Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Favorite scope for your 22lr

I am going to scope a ruger 77/22 for plinking and small game hunting. I prefer Nikons and Leupolds but do not want to break the bank (or at least what is left of it) I figure between 100 and 200 dollars is my budget. The gun only cost 200.00 many years ago.

What do others like on their 22lr?

vx-ii 3-9x40

Talk to Doug (CameraLand: Sponsors "Hunting Optics" forum here) about Vortex; Great glass, great price, great discount opportunities. They have a nice array of AO models, which I feel is a critical feature for rimfires.

Pick your prefered over-priced scope and search for used ones. If you can live with somebody elses scratches and ring marks, there are some bargains.

Leupold Compact 3x9 x 32 with AO

Leupold VXI 2-7 with paralax adjusted to 50 yards. Don't know if the paralax adjustment's necessary but did it anyway. I like it on my 77-22, seems the right size for it to me but that's a subjective thing. I think they go for $210 new and you can get a used one cheaper. Used to see them on E-bay for less. It seems like a lot brighter scope than the Leupold rimfire models.

I have a scope on mine that I consider perfect for a .22LR. Too bad it is long discontinued; I think it would be a good seller. It's a Burris Compact in 4X with AO, designed specifically for rimfires.

I would recommend a scope made for a .22. The reticle size and parallax setting should match .22LR ranges. The scope shouldn't look like it has a small rifle attached to it, either.

nikon 2x7x33. only $130 light and clear. it does have heavy crosshairs that some guys dont like, I dont mind them.

Actually after further inspection its a Nikon Prostaff 2-7x32

Leupold M8 6x42AO.

Leupold 3x3x32AO, Weaver fixed 4, Mueller 8x25x50

I have a Leupold 2x7 on one of my guns but I like this scope better. It's just as clear, has click adjustments and an adjustable objective. The power ring is much smoother and easier to turn than the Leupold. It's the Weaver rimfire classic 3-9x33.
See link below.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=771270

plinkin and small game ... $200 ... simple

Call Rick and buy a FX-I 4x rimfire scope I'm getting ready to order one from him for either my 77/22 or 39A ... It will start on my 39A, but most likely will end up on the 77/22.

keep them coming guys I am checking them all out.

If you're talkin about the Nikon Prostaff Shotgun scope, that is indeed an excellent choice for a .22 rifle. I have mine on a CZ 513 Basic and it works quite well. Paralax free at 80 yards according to the literature but it is clear as a bell at 50 yards. Good point about the bold crosshairs but I like them. Very easy to see and still make for precise shooting.



Here are some 50 yard groups from this combo. The bottom left was the sighting in target, the bottom right and center bulls were fired from the Caldwell rest as well. The top two bulls were fired using a sling and a shooting mat from the prone position. The dark smudge on the left are the remains of an unlucky horsefly. The rings are medium height Millett AngleLocs and the ammo was CCI Blazer.

+2 on the FX1 Leupold 4X rimfire scope. I have one on a Ruger 10/22 Compact. Great scope. That being said, I also have two 6X42 mm Leupolds, that have had the parallax re-set to 50 yards. One on a Ruger 96,22 Mag. and the other on a Weatherby MK XX11. This is a GREAT scope for a 22.
Virgil B.

Burris Fullfield II 3x9 Ballistic Plex, REALLY works on a .22LR !
Ingwe

If you're talkin about the Nikon Prostaff Shotgun scope, that is indeed an excellent choice for a .22 rifle. I have mine on a CZ 513 Basic and it works quite well. Paralax free at 80 yards according to the literature but it is clear as a bell at 50 yards. Good point about the bold crosshairs but I like them. Very easy to see and still make for precise shooting.



That is the one. I have 3 of them now and one on the way. just a good all around scope that doenst break the bank. Might not be as bright as a lupy at dusk, but I hunt squirrels during daylight anyway.

