Check out some of the Athlon offerings. Mystic Precision should be able to help with them. I have a Helos BTR and the glass is very good. It's over your budget but they should definitely have something that is in your budget that would satisfy your needs.
Best all around scope for a bolt action 22
- Thread starter Glockenspiel
- Start date
Well he had to git thuh - inn there tuh mayker werk, don’tchah know.
sharp shooter
CGN frequent flyer
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I have a Burris Droptine rimfire (#200019). 3-9 with the ballistic plex reticle. Works awesome and a nice light clear little scope thats cheaper than the leupold.
Some here must live on a different planet then others. My .22 rifles are for plinking out to 50 yards. I am not much of a rifleman...never was but I have harvested a few rabbits, ptarmigan, grouse, squirrels, and gophers in my day...with rifle scopes that in today's new world order would sell for under $300 if they are made at all. Never spent much time worrying about the alphabet issues set out in many of the posts above. My A2 carries the Bushnell scope it came with. I just put three knock off Leupold scopes on my PCC's that were all under $100 delivered - 1.5x5xx40. After 300 rds of 9MM they seem to be working fine. All wear or will wear Vortex red dots angle mounted for close in work. I am pretty inept with my carbines but man I enjoy every minute of competition time. I enjoy the guys I shoot with and the stories we tell each other.
We all take out hobbies to different directions. I suspect it is sometimes, but not always driven by budgets like some have suggested. Personally, putting a $1K scope on a $300 .22 rifle is a bit over the top but that is just me. Hell I would not put a $1K scope on my $1K Anschutz either. I would sooner waste my money on another $1,500 9MM pistol that will instantly make me have a $1.5K hole in my bank account. LOL.
BTW if the AR's ever get out of jail I got $1,800 waiting for one in 9MM..any suggestions for a scope....lol
Take Care
Bob
ps To the OP find a Vortex/Bushnell or equivalent 3x9 for $350 and $200 worth of ammo and enjoy your shooting.
We all take out hobbies to different directions. I suspect it is sometimes, but not always driven by budgets like some have suggested. Personally, putting a $1K scope on a $300 .22 rifle is a bit over the top but that is just me. Hell I would not put a $1K scope on my $1K Anschutz either. I would sooner waste my money on another $1,500 9MM pistol that will instantly make me have a $1.5K hole in my bank account. LOL.
BTW if the AR's ever get out of jail I got $1,800 waiting for one in 9MM..any suggestions for a scope....lol
Take Care
Bob
ps To the OP find a Vortex/Bushnell or equivalent 3x9 for $350 and $200 worth of ammo and enjoy your shooting.
I may be one of those other planet guys.
One reason is that I will not buy "made in China" optics, or "made in China" anything else if I can help it. Sometimes the only item available is made in China so its unavoidable. But with optics there is usually a choice.
Optics (or anything else) made outside of China are likely going to cost more.
People make choices for more reasons than just sticker price.
Yes I get that. Years ago I read George Orwell's "1984". China is our friend, China is no longer our friend, Russia is our enemy, now not so much. I suspect you buy more Chinese products then you think. We sell a ton of coal to China and soon a lot more Natural Gas not to mention sophisticated nuclear power products so maybe our enemy is more transitional than we sometimes think. BTW Orwell pretty much described today's situation. I figure if the Chinese citizens are being fed they likely will have little desire to exchange nukes with us...just saying. Our real enemy may be closer than you think....
Take Care
Bob
Yup, for me its Leupold in the Rimfire or a 2-7 compact Leupold.
Sometimes it just better to buy a scope thats worth more than ones firearm.
Quality and Customer Support is where it is at.
Korth Group Rob
Maybe the caffeine hasn't kicked-in yet, but I'm not sure what that^ comment means. lol Anyhow, glad $100 scopes are getting it done for your Canuck44, I have more time behind $100 scopes than anything else. Not that you've implied this, but a person would have to have severe vision issues to not recognize the difference in quality between a $100 scope, and something in the "$1000" range you referenced. Period, full stop.
