The Schmidt & Bender 3-18x42 Meta FFP with the SBX reticle is a compact first focal plane riflescope for hunters and practical precision shooters. After about a year of testing, training and timed DMR-style matches, my verdict is simple: it handles like a small scope, performs optically like a much bigger one, and the reticle never got in my way when the clock was running.Schmidt & Bender Rifle Scopes @ TFB:TFB Review: Schmidt & Bender 6-36x56 PM IITFB Review: Schmidt & Bender 3-20x50 PM II Ultra ShortTFB Review: Schmidt & Bender 5-45x56 PM II High PowerMost of my time behind the Meta was on a German-made Schmeisser Pro Hunter AR-15 with an 18" barrel, fed 69 gr Sierra MatchKing (GGG) .223 Rem. and 68 grs Frontier (Hornady). Most of the time, the rifle wore a Finnish ASE Utra Dual556-Mini Gen2 suppressor. In the Nordics, a can on a hunting or sporting rifle is the norm, and some of our competition ranges require one to meet local noise rules. Below: The red MagnetoSpeed Riflekühl barrel cooler helped a lot during shooting; it moved enough warm air that I could heat my hands in it. The scope sat in a Spuhr QDP-3016 mount throughout. Spuhr’s much more compact hunter line might have been an even smoother choice. The shortest shots were at 20 m (22 yd), but the bulk of the rounds went downrange at 300 m (328 yd) or further, many of them under time pressure in competitions where one mistake decides the podium. I made very few, and I climbed onto the podium in several DMR-style matches with this setup. They were not the nationals, but the competition is always fierce. The targets are mostly 20-30 cm, with a few at 40cm, at 300 meters. It may sound easier than it is, because we rarely get to shoot prone with a bipod and sometimes without any soft bags as support. The 3-18x is a MVPO (Medium Power Variable Optics), here compared with the S&B 1-8x LPVO. Worth noting is that Schmidt & Bender had no input on this review, and both the rifle and the scope are owned by a local Shooting Club.Who Should Buy It, and Who Should NotIf you want one scope for an AR-15, AR-10 or light bolt gun that has to reach up to about 600 m (656 yd) and beyond, this is a very strong candidate. It suits shooters who hold over more than they dial, because the first focal plane reticle stays true at every magnification. It also makes sense if weight and balance matter to you, if you hunt at night with a clip-on, or if you compete in gas gun DMR or PRS-style matches. It is the wrong scope if you shoot small targets far out from a bench and want 25x or more, or if you need a true 1x for close work. Deep into twilight at high magnification, a 50 or 56 mm objective simply gathers more light. If you want the simplest possible hunting reticle, look at the cleaner SBX-S version. Would I spend my own money? Yes! This time I didn’t have to, but I may have had some input into the shooting club’s decision-making. For a crossover rifle that goes from the stand to a timed DMR stage, this is the scope I would buy before a heavier 34 mm PM II.How I Tested ItMy scope had the SBX reticle, 0.1 mrad clicks and the DT23 elevation turret. I don’t keep count, but I shot around 1200-1800 rounds through it, all of them from the Schmeisser described above. I zeroed at 100 m (109 yd) and confirmed my holds at 300 m (328 yd) before taking the rifle to various DMR-style matches. A winter of cold and wind did not cause any zero shift or failure, but I suspect that the suppressor gives me some kind of POI shift when it runs hot. However, to prove this would require a scientific investigation beyond my capabilities. Perhaps it’s easier to blame the shooter, aka myself? The rifle itself ran without a single malfunction and was cleaned only lightly, but I kept adding some oil. I also used it for this article: TFB Review: One Shot, Two Devices - Comparing SG Pulse & Pulse ProDesign and Handling: Smaller Outside, Big InsideThe 30 mm tube is the smartest decision on this scope. On the rifle, the Meta handles like a compact hunting scope, but behind the eyepiece it performs like a much larger optic. At 328 mm (12.9") and a claimed 780 g (27.5 oz), it kept the 18" Schmeisser balanced between my hands instead of top-heavy. Compare that with the 34 mm PM II 3-20x50 Ultra Short or the PM II 6-36x56 I’ve tried in DMR matches as well. Those scopes