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Any favorite scopes for general rimfire jackassery? Paper, ground squirrels, etc....

On the budget side of the spectrum!

3-9 Weaver Rimfire is great, as is a compact 4x

I have used the Nikon 4X rimfires with good luck. Also hard to beat the Leupold rimfire line. I have shot many, many ground squirrels with my Remmy 121 pump equipped with a 4X nikon scope.

Nikon Rimfire Prostaff 3-9x40 with BDC.

You’re welcome.

MadMooner: The answer to your question (if you are talking 22 L.R. "rimfires") is - the wonderful and unsurpassed Leupold 3x9 Rimfires or Ultra-Lights with adjustable objective.
Forget any "budget" considerations - if you want a budget toy (Bushnell Simmons etc) buy it - if you want superb performance get one (or more, like I have!) of the above scopes.
The Leupolds are an investment in top quality and top performance on 22 rimfires.
You won't lose any money if you shop carefully (used market) for these scopes.
PLUS... these scopes that I have mentioned, just look great on a quality rimfire Rifle.
I bought my first "rimfire scope" back in 1959 and have "tried them all" over the interim 59 years or so - go with the Leupold, is my strong recommendation.
Leupold & Stevens Corporation - a fine American Company.
Best of luck to you with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

It was last year that The Field & Stream firearms staff writer David Petzal published what he thought was the best of the best in the scope and firearms categories. His pick for the best of the best rimfire scope is the Leupold VX-2 Ultralight Rimfire EFR 3-9x33 fine duplex reticle matte. I figured that David gets to finger way more of these things than I do, so I put one on my newly drilled and tapped Winchester M61. The fine duplex was a little hard to get use to, but that EFR front objective really cured any parallax issue that I'd ever had putting a big game non-EFR scope on a rimfire rifle. My red squirrel range is typically about 10-15 yards, not 50. $354.99 at Midway USA.

I like that Nikon. Also was looking at these:

https://us.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-side-focus-3-12x44-mil-dot.html

These can be found for around $100 or sometimes less, I have one on my CZ 452 American and if there is a better scope for the price I have not found it. I am not a real big fan of the BDC but it does give a fairly good holdover reference.

Good positive clicks, clear sight picture - a lot to like about them.

drover

Yep.

I've used mils and turrets but liked the Nikon BDC more than anything.

I'm strictly talking about gophers and small game hunting though. For reference.

The Leupold EFR is a beauty, no doubt about it. Still regret selling mine.

Hawke makes models with BDC reticles for all the rimfire rounds: SV, HV, .22 mag, the Hummer, even Mach 2 in the Vantage line. Not dirt cheap, but reasonable. Go to their website for details as Camera Land's info is a bit sparse. No experience with the Vantage line, but I've got four Endurance models that I like pretty well so far. I put an Endurance LER 2-7 with illuminated crosshairs on my 77/22 RSI and it's dandy. $80!

Was gonna go that Leupold route last year when I got my CZ-455 but the shop where I got it had me check out some Vortex stuff they had although they had some Leupolds in stock also. Took a Vortex outside to play with it under real world conditions and it impressed me enough to buy it. So now the CZ has a 2-7x Vortex on it and I'm real happy with it. 2-7x is what I have on my 10-22 and it's a good fit for what I do with a rimfire, ( small game and informal plinking, mostly). It's a lot more "budget friendly" than the Leupold and while I'm basically a Leupold guy I gotta admit that the Vortex is a real good deal for the money.

Leupold for me. For informal shooting and Squirrel hunting the Leupold FX II 6X36 with their fine duplex and the parallax set at 40yds. works perfect for me. If it just has to be a variable then Leupold again, but the Clearidge 3-9X32 is a very good choice.

He's really gonna be thanking you when his bolt hits that big ole eye piece and he has to order high rings.

I have the Nikon Prostaff Rimfire 3-9x40 on my CZ 452 American, I use Weaver 22 rings ($8.99 at Walmart) and they give adequate clearance for the bolt handle.

The OP stated "on the budget side of the spectrum" to me that leaves the Leupold out of my idea of "budget priced". I have only around $100 total for the Nikon Prostaff and rings on my CZ, more in line with my thoughts on "budget priced".

drover

Leupold EFR

Here's something I doubt many of you have seen yet. Nikon's new for 2018 P-Tactical Rimfire 2-7x32 MOA reticle, also available with BDC reticle but you guys have been asking for the MOA for a long time and here it is. $179.95 is retail. New design but same price. Both reticle's can be dialed in using Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program to take the guesswork out of holdovers.

It wouldnt clear on my 455 with jp adapters and burris medium rings. It barely works on my 77/22 but will hit the scope if I'm not careful. Don't know why nikon started making those huge eye pieces. But it is a nice scope for the money.

Sure wish leupold still made the old vx-1 2-7 rimfire. I should have bought a few before they went out of production. I picked up a freedom, but can't stand the look of it on walnut/blued rifle...its too tactical lookin.

Out of curiousity I did some comparison between my 452 with the Nikon and my wife's 452 with a Leupold VX-2 3-9x40, both scopes mounted with identical Weaver medium height dovetail rings.

Nikon Prostaff Rimfire 3-9x40 -
eyepiece objective measures 1.515 with .250 clearance between the bolt handle and the objective.

Leupold VX 2, 3-9x40 -
eyepiece objective measures 1.55 with .325 clearance between the bolt handle and the objective, this is due to the Leupold having more taper from the threaded portion towards the back of the eyepiece.

While more clearance would be welcome I do not have an issue of the bolt contacting the scope with either of them, perhaps you have a different variation of the Prostaff Rimfire than I do.

drover

I safely assume MadMooner knows what he’s doing.