Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Ultimate .22 hunting scope ???

I've got a McMillan-stocked Anschutz that I formerly used as my rimfire silhouette competition rifle that needs a hunting (and shooting practice) scope. What would you consider to be the very best scope for this application?

Thanks, RS

What are you hunting? What are the expected ranges?

Squirrels mostly. 60 yards would be a long shot. But I would also be shooting steel out to 200 yards off sticks as practice for Africa.

Thanks, RS

I have two Anschutz with match 54 actions. I've had a lot of scopes on them and the only scope I've found that will equal the rifles is this: https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-3-15x42-tactical-rifle-scope-3.html?___SID=U

If I wanted to save a bit of money I'd go with this: https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-6x42-tactical-30mm-riflescope-105767.html?___SID=U

Parallax adjustments just right for close up shots and I plot my trajectory on 5 meter increments. With this setup the weak link is usually the ammo.

3x9 Leupold with a fine crosshairs. I have one on a 300 Savage 99, but it would be perfect for squirrels on a 22.

I really like the 6x SWFA on my main .22. Works great for hunting (squirrels) and shooting targets.

If the longest shot is 200 and 60 yards on average is a long shot you should be looking at a 1-6 or 1-8 so you have a wide FOV for close shots

depends if'n you wanna twist knobs or set and forget. if set and forget i have several leupold vx-2 4-12x40mm AO with fine duplex that seem to work well for tree rats 50 yds and in easily.
Big Ed

Lately I have been using the Burris FF2 3-9 with the ballistic plex and really like it
I will never use a scope without a holdover reticle on a rimfire again

I shoot lots of sq. all season over dogs and occasionally slipping with the boy in tow.

4x is low enough on the low end. It is the rare sq. shot at ten feet you need 2x for. You need AO for that long stuff. Fixed focus for rimfire won't reach. The very best is out of my budget. So I don't know about that. Been satisfied with Weaver.

My main sq. gun wears a 2-7x because it is also my deer training clone. Generally crank it up around 4x on sq.

The Weaver V16 works pretty well for me.

Everyone's eyes and needs are different. Personally, I like the 6-20 AO Leupold for seeing my targets really well at all ranges. Especially squirrels who like to hide behind things and peek out. For longer shots, the extra power is great for seeing your impact for adjustment.

However, a buddy has a couple Leupold 4-12 Compact on his .22's and they are just about as perfect as I've ever used on a .22 for all around use. They are kind of hard to find and seem to bring a premium if you find them on ebay but well worth it. I'm kind of on a search for one now for an upcoming build, but have other pokers in the fire right now....

Bob

I've easily shot over 4,000 squirrels since the mid '70's and have never needed a scope with AO for shots from 10 feet out to 75 yards. My main squirrel rifle wears a 2-7 Nikon pro-staff shotgun scope with 75 yard parallax and duplex reticle.

4x AO Bushnell Sportview did good work till I put a 6x36 Leupold on a 10/22. Using 6x and 2x7s right now.

Interestingly heard from a guy who uses an Anshutz sporter on squirrels, with a 3x. Not shooting long shots but says it works for him. I have used irons and also 2.5x.

That said, a 6x and 2-7 will do a lot of good work. If you have a heavy barrel it will steady better with a higher zoom, but something topping at 9 or 10x should give you plenty for what you are doing on squirrels, and the 200 yd targets.

My primary rifle for hunting fox squirrels here in Nebraska is an Anschutz 1502, 17HM2, mounted with a Weaver V16. I've tried a lot of different rifle and scope combinations for hunting fox squirrels and even through the V16 is a little physically larger than I would prefer to carry in the woods, it allows me to take longer shots or to dial down the AO for short range shots. My #2 fox squirrel rifle is a Remington 504 in 17HM2 that has an old Vari-X IIc 2-7x28 and my #3 fox squirrel rifle is a Marlin 917M2S mounted with a Weaver RV9 that also has the AO feature.

Not doing much squirrel hunting since I got a crossbow, but my best outfit was a very accurate CZ 453 (.3-.4 inches with good ammo) wearing a Leupold 3-9 AO Rimfire. Personally, I can't see carrying a big scope with bulky knobs on a small-game rifle, much as I appreciate the virtues at the range. I put a SWFA 6 on my 10/22 CSC when it came in, but swapped it out for a Weaver 2.5-7 RF pretty quickly. Ditched the adjustable comb thingy too; was just a bit too high for the lower scope. Much handier package now. The SWFA is still in the rings for range fun if needed.

Bingo. A 2-7x32 ish may give you more options but something in this general range should fit the bill perfectly. You said 'ultimate' but I couldn't be happier with the little Hawke I just put on my 22. Thinking Doug has some Burris or Leupold in the arsenal that would make you very happy- and not lighten your wallet unnecessarily.

