Scope for Browning SA-22?

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gregp74

gregp74

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I took in a Browning Semi Auto 22 recently for partial payment of a debt. I finally got to take it out and try it this weekend and it's a fun little plinker. It brought back a lot of memories -- my grandpa had one of them when I was growing up, but I was never allowed to touch it because it had a broken stock. (One of those things he always planned to fix but never did.)

I'm glad to see the guy I got it from included a Browning labeled scope mount. My old eyes aren't what they once were and I'm going to need to put some glass on this thing.

I'll be shooting it probably as close at 20-25 yards, and out to about 75. 100 would probably be pushing it. I'd like some suggestions for scopes that'll be appropriate for that distance and won't look out of place on this classic little rifle.

I'm thinking maybe fixed 4x? Or 3-9 adjustable? If I go adjustable I'm probably going to need something AO. Kinda leaning toward a Leupold but I'm open to other ideas.
 
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I have a couple Leupold rimfire scopes. They are excellent scopes. They are 2-7X32 and 10" long. I've been thinking about putting one on my SA-22.
 
Bottom Gun said:
I have a couple Leupold rimfire scopes. They are excellent scopes. They are 2-7X32 and 10" long. I've been thinking about putting one on my SA-22.
Click to expand...

Looks like Leupold's current lineup for rimfire is pretty skimpy. Either a fixed 2.5x20 or a 4x28.
 
Probably their response to Nikon with the ballistic reticle I think it’s called. It has a series of small circles on the lower leg of the reticle for holdover. Personally, I would rather have lines like this Freedom scope has.

My older rimfire scope has the plex reticle. I bet if you ordered from Leupold, they would put a different reticle in it for you like a plex or the European 4A style.
 
I was able to find a duplex one at Midway. Looks like that could be a winner and wouldn't look too big on the rifle. I wish it was a gloss finish but I can live without that. I should check to see what the parallax setting is. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/4...om-rifle-scope-2-7x-33mm-duplex-reticle-matte

I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to scopes. Keep it simple. MOA or MIL knobs and a duplex reticle is all I need. Perhaps moa or mildots on the reticle but only if it's a FFP.

My engineer friend had an interview at Vortex not long ago and we were talking about how it seems like these days optics companies don't mind putting extraneous junk in the reticle just to make it look more like a video game. He feels like Vortex is bad about mixing knobs with reticles that don't make sense together.
 
That may not be a rimfire scope. If it isn't, the parallax is probably set for 100 yd.
I believe the rimfire series is set for 50 or 60 yd.
 
Good point. I had forgotten about that. I remember the hell I went through picking out a scope for my Anschutz to "do it all" and finding several that would have been perfect but the parallax only went down to 100+ yards.
 
Yeah I just went ahead and got the 2-7 with the duplex reticle off Midway and the rings I need from Amazon. It figures neither place had both!
 
And the smaller scope should be fine. I have to remind myself this is just a little plinker. It's not going to be used off a bipod or anything.
 
Always nice to meet a fellow Anschutz shooter. I have the 2-7x32 Leupold rimfire on a 1416 Anschutz and a Leupold 2-7X32 Ultralight on another 1416. I'm pleased with both.
I also have a 2.5-8x36 Leupold Vari-X3 on my 141M and found that works well for the .22 mag cartridge.
You can always use shooting sticks if you decide to get a few squirrels or rabbits.
I hope you verified that parallax was what you need.
 
Sleek rifle; needs a sleek scope - so I'd say a fixed 4 or better yet, a fixed 3 if you can find it.
 
My first Anschutz was a 1416 with the heavy barrel and the stock with the big beavertail foreend. It was made for mostly shooting off a bench or at least a bipod and I went with the advice most people gave me about the Leupold VX3i 6-18 EFR scope (I think that's what it was). Very nice scope but if I wanted to heft the thing up and try to shoot offhand there was way too much low end magnification. I don't remember what I eventually put on there, but I ended up giving it to my dad when I got my 1710.

