Scope suggestions for 100-200yard 22lr

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kidneyboy

kidneyboy

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Next year I'll be trying my hand at longer range 22lr shooting and have started to look for a scope. Will be shooting off of bags or a bipod/rear bag combo. I've been shooting 25-50yards this year for accuracy and also for groups using a Nikon 3-9x40 AO. I don't know much about scopes.
Budget is in the $1000 to $1500 range and so far the Vortex Golden Eagle has gotten a close look. Looking for suggestions.
 
My Volquartsen-barrelled 10/22 currently wears an older Leopold 6-18 VX-II off my .22-250, it has target turrets installed. It originally had a Tasco 18x target scope, but that just didn’t have the resolution required to spot all misses at 200 yards. This was a critical shortcoming, as by spotting the misses you can correct on subsequent shots. Its not just about power, lens quality matters. Too, the Leo had adequate vertical adjustment for out to about 200 yards, I didn’t quite need a tapered scope base.

That said, if the OP is shooting at known distances on paper targets then resolution might be less important - unless he wants to see the bullet holes without using a spotting scope. But then he’ll need a high quality spotting scope with good resolution, so......



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25-20 WCF said:
My Volquartsen-barrelled 10/22 currently wears an older Leopold 6-18 VX-II off my .22-250, it has target turrets installed. It originally had a Tasco 18x target scope, but that just didn’t have the resolution required to spot all misses at 200 yards. This was a critical shortcoming, as by spotting the misses you can correct on subsequent shots. Its not just about power, lens quality matters. Too, the Leo had adequate vertical adjustment for out to about 200 yards, I didn’t quite need a tapered scope base.

That said, if the OP is shooting at known distances on paper targets then resolution might be less important - unless he wants to see the bullet holes without using a spotting scope. But then he’ll need a high quality spotting scope with good resolution, so......



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One of the reasons I'm looking at the Vortex is the magnification. Paper and KYL type steel will be targets of choice.
 
It would help if you’d share the rifle type and target type/size as well. My 7 year old can consistently hit a 6” circle at 200yds with her Ruger precision rimfire, wearing a 4-16 vortex pst, the limiting factor is wind and ammo consistency

I’m not sure that magnification over 20x is helpful for a 22lr at that range
 
z7 said:
It would help if you’d share the rifle type and target type/size as well. My 7 year old can consistently hit a 6” circle at 200yds with her Ruger precision rimfire, wearing a 4-16 vortex pst, the limiting factor is wind and ammo consistency

I’m not sure that magnification over 20x is helpful for a 22lr at that range
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This year I have been shooting at paper for accuracy (bullseye single shot) and for groups from 25 - 50 yards.
Currently I use 3 different bolt actions -
a CZ 452 varmint with a 4-12x40 Swift scope. It will shoot 3/8" or less groups at 50 yards.
a Savage MK II fvsr with a Nikon prostaff 3-9x40 which I have used exclusively at 25yds. So far it's a tack driver.
a Marlin 2000 with target peep sights. I've managed 1/4" groups at 25yds with this.
Almost all of my shooting is done with CCI SV and Federal target.
This year my free private 50yard outside range (my brothers place) retired and moved 900 miles away so I'm joining a shooting club that has 100 and 200 yard shooting available.
Next year I will continue shooting at paper and add in Know Your Limits steel targets. I'm considering adding a Tikka T1X to the mix and using higher grade ammo.
 
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Cci SV works pretty well inside 100, it isn’t stellar at 200 where small velocity variations really show,

I really think you wouldn’t hate a 18x scope, and a 27x vortex razor gen ii or something similar would be just fine
 
You might consider a good front rest to replace the bipod and prepare for some extensive ammo testing if you decide to shoot groups instead of steel. If you’re just wanting to hit 6 or 8” plates at 200 you’d be better off with a few wind indicators and maybe something like MiniMag to reduce wind effect at that distance.

I would suggest simply starting with one rifle that fits you well and consider each part that might detract from its or your potential, that is; stock, bedding, trigger, scope, ammo, rest.

If a rifle has the capability to shoot sub-3” groups at 200 yards you will also need to know if that is within your ability too. Having a centerfire or .17 to confirm your capability is helpful before throwing large amounts of money into your rimfire endeavors because they can minimize external factors (wind).

Once you green light yourself, head back out with the rimfire you’ve chosen and start with the least expensive enhancements while working up to your accuracy goals.
 
I shoot at 200 quite a bit, 9X is enough magnification. I shoot out to 600 yards with a fixed 6X scope on my 308 and 223. If the scope is decent quality with fine crosshairs you don't need nearly as much magnification as you think. Once you get above 10X there are other negatives to consider and scope quality becomes more important. Of course if you are willing to spend 4 figures for a scope I'm sure you can find a good one.