Uh-huh. OP stated he will shoot to 200.

Always my pleasure to assist the members here

Vari x 3 3.5x10 a.o.

I don't think he intends to shoot squirrels at 200. Don't know what "steel out to 200" means but I seriously doubt he's thinking "squirrel head sized steel". Guys who think they need 16-20x to shoot squirrels at normal woods ranges give me a good chuckle.

I can't say enough good things about the 6x SWFA with a MilQuad reticle for a .22 scope on squirrels.

The MilQuad is the best reticle going for varmints in my book.

If you can find one, a Kahles rimfire 2-7 is hard to beat. This one on a Cooper Classic .22LR.

Ultimate, I don't know. But IMO, it would be hard to find a better squirrel hunting rig, rifle and scope.

I know I like it.

DF

I'd probably take a close look at SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10x32.

They have a rimfire version if you want 50 yard parallax.

ILya

It would be better if it was chambered in 17HM2.

I agree. If you just want to hunt squirrels at normal ranges, lots of rimfire scopes have been mentioned that will work.....and the 6x SWFA will work great for that.

If he's planning on hunting AND shooting steel at 200+ with a 22 rimfire he needs parallax adjustment, an elevation dial, and windage holds. Not many of the mentioned scopes are going to give him this ability. The 6x SWFA will.

I agree with folks saying it's a big scope...it is. The choice becomes do I want a smaller svelte scope that doesn't have the ability to do everything I want but looks good....or am I willing to go with a bigger scope that can do everything I want.

I'm going with the nightforce NX8. Focus the parallax down to 11yds, daylight viewable illumination (red and green), short (only about 12" long) and the 2.5-20x has 110moa of elevation to dial

If that's a little overkill I went with a VX3 3.5-10 CDS and sent it back to have the parallax set for 50yds. I also have a EFR 3-9 leupold on another, but like the vx3 more.

For a while, at least, 17HM2 ammo was hard to find. I have an Annie 1717 in 17HMR that has on at least one occasion shot 1/4 MOA with CCI TNT ammo. It'll go 1/2 MOA with most ammo, likes the TNT best of all.

How does the 17HM2 do on squirrels? I would think it would tear them up more than a .22LR.

DF

I aim to shot 'em in the head, so explosive physical damage isn't a problem.

17HM2 ammo was hard to find for an overly long period of time and the best 17HM2 ammo, that made by Eley, has been long discontinued. CCI and Hornady will shoot 1/2 MOA with all of my rifles, but the Eley and Eley-made Remington has always been consistently more accurate. The Anschutz 1502 is the easiest rifle to shoot good groups with at distances beyond 50 yards that I've yet to own. I managed to squirrel away quite a bit of Eley and Remington 17HM2 ammo, so I use that for hunting and CCI/Hornady for shooting paper and plinking targets of opportunity.

I like the flat trajectory of the 17HM2 and think that the fragile bullets are less likely to ricochet if they strike a glancing blow. I shoot about half my squirrels on the ground, around the edges of corn fields, so minimizing the potential for a bullet to ricochet onto the neighboring property is an important consideration, particularly so when the ground is frozen.

I think that the 17HM2 is the best cartridge for shooting squirrels yet to be introduced.

Thanks, 260, for that info.

I've never shot a 17 HM2. Sounds like you've had good luck with that round.

DF

The 17HM2 shoots just as flat a trajectory out to 100+/- yards as the 17HMR does to 125+/- yards. It isn't quite as fast, so there is less kinetic energy on impact, making it making it more of a squirrel size killer than a 'chuck size killer. When the 17HM2 came out, ammo was around 50% of the price of 17HMR ammo, and if you didn't need the extra velocity, range, energy on impact, it was a viable cartridge. Also, Eley ammo was really accurate, shooting right along side the mid-grade Eley .22 LR ammo at a lower cost. The lose of Eley ammo definitely hurt the 17HM2, but the CCI and Hornady ammo is fine for most things that you might want to shoot within the 17HM2's niche.

The biggest problem that people seem to have with the 17HM2 is when they convert Ruger 10/22s. It appears as though there is a fine line between a functional 10/22 conversion and one that fires out of battery, damaging the rifle and probably injuring the shooter. There are lots of "KABOOM" stories on RFC. I did 3 conversions, 2 using Green Mountain barrels intended for the 96/22 and 1 with a relined barrel. I never had a "KABOOM", but came closer than I felt comfortable with when I had some bulged cases. If I kept them spotlessly clean, they worked fine, but I felt like I was on the very edge between functioning and unsafe, so I converted the 2 rifles with the Green Mountain barrels back to .22 LR and kept the rifle with the lined barrel.

