First or Second Focal Plane Scope for Varmints?

I have both. Depends on what distance you plan to shoot varmints. Inside 300 yards or so, SFP is fine. Out past that range, FFP can be a real help with precision - little target at long range. Naturally, it matters that you will need a good rangefinder and a lot of practice with that FFP scope for the long shots.
 
I would choose SFP, because they are cheaper and likely you will never use a BDC or mil dot with varmints. I would laser and turn turrets.

Remember FFP's advantages:
- thicker reticle for quick low magnification shots
- BDC or mil-dot accurate across magnification range (big targets at medium range)

* cost of FFP is nearly double.

I would bet your varmint shooting is 0-600 yds, at max magnification and over 300, you use a laser range finder??
 
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OP didn't mention price as a limiting factor on SFP versus FFP. As for BDC, I have that on several scopes, and find it useful to about 400 yards on critters the size of coyotes. But, If the OP wants to blast gophers at 568 yards, BDC isn't very useful. Leupold's CDS system would, I think, be useful. SFP, with turrets and with power set at max should work just fine. FFP works fine, and you can have the power set at any level. One thing I do like about going with SFP is that the crosshairs remain fine at max power, unlike FFP.

Like I said, I have both SFP and FFP and so far have no overwhelming desire to have all of one or the other. Either will work just fine.

Either way, get a good rangefinder. My Nikon 600 is only good to 400 yards in ranging a pig or coyote, so I'm thinking an upgrade is in order eventually.
 
Like 603 Country I have both, two with MOA adjustment and two with MIL adjustment.

The two MOA adjustable scopes are SFP scopes, the two MIL adjustable scopes are fixed power.

Out of my four rifles I only have one that I'll be shooting at coyotes past 650 yards and that's my heavy barrel 243 with a fixed 10 power MIL adjustable scope, so SFP is not much of an issue for me.

With the other three rifles and scopes most shots will be 400 yards or less, some shots will be dial up some using yardage holdovers.
 
I also have both and would go with SFP. Nathan list's the thicker reticle of a FFP as an advantage, I feel it is a disadvantage. I tend to shoot on higher powers though.
 
Reticle size is going to more based on the manufacturer. I have a FFP Vortex Viper PST 4X16 with there mil reticle and in my opinion sucks. That is because it is way to thick on 16 power. Yet I also have a FFP Leupold Mark 6 3X18 with the Tremore2 reticle and at 18X it is definitely fine enough to do good precision work at distance. Now the trade off is some people feel at 3X the reticle is way to small. But I look at like this, if I'm using it at 3x the target is most likely close so I don't need the the full zoomed in reticle just the center cross is all I need to be able to see.

I don't know that is just my input.
 
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