Reticle location

[ronas]

For use mostly target shooting, 100 for 400 yards and some hunting where is the best location for the reticle (MOA type)? In the first or second image plane?

I think I've read that if the reticle is in the first image plane then on high magnification the reticle may cover to much of target. Scope will mostly like be a 2.5x10 magnification with German #4 non illuminated.

[Stringer]

Who makes a German #4 in first focal plane?

FFP (first focal plane) reticules grow and shrink as you change magnification. This makes the reticle subtensions (the distances between "landmarks" on the reticule in MOA or mrad--a simple crosshair has no subtensions) accurate at all magnifications. It can be used for simpler ranging/holdover calculations. Many shooters prefer a SFP reticule for anything but high magnification scopes, because at low magnification the reticule shrinks so much it can be hard to make out.

SFP reticules stay the same size as you change magnification. For a #4 reticule, the subtensions are virtually never used, because it only has three "landmarks." That makes it ideal for SFP. The reticule won't shrink at low magnification so much that your German #4 looks like a heavy crosshair that lost the top hair.

For milling reticules, it's more of a toss-up, but at 2.5-10x, I'd still recommend you purchase a SFP scope.

[ronas]

Who makes a German #4 in first focal plane?

Zeiss and Schmidt and Bender, althought S&B does not call it a German #4, but that's what it looks like to me. I try to post some photos if I can find some good examples. I think Swaroski also makes a #4 but I'm not sure.

[ronas]

Below are the photo of what I'm calling the German 4 from, S&B, Saworski, and Zeiss.

[ar15barrels]

If you don't have a reticle with graduations, it does not really benefit you to have it in the first focal plane.
If you were getting a mil-dot type reticle, then it's better to be first focal.
With a simple crosshair, you don't gain anything having the reticle track with the image.

[Pthfndr]

I'm partial to the German #1 myself

B27 type silhouette target at 800 yards through a 4x scope (1940s vintage)