Getting confused with rimfire scope purchase

TargetAcquired

TargetAcquired

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I have experience with scopes and know how to use them, but I have never scoped a .22 before, and over the last few years I have been slowly walking away from scopes in general - last 3 times i went hunting I brought home meat twice and didn't look through glass to get it.

Most of my .22's are a ton of fun without scopes, but I've gone and picked up something a little fancier just to see how reliabily I can put a .22 past my standard plinking ranges. On the rifle I mounted a nice scope that was on a hunting rifle I don't use much anymore, and while I was getting results, they are sometimes a bit scattered, and I've come to the conclusion that it' just too much scope for what I'm trying to do. I was getting way better results on the centrefire it was on, so it's obviously just not an approppriate .22 scope.

As I've never scoped a .22 before, I'm thinking that there is likely a different methodology I'm not following compared to bigger, centrefire rifles.

So, just looking for some down to earth advice on an appropriate .22 scope. I don't need a huge objective, AO, range estimating mildots, or magnification strong enough to count the change in a squirrel's hand at 1000 meters. I'm not a military sniper and don't feel the need to look like one - I won't be bringing a calculator with me out shooting. I'm not trying to build a precision target rifle-just an accurate .22 that is fun to shoot. I'm not a brand hoor either, I'm open to any and all suggestion.

Yes, I've tried to do as much e-research as possible before posting this, but reviews are mainly subjective and unreliable, and most conversations on this topic generally break down into hairpulling and namecalling. CGN is thankfully more 'adult' than many other sites, but the amount of opinion is still rather inundating.
 
Thats the one I have on my 10/22 Take down with talley rings...
20130412115037.jpg
 
As long as it is a rimfire scope you should be ok. The parallax for a rifle scope is set for around 100 yards+ where rimfire scopes are usually around 50 yards.
I don't know if they make them any more, but i have a bushnell 3-9x32 that is fantastic on my savage 22. I have also tried the simmons 3-9 22mag and while it does the job, the quality doesn't compare to the bushnell.
from my experience a decent rimfire scope will start you around $50+tax and can go up as high as you want.
 
I purchased a Sightron 2-7x35 rimfire scope off 4scopes.com The scope arrived in two days and is VERY clear as far as a $120 scope is concerned. It has a fine crosshair that is very simple and extremely CLEAN. My expierience with the 8-32 x 56 LRMOA sightron is what prompted me to try their smaller scope lineuop and you won't be dissapointed. It is mounted on my savage 17HMR. Here is a link from sightron as well as 4scopes.

http://info.sightron.com/Riflescopes/SI-Hunter-Series/SIH27X35RF/
http://www.4scopes.com/scopes/sit-31001.html

Evan
 
Dilligaf, that's a beautiful property.


The parallax is important. Having a non-adjustable parallax of 50 yds is good for general rimfire shooting and along with capped turrets can be more convenient for field use. However, if you want to do a lot of careful target shooting at various ranges it's best to get a scope with AO. I personally have a heavy barrel 10/22 with a 3.5-15 nightforce with side parallax. The parallax cannot adjust down to 25 yds, but the rifle's purpose is target shooting at 15x magnification from 50 to 300 yds.


For my nearly stock sporter 10/22, yesterday I ordered a $200 Vortex Diamondback 2-7x35, in particular the rimfire edition with 50 yd parallax. What personally decided me on this scope was the large field of view (64.3-19.3 feet/100 yards) compared to some other choices. For example, another option I considered is the Leupold VX-1 2-7x28mm. This scope gets great reviews, and weighs nearly half what the Vortex does, but its actual mag range is 2.4-6.7, it's field of view is 46.20 ft to 17.80 f at 100 yds, and it costs about $80 more.


http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-2-7x35-rimfire-riflescope-v-plex-reticle

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/rimfireultralight-riflescopes/vx-1-rimfire-2-7x28mm/
 
Not trying to hijack the thread, but I've got a similar question regarding rimfire scopes. I currently have a Nikon 4x32 on my 10/22. As my distances get out to 50 yards plus, I'm finding the fixed 4x power isn't enough and I'm wanting a 3-9x40 now. My question is, do I need to buy the rimfire version or can I go with the regular one? Reason being I'd like to be able to use it on a centerfire down the line if I so desire. From what I understand (or at least think I do), the only difference is the parallax setting at 50yds vs 100yds. Am I correct? Any reason you WOULDNT buy a non rimfire for a 10/22 if you're shooting around 100+ yards?
 
