Falcon Optics 4-14ffp Review

Okay, I know I am new here but I have been over at calguns for a long time now. Here is a review for you guys on the Falcon 4-14ffp optic.

The Specifications:

Manufacturer: Falcon Optics

Model Number: Menace 4-14x44 FFP

Finish: Matte

Magnification: 4-14

Objective: 44mm

Tube Diameter: 30mm

Weight: 26.4oz/749g

Length: 13.3"/338mm

Eye Relief: 3.0"/76mm

Exit Pupil: 11 - 3.14mm

Click Value: 1/4 MOA

FOV @100y: 27.5'-7.9'

Light Transmission: 94%

Adjustment Range: 75 MOA

Reticule: Mil/EMD

Extras: Free sunshades

1 Piece aluminum tube

Warranty: Lifetime

List Price: $490

Street Price: $400 shipped

I'm sure many of you have read the reviews of this scope found http://www.snipercentral.com/menace4.htm. The gentleman over there did a great job reviewing it but I want to expand on the review with the actual production model that was released.

Initial thoughts: When I opened the UPS box, I was stunned to see a plain black box. I opened up the box and found the scope had a black "velvet" cover over it free-floating within the box. I pulled the optic out to take a look. My first impression when I pulled the cover off was "Wow!" I was really impressed by the workmanship this scope had at this price range. As I started to fondle the scope, I realized it didn't have any markings that said it was made by Falcon Optics. That started to worry me because I thought I bought a knock off. I did more research and found the production models don't say Menace on the top like this one:

They do have a serial number on the underbelly. The next thing I did was start messing with the turrets, parallax etc.. I then came to the realization that I liked the turrets better on this optic than the Nightforce NXS 5.5-22 I was using. The turrets on the Nightforce are very hard to turn and don't have a definite "click' and the turrets on the Falcon feel perfect like a subtle break of glass on each turn. I was pleasantly surprised by that. Now on to the Parallax adjustment..

Parallax: There is nothing really fancy on the parallax. It works great for all ranges I have tested so far (50-300m.) It doesn't have the markings like the one below. You just need to find where the scope looks best for you at the range you are shooting. That is what I do anyways and have never used those types of markings so it didn't bother me at all.

Parallax adjust and production model:

Mounting and Zeroing: I mounted the Falcon 4-14 on a Larue LT 104 mount on a custom 6.5 Grendel of mine. After I mounted it, I took it up to my friends house to zero the optic and to see what it could do. I had a bad feeling it would be way off so I just took a shot at 50 meters. To my surprise, the bullet hit the center of the target. I shot again and had the same result.

Glass quality: I was amazed by how clear the glass is for $400. I couldn't believe I only paid $400 for an optic that had mil turrets, a mil reticle with a front focal plane AND great glass! The light transmission is great (94%) and the clarity is very good at all settings. The light transmission isn't as good as my friends Trijicon TR20-2 but that shouldn't be compared. I am very impressed with the glass quality and think it would serve most people's needs.

After I did no adjustments to zero the scope, my friend and I moved back to 300 meters. I set up and looked through the scope at my 8"x8" steel target. I adjusted the parallax and pulled the trigger. A split second we heard the "ping" of the bullet hitting the metal. I know I should have zeroed at 100m and then did my whole turret adjustments to get the perfect shot but I didn't really care at the moment. I just wanted to see what the glass looked like and I am pretty confident with my flat shooting 6.5G. We shot with it for a couple of hours before it started to rain.

As we were walking back to the house out of the woods (we don't need shooting ranges in Montana) my friend mentioned how he might need to get one of those scopes. My friend only buys high end so I was a bit surprised. He said that the scope is hard to pass up at that price and I agreed with him all the while feeling good about my purchase.

Conclusion: I am very happy with my purchase of this scope and feel it is built well. The glass, ffp feature, mil/mil reticle and turrets, and quality of this scope make it a real winner.

P.S I will continue to post more about this scope when I get the chance to test the repeatability of the turrets. I will continue posting when I get more time behind it. I have only taken it out shooting 3 times in the span of 2 days so I am sure there is a lot more to this optic than what I have written here. post any questions you may have about this scope and I will do my best to answer them.

Missionmtman