Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Rimfire scopes for 17 HMR?

Looking for a small scope with 36mm objective or smaller in the low to mid price range. Considering Leupold Freedom 2-7x, Crossfire II 2-7x, Nickon Prostaff 2-7. What else is available? The fall back is to just get another Leupold 6x-36mm Leupold so I could use it on other rifles too. A simple dot or BDC redtacle might be useful. Fixed power 4-6x is ok too.

Sure like the 3-9 Nikon Prostaff Target EFR's for rimfires. They are 40mm AO scopes, but very nice for $160

Tract has a rimfire line but I'm not sure it has as small an OB as you are looking for.

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Would I be missing out much by going to the 2-7x by 33 version? This is going on a Stevens Favorite so all scopes will look out of place on it. The straight 24mm or 4x 28 would be the best fit but I want some low light capability.

Mine came scoped with a 3x12 BSA Sweet 17. As of yet I haven't had time to try it out. If I find it lacking, I will pull it and use either a Leupold 2.5x8, or 3x9.

I'm not a target shooter, but looking forward to getting it set up right for small game.

Respects,
Richard

Bushnell A17 3.5-10x36AO, Bushnell's part number 61-3510A.

$50 from CDNN or $80 with a box of 200 A17 cartridges.

I have several of these scopes on rimfire rifles and think that they are a good value. One of the 10/22s has around 2,500 rounds fired with this scope mounted and it has held up fine. These are Korean made Bushnells.

CDNN's shows the MSRP as $170. I've never seen them priced that high, but CDNN's price of $50 is the best price that I've seen anywhere.

EDIT: I didn't notice that it is going on a Stevens Favorite. In that case a used Bushnell Banner .22 scope, 4x20, would be more physically in sync with that small rifle. I have this scope on a Savage 24 in 22M/410 because every other scope that I've tried on it seemed to overwhelm it. This is Bushnell's part number 71-4420-0.

My Ruger M77/17 17 HMR wears a Leupold M8 12x40 and I wouldn’t have it smaller. This outfit is a 175 yard prairie dog rifle, and the extra power is useful.

Nothing wrong with the smaller powers, they just won’t wring out the potential of this cartridge. I can live with the 40mm objective. And you said it right in that all scopes will look out of place on a Stevens Favorite - why not make it useful once you have taken the step to put a scope on it anyhow?

Clearidge Ultra RM 3-9x32 AO.

Thanks good suggestions. I need to either get a straight tube 24x or better just bite the bullet and get a lighter full size glass. The Bushnell price is attractive since this is pretty much a 2-250 yard max proposition I don't think I need the best glass just good lower light performance. If I get a fit of nostalgia I can always pull the scope miss a few shots and put it back on.

The Clearidge looks good I was not familiar with them, good reviews, with AO it is about the size of a 40mm scope. Do the optics beat the 2-7s from Redfield, Leupold Freedom and Monarch? 9x would be a plus for head shooting squirrels and if I stunt shoot any turkeys with head or neck shots.

I don’t have a Leupold Freedom but I do have a VX-2 which supposedly has the same glass. To my eyes the Clearidge is about the same as a VX-2. They are made by LOW in Japan. Low has an excellent reputation.

If you have to have a small diameter objective, I'd get a 6x36 and send it to Leupold and have them adjust the parallax to whatever you think your average shot distance is.

Maybe VX Freedom EFR 3-9x33? The glass oughta be pretty good and you'll have an AO feature, which I really like on a rimfire, myself.

You can also buy any Leupold or Redfield directly from Leupold and special order the parralex setting to your choice of distance. I did it with a Redfield on a direct sale, the added cost for the parralex change was $15, same as it is for changing one you send in for a change.

Bushnell rimfire scope for 17 HMR

Thanks all. My frugality won out and I went with the Bushnell A17 3.5-10x36AO from CDNN. At $49 I couldn't pass it up with the free ammo and three sets of turrets plus it had the multi X reticle I wanted so hard loose. If I don't like it I can probably trade it easily for what I have into it minus the ammo. This has to be better in low light than the vintage Weaver that is on the rifle now. I am not sure what if any lens coatings the older scopes had? If this is not a go I will try a 6x36 Leupold as it is one of my favorites.

Sounds like you got a deal. I have a Burris Full Field 4.5-14x with ballistic plex on mine. I think it's a nice setup, especially for longer shots, but is more expensive.

Got the scope in only two days pretty good service. First impression is it is bigger than I thought it would be about the same size or larger than some 3x9 x 40 mm scopes. Optics are not bad at all for the price. At 10x the eye relief gets shortened noticeably and may vignette if I can't mount it far enough rearward. Light gathering is better than expected, resolution is good as are color renditions. I will mount it and see, in the 2-7x range it is good and at 10x it will be used off a rest or the bench so workable for that. If the size becomes awkward I may replace it with a straight 20-24mm scope or a 4x28mm FX I but not after giving it a try. This scope would not be out of place on a CZ 527 or a 77/22. As someone posted any scope is out of place on the Favorite but with my eyes a peep might give up too much low light performance which was what I wanted to improve.

I put a 3-9x40 Leupold Freedom w/ CDS on my 17HMR. Shots to 200 yards are wickedly accurate. Thumped a Chuck at 283 yards a couple weeks ago. Long shot for a rimfire in my book, but dialed him in all I had to do was give a couple inches for the light breeze and tipped him right over. Probably some luck involved in that one. No AO detracts from it as a 50 yard scope but lots of fun at longer ranges.