Economic scope for a 22LR for precision rifle shooting.

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mcb

mcb

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Here is what I am looking for and hope you guys can recommend something appropriate. I am going to try a rimfire precision rifle match next weekend with my 10/22. It has a been upgraded to a 20-inch bull barrel but still wears a ~35 year old Tasco 3-9x32 scope. The scope has never given me issue and I was able to fairly easily shoot a 3-inch plate at 100 yards last weekend checking my zero and that was with bulk CCI ammo.

The challenge next weekend will be dealing with different ranges as the course of fire is going to call for shot from 20 to 100 yards on target in most cases being 2-3 MOA in size. So with a 100 yard zero I am going to have to estimate hold under for a lot of smaller closer targets based on my ballistic chart and their size. That is going to be rough and slow.

So if I end up liking the match I will need to get a better scope hopefully one with a MOA or MRAD "Christmas Tree" reticle so I can sight in at 25 yard and dial or hold for longer ranges.

Here is what I am looking for:
Price under $300 (though if it just a little over that I might consider it.)
Magnification: Low: 4X or less High: 9X or more
Objective lens 40mm or greater.
Tube: 1-inch or 30mm
Got to have a MOA or MRAD style reticle similar in style to the image below. Preferable MRAD but at my price point I can't be too picky.

16X44-FFP-EBR-2C-MOA-or-MRAD-Reticle-Riflescopes-875874009592_image5__29851.1593288065.1280.1280.jpg
 
Weeeeelllll there's always the Bushnell Nitros on closeout, they a decent reticle option for doing that kinda stuff. Only really issues seem to be crappy turret feel, and wired parallax settings, which you can get around fairly easily with a .22

I'd also consider the Athlon Talos, or Argos, btrs in that price range. Those are the only ones I'm actually familiar with but there are a number of other options.
 
greyling22 said:
This is supposed to be a good scope. https://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arms-4-14x44mm-riflescope-acss-hud-dmr-308-223-reticle

Especially if you like lots of knobs
Click to expand...

I have that exact scope sitting on my 308 AR. It is a good scope for the price for sure. The problem I have with it is the chevron tip is difficult for me to focus on and use. It is designed for quick shots in a DMR role. For slow precision work I still prefer something with a good cross hair reticle. All of my scopes on my precision rifles are MIL-DOT.
 
My 10/22 target rifle wears a 8-32x fine reticle Swift scope (An old one made in Japan). I LOVE IT! It sounds like over kill to use 32x on a .22 lr rifle but it is a beautiful pairing when shooting from a bench! With 32x at 25 yards I can see if I am off target even just a tiny bit which really helps tighten the groups. Yes, I can even see my heart beat in the scope at 32x and 100 yards. Back when I shot some competitions I did quite well with it.

On my lite weight 10/22 plinking gun I use an old Leupold 2-7x or a red dot sight, both on quick attach mounts so I can swap between the two quickly. For shooting off hand this makes a lot more sense.
 
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The christmas tree reticle may be difficult to find for under $300. I'm currently using a Vortex Crossfire II 6-18 AO with dead hold BDC reticle on my Anschutz and CZ. Not exactly the reticle you're looking for but works well at 100yds and is less than $300
My scope of choice (I have 2) is the Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP. Fits your description but runs about $400.

Just a suggestion on your Zero distance - If you zero at 50yds you should be able to hold somewhere on the target for most of the 20 - 100 yard range.
 
I should clarify what I said about the Primary Arms ACSS reticles. The reason that I have issues with the chevron is due to my eye sight. There is nothing wrong with the reticles or scopes. I have a slight astigmatisms and that is what causes the issues. As of now a 3 MOA dot is normally okay for me. I have also found that scopes with green illumination works better than red illumination.
 
12Bravo20 said:
I should clarify what I said about the Primary Arms ACSS reticles. The reason that I have issues with the chevron is due to my eye sight. There is nothing wrong with the reticles or scopes. I have a slight astigmatisms and that is what causes the issues. As of now a 3 MOA dot is normally okay for me. I have also found that scopes with green illumination works better than red illumination.
Click to expand...
I am severely Red-Green color blind and I also find green better. The red gets lost in the browns of the background pretty easily.
 
I have two Swampfox Optics Kingslayer dot sights. One is a standard 3 MOA red dot while the other is a green circle dot, 3 MOA dot 65 MOA circle. The green is definitely easier to see in all light conditions. I also have a Swampfox Blade 1x prism sight with a chevron in green and it is easier to see than the red chevron on my Primary Arms scope.
 
mcb said:
Thanks guys! Good advice is always appreciated.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/athlon-optics-talos-4-14x44-side-focus-riflescope.html

Have any of you guys played with the above scope? This checks just about all my boxes. Slightly more magnification than I probably need but better to have more than less for this type of shooting I think. Opinions and experience with it would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I've not had that particularly Athlon, but I had the regular Talos 4-12x40 that got snagged by a buddy of mine. Scope worked perfectly and was optically really good. Turrets were squishy, but moved poi fairly consistently.
The BTRs generally have better turrets (I've had the Midas and Ares BTRs), so that should help with the last bit
 