I have a couple of VX-II 3-9x scopes that I had Leupold change the parallax on fitted to 22 rifles. Also, two of Leupold 4x scopes with parallax changes on two other rifles. Last 22 scope I bought was a Weaver 4x shotgun scope on sale from Natchez, no parallax change required.
If I was starting all over again for scoping 22's, I'd buy all shotgun scopes and never have to worry about having the parallax changed.

Leupold 2-7X Rimfire Special.

Now, THOSE are good ideas!
Must be a squirrel hunter...
Ingwe

OK, ya'll have about convinced me to try the 2X7X32 Nikon Prostaff shotgun scope. I was worrying about the durability on the Prostaff line, but for a 22lr it should be OK.

The classic scope for that Ruger 77/22 is the one I have on mine - a Leupold 4x Rimfire Compact.

It's too bad you're not located in Florida - When I was vacationing there last week, I saw an as-new one F/S at an Englewood gunshop for $100.

I didn't buy it, because I already own three - mounted on the .22's I want scoped instead of peeped.

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PM me the name and phone number of that gunshop if you can find it.

No durability issues. I have one, and it has been used on several different guns including a .358win. It held up fine. No with all this talk, I'm going to put it on my new used .22.

I agree with you on the Prostaff 2-7. I like Leupolds and I like the VXI 2-7 on my 77-22 a lot but it's on there because I already had it when I got the rifle. If I had to buy a new rimfire scope today it would be the Prostaff. It's $60 or $70 dollars cheaper than the Leupold VXI or rimfire model and IMO at least as good a scope and a better value. The paralax is already set for short range, click adjustments, decent glass and good eye relief. The Prostaff 4x is a good scope too for around $100 dollars. I've got one on another 22.

As for durability, my brother has a prostaff 3-9 on a 12 ga slug gun. Kills deer with it every year. No issues after at least 5 seasons. If it can sand up to a 12 slug, it can certainly handle a 22lr

That was kind of what I was thinking.

Rocky no doubt you are right, but who makes a trust worthy .22 LR scope anymore? I have an older Marlin 39, blue is good, wood has been hunted with. On presidents day I took it along with several different type of match bullets to the range and at 50 yards with the poor tired old weaver on it, shot several 10 shot one hole 25 cent piece size groups. I would like to replace that old weaver with some more clear glass, but I don't know which to use.

How about a non-tired new Weaver. Specifically, the Weaver 2.5-7X28mm Classic Rimfire model. Fine Japanese optic. Small - it would not overpower the Model 39's little receiver. I have one on this little Winchester Wildcat and it has proven to be a great little scope.

nice looking scope, how much is that weaver?

Leupold 3-9x33 AO Rimfire, They are mighty pricey but I've tried a bunch of rimfire scopes and nothing comes close to this.................547.

About $150 including shipping. Third one down from the top if this Midway link works ($139.99):

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?&tabId=10&categoryId=11397&categoryString=657***11392***&brandId=1477

[PM me the name and phone number of that gunshop if you can find it.]

PM sent last night. Good Luck.

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Called about the Leupold scope. They said it is a pistol scope, not a rifle scope, long eye relief.

Thanks anyway.

LEUPOLD 3X9 EFR. I have three.

Wish I'd kept mine. They just raised the price on them to $400.

I don't want to get into a Leupold bashing session but I just cannot see a 22LR scope being worth $400.00.

I'm looking at the same scope for my Kimber. Yes it's hard to justify that much money for a 22LR. But it's just a VXII with AO, it'd work on anything and I've spent more than that on guns that I don't shoot as much...

Ahh,a Kimber. I have enjoyed this Weaver V-16 on my Kimber Hunter:


50 yard target after mounting the V-16 on the Kimber last fall.


I think I had too much coffee that morning. I had a called flyer in every group. I stopped with that .53" group after I found the zero I wanted. I shot the big 3" bulls first. Sure was easier to tighten em up with the little diamonds of the 1" bulls.

By the way, I purchased this scope in the early 90s for an Anschutz 1710 (which I now have a T-36 on for accuracy testing)and it has never let me down. Still clear, tracks well, and holds a zero. Weaver is still making and selling the V-16.