Whether or not THAT difference in quality means anything to you is another discussion. Where my opinion would differ with your post has to be a recommendation for low-end Vortex stuff. The only scope I ever had fail a few shots-in was a Vortex Crossfire. I've also owned a Vortex Diamondback, and a Vortex Viper HS for comparison. I can appreciate the Vortex warranty (because I needed it on the very first Vortex purchase) but $ for $, I don't think Vortex compares favourably to brands like Burris, Leupold, Sightron, etc. I will say, I have almost no time behind modern Bushnells in that price range, nor have I shot with the higher-end Vortex. I've heard very favourable things about both brands when you're prepared to spend the $ to get the good ones.
I wouldn't put a $1,000 scope on a $300 .22, but I've also never shot a $300 .22 that impressed me from an accuracy POV. And, I'm not implying I'm an expert, or a shooter with a big budget=neither is the case. I'm in the camp of people who believes that no rifle is accurate unless, or until, I can get it to shoot well. Naturally, the "better" the gun+the more I pay for it=the higher the expectations. lol
As much as I love/shoot rimfire, I know I'm the exception among the guys I associate with. Most of them are centerfire/shotgun/pistol types, big game hunters, etc. 22s are still considered "toys" barely worthy of discussion...and CERTAINLY don't deserve primo glass on top. lol I read your post and it sounded like some of the correspondence I have with these same guys, so it's not unfamiliar to me.
I actually WOULD like primo scopes on my rimfires, but do the best I can...like we all do. I once thought (like you) that another gun is a preferred purchase over upgrading a scope, or buying a better one, etc. As mentioned in my previous post, that fell apart having spent time shooting with better scopes...and actually spending long days behind them for various reasons. I think that's where the differences can really be noticed, but if that's not your reality...I get it.
This is the most recent scope I've purchased for a .22, and so far it's been excellent. Before that, I put a Leupold Freedom Rimfire 3-9 on a CZ, and got that scope on sale a couple of years back for under $300.
https://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes...es-series/fullfield-e1-riflescope-4.5-14x42mm
They still making them ? RJ
No, but they're still out there. My LGS has been clearing Nikon optics out for a while. (no longer make rifle scopes) My only concern would be what happens if the scope needs warranty service/repair. I'd suggest the deal needs to be pretty good if that kind of support isn't there from Nikon.
Trace Scope Repair, run by Geologist and his wife, do an excellent job of repairing good quality, discontinued scopes.
I suspect a lot of components from the internals and maybe even lenses are interchangeable?
I sent him an old Burris, fixed 6X, with objective ring AO. He changed out the reticle, cleaned up everything for a very decent price, appx $125. Much cheaper than I could have gotten the job done, south of the border.
I mounted that scope onto my Tikka T3 yesterday and took it to the range. It did everything it was supposed to do, the AO worked from 20 yards to 100 yards without any issues and the adjustments were butter smooth/positive.
You may be further ahead to find an older scope, in decent condition, of good quality, such as the higher end Burris/Redfield/Weaver (Yes, the high end, early Weaver scopes were excellent), call him at Trace Scope Repairs or better yet, email him at tracescoperepair@gmail.com
Many of those older scopes had excellent lenses, which gave sharp clear images, all the way to the outer edges and the reticles stay sharp as well.
These old scopes can often be picked up online or at gunshows in the $100+ range, sometimes cheaper.
I found a great old Redfield at a yard sale this spring and the seller gave it to me for $20 just to get it off his hands.
.22LRGUY - Good points. We all have different reasons for our purchases. I am impressed with folks who buy .22LR rifles designed to shoot out to 400 yards with a caliber that has over the years excelled in hunting rabbits and squirrels at distances inside of 25 yards and gophers inside of 50. I have never spent any time in the bullseye target arena nor in sports like the Biathlon though I certainly enjoy watching folks who excel in those types of competitions. To those who go out to 300 yards with their .22LR equipment I just can only say...wow!
I am not sure a high end $1K scope mounted on my old Cooey or my Anschutz might would a difference out to 25 yards shooting small game. Nor would it make any difference shooting our to 50 yards shooting paper. When guys who know how to shoot have used both of these examples the lowly Cooey and my $1K Anschutz manage 1/2" groups. In my hands 1" is about all I have ever managed. At 25 yards the holes are all touching when I bare down. Those results are achieved with Match Grade marked ammo. Winchester bulk not so much. They do manage minute of rabbit and center of tin can.