I have a Weaver V-24 8-24x42 with parallax adjustment that works well for the situation you describe. It's a heavier scope than I usually like, but it's mounted on a CZ 455 with a heavy barrel, so the weight of the scope is not all that noticeable.

Another option is the Leupold 3-9x33 EFR. Not as bright as the Kahles, but not bad. It does have adjustable parallax which is good at closer range.

This one is on a .22LR CZ 2500 with 29" barrel. Pretty quiet with that long tube. Timney trigger. Not quite as accurate as the Cooper, but accurate,

DF

Any scope for a hunting .22 has to be one power at the low end, for me. I'm driving a Bushnell 1-4x32 now. Personal hunting “style” influences how close or far we shoot at game. I always wind up making some very close shots on game, in the 6 foot to ten foot range, including coyotes, grouse, squirrels, bobcats, fox, pack rats, rattlesnakes, etc. I prefer a scope that makes a sure thing out of the close up shots that should be a sure thing, and one power on close game is a big help. In full disclosure, my eyes are a little wonky on close focus due to surgery.

What other people do is interesting and informative but you gotta pick a scope that fits you, your bod, your eye and your hunting style for the game you hunt. That may take some sorting through scopes by trying them.

I ordered one of these this morning for a Ruger 77/22. I'm interested to see how it performs.

https://www.natchezss.com/burris-dr...-reticle-33-13-fov-3-1-3-8-er-matte.html

I have a 1.5-5X Leupold Vari-X III one one of my .22's & it is wonderful.

My other .22 wears a Burris Rimfire scope that I have appreciated & have no qualms with.

A couple years back the shooting editor from Field & Stream magazine wrote an article on the best of the best in a lot of different categories. What he named the best of the best rimfire scope was that Leupold VX-2 Ultralight Rimfire EFR Rifle Scope 3-9x33mm Fine Duplex Reticle Matt. The way I figured it, as the shooting editor he sure got to finger a lot more scopes than I ever would so I ordered one for my M61 Winchester. Early on at the range I forgot that it had that EFR feature and it was kind of fuzzy until I adjusted the EFR ring and then everything cleared nicely. The fine crosshair is a little too fine for my taste, but perfectly manageable. Mine rides around on 4x most of the time and being the analytical cuss that I am, I kind of like messing with that EFR on a .22, though I sure wouldn't want it on my deer rifles.

Leupold VX-2 Ultralight Rimfire EFR Rifle Scope 3-9x33mm

I don't think they make that one any more.

I have found the Leupold rimfire hold up to big game recoil, they just have parallax set for 50 yards. The Leupold rimfire scopes with adjustable objectives look like big game scopes to me.

My favorite is the old Burris 6X Mini AO, not the HBR model. The other is the Leupold 6X36 parallaxed for 40yds. These I use for hunting and bench shooting.

I am curious to see how you like it. I piddled with a Droptine in Academy and I thought the glass was really good.

I just saw one of these kahles for sale this morning, $425...
What’s the going price. I rarely see them.

I'll post up after I get it mounted and have time to take it out.

My CZ452 has worn a Nikon 3-9 rimfire with the BDC for several years now. Normally I’m not a fan of bullet drop compensating reticle but it works really well for the .22.

I hunt tree squirrels September through November pretty heavily and find this combination works very well.

My old Anschutz 141 .22 WRM wears a Leupold 3-9 EFR Rimfire scope. It works well enough for me out to about 200 yards, but then again, I'm not a very good shot.

This. I own four of them.

https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-cl...al-x-reticle-37-13-fov-3-7-er-matte.html

i will give the nod for a simple 3x9 Leupold,but i do like to use a Harris swivel bi-pod on my squirrel rifle. my reason is i like to head shoot all my squirrels no meat lost and much easier to clean too . i always use a squirrel call too sit,wait 5 minutes and start callin try to be by nut type trees too or corn fields ,look for squirrel nests too. good luck,and stay still ,Pete53

I have Simmons 4x. Leupold 4x rimfire. Burris droptine 3x9 ballistic plex. Bushnell trophy 3x9 mil dot. Bushnell trophy 4x12 AO. My favorite is the 3x9 trophy mil dot.

Burris FFII Ballistic Plex 3x9

And about as close to the Universal Solution as can be found these days.....

I have a Leopold 1.5 X5 on my Ruger 77/22 CPC reticle works fine. --- Mel

I use a SWFA 6x on my About 22 mag and really like it. The reticle is very good in tree tops and is fast. Adjustable paralax is really helpful too.