I prefer a plinking and hunting scope for rimfires to have between a 32mm and 38mm objective, and the parallax set for 50-60yds.

Lots of great choices out there:

Burris 3-9X32AO Compact
Nikon Prostaff 4X32
Sightron 3-9X32RF
Leupold VXI 2-7X33 (parallax reset)
Leupold VXII 3-9x33EFR
Weaver 3-9x32AO
Vortex Diamondback 2-7x35

And there are more, good luck!

MtnHtr

Sheffield,

Sweet rig, great choice on the scope.

MtnHtr

[They said it is a pistol scope, not a rifle scope, long eye relief.]

Sorry for the mis-information, DaddyRat. My bad.

I only glanced at it, never actually examining it - and it had no obvious label, just a price tag.
It looked exactly the same (size/config) as my 4x rimfire scopes, sitting in their showcase.

.

I just picked up a Leupold VXII 4-12 w/AO and long range duplex, I'll give it a try and let ya'll know how I like it.

+1 on the Burris 4X AO scope. I also use the older Burris Compact (Mini) AO scope which is my very favorite rimfire scope.I wished they still made them.

Sightron 2.5-10X32

Jimmyp: Your attempt at bashing Leupold scopes is empty and pointless!
Leupold scopes ARE an excellent investment!
And many Leupold scopes are WORTH $400.00.
A person INVESTS in a great performing and reliable scope with an incredible warranty - the Leupold line!
And if the need be to ever re-sell that Leupold scope should arise then you WILL recoup a higher percentage of your investment than with ANY other scope line!
AND, you will re-sell a Leupold quicker!
Thats what an investment is - you are NOT just going out and setting on fire 4 one hundred dollar bills - you are buying something WORTH $400.00.
I have been buying and selling new and used scopes for 45 years now and I know of what I speak in this regard!
One of my Ruger 10/22's has a Leupold 4x12 variable with A/O on it. I could sell that scope today for more than I paid for it 15 years ago!
AND that Leupold has performed FLAWLESSLY for me all this time!
I would say that my purchase of that Leupold 4x12 variable was "worth it"!
Plus this attribute of that Leupold scope - I mostly Hunt Ground Squirrels with my Ruger 10/22 and that Leupold scope. When I Hunt Ground Squirrels I often spend 6 - 8 hours afield in a days Hunt.
You ever look through a "lesser" quality scope many hundreds of times in an 8 hour period?
Let me advise you that those lesser quality scopes on a long bright day will often give you a headache and induce eye strain that you won't soon forget.
That has NEVER occurred with my Leupold 4x12!
Yes indeed - some Leupold scopes are worth $400.00!
I have a Leupold 6x18 variable scope on my Kimber M-22 H/S (Hunter/Silhouette) in 22 L.R. - this is another Gopher killing machine!
The "investment" in this scope for this Rifle has pleased me very much. I mounted that scope on that Rifle in 2,004 and again I could sell that scope (should the need arise) for more than I paid for it!
One of my close friends and Gopher Hunting partners bought a Leupold 3x9 compact scope with A/O last spring - he paid about $315.00 IIRC. He LOVES that scope on his main Ground Squirrel Rifle - he is another 6 to 8 hour a day shooter by the way!
I have owned a couple of these Leupold compact 3x9's with A/O in years past, and in both cases I sold them for more than I paid for them!
I wish I had them both back right now!
These "pricey" little scopes perform wonderfully on 22 rimfires and they are "sized" to look VERY appealing on 22 Rifles.
I am not trying to sell you on any of my $400.00 Leupold scopes but I AM trying to convince you that Leupold scopes are a good "investment" and they work extremely well on 22 Rifles.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmint Guy,

Good post!

The little Leupold 3-9X33EFR is a great scope. I had the pre VX-II model with friction adjustments, would have kept it except I wanted a matte scope.

Great scope and resale value on Leupolds, even the VX-I series.