This one also has a heavy barrel but it's got a more traditional stock. I wanted a scope that I could do more with and somehow ended up with a Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16 power scope. The glass is good. It's got a nice wide range of magnification and I can crank it down to 7 yards. Everyone who shoots this one loves it.

CnJ3n3w
 
Your 1710 sounds nice. I was surprised at the difference between a 54 and 64 action. Mine are all sporter weight. I put a 3-9 Kahles on my 1720 but there are times I wish it was a bit more on the high end so I'm considering swapping it out for a 4.5-14X40 Leupold that I have on another rifle. I don't take that 1720 into the field much because of the weight difference between it and the 64 actions.
 
Yeah the 1710 is pretty heavy like 7lb 15oz if I remember right. And that’s before the scope and mounts.
 
I bought my Browning SA-22, scope mount & rings together but left the mount & rings off for about 15 years. It's always been my favorite semi-auto.
Then I scoped it using Browning's mount, rings and a Leupold VX-1 2-7 x 28mm scope after my eyes could no longer use the irons.

The outcome is superb IMHO. The scope is just the right size and weight for balance.
The optics are crisp & clear and the rifle is very accurate.
I'm now thrilled with the outcome but I almost tore my hair out getting it mounted as it initially shot 11" high at 50 yds.

IMG_3144cs.jpg
 
I have 2 scoped SA-22s. both have the Leupold mount Looks very similar to Big steve57 photo above.. one has a 2x7 vortex and the other has redfield 3x9. both are very accurate, get a good scope that has the lower power option for close in work like a close squirrel or rabbit. then you have the option of 7 or 9 power for longer shots. I hunt nutria and most shots are 30-35 yards and I keep the scope set about 3 power.
Good luck an SA-22 is a quality firearm, designed by a genius over 100 years ago. Cant be beat, I have tried many different models and brands of 22 rifles and I find this is the best I know of for simplicity and dependability.

Bull
 
Bull Nutria said:
I have 2 scoped SA-22s. both have the Leupold mount Looks very similar to Big steve57 photo above.. one has a 2x7 vortex and the other has redfield 3x9. both are very accurate, get a good scope that has the lower power option for close in work like a close squirrel or rabbit. then you have the option of 7 or 9 power for longer shots. I hunt nutria and most shots are 30-35 yards and I keep the scope set about 3 power.
Good luck an SA-22 is a quality firearm, designed by a genius over 100 years ago. Cant be beat, I have tried many different models and brands of 22 rifles and I find this is the best I know of for simplicity and dependability.

Bull
Click to expand...

Since you used the Leupold mount did you find you needed scopes with longer eye relief?
 
the eye relief I have may not be perfect but is manageable. longer eye relief is always a good thing. get the longest eye relief you can afford. optics planet has lots of choices for scopes. cant go wrong with Leupold, vortex ,redfield, Nikon. I have also use bushnell. If you anticipate lots of close shots a 1x4 leupold muzzleloader/shotgun scope is a good choice. I have used the 1x4 on several 22s with good results.

Bull
 
Bull Nutria said:
the eye relief I have may not be perfect but is manageable. longer eye relief is always a good thing. get the longest eye relief you can afford. optics planet has lots of choices for scopes. cant go wrong with Leupold, vortex ,redfield, Nikon. I have also use bushnell. If you anticipate lots of close shots a 1x4 leupold muzzleloader/shotgun scope is a good choice. I have used the 1x4 on several 22s with good results.

Bull
Click to expand...
Interesting. I looked at the Leupold mount as it seemed simpler. It attaches to the receiver. Am I correct on that?
I opted for the Browning mount (as I already had it) that attaches on the barrel. Eye relief is good due to the offset but the mounting of that cantilevered base was problematic.
 
no the leopold mount attaches to barrel also. this is a good thing because the receiver and barrel are mated with a tightening ring that can loosen causing the barrel and receiver not to be perfectly rigid causing the rifle to shoot off zero due to slight barrel wobble. that is why the SA-22 receivers are not grooved anymore! also the rear fold down sight does not need t be removed with this mount.

Good luck

Bull
 
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