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- Alfred Mendoza
- May 9, 2024
On the hunt for the best FFP scope for the money? We looked at various scopes on the market and reviewed the ones that could provide the greatest bang for the buck. Besides affordability and features, get an insight into the things you should look out for before considering buying one.
- Durable build
- Argon purging
- Long-range shooting capabilities
- Offers higher recoil shock resistance
- Decent glass at a low price
OUR #2 RATED
Monstrum G2 1-4×24 First Focal Plane FFP Rifle Scope with Illuminated BDC Reticle
- Great for mid to short-range
- Generous eye relief
- Comes with night vision
- With an adjustable objective lens
- Includes accessories
1. Athlon Optics, Argos BTR, Riflescope
Some rifle owners found Athlon Optics Argos BTR comparable to Vortex Optics Viper PST Gen II and Primary Arms 4 to 14×44 in terms of features. Still, the Athlon Optics Argos scope is priced considerably lower. Argos BTR is also a step-up in terms of glass quality compared to Primary Arms 4 to 14x44mm.
Thus, if you’re looking for a reasonably compact design for a 50mm objective lens, you may want to consider buying this 15.87oz aircraft-grade aluminum rifle scope. The Argos, BTR 6 to 24x magnification, has advanced fully multi-coated lenses that help bring optimum brightness even in extremely low-light settings.
Athlon Optics also ensured that their XPL coating protects your lenses against grease and dirt, thus maintaining excellent performance even with harsh weather conditions. Additionally, compared to most FFP scopes in this list, Argos BTR uses argon purging to give your scopes better thermal stability and waterproofing.
PROS
- Durable build
- Argon purging
- Long-range shooting capabilities
- Offers higher recoil shock resistance
- Decent glass at a low price
CONS
- No zero stop
- Less turret clicks crisp
2. Monstrum G2 1-4x24 First Focal Plane FFP Rifle Scope with Illuminated BDC Reticle
The Monstrum G2 series of FFP scopes come with an adjustable objective (AO) lens, minimizing parallax errors. AO could also be beneficial if you’re after accuracy.
The dial controlled reticle illumination in red and green also comes with multiple brightness intensities, giving you better visibility in low light environments. For those who prefer taking shots at night, the scope has night vision capabilities as well. Likewise, you can easily acquire reticles despite the lowest setting.
Given the magnification level of Monstrum G2 BDC reticle, it’s best for short to mid-range shooting 300+ yards. This 16oz scope also provides a generous eye relief of 4-4.5 inches. As a bonus, the package includes accessories such as sunshade and flip-up lens covers.
PROS
- Great for mid to short-range
- Generous eye relief
- Comes with night vision
- With an adjustable objective lens
- Includes accessories
CONS
- Tight adjustment dial
- Better visibility at low light
3. Vortex Optics Strike Eagle 5-25x56 First Focal Plane Riflescopes
Many hunting and target shooting rifle owners consider Vortex Optics Strike Eagle as another best-priced rifle scope. Based on our research, many praise the exceptional clarity of sight picture and high-grade light transmission of this scope, which Vortex attributes to its anti-reflective coatings and XD optical system. You may also find its resolution and image sharpness as pretty impressive for its price.
The illuminated glass-etched reticle design and the tactical locking turrets mainly display high quality and great value. Moreover, you can install a throw lever on your Vortex Optics focal plane rifle scopes for convenient and quick magnification adjustments.
PROS
- Various reticle options
- Comes with accessories
- Easy return to zero system
- Illuminated reticle
- Superior light transmission
CONS
- Quite a stiff parallax adjustment
- Mid to high price range
What To Look For
Affordability
As always, premium-priced first focal plane riflescopes don’t always mean being the best FFP for the money. Sometimes, you may notice differences in glass quality and optical performance. Thus, when looking for First Focal Plane scopes (FFP), you must consider if it has a justifiable price to quality ratio.
Additionally, it would be great to take advantage of affordable yet quality scopes, especially if you’re starting to experiment with FFP. Depending on the brand, many rifle scope owners can testify how durable and clear some cheaper scopes are.
If you’re looking for more cost-effective optics, here’s our CVLife Rifle Scope review.
Durability
Most manufacturers use aircraft-grade aluminum to increase the durability of an FFP scope. Various scope models are also utilizing nitrogen gas purging to prevent shock and internal fogging. Yet, some, like the Argos BTR, use argon purging instead, which might be better for waterproofing.
Choose scopes that are entirely shockproof, waterproof and fog proof. Although, in most cases, models undergo tests to check if they can withstand the harshest environment and perform best in whatever condition. For instance, Leupold’s scopes need to survive the impact of thrice a .308 rifle recoil before being released.
Accuracy
Accuracy, oftentimes, is more associated with your skills rather than your weapon or tools used. Yet, you’ll know you pick the right rifle scope if it helps you maximize your rifle’s accuracy. By clarifying and magnifying your target view, you might see yourself improving considerably alongside proper turret and parallax adjustments.
The effect might be negligible at close ranges, but as you increase your scope coverage, you’ll probably see the difference it makes. Still, you know the drill; spend time on the field to practice your precision shots.
Magnification
When you can change your FFP scope’s magnification levels, you can set it up based on the present external conditions like luminosity. If the magnification range is extremely versatile, you might not need to worry about efficiently hitting the targets, whether at a tight or long-distance range.
Take note that lower magnification, such as 3x to 6x, allows you to track targets better and shoot them faster. Higher magnification, like those beyond 16x, may provide you with more excellent resolution, but that means it would be heavier, larger, and more expensive.