I’ve got this one on my muzzleloader. 3-12x40mm, very useable glass, under $250, and includes a turret for 22lr. Dial the parallax and use that yardage to spin your elevation. https://www.bushnell.com/riflescopes/prime/prime-3-12x40-riflescope-multi-turret/BU-RP3120BS3.html

Not the model I own but I do have a Pride Fowler on one of my 30-06s and it works very well. This one has your Christmas tree, .22lr specific with holdovers for both subsonic and high velocity to 200 yards (FFP). Right at $250 and with 3-color switchable illumination. Not sure why I’ve never bought this one but been meaning to. https://rapidreticle.com/product/rr-evolution-22lr/
 
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So I shot the NRL22 match today with the old trusty Tasco on my old 10/22.

CYEUcQwl.jpg

I had a good 100 yard zero and did a bunch of working up a range card and sight pictures in Strelok after finally finding a scope reticle in Strelock that match the duplex in my old Tasco. It was ~7 MOA to the transition to the thick part of the duplex so that became my other reference for my hold-under. It paid off and I shot surprisingly well, managing a 2nd place finish overall. Much to my surprise they had a prize table for a club level match. With my finish I selected a 25% off coupon for Athlon scopes through a local gun store that sponsored the match. So I am likely going to use that to upgrade the old Tasco to the Athlon Talos. Two other shooters at the match were using that scope and for the price they looked like good scopes with just enough of a "Christmas tree" for this type of shooting. So upgrade the scope and get a piece of Picatinny rail on the handguard so I can mount my Atlas bipod and I think I will have a good NRL22 rig.

Had a lot of fun today, and met some good shooters. The NRL22 format is a great intro to PRS type shooting with cheaper guns at shorter ranges but still offering some really challenging test of your ability to build stable shooting positions in difficult situations.
 
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mcb said:
So I shot the NRL22 match today with the old trusty Tasco on my old 10/22.

View attachment 936272

I had a good 100 yard zero and did a bunch of working up a range card and sight pictures in Strelok after finally finding a scope reticle in Strelock that match the duplex in my old Tasco. It was ~7 MOA to the transition to the thick part of the duplex so that became my other reference for my hold-under. It paid off and I shot surprisingly well, managing a 2nd place finish overall. Much to my surprise they had a prize table for a club level match. With my finish I selected a 25% off coupon for Athlon scopes through a local gun store that sponsored the match. So I am likely going to use that to upgrade the old Tasco to the Athlon Talos. Two other shooters at the match were using that scope and for the price they looked like good scopes with just enough of a "Christmas tree" for this type of shooting. So upgrade the scope and get a piece of Picatinny rail on the handguard so I can mount my Atlas bipod and I think I will have a good NRL22 rig.

Had a lot of fun today, and met some good shooters. The NRL22 format is a great intro to PRS type shooting with cheaper guns at shorter ranges but still offering some really challenging test of your ability to build stable shooting positions in difficult situations.
Click to expand...

Who hosted this match. I would be very interested in shooting in the next one.

Edit: Nevermind, as soon as I looked at Cavern Cove's website I saw it. I'm going to try and be there next month.
 
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zdc1775 said:
Who hosted this match. I would be very interested in shooting in the next one.
Click to expand...
The NRL22 group is using the Cavern Cove (https://www.caverncovecompetitiveshooting.com/) facility down near Woodville south east of Huntsville. NRL22 is new this year (3rd Sunday of the month) but they have a very active SASS group and a USPSA group that does monthly USPSA and Steel Challenge and the occasional carbine or 2 or 3 gun match. The club is under new ownership as of last year but new owners seem to be continuing and improving upon what the old owner was doing

The two guys running the NRL22 matches were very friendly and they were super helpful and accommodating with the new shooters. They gave everyone plenty of time at the beginning of there match to check zeros and even shoot on the steel targets before the match started. A great way to get your feet wet in competitive shooting and PRS style shooting in specific.
 
mcb said:
The NRL22 group is using the Cavern Cove (https://www.caverncovecompetitiveshooting.com/) facility down near Woodville south east of Huntsville. NRL22 is new this year (3rd Sunday of the month) but they have a very active SASS group and a USPSA group that does monthly USPSA and Steel Challenge and the occasional carbine or 2 or 3 gun match. The club is under new ownership as of last year but new owners seem to be continuing and improving upon what the old owner was doing

The two guys running the NRL22 matches were very friendly and they were super helpful and accommodating with the new shooters. They gave everyone plenty of time at the beginning of there match to check zeros and even shoot on the steel targets before the match started. A great way to get your feet wet in competitive shooting and PRS style shooting in specific.
Click to expand...

I know Cavern Cove well. I shot USPSA, IDPA, and 3 gun there for a few years until work and school obligations made it too difficult.

