The DOA 600 reticle was designed for centerfire calibers... it would work fine in predetermining your distances as suggested, but it is not ideal... because you would have to use the distance that correlate to their crosshairs not vice versa... The Nikon scope are very nice glass... but they do not have AO or SF... and for that reason are not a very good choice for .22 LR's... if you ONLY shoot at 100 yards... then they would be a nice choice... most LR shooters shoot at various ranges from 10 yards to 150 yards... make sure that your choice has AO.
Help me pick a scope for my 10/22
- Thread starter Ryan500
- Start date
The DOA 600 reticle was designed for centerfire calibers... it would work fine in predetermining your distances as suggested, but it is not ideal... because you would have to use the distance that correlate to their crosshairs not vice versa... The Nikon scope are very nice glass... but they do not have AO or SF... and for that reason are not a very good choice for .22 LR's... if you ONLY shoot at 100 yards... then they would be a nice choice... most LR shooters shoot at various ranges from 10 yards to 150 yards... make sure that your choice has AO.
^^^I agree with hoytcannon....I'm no expert but when I went shopping for a scope for my .22lr rifle I found most centerfire scopes without AO to be preset at 100yrds. Most rimfire scopes are preset at 50yrds and/or less so shooting/seeing closer distances is doable without AO. Also, there's info that centerfire scopes are not designed to compensate for .22lr trajectory(?).
Best to find a "rimfire" scope with AO if you want variable magnification for targets at 25-100yrds(+).
Again, I'm no expert on scopes......
Best to find a "rimfire" scope with AO if you want variable magnification for targets at 25-100yrds(+).
Again, I'm no expert on scopes......
Well, just to add to the confusion, let's think about two properties of scopes:
1. Magnification
If you want to shoot at ranges from 25 to 100 + yards you pretty much need a variable power scope. No fixed power will be ideal. How much magnification you need on the high end depends on your targets. With high visibility targets, like Shoot ' N C bulls or milk jugs, you can get away with less power - maybe 10x would be OK. If you want to see hits on a regular paper target I recommend 24x or more (unless you have eagle vision.)
2. Parallax
The parallax setting determines where the target itself will be in focus (technically, where the reticle and the target are on the same optical plane.) Rimfire scopes have a built in setting of 50-60 yards. They are also OK for closer distances. Centre fire scopes usually have a parallax setting of 100-150 yards.
If the parallax setting is not correct for the distance you are shooting the target will be fuzzy (usually) and accuracy will be reduced because the reticle will move when your eye does (always.)
Many scopes have an adjustable parallax capability. You either turn the objective bell to the indicated distance (i.e. Adjustable Objective) or there is a side focus wheel that does the same thing. A centre fire scope will work just fine on a .22 provided you can adjust the parallax. However, a centre fire BDC (bullet drop compensator) reticule will not do you any good when firing a .22, so don't bother with that feature. Just get some kind of a standard reticle.
1. Magnification
If you want to shoot at ranges from 25 to 100 + yards you pretty much need a variable power scope. No fixed power will be ideal. How much magnification you need on the high end depends on your targets. With high visibility targets, like Shoot ' N C bulls or milk jugs, you can get away with less power - maybe 10x would be OK. If you want to see hits on a regular paper target I recommend 24x or more (unless you have eagle vision.)
2. Parallax
The parallax setting determines where the target itself will be in focus (technically, where the reticle and the target are on the same optical plane.) Rimfire scopes have a built in setting of 50-60 yards. They are also OK for closer distances. Centre fire scopes usually have a parallax setting of 100-150 yards.
If the parallax setting is not correct for the distance you are shooting the target will be fuzzy (usually) and accuracy will be reduced because the reticle will move when your eye does (always.)
Many scopes have an adjustable parallax capability. You either turn the objective bell to the indicated distance (i.e. Adjustable Objective) or there is a side focus wheel that does the same thing. A centre fire scope will work just fine on a .22 provided you can adjust the parallax. However, a centre fire BDC (bullet drop compensator) reticule will not do you any good when firing a .22, so don't bother with that feature. Just get some kind of a standard reticle.
I agree with your whole post except for this statement... Standard PLEX type reticles or single crosshairs are NOT the best for rimfire calibers... due to the arching trajectory of the rounds... there is a need for "hold-over" if you will be shooting at various ranges and most do... Mil-Dot type reticles allow you to use a specific aiming point for your hold overs... a fine mildot is perfect for rimfire rifles... the Hawke Varmint series uses a fine 1/2 Mil-Dot reticle and is a perfect reticle for rimfire rifles... but any sort of mild-dot or multi aim point type reticle will be better than a standard or plex crosshair.
- Location
- Haliburton County, Central Ontario
I tried numerous scopes on my 10/22 and ended up with an 'inexpensive' BSA Sweet centrefire scope in 3-10x40 with AO. They come with drop compensating turrets in different centrefire markings, but this is a meaningless (and irrelevant) thing on a .22. I just put it on the rifle and sighted in at 50 yards. The AO goes from 15 yards to infinity and this optic is crisp and clear at any AO/magnification setting. I can easily shoot 1" groups at this distance. I got mine from Wanstalls a little over a year ago for around $110 shipped (during a free shipping event). They've gone up a bit since then, but this is a good set-up. 
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