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Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP

Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP

Mil-Dots confuse a lot of people, compounding this problem are those makes that use a Mil-Dot reticule that subtends 3.6” @ 100 yards with minute of angle (MOA) adjustments which are just over 1” at 100 yards. Add in the difference between 1st and 2nd focal plane (FFP & SFP) systems, the latter requiring a pre-set magnification to give full value to any corrections employed and you can get into a right mess.

SIMPLE SOLUTION

There is an easier way: buy a scope that is fully calibrated in Mils with an FFP reticule and now Falcon Optics are offering a Mil/Mil FFP scope in a 5.5-25 X 50 format for £299, or £349 with illuminated reticule. On test the M25(50)B model, fitted with a non-illuminated B20 reticule. Not the most elegant design but it works, which is all we need!

The turrets were clearly marked, with direction arrows and turn-indicator lines and positive in operation, with audible and reasonably tactile clicks, giving consistent, repeatable adjustments. Drums can be set to zero by three screws in the rim and there’s a rubberised fast-focus ring that gives an ample - if unspecified - dioptre range.

The Falcon is dry-nitrogen-filled, waterproof and able to withstand recoil forces equivalent to a 338 Lapua Magnum. They come with a Limited 10-year Warranty for defects in materials and or workmanship and the best instruction manual I’ve seen, complete with a troubleshooting section.

ZEROING

I fitted the Falcon to my HS Precision Lightweight Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. Each click is 0.1 Mil, which equals 1cm at 100m, so no sums were required. The first shot showed I needed 13-clicks down and 6 left. The second was right where I wanted it, so I left the turrets where they were and shot two more rounds, which formed a good ¾” group. This suggested that the Mil/Mil reticule/clicks were matched and true to specification.

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I mounted the rifle on a workbench and aligned it with a board 50m away marked with an array of dots at 10cm intervals. After first dialling in a couple of clicks to centre the reticule on the nearest dot, I dialled in sets of 20-clicks to see how accurately the scope tracked and also noted how the Mil subtensions corresponded to the spacing between the dots. It tracked very well, but the reticule, while constant in scale across the magnification range, seemed slightly oversized, with each pair of dot centres being bracketed rather than overlaid by the relevant hash marks. This could lead to some over-estimation of range, and under-correction for impacts, but is less important than the precision and consistency of the adjustment. Overall this gave me confidence to take the Falcon varminting, and dialling back and forth without worrying about zero shift!

RETICULE

The B20 reticule is easy to use, with ample gradations below the centre for shooters who prefer to aim off rather than dial in. Framed by a chunky 1-mil-thick solid outer cross, the centre section has fine lines and 0.07 Mil stadia; with a full-size hash marks 1 Mil wide at the end of the 9, 12 and 3 o’clock scales and every 2.0 Mils on the 6 o’clock scale; half-size hash marks 0.5 Mils every other Mil; and quarter-size hash marks 0.25 Mils every other 0.5 Mils. There are a total of 5 Mils on each of the 9, 12 and 3 o’clock scales, and 10 on the 6 o’clock, which is also numbered every 2 Mils for ease of reference.

Zoom right in and you can see only 7.5 Mils of the lower 10, however, so if you want to see the full 10, you’ll need to back the magnification off to x16. This is actually a more useful level to work at, with a more forgiving exit pupil and a brighter image. At x5.5 meanwhile, the central section is too small to apply the gradations effectively, but as minimum magnification is essentially an emergency, close-range, point-and-shoot option, this hardly matters, especially as the bold outer bars let you intuitively confirm the position of the cross-hair.

PERFORMANCE

The Falcon performed well, though the image wasn’t as good as the one from my Vortex Razor. At practical ranges the difference wasn’t enough to prevent me identifying targets or spotting impacts, even if it was a bit harder to get perfect eye alignment. In low-light the reticule can be hard to see, especially with the magnification wound down to obtain a brighter image. I’d advise getting the illuminated version!

Nevertheless, all in all, the Falcon 5.5-25x50 Mil/Mil FFP is a practical and capable optic for long-range shooting, that gives little away to the more expensive makes costing over six times as much. The bottom line is that the Mil/Mil + FFP formula makes rangefinding and trajectory compensation child’s play in comparison with mongrel, Mil/MOA + SFP systems. It reduces both errors and engagement times, and now, thanks to Falcon, you can enjoy all the benefits without breaking the bank.

FOR - Solves the MIL-Dot/MOA hybrid problems of most long range scopes
AGAINST - Low light ability a little weak
VERDICT - FFP system and Mil to Mil works wellWell priced and effective but no Vortex

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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  • Falcon 5.5 - 25 x 50 Mil Mil FFP - image {image:count}

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