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Posted By: kciH Leupold VX-2 3-9x33mm Rimfire EFR - 02/28/15
Anyone using one? Tell me what you like and/or don't like about it. I'm also interested in hearing about other high quality alternatives. This will be going on a 77/22, so I'm trying to avoid a huge scope.
haven't used one but I have looked through a few. They have a really nice fine reticle in them.
They are about perfect in my opinion for a hunting/informal target .22. I have several on my hunting .22s (with the Leupold Dot reticle) - there are some other good options out there. I really like the new Nikon EFR (3-9X) - it is one of the clearest scopes that I have ever looked through and that included some really high end optics. The Weaver 3-9X rimfire is also very good. My favorite ALL time .22 scope for hunting/informal target shooting is the Leupold 6X Compact A/O but they are getting hard to find.

You would be hard pressed to have a better scope on your Ruger!

PennDog
Very happy with mine.

John
Thanks for the input. I've also been looking at the Nikon, as I've been pretty impressed with the handful of their products that I have.
How do you plan on using that Ruger? I had a Sightron S2 6x HBR on my M77/22 and loved it for the range shooting I was doing but my son wanted to start using it to walk the woods for squirrels and I put a Leupold 2-7 rimfire scope on it to make it more user friendly going through the brush. I had a 3200 Elite 4-12x40 AO on top of my M77/17 and thought that was perfect for that round and 100 yrd plinking.
I had one on a CZ. Sold the rifle and sold the scope separately.

I liked it fine, but it was too big for my new rifle.
I've got one on a 10-22 that I like a lot. Works great for me on that rifle. It was going to go on a 77-22 but I could not get it back far enough with stock Ruger rings to give me the eye relief I needed at higher power without really crawling the stock. Might work ok for someone else though.

I ended up putting one of the newer VX1 2-7x33s on the 77-22 at about half the price of the 3-9 EFR. It works fine, good eye relief and quick target acquistion. I can usually keep 5 shots of CCI HV ammo inside an inch with it at 50 yards and sometimes better. IMO it's small enough to look proportionate to the rifle. YMMV.
I can't think of anything better IMO. I use mine for hunting desert hares and plinking at the range.
Originally Posted by 43Shooter
I've got one on a 10-22 that I like a lot. Works great for me on that rifle. It was going to go on a 77-22 but I could not get it back far enough with stock Ruger rings to give me the eye relief I needed at higher power without really crawling the stock. Might work ok for someone else though.

I ended up putting one of the newer VX1 2-7x33s on the 77-22 at about half the price of the 3-9 EFR. It works fine, good eye relief and quick target acquistion. I can usually keep 5 shots of CCI HV ammo inside an inch with it at 50 yards and sometimes better. IMO it's small enough to look proportionate to the rifle. YMMV.


I've a fairly long neck, and have a tendency to creep, so I suspect it will be OK for me. A forum member has a 22 barrel on it's way to me shortly, as mine is a 22/17 HM2. I've still got at least 5K rounds of the Remington stuff on hand, that was sold for less than $3/50rounds...but the stuff still blows up small game. I'll be quite interested to see how this new barrel shoots. I appreciate the feedback on this scope, it seems like a very good match.
I've got one of the Leupold 3X9 EFR scopes on my Sako Finnfire. Great scope!
It's nice to be able to adjust parallax down to 15 yards for close up shots on 9X.

But, my all time favorite for a rimfire is a Leupold 3.5X10 A.O.
You can adjust the parallax down to about 25 yards for shooting up close on 10X.

Have one of these on my Cooper 17 HMR. It gets used a lot for "yard varmints"
Gotta guard my bird feeders from these pesky critters!

Virgil B.
Hard to beat.

DF

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Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer
Hard to beat.

DF

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I agree, the EFR is a great rimfire scope. I have one on my 77/22 and it is great. I do have the cheaper rimfire VX1 that is parallel free at 60 yards adn it is OK.

BTW, nice 10/22 with really nice walnut, DF!
I have the 3-9x33 AO on my 77/22. I don't think mine is the EFR that focuses down quite as far, but it will go down to 25 yds. or so. I'm 6'2" and crawl the stock a bit, so the eye relief is fine for me in the Ruger rings. I love this scope for this rifle for a number of reasons:
1. It is relatively small and trim for a 3-9, and thus fits the smaller receiver well.
2. Many say you don't need that much magnification for a .22, but I find it useful because if your rifle is accurate, you find yourself shooting at small stuff relatively close.
3. In light of small stuff relatively close, the adjustability of the parallax free distance is very useful.
4. This scope is a "compact", which means it has a small ocular (eyepiece) diameter. As such, you can use the low Ruger rings. The 77/22 can have bolt handle/ocular interference problems with the usual Leupold ocular diameter.
In short, I think it is a great choice.
Hope this helps.
Gun Doc
Originally Posted by markopolo50
Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer
Hard to beat.

DF

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I agree, the EFR is a great rimfire scope. I have one on my 77/22 and it is great. I do have the cheaper rimfire VX1 that is parallel free at 60 yards adn it is OK.

BTW, nice 10/22 with really nice walnut, DF!

Bought that gun years ago from a guy walking the isles at a gun show. Gave him a "C" note. Of course, I had to glass bed the action, recut the checkering, rebuild the trigger, add a trigger stop, fit a Walther barrel threaded for a suppressor and refinish the stock.

Drives tacks with a whisper... laugh

DF

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i agree with markopolo50 on that stock, nice looking piece of walnut there.
Originally Posted by JimHnSTL
i agree with markopolo50 on that stock, nice looking piece of walnut there.

Seem to me they put better wood on the older guns. And the fire control units were aluminum, not plastic.

DF
i just picked up my first 10/22 last month, an older 1975 vintage model but all original had been replaced with aftermarket, stock, barrel, trigger group tweaked. i would love to find a nice looking walnut stock with cheek rollover for it. the laminate fajen stock it is in shoots well, i just like walnut.
You can pretty much have what you wish with a 10/22, unless it's a stock like DirtFarmer's.
There are a plethora of worse choices & few better for hunting and plinking.
Another option is the Leupold 3-9x40 AO. I don't think they make them anymore. But, I see them often used in the $200-250 range. I've had one on my 541-T for years and love it. They're a little heavier. But, I've never found it objectionable and they're a little brighter and a lot cheaper. Also, with the longer tube, you'd have more room to play with the eye relief.
The finish on the receiver is much nicer than the "paint" they use now too.

Nice one.
Back to the OP's question, I am very partial to mounting scopes as low as I can. It bothers me when bolt/ocular (eyepiece) clearance is the limiting issue as opposed to barrel/objective clearance. This often occurs on the Ruger 77/22, the subject here, as well as on the Pre '64 Model 70. In both cases, I have made good use of Leupold compact scopes with the smaller diameter ocular.

However, mounting the scope as low as possible is not without issues. Mounting a scope as low as possible can limit the fore and aft placement, as parts of the scope will contact the mount base where taller rings would allow more fore/aft movement. This can occur at either the objective end or sometimes at the other end, especially with variable scopes. One simply has to determine what is most important and what works for them.
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