are both superb tools, but they are longer, heavier and need bigger rings. The Meta gives up some magnification and objective size, and in return the whole rifle becomes easier to carry, shoulder and move between positions. For dynamic shooting, it’s easy to give up some optical performance, especially for situations when it’s not needed.To compare, here’s my friend’s Schmidt & Bender 5-20x50 PM II. And here is the S&B 6-36x56 PM II, which is a much larger scope. TurretsMy scope had the DT23 elevation turret: two turns, 23 mrad in total, a lock, a zero stop, and a visual and tactile indicator when you enter the second turn. For the 100 to 300 meter ranges, I rarely click my .223, but I hold spot on at 300 or low at 100 in matches. The alternative ST LT turret is flatter and gives 12 mrad in one turn, which leaves more room for a piggyback red dot on top. I always thought Schmidt & Bender had the best tactile clicks, and the META has “it” too.Parallax, Illumination and MagnificationParallax adjusts from 20 m (22 yd) to infinity, which mattered on the close papers we sometimes do at 20 meters. When I did that with my old 5-25x56 PM II years ago (with a 50 m parallax), it was a nightmare and I ended up with missed targets - this is a huge improvement. Illumination and parallax share the left side, with 11 red steps powered by a CR2032 and an automatic shut-off. The center is not really bright enough in full daylight, but for most of my shooting it’s enough. The magnification ring accepts the Schmidt & Bender Throw Lever. I tried to run it both with and without, and I would prefer to have it to add to your torque, or when in the prone position. Tenebraex flip covers come in the box, front and rear, which is a nice touch at this price. The SBX Reticle: Enough Information, No ClutterThe SBX reticle is the reason this scope works on both a DMR stage and a hunting stand. It gives me everything I need for holds and wind at long range, without turning the sight picture into a spreadsheet. On my last S&B review, the Tremor3 felt like several reticles in one with a 100-page manual; the SBX is the opposite. Note that all reticle images (regardless of optic) aren’t really to tell the optical quality of the glass, but more for you to get an idea of what the reticle and possibly the field of view might look like. Here’s the SBX reticle without illumination. Steel at 312 meters, and the smallest one is only 10 cm, if I remember correctly. In the middle sits a tiny 0.065 MRAD floating dot, surrounded by a broken cross with 0.2 mrad gaps. That fine center is what you want for a small steel plate at 18x. The illuminated part reaches 2 MRAD out from center, which kept my .223 holds inside the lit area to roughly 300 m (328 yd) from a 100 m zero. At 3x, the fine center gets very small in a first focal plane scope, but the bars pull your eye straight to the middle.For hunters, it is a fairly clean reticle once you are used to it. If you never hold for wind or elevation past 300 m (328 yd), the SBX-S version drops the tree and keeps the same center. Optical PerformanceThe glass is where the Meta stops feeling like a (fairly) compact scope. At 18x on 300 m (328 yd) steel, the image is sharp to the edge, with clean color and no visible fringing on the plate edges. I never felt I was giving anything away compared with the 34 mm and 50 mm PM II scopes I usually compete with, but ultimately there will be a performance difference side-to-side. The physics still apply. At 18x, the 42 mm objective gives a 2.3 mm exit pupil, against 2.8 mm for a 50 mm scope at the same power. Especially in the last light of the day, I would get a brighter image. This probably worries hunters more than sports shooters.At 3x, the field of view is 14.5 m at 100 m (43.5 ft at 100 yd), which is wide enough to find a target fast and track movement. Eye relief stays at 90 mm (3.54") through the zoom range, so your head position does not change when you zoom. The eyebox is something I never really had a problem with, even from silly awkward positions, so I guess it means it’s great.My biggest optical enemy in the cold was not the scope at all, but mirage. A hot suppressor in cold air sends heat shimmer straight up through the line of sight after a few rounds.On the Clock: DMR Matches at 300 m and BeyondThe Meta earned its place