I didn't know it was under new ownership but that really isn't that surprising. Glad to hear that the new owners are making everything better, especially since it was already good anyway.

Now I'm wanting to try, again, to get into PRS and that seemed like good practice.
 
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It has a been upgraded to a 20-inch bull barrel but still wears a ~35 year old Tasco 3-9x32 scope.
Click to expand...

I have been impressed with those old Japan Tasco’s. One I have we even put on a 50 BMG one day after it turned a much more expensive optic into a kaleidoscope of broken glass. Funny that it and the .22 had the same POA/POI. The later China ones are pretty hit or miss, I may go through a half dozen before I find one that won’t move around.

I have an old Pride Fowler on my Clark custom 10-22 that I really like although the FFP reticle can be hard to see low light, low magnification.
 
jmorris said:
I have been impressed with those old Japan Tasco’s. One I have we even put on a 50 BMG one day after it turned a much more expensive optic into a kaleidoscope of broken glass. Funny that it and the .22 had the same POA/POI. The later China ones are pretty hit or miss, I may go through a half dozen before I find one that won’t move around.

I have an old Pride Fowler on my Clark custom 10-22 that I really like although the FFP reticle can be hard to see low light, low magnification.
Click to expand...

A lot of groundhogs and squirrel have been taken with that old Tasco over the years. But it won't be set aside. I built an AR-15 with a dedicated 22 LR upper laster year and it could use a scope. Might just put it on there if I upgrade the 10/22 to something more NRL22 friendly.
 
Check out hawk .22 rim fire scopes. They have Christmas tree reticle. They are cool and in your budget. Optics planet used to carry them.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I should have updated the thread. I have order the Athlon Talos BTR 4-14 x 44. Picked up a new set of low 30mm rings to go with it. The scope will hopefully be here before the next NRL22 match so I have time to mount and zero it.

Should be interesting to see if I get better or worst with better glass. :oops:
 
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First the bad, the scope showed up today, but the September match was two days ago. So I had to shoot the match with my old setup. I did get a bipod mount adapter so I could use my Harris/Larue shorty bipod with it. But the shooting gods did not smile down on me and I ended up finishing in the middle of the pack in 10th place. The stages were a touch more difficult and it was a fair bit windier than the previous match. I am sure I could come up with a few more excuses but... I still had fun, shot with a good bunch of shooters, and as usual, if you ain't winnin' you're hopefully learnin'.

Now the good news. First the ammo side. When I order the scope I picked up a single box of SK Standard Plus to try. I finally did that day before the match. My rifle seems to really like this ammo.
6lXW90gl.jpg
This is a 5-shot group at 50 yards. From the bipod on a portable shooting bench. Not too shabby. Unfortunately I only had the one box of it so though it shot really well I did not have enough to shoot the match the next day with it so I stayed with my earlier zero using CCI AR. The CCI AR only shoots about 1.5 MOA in my gun (<- ooh I found another excuse ;) ) but I had enough for the match. Luckily when I picked up the scope this evening I was able to buy the stores last brick of SK Standard Plus.

And finally the new scope on the rifle.
UPFalZNl.jpg
The Athlon Talos 4-14 x 44 is mounted on a standard 10/22 weaver base with a set of Weaver Classic low rings. Despite going from 32mm to 44mm objective and from a 1-inch tube to a 30mm tube I actually got the scope down ~.040 inch closer to the barrel than my old Tasco. I have an 1/8" clearance between the objective and the barrel. My initial impressions are very good especially for the price. The reticule and zoom range seems like a good fit for this NRL22 sport given my limited experience. The turrets are good positive clicks and you can reset the turret zeros. Unfortunately no zero-stop but I knew that when I ordered it. I am not a huge fan of illuminated reticules but it does lite up nice and bright with good brightness control range. I am anxious to get it to the range to zero it at 50 yards, chrono the ammo in my barrel, and then start verifying and correcting the Strelok solution. Hopeful I can climb back up a bit closer to the top at the next match.
 
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jmorris said:
I have been impressed with those old Japan Tasco’s. One I have we even put on a 50 BMG one day after it turned a much more expensive optic into a kaleidoscope of broken glass. Funny that it and the .22 had the same POA/POI. The later China ones are pretty hit or miss, I may go through a half dozen before I find one that won’t move around.

I have an old Pride Fowler on my Clark custom 10-22 that I really like although the FFP reticle can be hard to see low light, low magnification.
Click to expand...

Also have a couple PFI 3-9X 22 LR scopes and consider them to be the best practical 22 LR scope that was ever made for short to long range. The low profile target turret is great as well as the reticle. The newer 3-12X is good also though the turret is no longer a target style.
 
I know that @mcb already got a new scope. I ran across this thread while researching rimfire scopes for my new rifle, and ordered an Athlon of my own. With that said, and let me also say that I know they're out of production, but .... I've got two Nikon Prostaff II Rimfires in 3-9x40 that I bought for about $100 (plus rings) last year, and I've been awfully impressed with them.
 
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