MtnHtr

I have 2 Weavers...the 4X and the 2.5-7X rimfire scopes. Excellent!

My favorite 22lr scope is a Burris 3X-9X-32 Compact with the parallex set for 50 yards.

I recently put a little 4X Bushnell on my old Remington 521t bolt rifle.
It is a sure thing on close range squirrels with the little CCI .22 CB longs I use for pests.

I've tried lots of different scopes on .22 rifles over the years and have found the number one requirement is that they don't "overpower" the smallish rifles.

Stay away from the 40mm, 44mm (or larger) objective bells that force you to mount the scope too high. At typical .22LR ranges the higher scope "does" alter the trajectory over 50-75 yards. A lower scope means less adjustment when aiming. The smaller 28mm or 32mm bells look so much nicer on a slim .22 rifle.

High magnification is not really needed to hit "minute of squirrel head" at 50 yards, so a "compact" model of 2x-7x or a 2.5x-8x is certainly more than you will need.

In fact I've found it much more likely to have a squirrel appear at a range "too" close than too far. To me, the 1.5x-4.5x20mm scopes are just the ticket, Enough magnification for "long" ranges of 50-75 yards, but with the ability to "dial down" to 1.5x and bring things in focus when the sneaky little.....squirrels.....sneak up to how-do-you-do range.

Leupold, Burris, Nikon and Weaver make just such models. Don't overlook the "used" older models either. Check E-Bay and you can find some real steals on those "old" scopes. In fact the "best" squirrel scope I've ever owned was a 1970's, V4.5W Weaver, the 1.5x-4.5x model with the old "TV" shaped veiw. That trim 20mm objective just looks "right" on a smaller rifle.

Also don't overlook the "shotgun" and "blackpowder" models. As some have said the crosshairs are typically a bit thicker, but it's not that big a problem and even becomes an advantage in the last few minutes of the day when it gets dark enough to make thin crosshairs hard to pick up. The paralax is already set for the ranges you want on a .22LR too.

I think it's been listed/mentioned in this thread but I just ordered the Weaver 4x shotgun scope fro Natchez to put on a CZ 452 Full Stock I picked up this week. It may/may not stay on as I also ordered a peep sight to see how that goes.

They are on closeout for $79.

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cf...ope%20Black%20Matte%20Dual%20X%20Reticle

Well, my Ruger 10/22 is scopeless at the moment, but it used to have a BSA 6-24x40mm on it. The Daisy Legacy has a simple BSA 3-7x20mm on it.

Well got my Leupold VXII 4-12x40 w/AO in today, grabbed the Talley mounts and the new Kimber. Dang mounts are wrong but the scope is going to be perfect on this rifle.

The new production Kimbers take bigger mounting screws...

Perfection...

The Mueller APV seems to be very popular with the folks who hang out at Rimfire Central. I haven't tried one myself, since the Bushnell 4-12 AO scope that I have had for years works pretty well - but I'll have one soon for my CZ.

BTW - I disagree with the contention that high-magnification is useless on a .22lr. So long as it's variable, that magnification makes a real accurate rifle more versatile. Sure - you can hit a squirrel at 50yds without it, but some of us like to stretch the limits. And there's hitting your squirrel, and then there's hitting your squirrel right where you want to.

well its not my favorite scope but it does the trick, its a center point 4-16x40 ao. like freeme says, high mag is not pointless. aim small miss small. i had a bec 4-16x50 on a marlin mod 60 that at 50 yrd i could put 5 rounds in 1 hole all day long. only down side about high mag scopes is with the ao, it takes a little while to get the hang of useing

Leupold Vari-X II 4x12 AO on my Ansch�tz 1710 :

I have the Nikon Pro Staff rifle scope in 3-9x40. It is on a CZ 22. So far I really like it.

Hello All,

Since I started this thread I thought I would update it. I scored a NIB 6X Nikon Monarch from the 24 hr classifieds. I have this same scope on another 22lr so I really like this scope.