in matches, not on the bench. In the DMR-style gas gun matches I shoot, you typically get around 30-90 seconds per stage, papers from close range out past 300 m (328 yd), awkward supports and bonus points for time left - if you hit all the targets. Every miss and every second costs you, so the scope has to stay “invisible” and just deliver.I usually ran at 14-18x magnification on the stages. I sometimes miss not being able to turn up even higher, but having said that, I have a bad habit of shooting at a higher magnification than most others.In the Field: Coyotes, Deer and HogsMy time with the META so far has been on the range and in matches, not on a hunt. Still, as a hunter, I can see exactly where it belongs, and it is not only in Europe.On a .223 AR-15 for coyotes or other predators in open country, the SBX tree lets you hold for a 300 m (328 yd) shot with wind without touching a turret while the dog is still standing. On a 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 bolt gun for whitetail, 3x and a 14.5 m (48 ft) field of view at 100 m make a buck stepping out at 50 m (55 yd) at last light easy to pick up, and the illuminated center is dim enough not to bloom on a dark animal. For hogs after dark, the Meta was built to take a clip-on thermal or night vision in front of the objective, which I tested and cover next. For mountain hunts, every gram counts, and this would be one of the lightest ways to carry an 18x first focal plane scope with this kind of glass.With a Clip-On Thermal: Nocpix MATE Ultra S60RThe Meta works well behind a clip-on, but mount height decides whether it works perfectly. I paired it with the 1280x1024 Nocpix MATE Ultra S60R, which I reviewed earlier, on its Picatinny rifle mount in front of the scope. My Spuhr put the scope's centerline at 38 mm (1.5"), slightly lower than the clip-on's optical axis. The result was an image slightly off-center. It was usable for observation and testing the concept, but not as clean as a matched setup. The fix is simple and worth planning before you buy mounts. Measure the clip-on mount's center height above the rail and choose a scope mount that matches it. The alternative is an adapter that clamps the MATE's M52 thread to the Meta's 50 mm (1.97") objective bell, which puts all the weight on the scope. Not all scopes like that, but the S&B should be good for it.Below: A view through the Nocpix MATE Ultra S60R. Pros and ConsProsHandles like a compact 30 mm hunting scope, performs optically like a much larger oneSBX reticle gives full holdover and wind information without clutter, and the outer bars work at 3xFirst focal plane holds were correct at every magnification I triedParallax down to 20 m (22 yd), useful for close targets and rimfire trainingBuilt with clip-ons in mind; TMR ring for a throw lever; Tenebraex covers in the boxMade in Germany, 10-year warranty (12 years with registration)ConsOver $4,000 in the US - work harder or smarterIllumination brightness not sunlight bright (seems to be the most common question)Throw lever sold separately18x magnification might be too little, but then you are probably looking for another PM II anyway.Final ThoughtsA detail I really like about Schmidt & Bender is that they are made in Germany and handcrafted in a relatively small factory, with a focus on quality over volume. These days, this is rare. I went to the factory some two years ago, so I could study the assembly in person. The 3-18x42 Meta FFP is the scope I would recommend to a shooter who wants one optic for a rifle that hunts on Saturday and competes on Sunday. In reality, probably no one will do this, but it’s a good measure to describe its versatility. During timed stages, I never thought about the scope, only about the next target and keeping everything safe. That is the highest compliment I can give an optic. If you start to think about the optic itself, and details that irritate, limit or obstruct you, then you probably should look for something else - that’s not the case here. Instead I’m thinking I should probably have myself a 3-18x42 Meta FFP on another rifle.Manufacturer’s product link (EU): Schmidt & Bender 3-18x42 MetaIf this post has you ready to hit the range, head over to gunranges.com - a free directory to help you find shooting ranges near you, wherever you are in the United States.