rbernie
Contributing Member
I recently decided that I wanted an inexpensive FFP optic with MOA adjustments / reticle (since I'm used to working with imperial units of measure), positive zero stops, and a reticle with enough contrast in the subtensions for my bad / aging eyes to use at intermediate zoom settings. I really don't know much about what I'm doing in this particular area, and buying-and-trying seemed like a good way to start learning. I went through a bunch of side-by-side comparisons at my FLGS, and eventually settled on a Sig Tango4 (FFP) 6-24x as a low-cost entry into the genre. In particular, the glass quality (relative to cost) and the reticle crispness sold me on the Tango4.
In sighting it in, it quickly became evident that the reticle was visually moving from center as I zero'ed the rifle. In other words, the reticle would not remain centered in my field of view as I moved the turrets through their adjustment range. I had never encountered anything like this, and I found it very visually distracting to NOT have the reticle centered in my field of view. I went back to the store to see if this was common to FFP optics in general or if my specific scope was defective in some way. Frankly - I assumed my scope was broken.
We first called Sig to get their opinion, and they said that this behavior was normal. I really didn't trust that feedback, and so we then compared my Tango4 to other Tango4's and various Vortex and S&B offerings in inventory, to see how common this behavior really was. All told, I probably spent two hours twiddling knobs and looking at reticles.
What I came to learn is that the observed behavior is normal across the Tango4 line; we could duplicate it in other Tango4's with absolute repeatability. I also found that I could duplicate this behavior to some degree in the Vortex Diamondback Tacticals and the FFP Vipers. Interestingly, I could -not- duplicate this behavior in any of the Tango6 or Razor or S&B optics in stock; there was clearly a behavioral discrimination between the lower cost (sub-$1200) offerings and the more upscale optics.
So here I am, with virtually zero stick time yet in the field, and I've learned an important lesson in FFP optics - if you want the mechanical elegance of a reticle that remains centered as you adjust the turrets, you gotta pay to play.
<sigh>
In sighting it in, it quickly became evident that the reticle was visually moving from center as I zero'ed the rifle. In other words, the reticle would not remain centered in my field of view as I moved the turrets through their adjustment range. I had never encountered anything like this, and I found it very visually distracting to NOT have the reticle centered in my field of view. I went back to the store to see if this was common to FFP optics in general or if my specific scope was defective in some way. Frankly - I assumed my scope was broken.
We first called Sig to get their opinion, and they said that this behavior was normal. I really didn't trust that feedback, and so we then compared my Tango4 to other Tango4's and various Vortex and S&B offerings in inventory, to see how common this behavior really was. All told, I probably spent two hours twiddling knobs and looking at reticles.
What I came to learn is that the observed behavior is normal across the Tango4 line; we could duplicate it in other Tango4's with absolute repeatability. I also found that I could duplicate this behavior to some degree in the Vortex Diamondback Tacticals and the FFP Vipers. Interestingly, I could -not- duplicate this behavior in any of the Tango6 or Razor or S&B optics in stock; there was clearly a behavioral discrimination between the lower cost (sub-$1200) offerings and the more upscale optics.
So here I am, with virtually zero stick time yet in the field, and I've learned an important lesson in FFP optics - if you want the mechanical elegance of a reticle that remains centered as you adjust the turrets, you gotta pay to play.
<sigh>