What I am trying to say is what you buy ought to be governed by what you intend to do and accomplish. It is really not more complicated then that. When some one says he wants to shoot rabbits at 15 yards or ptarmigan at 30 with his Marlin 60 or an old Lakefield then why suggest a $1K scope when a $300 will suffice?
Take Care
Bob
I am not sure a high end $1K scope mounted on my old Cooey or my Anschutz might would a difference out to 25 yards shooting small game. Nor would it make any difference shooting our to 50 yards shooting paper. When guys who know how to shoot have used both of these examples the lowly Cooey and my $1K Anschutz manage 1/2" groups. In my hands 1" is about all I have ever managed. At 25 yards the holes are all touching when I bare down. Those results are achieved with Match Grade marked ammo. Winchester bulk not so much. They do manage minute of rabbit and center of tin can.
What I am trying to say is what you buy ought to be governed by what you intend to do and accomplish. It is really not more complicated then that. When some one says he wants to shoot rabbits at 15 yards or ptarmigan at 30 with his Marlin 60 or an old Lakefield then why suggest a $1K scope when a $300 will suffice?
Take Care
Bob
For sure Bob. Agreed. I've never spent that much on a scope for a .22, maybe 1/2 that at best. However, for my centerfire varmint guns where I reach out to almost 300 yards sometimes...well..the top half of a groundhog's head looks pretty small at that distance. Allot more confidence taking those shots with a great scope @ about 18X-20X.
I've shot gophers in S. Alberta @ some pretty ridiculous distances, but they're cooperative targets and the lay of the land allows for some long shots. (unlike farms I hunt on here in S. Ontario) However, that wind and distance makes for a very low hit ratio with a 22LR. As in, I've nearly emptied 2 x 10 rounders to get 1 gopher.
For sure Bob. Agreed. I've never spent that much on a scope for a .22, maybe 1/2 that at best. However, for my centerfire varmint guns where I reach out to almost 300 yards sometimes...well..the top half of a groundhog's head looks pretty small at that distance. Allot more confidence taking those shots with a great scope @ about 18X-20X.
I've shot gophers in S. Alberta @ some pretty ridiculous distances, but they're cooperative targets and the lay of the land allows for some long shots. (unlike farms I hunt on here in S. Ontario) However, that wind and distance makes for a very low hit ratio with a 22LR. As in, I've nearly emptied 2 x 10 rounders to get 1 gopher.
Things change a lot based upon equipment and such. A good friend of mine and two of his friends here in Terrace drove to Southern Saskatchewan just to shoot friggin gophers. As a kid in Alberta we used to fill buckets of water from a slough and drown them out. We used WW1 bayonets to dispatch them when they came to the surface. As soon as we got our Cooy rifle it was fun shooting them with .22lr. Now of course you might need a hunting license, a $800 rifle and $800 scope to accomplish the same thing. Better budgets bring out difference needs I guess. Poor old Mr. gopher doesn't get much of a vote in all of this does he. :>) Now I am more inclined to let the little guys take their chances with irate ranchers and farmers.
Take Care
Bob
Well I like nice guns and nice scopes and make no apologies for it. When I walk into the liquor store I buy the top shelf, good stuff, not the cheap stuff on the bottom shelf.
Why would I not do the same with firearms and or scopes, providing of course that I can afford it? It`s not a question of "needs", rather a question of choice.
Why would I not do the same with firearms and or scopes, providing of course that I can afford it? It`s not a question of "needs", rather a question of choice.
Exactly, but that really wasn.t what the OP was asking. In some applications a high end scope simply is not necessary. Not necessary and not able to accomplish the task any better than a less expensive scope. At 25 yards you, the rifle and ammo plays a much greater part than the scope. I have shot ammo that chance played the biggest part as to where the holes appeared on target. Take Win Bulk ammo and any of the top match ammo and you will see exactly what I am saying. Sometimes good enough is good enough.
Take care
Bob
ps As to your liquor reference one may taste better than the other but 8oz of each will get you to the same place, ego aside. Alcohol is just alcohol it comes in different flavours and from different sources but it is the same just ask MADD.