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Illuminated Reticle
Since a first focal plane reticle can appear thin and small at low power, some prefer having an illumination. With illumination, you can get contrast when locking your target that’s darkened by its shadow or background. Thus, you might find it hard to identify a dark-colored elk standing in a tree’s shadow with a non-illuminated reticle.[1]
But an illumination in the reticle is not always the best FFP scope. It still depends on your needs and under what condition you’re typically shooting. Additionally, some models have single, two-color, or three-color illumination systems. You might want to consider the available brightness intensities since some have six to as many as 11 brightness settings.
Turrets
A turret, which is an external scope accessory, supports you in getting accurate shots. Through its rotatable mounted knob, you can quickly and adequately adjust your target. First focal plane rifle scopes have various types of turrets that you can choose.
However, if you want a faster and more accurate scope with easily read elevation and windage adjustments, consider having exposed turrets. Whereas, for shooters who like dialing turrets for wind compensation and bullet drop, you might appreciate having laser-etched turrets. Some scope models also have turret locks to prevent slippage.
Ease of Adjustment
The best FFP scope should feature side adjustment turrets and knobs for elevation and windage that are crisp and easy to adjust. With this, regardless of your angle and position, it is possible to get the focus you desire.
Especially if you’re in an open country, consider finding an FFP rifle scope that will give you the ability to make easy and precise adjustments. This includes adjustments for your field of view and parallax for longer shots and better target acquisition.
For optics with good adjustability, check out this Weaver Kaspa scope review.
Weight
As you decide on what FFP scope to buy, remember that your desired magnification and the distance you want to cover would significantly affect how your scope weighs. In short, your scope will be on the heavier side if you’re after a higher-powered one.
For many long-distance marksmen, weight is not much of a concern, so long as it has excellent features made of high-grade materials. But if you’ll be carrying your rifle for an extended time, you might not want to sacrifice comfortability. So, workaround first focal plane rifle scopes while considering your rifle’s weight and the accessories you plan to include. [2]
Ease of Use
The best first focal plane would depend on the specific scope feature you’re considering in terms of ease of use. For example, many users would say that a duplex reticle works excellent for beginners due to ease of use regarding the scope reticle type. However, the downside is that it only has one prominent aiming point.
When choosing your scope, you must be comfortable whenever you’re operating it. As long as your scope doesn’t hinder you from aiming your target well and making your shot land, you’re good to go.
Eye Relief
Having proper eye relief, measured as the distance between the ocular lens and your eye, will save you from hitting your face. As a rule of thumb, the higher your weapon’s recoil is, the more eye relief you’ll be needing. Additionally, more magnification means shorter eye relief. Most recommend having at least 3-3.5 inches. However, some models like G2 and Alpha series offer a generous eye relief of until 4.5 inches.
For optics that offer unlimited eye relief, read this Aimpoint vs Vortex article here.
Field of View
Field of View (FOV) works similar to eye relief, that as your magnification increases the FOV decreases. For instance, the usual 3x First Focal Plane (FFP) scopes will provide a FOV of about 30ft at 100 yards. Whereas, at 9x magnification, it will decrease to just 14ft.
For reference, it’s possible for you to shoot far at low power but to shoot close at high power might be impossible due to limited FOV and small exit pupil.
What is First Focal Plane?
First Focal Plane scopes (FFP) refer to the positioning of the scope reticle vis-a-vis the magnification lens. When scopes are in FFP, it means that you can locate the reticle in front of the magnification lens or nearer to the objective lens.
In this case, the reticle appears to change as you adjust a scope’s magnification. Thus, as you increase the magnification, the reticle grows bigger as well, and vice versa.
Main Differences Between First Focal Plane & Second Focal Plane
The difference between First Focal Plane scopes (FFP) and Second focal plane scopes (SFP) is mainly in their reticle position. SFP, otherwise known as the rear focal plane, is placed behind your magnification lens. As a result, a second focal plane has a fixed reticle size even as you change the magnification level.
You can also see the reticle easily at all magnifications with an SFP, and it’s cheaper than the other focal plane. But
The difference between First Focal Plane scopes (FFP) and Second focal plane scopes (SFP) is mainly in their reticle position. SFP, otherwise known as the rear focal plane, is placed behind your magnification lens. As a result, a second focal plane has a fixed reticle size even as you change the magnification level.
You can also see the reticle easily at all magnifications with an SFP, and it’s cheaper than the other focal plane. But unlike FFP, SFP only has one correct spacing for holdover at one magnification, which means calculating the spacing for each power setting would be necessary.[3] unlike FFP, SFP only has one correct spacing for holdover at one magnification, which means calculating the spacing for each power setting would be necessary.[3]
Why Use This Plane?
What Ranges are They Good for?
First Focal Plane scopes (FFP) are effective at any ranges since the reticle can adapt to a scope’s zoom level. Whether you usually shoot at close ranges at 100 yards up to as long as 1500 yards, the best FFP scopes will assist you with the excellent accuracy you need.
But in most cases, those looking for long-range scope prefer this focal plane because they find it easier when shooting off the reticle. Additionally, having FFP will be beneficial if you frequently find yourself practicing or hunting at varying distances.
And the #1 FFP Scope For The Money is…
The best FFP scope for the money is Athlon Optics Argos BTR. It’s affordable, yet you’ll get superior optical performance from its fully multicoated and protective lens coating, producing clear and quality images. As the best first focal plane scope, Argos BTR can withstand any environment, especially with its argon-purged chamber. It’s illuminated with a glass-etched reticle, as well.
Our #1 Recommendation
Argos BTR
- Utilizes argon purging
- Great value to price ratio
- Higher recoil shock assistance
- Optimum brightness at various lighting condition
