Do you really need..............?
- Thread starter Ultramag
- Start date
Absolutly not. I mostly use 'big game' scopes on my rifles. I did however have a 6-18 with the A/O, and found it actually worked well for helping determine range. Most .22 scopes have a 50 yard parallax, and I don't really see much difference. We routinley for at 100+yards, and just for kicks, make the hail Mary shots. It's just one more thing to worry about.
cz452shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Sparwood, BC
For plinking or gopher shooting probably not. But when you are shooting at closer ranges with higher magnifications then AO is a must. 99% of scopes over 10 power come with AO anyway. Using AO you could use a 24 power scope at 10-15 yards.
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Yes , and no ,
depends on the scope. AO is a plus for certain. I would want it on a gun that was for tgt or varmint. Plinker , a rimfire scope is fine.
depends on the scope. AO is a plus for certain. I would want it on a gun that was for tgt or varmint. Plinker , a rimfire scope is fine.
I had one with a fixed paralax at 50m that was fine for longer shots, but I found that bringing into our club's indoor range at 25m, it was getting too hard to get a really good shot, so I got one with AO so I can now shoot at 110m, 50m, or 25m all with clear reticles.
AO=Adjustable Objective.
I have a Burris fullfield II on my ruger 10/22. It's a great scope. But.... If you want it clear at 25 yards on the 9 power then you need AO. I have to use about 5.5x maximum. While it still shoots accurately, it would be nice to have the full magnification. For plinking and hunting it is fine without the AO.
Another thing about the lack of AO. You need your cheek weld etc exactly the same each time. You can check to see if you have a parallex problem by moving your head a bit. If the crosshairs move then you have parallex. Which goes to show you that you better be in the same position each time if you want consistent groups. It's probably best to learn without AO, just because of that .
My 243WSSM has a Simmons Mag44 on it 6.5-20x 44mm. As others have said the AO does work well as a primative ranging device. Look through the scope at the target then focus in the objective. I've done this at the range and it's been right on. Since the objective has yard marks, it lets you cheat.
I have a Burris fullfield II on my ruger 10/22. It's a great scope. But.... If you want it clear at 25 yards on the 9 power then you need AO. I have to use about 5.5x maximum. While it still shoots accurately, it would be nice to have the full magnification. For plinking and hunting it is fine without the AO.
Another thing about the lack of AO. You need your cheek weld etc exactly the same each time. You can check to see if you have a parallex problem by moving your head a bit. If the crosshairs move then you have parallex. Which goes to show you that you better be in the same position each time if you want consistent groups. It's probably best to learn without AO, just because of that
. My 243WSSM has a Simmons Mag44 on it 6.5-20x 44mm. As others have said the AO does work well as a primative ranging device. Look through the scope at the target then focus in the objective. I've done this at the range and it's been right on. Since the objective has yard marks, it lets you cheat
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before the virus destroyed the groundhogs around central ont' in the early 60's we as kids used to average 150 a year, receiver sights or cheap rimfire scopes and these weren't supposed kills cause the farmers paid by the tail. Of course we had the CIL Dominion marksmenship program every winter once a week to utilize and develop our skills rather than unlimited bankrolls. Thank you Bob Record, Mr. Addyman, Mr. English and the old Peterborough Fish & Game.
IMO it is not about how clear your view is, it's about parallax error.
At 50 yards you can be off by more than an two inches with a 9x hunting scope if your eye is not centered exactly behind the reticle. Don't take my word for it, put your rifle with non-AO centerfire scope on a rest with the xhairs centered on your target at 50. Then without touching the rifle look through the scope and move your head slightly left, right, up, and down. Check out how much the apparent POI moves on the target. The real POI is of course not changing. That's parallax error. I adjust my AO scopes this way, when the hairs stop moving regardless of the position of my eye, all the parallax error is dialled out. You usually can't trust the markings on the bell. As far as focus and clarity, adjusting this with the objective ring is a big mistake IMO. You can adjust this with the ring on the ocular lens.
Is an inch or two at 50 important? I guess that's for you to decide. I used to shoot squirrels and bunnies with a 3/4" tube 4x weaver that sat really low to the barrel, no need to hold high on close shots and no AO to mess with. I didn't miss much. Like most rimfire scopes it was set to be parallax-free at 50 yards rather than at 100 or 125 yards like a centerfire scope. If you don't want to fuss with AO I would recommend a rimfire-specific scope.
I would pay the extra $90.
If you don't want to mess with the AO set it at 40 and forget it. Even if you never touch it again you will have a lot less parallax error at normal rimfire ranges with the 3-9x33AO set to 40 yards than with the 3-9x40, which is permanently set to be parallax free at 100. You will shoot more accurately. You will not likely notice any difference in clarity of focus except when you are zoomed in to 9x, and even at 9x it will be minimal except at very close ranges. And it will still be less than the distortion you would have with the fixed objective 3-9x40. In any case you don't need 9x at really close ranges, or at any range when you are hunting. So there is no need to adjust the objective. But when you want the extra accuracy and have time to adjust it, you will have that option.
As a bonus, the 33mm objective can be mounted lower for a for natural cheek weld and less guesswork on range. A higher mounted scope will hit lower at ranges closer than it is zeroed for. The lower you mount your scope, the less you have to adjust your elevation for range, until you get a good ways outside the range you are zeroed for.
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hmmm....very interesting Reg.........that was the type of explanation I was after. I have been shooting for 20 years or so, but believe it or not, I'm new to rimfire. I always new that an AO was an asset on a rimfire........now I know why!
Thanks again!
UM
Thanks again!
UM
Reg explained it as well as is possible. Using a centerfire scope on a rimfire at ranges under 75 yards causes enough parallax error to seriously screw up a group unless you are anal about your face position on the stock, and can repeat the same position over and over again. Even on an AO scope, the numbers do not mean a lot, dial until you are absolutely parallax free, then shoot. All my target 22's and some of the lesser ones have AO's. I do have a couple of non-AO Leupold 2-7x rimfires and one 4x rimfire, but on my 541's, my CZ and my Finnfire there are scopes that sart at 12x and go up to high powered variables. All have adjustable objectives.
A Leupold on a gopher gun? my hat's off to you, class act all the way. I didn't think an AO on a rimfire was worth-while until for grins I put an old Simmons 6-18 AO on my 10-22. Made a big diff on the gopher count and at higher magnifications you can see the bullet hit the target. I shoot .223 now at longer range for gophers but the simmons stays on the Ruger.
