22LR Scope Upgrade Suggestions

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DaJokr

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Just last fall I upgraded from a 3-9 Bushnell, to a Nikon Rimfire II 4-12. I have no complaints about the Nikon other then I need...more. the Nikon has a fixed 75yd parallax which makes for some issues when I try to shoot the upclose targets. Majority of my shooting is 100yds minimum, but i do still plink at stuff closer with my buddies.

I was looking into the Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP 6-24 in MOA. I just started looking at Athon, once I find a scope, do I go Mil or MOA though? My gut is to go with an MOA setup (im a yds/in guy), but everyone seems to go for Mil so I dont want to be at a disadvantage. Scope suggestions? Will be trying to reach out to 300yds this year, potentially more now that I have some targets made.
 
I have the Diamondback FFP on a 308. It's in MOA. I am happy with it for the price I paid. It would be well suited for a .22 and I will be adding one or something similar to a new precision .22 when I make up my mind

Lots of hate towards vortex. They aren't the best and aren't the worst. I have a couple and they work well and haven't failed me. I was looking at an Athlon midas tac but came across a great deal on the EE for something else. However, one day I will grab an Athlon to try.

A Christmas tree reticle would be quite useful for holdovers on a .22
 
We dont have any competitions (that I know of) around here, but PRS/ELR is my aim anyways. I have a semi auto for general plinking, and my bolt gun which I really enjoy testing myself with. PRS/ELR is just icing on the cake for me. I doubt I will ever own an Anschutz, but I could see possibly a CZ trainer one day if the current bolt gun hits a wall with its ability to group well.

My Nikons are both BDC reticules. I wish they just had dots, would make adjustments easier. I like the christmas tree on the vortex and athlon, though I have wondered if it makes it hard to spot hits in the dirt
 
IF you're comfortable with MOA then stay with MOA.

IF you want to reach out to 300m with a 22lr, find out which one has the best glass and go with that.
I've got an old leupold varix iii 6.5-20 EFR on a cz 455 and shoot to 200 at silverdale, and can see the hits on the paper.
Also, find which one has the most elev adjustment. I've got a 20 moa mount and my 1in tube scope has about 58moa adjustment.
I have it zeroed for 25y. At 100y 6.5moa elev, at 200y 23.5 moa elev.
I estimate that I can probably get out to about 275y, with the amount of elev I have (apporx 38.5 moa)
 
I have gone through various scopes on my 22's as my needs have changed.
Vortex Viper 3-9 with BDC. Great little scope but for closer shooting it would not adjust the parallax. But it worked well
Sightron Stac 4-20x50 with MOA reticle. This was a good scope that had the parallax adjustment down to 10 yards. Bought 2 and have kept one on my 17 HMR. Not a bad deal
Sightron SII 36X - very specific purpose being benchrest shooting. It had an adjustable parallax but limited in its uses. For benchrest, it was awesome.
Athlon Midas Tac 5-25x56 - just put this on my Anschutz MSR (replaced the 36X) and it is a lovely scope. Hefty with its 34 mm tube and 110 MOA available for long distance. Parallax is down to 25 yards which is fine for close up but is nice and clear. This is my first FFP scope and it is not bad to use. I know others that use this scope and it is punching above its price category.
Some people question more expensive optics on 22's but in fact the need for more elevation and clarity to see tiny holes in targets in my mind makes more sense.
I would look for something with the closer parallax and more MOA and MIL because there is always a desire to see how far one can shoot accurately with a 22. And it is a good challenge.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I was leaning towards MOA, but hear there a little more rare. Hopefully whatever I pick will have the MOA option.

I see lots using sightrons in NRL22 competitions but I am guessing there not as common for PRS and E/LR shooting? That athlon argos is looking nice though, to bad most reviews are on larger calibers, would love to find reviews with scooes on 22's.
 
For the price of the Argos it isn't much of a risk. I am considering picking one up for my mk2 to have more elevation to play with. My current Bushnell 5-15 tactical runs out of elevation too fast.
 
I put a 20MOA rail on mk2 from the get go, its kind of exciting to think how much further I will be able to hit out too and still be accurate.

I guess the other thing I need to watch, or look at, is how much adjustment any scope will have. I would imagine I will need quite a bit for the ole 22lr...
 
DaJokr said:
I put a 20MOA rail on mk2 from the get go, its kind of exciting to think how much further I will be able to hit out too and still be accurate.

I guess the other thing I need to watch, or look at, is how much adjustment any scope will have. I would imagine I will need quite a bit for the ole 22lr...
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Yeah. You run out fast. The more elevation the better
 
Diamondback tactical 6-24 is currently sitting on my match 22 and the parallax at 50m is problematic. At that distance I either get a clear reticle or a clear target, but not both. It’s good any further than that, but it’s definitely not a close range optic.

Edit: I’m a jackass, I torqued as per the mounts spec (Non-Vortex) which was slightly higher than the Vortex spec for the scope. The issue seems to have gone away. Apologies fellas.
 
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Anyone comment on the athlon argos at closer distances? My nikon doesnt have the adjustment which is where it fails. Nice clear picture up close and out far, but the crosshair vanishes up close. We had the bright idea to have a game where we shoot bottle caps at 50yds, i can hit them but its hard aiming with a blur.
 
A little out of my price range. The argos and vortex diamondback tactical are near the top of my price range for the time being.
 
Hughgideon said:
Diamondback tactical 6-24 is currently sitting on my match 22 and the parallax at 50m is problematic. At that distance I either get a clear reticle or a clear target, but not both. It’s good any further than that, but it’s definitely not a close range optic.
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I am not familiar with that scope or that issue. From the Vortex site, looks like it is parallax adjustable (presumably the turret on the left side) from 10 yards and cross hair focus is set by turning the eye piece. Is it possible that you are using the parallax adjustment as if it was the focus adjustment?
 
Hughgideon said:
Diamondback tactical 6-24 is currently sitting on my match 22 and the parallax at 50m is problematic. At that distance I either get a clear reticle or a clear target, but not both. It’s good any further than that, but it’s definitely not a close range optic.
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I'd be sending that back.

I invested in two identical units, and they both are crystal clear at 10 yards. It's farther away when you see what better glass does. A friend I shoot with often has a Viper and therein lies the largest difference, to me.

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Potashminer said:
I am not familiar with that scope or that issue. From the Vortex site, looks like it is parallax adjustable (presumably the turret on the left side) from 10 yards and cross hair focus is set by turning the eye piece. Is it possible that you are using the parallax adjustment as if it was the focus adjustment?
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Nope. I was using the correct knob. I emailed vortex and they said that could be a symptom of over torquing the scope rings. I have a torque screwdriver and the tightened as per the spec, but I’ll going to try remounting either way and see.

Maybe my initial assumption was a bit aggressive. The gentleman from vortex support assured me it shouldn’t do that and if the problem persisted that they would fix it.
 
DaJokr said:
A little out of my price range. The argos and vortex diamondback tactical are near the top of my price range for the time being.
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The vortex diamondback is a great little scope for the price. If you plan on shooting past 100 yards at paper though I'd look for something a little bit better. But if it's for PRS style shooting they are great! I have one here. It's not being used in a rifle righty now but I enjoyed it while I used it.
 
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