I've recently bought a Tikka T1 and love it.

I'm using a Leupold VX2 3-9X40 with dials on it. I don't think you need to spend anywhere near $1000 unless you just want to. If you're going to shoot at varying ranges something with dials is a must. I have mine zeroed at 50 yards, but have used the trial and error method to figure out where the dials need to be set for varying ranges out to 200 yards. You can do OK out to 100 yards without dials, but the drop between 100 and 200 is significant. On a good day with dead calm wind 5 shot groups will be in the 2"-2.5" range at 200, around 1" at 100.

I've been content to use 36 gr CCI mini-mag ammo. At 50 yards the CCI's shoot under 1/2", target ammo is only slightly better, around 3/8", and I'll take the speed for flatter trajectory over such a small improvement in accuracy. There is a noticeable difference in bullet drop at just 50 yards. Some day when I have lots of time on my hands I may try some of the target loads at longer ranges to see if it really helps. But getting things figured out with what I've been using was time consuming. As long as its working I've not been in a big hurry to try something else.
 
I have a Bushnell 6 x 24 x 50 Trophy Extreme on my Ruger precision rimfire. This scope is no longer in production but this is more about scope power than brand. I find it works great for me all the way to 200 yards which is the longest distance available at my range. It has tick marks for elevation and windage and I've found which marks to use at what distance and never dial any changes in the scope. 24 x is also adequate for spotting bullets holes at 200 yards on white targets early in the morning which saves me setting up my spotting scope. I have a 4.5 x 18 x 40 on another 22. It's adequate but I prefer the higher power.

Now I believe a better solution would have been to find a fixed power 25 x scope with tactical reticle and AO if there is such a thing available now.
 
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Thanks for all the responses. What I'm finding out is that I don't need as much scope as I thought. The Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x50mm side focus MOA FFP may have the features I'm looking for.
 
I shoot a 22LR competition with targets from 50,75,100, 150,200 yards. I'm using a fixed FFP 16X SS SWFA scope. Its very good at repeatably dialing the ranges. The small targets are a hail Mary for me when my vision is impaired. I'd consider 16X as a minimum for what your doing.. A higher magnification scope would help. A larger objective might translate into better eye pupil image. I wear bifocals and everything has to be lined up for best results. Many like a variable scope to get on target faster. making sure your on the right row of targets is nice.
 
kidneyboy said:
Take in as much light as possible for my 64yr old eyes and clear MOA markings.
Click to expand...

I’m willing to bet you will not be able to tell the difference in that particular scope between a 40mm and 50mm objective, especially when used for the stated purpose. The smaller objective allows a scope to be mounted lower(which I’m sure you already know), which ostensibly but I believe actually allows for a better cheek weld, unless you have a weird build. I have been told though that the number of people with weird builds is much higher in southeast Wisconsin than the rest of the country.
 
cdb1 said:
I’m willing to bet you will not be able to tell the difference in that particular scope between a 40mm and 50mm objective, especially when used for the stated purpose. The smaller objective allows a scope to be mounted lower(which I’m sure you already know), which ostensibly but I believe actually allows for a better cheek weld, unless you have a weird build. I have been told though that the number of people with weird builds is much higher in southeast Wisconsin than the rest of the country.
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This is good to know. If you can't tell I'm new to scopes and rifles, been a handgun guy my whole life. I'm doing this project as a learning experience.

I can't dispute the weird build claims (honestly, check out armslist...) but here are my last builds.
IMG_4045.jpg
 
@kidneyboy

the Black Friday sales are hot right now, great deals on nightforce and Bushnell and many others

while you may not need or want the magnification you originally thought, I would encourage you to buy an expensive and feature rich scope, good turrets that track repeatably and good clear glass combined with a reticle that you can easily read make for a much better shooting experience
https://www.opticsplanet.com/bushnell-smr-ii-pro-3-5-21x50mm-riflescope.html

Example of a pretty good deal, hit google searches are turning up excellent prices on many good products
 
As stated before, with the budget listed in your OP the world is your oyster. And even though I always buy the absolute best scopes I can afford I think you can find something that will work fine and dandy for $500.00 dollars, but I could be wrong.
 
desidog said:
I like the Mueller on my 10/22. At 200 I kill soda cans consistently.
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I have two of the 8.5x25x44 tactical Muellers mounted on 22 rimfires. They are excellent scopes especially considereing their price point. Figure the tick marks out and you have to do very little knob twisting for different ranges. I have an APV mounted on another 22 for playing around with steel targets, etc. It's also a very decent scope for not a lot of money.
 
A lot of choices out there.
What I'm discovering -
200 yards is a long way for a 22 but not that far for a decent scope.
FFP, AO and MOA are to my liking.
I don't need as much magnification as I thought, but enough to avoid buying a spotting scope.
 
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