Now to decide if the 6x Nikon goes on the 22lr and the 4x Nikon Monarch goes on the 99 Savage or vice versa. Decisions, decisions.

You guys all know what your talking about for hunting but I don't hunt anymore. I have a small collection of older .22 rifles made in the 50's and 60's mostly and just for looks...let me repeat...just for looks I like the Weaver V22-A. They just look right to me sitting on top of the older rimfires.

For what I use my 22s for any Leupold scope seems to work just fine...but my favorite combo is my Win. 63 custom rifle with a 2.5X Leupold alaskan, 7/8" tube (Discontinued about 198?)..I can shoot rock chucks out my kitchen window and make 100 yards shots 98% of the time..It is a superbly accurate little rifle..I have another Win. 63 factory rifle, and it sports a 3X Leupold 1" tube,(also discontinued ) and its my Jack Rabbit rifle. Both scopes are in Talley QD rings..both will group 1" on a good day at 100 yards.

Leupold 6.5x20 EFR with Leupold 1/2 min. dot.

For $100 - $200 I would look at the Nikon Prostaf 4x32 rimfire scope, the Weaver 4x28 Rimfire, the Weaver 2X-7X-28 Rimfire or the Weaver 3X-9X-32 Rimfire. My favorite 22lr scope is my Burris compact 3X-9X-32 with the parallax set at 50 yards.

My favorite is a vxII 2x7 with dots on my kimber classic varmit. The dots on 5 power work great for 75,100. I have a 4x prostaff on my 39 and it is a sweet littl scope. It is a little heavy but the mountie is not a light 22.

Ditto.

I didn't bother with the paralax adjustment however.

Got mine for $195 shipped... a far better scope than the compact rimfire models and a perfect match for the 77/22.

That's kinda my feeling. I put a reconditioned BSA 6-24X44 with turrets on my son's .22 mag CZ Varmint. I think it was around a hundred bucks.

I know it's not .22lr But I'd of done the same. He does well with it, slapping the 200 yd. gong with ease.

how in the world are you guys measuring groups?? the ones above are way freaking bigger than the measurement shows. those ar well ove 1/2 inch on the smallest group!!!!! how are people measuring these???

In my case, CTC (center to center) from the two holes that are farthest apart, just 'cause it's easy to do. Outer paper edge to outer paper edge between the two farthest separated holes in the smallest group are 7/16", if that helps.

your measue ments are way off!!! the smallest group is ove 1/2 inch center to center!!!! try going from out side edge to out side edge and the subtract .223. .223 is ganna big bigger than the bullet shot out of your gun but is what the plugs they use to measure group size. you are way off!!!!! your groups would tell me i need to send that rifle down the road to the next owner.

here are 50 yard groups from one of my keeper guns. [img]http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p19/gonzogunner/3eleytestlots004.jpg[/img]

what you guys call accurate i send on down the road. your group measurements are way to large on your targets!!! if you take .223 away from mine the group's are in the .1-.0 range. while i keep upper end rifles mainly i also have savage markII's that i have had worked over. one i shoot in a class called the plinker class. it will shoot just about as good as the targets above but not qiute as well.

i'm sure it's not you fault. you just haven't been told how to do it. measure form outside grease ring to outside grease ring then take .223 away from the measurements. your smallest group is 2 1/2 bullets wide. the rst are way larger than that. try it again.

com'on ... specs on the keeper gun!

Ok, thanks. I'll go calibrate my caliper.

Please bear in mind those were groups from a 10 y.o. boy on his 3'rd trip out to the range, on a windy day at that. The R.O. was mighty impressed with him slapping the 200 yd. gong on shot after shot.

The other issue is the lack of match grade ammo in .22 WMR. Here is what it does at 100 yds with one RWS JHP group versus run-of-the mill stuff on all other groups. This too may be not keeper material, but we cannot afford to be chasing perfection and it's plenty good for us.

Your groups do indeed blow me away. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two.

Rifle: Kimber HS
Scope: Leupold 3.5-10x50MM EFR AO