I greatly appreciate the support and genuinely helpful information Ive been given by good folks here. Thank you.

My goal over the last 6 months has been to get my rifle and scope battery down to 3 HUNTING rifles. Rifles? Accomplished. Scopes? 2 down 1 to go.

The Light "hunting" rifle is the Low Profile Varmint in .243. Its PRIMARY mission is hunting Coyotes at multiple ranges. I'll happily carry the rifle's weight for it's outstanding accuracy. It's now carrying a SFP / MOA 6x24x50 of good quality.

My question: Please - I am NOT asking for another long list of differences between SFP & FFP. Thank you. Those differences I have learned reasonably well. What I am asking for is your FIRST HAND experience hunting Coyotes at close and longer ranges. Do you prefer SFP MOA or FFP MIL and why??

I'm asking because I'm trying to finalize my scope decision. So I can spend my time & $$ on testing that last / final scope on this rifle. If the decision comes down to SFP MOA - I may already be set? FFP MIL? And why I'm posting my question.

Thank you kindly - will seriously consider your opinion.

Cheers.

I'll try, my only opinion is:

I dislike that the reticles get thicker when you turn the magnification up on FFP scopes.

I like SFP MOA because it is all I have ever used. IF you don't have a range finder you might like MIL but I use a laser range finder and target turrets and once I get a range I turn the turret to the distance and hold dead on. Just one mans opinion.

God Bless, Louis

Gentlemen...thank you both.

All I've ever owned and hunted with is SFP MOA. A system my old brain understands. I recently went to LR shooting school in VA where I was introduced to FFP MIL. ALL new to me! Hence my studying and all my questions. Trying to decide which is best for "my personal" uses.

Seems like SFP MOA is my best KISS solution.

Thank you again...greatly appreciate your responses.

MOA is to easier to calculate with, 1.03" at 100 yards is an inch for all practical purposes.

One mil is 3.6" at 100 yards so a tenth of a mil is a large third of an inch.

I'm sighted in dead on at 200 yards and the target is 300 yards away, it's more natural/quicker for me to think 5" than 1.4 mil.

quote:

it's more natural/quicker for me to think 5" than 1.4 mil.

Amen Frank...Amen! All those very long (good) years, all I ever had was a simple duplex cross-hair. Holding over was the norm. Things have changed and I'm just trying to keep up.

If your goal is to kill coyotes get rid of that scope and go down to a 3-9 or 3.5-10x40. I love ffp for some of my stuff but for killing coyotes and jack rabbits a simple duplex and sfp. You will be ahead of the game.

Hi Ben.

Your point is well made and I do agree with you - until the Coyote shows up well beyond duplex hold-over range. Seems like a range finder and a few seconds to dial might be an advantage. Again - I'm learning a little more each day on this LR shooting.

Thanks for your reply.

I've used both 1st and 2nd FP scopes for coyotes and truly have no preference. Think about this: you're using a flat-shooting rifle, and even for the long range varmint hunters, 400 yards for a coyote is stretching it. For that, simple holdover is quick and will suffice nicely -- and without the need for MILs or hash marks on the reticle.

In other words, keep it simple and use the scope you like best. Opportunities for coyotes are often fleeting, and the simplest of setups gives you the chance to make a quick shot.

I have been fortunate enough to take quite a few coyotes over the years. Most have been inside of 250 yards. Without digging through old notes, the two longest shots I recall were app. 440 and 460 yards. Both of those shots were made using a simple duplex reticle and instinctive holdover with a 2nd FP scope. They key is knowing your terrain and the basic ranges to certain landmarks, not to mention being familiar with your load's trajectory and the basic size of the target you're engaging.

Thank you Bobby. Well said and all true. I'm learning FFP & MIL. My very basic S3 X'mas tree reticle will serve hold-over purposes nicely.

Cheers.

I hunt coyotes like I do deer and antelope, a 250-3000 FN or Savage 99 or ?? with whatever scope they have on them at the time..Like to take running shots at a 100 to whatever. A miss is no big deal..I see them as targets of opportunity to keep my shooting in tune. Same with Jack Rabbits.

Thank you Sir.

I very much do NOT want to give up the Zeiss S3 scope now on the .243. Turned down to 4x I can still see the crosshairs, just SO much smaller than I'm used to seeing. Now..........if this old English major can just figure out how to use MILs?????

Half an hour ago this bitch was sitting in the pasture staring at the house. She caught a 36 grain Varmint Grenade still going over 3,200 fps at 150 yards. The gun was a Savage chambered in 22.250AI with a PacNor Super match, 1:10 twist, 3 groove barrel. The scope is a second focal plane Burris Fullfield II

For years scope manufactures were trying to overcome reticles getting bigger as the power was turned up!

Example the old but very good Bulvar 8.

Hip

I use FFP scopes, but don't worry about MOA vs Milrad. I always have dope attached to the stock of my rifle, along with 10mph wind drift.

SFP scopes are more compact in my experience. And there are days when I curse my S&B 56mm optic for it's weight.

Hey Frank:

I've seen and shot many coyotes of many colors
But; until this one.

I have never seen a pink coyote.

Is that a local variety?/

Thanks for sharing this pix of a Good coyote.
George

Hey Frank:

I've seen and shot many coyotes of many colors
But; until this one.

I have never seen a pink coyote.

Is that a local variety?

Thanks for sharing this pix of a Good coyote.
George

quote:

MOA is to easier to calculate with

OMG. MIL is just 1/1000. What can be easier? It follows elementary grounds of decimal system.

But there are still three countries in the known universe using some obsolete Roman like units and conversions. I mean 12 small units are one medium unit. And three medium units are 1 larger unit. 1760 larger units make one large unit. It makes perfect sense.

I prefer FFP and mils. But use what suites you best.

Good hunting.

Jiri

quote:

Originally posted by Jiri:

quote:

MOA is to easier to calculate with

OMG. MIL is just 1/1000. What can be easier? It follows elementary grounds of decimal system.

But there are still three countries in the known universe using some obsolete Roman like units and conversions. I mean 12 small units are one medium unit. And three medium units are 1 larger unit. 1760 larger units make one large unit. It makes perfect sense.

I prefer FFP and mils. But use what suites you best.

Good hunting.

Jiri

5,280 medium units also equals one large unit. But, don't forget that the UK road signs for speed and distance are all still in mile units.

Even though I work with metric units all the time, I still think of one centimeter as .40 inch when I visualize it.

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Hey Frank:

I've seen and shot many coyotes of many colors
But; until this one.

I have never seen a pink coyote.

Is that a local variety?/

Thanks for sharing this pix of a Good coyote.
George

The pink ones are unusual here also. Usually that varmint grenade makes a tiny hole and just liquifies the internals with no exit. I think that this is the shortest range that I've shot a coyote with this bullet and it was going so fast that it exploded close to the exit.