Wow , you could poke a squirrel out the tree with that , lol.

Just about.

It balances and carries well. Bonus to all that long barrel is quietness. With subsonic ammo, it’s really quiet.

DF

I don’t see enough to have an opinion. If you want one and see one, better jump on it. May be a while before you see another one. I don’t think there is a better .22 scope in its class.

DF

Tract has very nice 22 scope.
Standard 3-9 or 4-12 if you really want to zoom in.

The new Burris Droptine .22 3-9x40 arrived and I mounted it on my Ruger 77/22 in factory Ruger medium rings. Impressions are good so far. To my eyes, the glass seems to be the same used in the Fullfield II line. Clicks feel positive and are audible (barely). The power ring is a little tight IMO, but we'll see if it loosens up after use. The reticle is neither bold nor fine which should be perfect for a .22. The hashmarks are easy to see even against a background. I think it's a handsome scope; the muted silver looks good and the finish is nice. Now I just need to get out and shoot it a bit.

I got a VX2 4-12x40 AO on my 77/22. Shoot up close or out yonder.

I had limited time and only a 25 yard paper target to work with, but initial impressions are good. Easy to get behind, good glass, flare is reasonably controlled, reticle is nice. I don't have any complaints so far. I didn't bother to bore sight it, just set up 4 targets in a square and aimed at the middle, then adjusted from there:


I did the same for my Browning Gold Medalion .22 while there. Even the 'crap' Leupold did just fine. Shots in the upper corner are actually 4-9, not 10 as written.

I am probably going to end up with a Droptine or two.

I'm usually not to impressed with inexpensive scopes and as I stated earlier, the old Burris 6XAO mini's and Leupold 6x FXII's are my favorites. But, recently I ran across a special that I couldn't resist and to say I'm impressed with this scope is an understatement. Here's a link to the scope and the price, scope. I removed the Leupold from a Sako and mounted this scope. I am very impressed with it. Very clear glass.
Someone looking for a decent scope for under $100 may want to pickup one of these.

I wish they would quit putting billboards on scopes.

Bruce

For my application I like the 10x C series Zeiss, it works well for head shooting rabbits and I simply enjoy using it.

I agree. Mine will go under the hair dryer. LOL

Maybe this would be a good option? Heckuva deal anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Burris-42mm-...569547500&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmr0

As an airgun shooter & hunter, I like having the option of AO. These scopes work very:
Leupold EFR 3-9 or EFR 6.5-20

I'm not a fan of the fine duplex but prefer the regular Leupold duplex for hunting / woods shots.

Also, Sightron has some great scopes that parallax down to 10 meters. If you go with AO for close shots, side parallax is a nice feature.

I did end up with two Droptine scopes. One like Sock Puppet got then a 4.5-14x40 with the G2B reticle. Glass is good. Eye relief is adequate. Easy to get behind. It'll be while before I get to test them out, but they impress me as being a great deal for 105 and 149 dollars respectively.

Put this on my Cooper until I could find something better. Six years later it's still there and I love it.
WEAVER Rimfire 3-9X32 A/O

NIghtforce SHV 3-10x42. Awesome scopes with adjustable parallax. Spendy, but you said ultimate.

Leupold 6x Compact. I couldn’t imagine a better field scope for a .22 Rimfire. Pity they are no longer manufactured. Learned most of what I know about riflery and the art of hitting with minimal conscious effort from a misspent youth sending upwards of a hundred thousand rounds downrange looking through one. Good times!

We took the 77/22 out for some practicing before the girls' elk hunt. They hand no problems consistently hitting clays at 100 yards. I took out a few at 120+ yards for fun. I really like this little Droptine .22 scope and will pick up one or two more in the future.

No need to overthink this. For hunting, you just can't beat a good 4x on a 22lr. Mine has a Weaver Classic. Doug has 4x's from Hawke and Konus, he can get Meopta or Leupold...pick your poison and go wack some tree rats.

I've stuck with either a straight 4X or 6X for my Squirrel hunting. 60 yards would be a long shot where I hunt, most are between 30-50 yards. This CZ 452 with 4X Leupold worked fine yesterday. For longer ranges I may want something different.

Liking the Nightforce SHV F1 on mine a lot. Could see a 3-15 SWFA also.

My .22’s wear lowly Sightron SII 3-9x42’s.Works for me...

Burris Timberline 4.5-14

It was replaced by the VX-Freedom 3-9x33 EFR which has the same glass I believe. It is a good scope. I read about the Clearidge Ultra RM 3-9x32 AO at Rimfire Central seven or eight years ago and decided to try one. It’s been a great scope. It cost around $225.00 and is mounted on a CZ 512 .22 WMR.