and general use where you mostly aim with the center, value a fine reticle, and shoot at or near max power when you do hold over.

Two more things worth weighing. FFP scopes generally cost more for equivalent glass, because the reticle and erector assembly are harder to build. And SFP scopes tend to give a slightly cleaner, less busy sight picture at low power, which some hunters genuinely prefer on a woodland rifle.

The LPVO exception

Low-power variables are an interesting case: many LPVOs are SFP so the reticle stays bold and fast at 1x, with an illuminated center for both-eyes-open speed — more on that in the LPVO buying guide.

The logic is sound. On an LPVO the job at 1x is to be as close to a red dot as possible, and an FFP reticle at 1x on a 1-8x scope is almost invisible. An SFP reticle stays bold. The cost is that the holdovers are only true at 8x — which is acceptable, because that is the magnification you would be using for a longer shot anyway.

FFP LPVOs do exist and are excellent, but they rely heavily on bright daylight illumination to make the 1x reticle usable. If you are considering one, the brightness of the illumination is the specification to scrutinise.

Once you have settled on a focal plane, pair it with matched MOA or MIL turrets and browse the full rifle scopes range.