I posted on the optics section as well. I am picking up a Ruger American 22lr. Looking for suggestions on a scope. Use is squirels,crows and vermin. Eyes are ok but getting weaker. Would like to stay under $300. I have leos most all my rifles but not married to them on this. Would like your experienced thoughts on brand, power and reticle choices. Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

I have a Leupold 4X rimfire special on my CZ and am very pleased with it. It was about $200.

The Leupold rimfire scope is also availble in 2X7 power if you need more than 4X

The parallax is set at 50 yards and is ideal for most 22LR shooting.

Also have a cupple of 3.5 x 10 AO Leupolds on rimfires, but they are more than your buget. The parallax is adjustable down to 20 yards on these, for close up shots.

Virgil B.

Thanks Virgil.

in my experience, any of the following are good for a lightweight carry .22:

leupold rimfire 4x
leupold rimfire 2-7x
leupold rimfire 3-9x EFR
clearidge RM 3-9x

the clearidge being just a little bigger scope than the others, but still compact

Remember that leupold will change the parallax on most any of their scopes for (I think) $30. Personally, I would want either an adjustable AO or have it set at 50 yards.

All the scopes listed above are great, as well as the Weaver rimfire scopes.

just barely a tick behind the Leupolds are the Weaver RF series of scopes. Nikon P22 scopes are decent too and meet your price point.

Good Luck!!

I have a leupold rimfire in 2-7x28 on my M77/22 and for me its a tad too short. depending on how the mount system works out for you in terms of placement you may want to verify it will work for you. please allow me to explain my issue though. the Leupold 2-7 rimfire scope is very short and light, even with an offset ring up front on my M77/22 it isn't as far back (the ocular) as I would like it. I have 4 disc in my neck fused and thus I am not as mobile and flexible as I once was. I can't creep up on a stock like I use to so scope mount is a issue for me. normally leupolds have generous eye relief but their rimfire scope is not as generous as their centerfire scopes are. I plan on picking up a weaver rimfire next as it is as light as the Leupold but almost another 1 1/2" longer which should make it perfect. (for me)

I purchased the exact same scope, for the exact same rifle, and completely agree. its just too short for the design. However, i think the RAR rimfire gives a little more mounting flexibility. it fits perfectly on a CZ american.

Yea I have no experience with the Ruger American and thought the mount system on those might offer the flexibility needed but wanted to let him know to check first.

I have a Nikon P22 on my CZ 452 trainer. It's a 2-7x with the yardage on the elevation turret. I've found it to be very nice for the money. The turret is accurate too.

Kevlars

Thanks men. Looks like from your opinions i should investigate the leupold rimfire 2-7x28. Since I shot them on just about everything else I have I think i will be more comfortable staying with leupold if it affords the right eye relief. But I know Weaver has a lot of fans as well.

Here's the deal on Weaver IMHO ... it's nearly as good and only about 1/2 the price.

Nikon efr 3x9x40. Less than 175$. I have one on my cz and have been very pleased with it. For a squirrel/ plinking gun it's more than enough for me. Use the extra money to buy some quality ammo like eley or lapua.

Here's my take on any full size 40mm (with or without AO) scope on the rimfire rifle. IF I am wanting a nice hunting/carrying rifle then I'm looking for the bit lighter scope. IF I'm wanting a nice range/target rifle then I'm going for serious optics. the Leupold and Weaver rimfire scope in the 2-7x28 are the two lightest by a decent amount (30%) it all depends on how the owner plans to use their rifle. I originally had a Sightron S2 6x HBR on my M77/22 when all I did was shoot it at the range and I thought it was perfect. however since then I have gone more into hunting with it and I found the scope hanging up on stuff as I went through the woods and was a tad heavy in hand thus I changed out to a more user friendly scope for its needs. my needs and preferences are just that, mine. but the info from all of us may help someone make the choice that is right for them, nothing worse then buying a nice scope for good money and find out it doesn't fill your needs they way you want to. such as my finding out the Leupold is just a tad too short for my needs but the weaver is the right length and near same weight.

My vote is to find a used vintage 3X9X40 or 3.5X10 with AO
I like the 2X7X28 rimfires.....they don't compare to the full sized Leupolds

Link to SWFA exclusive scopes
Leupold VX-II with AO

The Leupold VX1 2-7x33 might be a good option at well under your price point. I don't know how it would fit the American but I've got one that's no problem on a 77-22. It's longer than the Leupold RFs but in my opinion is still proportionate to the 77-22 and was easier for me to get the eye relief I needed. I was going to reset the paralax to 50 yards but so far haven't noticed it effecting accuracy.

the eye relief on the center fire model is a tad longer than the rimfire version as I recall. I had thought about doing the same thing myself after my issue because of my limited physical ability of my neck.

That is a question I have. For hunting purposes does it the parallax really matter that much. How effected will I really be at 30-50 yards at squirel sized game if i end up with a vx2 2-7x. Are the quality of the rimfires that much different than a vx1 or 2 centerfire?

That is a question I have. For hunting purposes does it the parallax really matter that much. How effected will I really be at 30-50 yards at squirel sized game if i end up with a vx2 2-7x. Are the quality of the rimfires that much different than a vx1 or 2 centerfire?

affected

for me the main issue with the parallax being out of whack is the strain it puts on my eyeballs at the range. if you're just shooting squirrels at 50 yds ... might not notice it as much. then again, squirrel heads are small.

also, I wouldn't say that the rimfire leupold scopes are a lesser quality, they're just shorter. this affects the mounting flexibility and the eye relief to some extent.

Im not really worried about the length. I think i can make that work. I don't care to have the extra weight of a ao. I have one on my 204 not that keen on it. I realize that the rimfire scope will not be but to par with my vx3 and vxiii scopes but would hope they would be same as my vx1 or rifleman scopes. Thanks to all for your advise . i think I will go with the leupold rimfire 2-7. Since I didn't see or recall anyone who posted had one on a ruger american i will be the crash test dummy and report back on the eye relief results. Thanks again guys.

I'm more of a hunter than paper puncher. A restored steel tube Weaver K2.5 works very well in the field. A Millett SP-1 is excellent for close range work. Neither are expensive. Big plus on the Millett is no parallax and excellent twilight performance. They are capable of MOA accuracy.

^^^^ This ^^^^

Leupold VX-1 2-7x33 Rimfire / Burris Medium Zee Rings. Slid the scope back almost to the front bell.



Ken