It's mostly just the parallax and the price. Rimfire scopes don't need to be made to handle much recoil, so they are lighter and less expensive. There's no reason you can't put a normal scope on a rimfire and do well with it (many people do).
 
There is no such thing as too much scope on a rim fire! However, there is such thing as too WRONG of a scope for rimfire!

I also believe (imo) that you must have a AO or side focus for a rim fire!

I haven't read any of the posts other than the OP. but I'm willing to bet the scope borrowed from you hunting rifle was a 100yard parallax. Therefor any ranges less than 100 yards your eye would have to be identically placed in order to get any results. At least... Such is my understanding! If your looking for a good rimfire scope I would suggest hawke or mueller optics, they are a GREAT product for their price range!
 
TargetAcquired said:
Most of my .22's are a ton of fun without scopes, but I've gone and picked up something a little fancier just to see how reliabily I can put a .22 past my standard plinking ranges. On the rifle I mounted a nice scope that was on a hunting rifle I don't use much anymore, and while I was getting results, they are sometimes a bit scattered, and I've come to the conclusion that it' just too much scope for what I'm trying to do. I was getting way better results on the centrefire it was on, so it's obviously just not an approppriate .22 scope.
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The 'scattered' bit kinda made me chuckle. Yes, once a good scope is on the rifle all of a sudden my abilities or inabilities become highlighted. the scattering is almost always due to my trigger control. Although, sometimes it has to do with the rifle not really liking that particular ammo. And sometimes it has to do with the effects of a wee breeze especially at 100 yds.
And tht is another advantage for me with putting a scope on my rifles - i could get a much better feel for which ammo the gun prefered. I am continually surprised by how finicky they are. I have a number of 22's, only 2 dedicated to target competition, and each one has it's brand ARGH!

here is a photo of a 22 that i took the target peeps off of and installed a scope (Rem 540X with an old Leupold 24X on it)


and here is a recent target. note the 'scattered' groups to begin with. then the barrel heated up and I calmed down and things pulled together. Also, i started to be patient and shoot between puffs of the breeze that was going on that day. this is shot at 100 yds


thanks for the thread and good shooting!
jsd
 
What you need depends on what you want it for. For general plinking any cheap scope will likely be ok. For more serious target shooting or varmint hunting you will likely want a better quality scope.
As stated above being able to adjust parallax is important for accurate shooting from close it to far out. Often I end up shooting in close and nothing annoys me more than the out of focus reticle or target. Even some of the less expensive Simmonds scopes come with side parallax adjustment.
Optical clarity and resolution are usually lacking in cheap scopes which is why folks often move to higher magnification. Good quality glass will allow you to spot gophers in the grass out to 200m with a 4x scope. Lesser quality scopes make this difficult at less than 6x or 9x.
I have come to like the Leupold VX2 3-9x33mm ultralight EFR as one of the best compromise rimfire scopes. Optical quality is pretty good, it is small and light so it works well on even some of the smaller rifles out there, it has the parallax adjustment and price while higher than many cheap rimfire scopes is still pretty reasonable.
 
Is AO and parallax adjustment the same thing? Both my Nikons have had an adjustable eyepiece, does that mean it has AO or parallax adjustment? It does allow me to bring the reticle and target into focus. Sorry, I don't know much about scopes.
 
FightingIrish said:
Is AO and parallax adjustment the same thing? Both my Nikons have had an adjustable eyepiece, does that mean it has AO or parallax adjustment? It does allow me to bring the reticle and target into focus. Sorry, I don't know much about scopes.
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No, AO or adjustable objective would be on the front bell of the scope. (Last series in a Nikon for that was our Titaniums) and parallax adjustment is a locking knob on the opposite side of your MOA adjustments but in the Nikon's it doesn't appear until 3-12 scopes.
 
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