what is the difference between SHV 4-14x50 F1 and the SHV 4-14x56 — 2 Answers

The easiest way to answer is probably to explain the “names”. “SHV” stands for “Shooter, Hunter, Varmiter”. It is Night Forces “value” scope line which is definitely not to say cheap or low quality. They are still NightForce products.

4-14 means both scopes in question have magnification that is adjustable from 4 power to 14 power magnification which is a good range for 90% of hunting applications.

The last numbers 50 vs 56 describe the diameter of the objective lens (the lens at the front of the scope closest to the firearms muzzle). Typically the larger the objective the more light the scope gathers and the more you will see in low-light conditions and typically you will have a lager field of view. You won’t notice a significant difference between 50 mm and 56 mm scopes. For large objective scopes you will have to buy higher rings and you will increase your height over bore which can create some issues (“Google”it).

The F1 denotes that the reticle or “crosshairs” are in the first focal plane. This means that the perceived size of the cross hairs will appear to shrink at low magnification and grow as magnification increases. This is a desirable feature for long range shooters that use the reticle to calculate hold over for windage or elevation or to make range estimates. This is different from more common second focal plane reticles which appear to stay the same size as magnification is increased or decreased. Again a quick Google search will offer a better comparison of first focal plane vs second focal plane reticles. Typically first focal plane scopes cost more.

Hope that answers your question.