Favorite Rimfire Scope

[Durty]

Based on the recent 22 thread started by Trigga, what are yalls favorite rimfire scopes? I have a Henry 22 that needs some decent glass. Note: I have a huge annoyance with rimfire scopes that must be zeroed nearly every time its brought out of the safe. I am more than willing to spend 100 bucks if it means I don't have to screw with an unreliable scope. And if you are of the opinion that I need to spend more than that, let me know. I am very fond of Leupold bc I never worry about mine losing their zero and the glass itself is good enough for any dawn to dusk applications. I would imagine they offer a rimfire scope for 100-150 but honestly I haven't looked into it that closely.

 

[i loves my gun]

look at bsa

 

[Geno]

Among the many scopes for .22LR I own, one of my favorite is a 4X Leupold rimfire. The Leupold is on my Savage Mark II. It wasn't cheap, but it is a good scope. I had a BSA 3-9 Sweet 22, and it was also a fine scope. Mueller's 4.5-14 AO scopes is great. I have that one on my Marlin 981-T. I put a Weaver 36X AO target scope on my Kimber M82 CMP target rifle. In sum, the sky is the limit for you. There are many fine scopes available...some cost more; some cost less. Go to www.midwayusa.com and check their scopes. Here is a link to one of the best scopes, for the money, that you can get: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=149715

Edit to add: If you are having to re-zero your scope every time you bring it back out, it can be the wood stock. Wooden stocks can swell and shift the POI. Most .22LRs do not have enough recoil to shift the scope's zero. It may also be that your base or rings are not properly installed. They can shoot loose. That will shift your POI.

Geno

 

[bhk]

Don't cheap out on a .22 scope. Twenty-twos get fired more than any other caliber and deserve good glass! You will probably have to spend more than a hundred bucks. My all-time favorite for an accurate .22 hunter/plinker is a Leupold 2.5-8 vari-lll that I sent to Leupold to have the parallax set for 50 yards. The scope is compact and fits most .22s perfectly. On my target .22 I have a Leupold 20x scope, and on my 70's vintage 10/22 I have an older 2.5 - 5 power steel tubed Weaver. I think Nikon scopes have possibly the best glass to cost ratio these days. Some (BuckMaster series) are pretty reasonable in cost. Also, if some of you shooting is going to be up close you may want to get a scope with a focusing objective lens. A quality scope made for air rifles is sometimes perfect for quality .22s because they almost all have this feature.

 

[OPtact4]

Probably the finest 22/ airgun scope on the market would be the Leupold 3-9x33 EFR...
... this is the classic buy once, and always be happy for the rest of your life, its a Leupold!

This is what I have on my Anschutz 1412 and would put the same scope on my <$300 CZ...I even got the Leupold aluminum flip up covers.

I've heard a lot of good things about the quality of Mueller scopes too.

Folks will laugh, but airgun scopes are much tougher than comparable .22lr only scopes...they have to resist the double recoil for the piston movement

 

[husker]

I bought a 2.8X10-44 Simmons A-tech, just recently. An older one made in the Philippines
Very happy with it so far. Waiting for a night with a full moon or close to full moon to see how it does in low light situation, out hunting coyotes. Im sure it will perform.

 

[jon_in_wv]

My favorite is my Simmons 4-18 on my Savage 22lr. Its an old scope but it works great. It has a duplex reticule and when it is zeroed at 25y the thick part of the reticule is pretty close to where you want to be at 100y. Both of my daughter 22s where Centerpoint scopes.

 

[flakbait]

I recommend the Weaver RV-7 2.5-7x28 Rimfire scope. It sells for about $130 and has a fixed parallax set at 50 yards which is appropriate for 22LR. The glass is as good or better than a similar Leupold rimfire scope which sells for over $200.

I recommend putting rimfire scopes on rimfire rifles since your usual ranges with 22LR are usually less than 100 yards...more like 20-70 yards. Scopes for big game usually have parallax set for 100+ yards and might lead to some shooting errors since you probably would be shooting at little targets with a 22LR rifle.

If you want an adjustable objective scope (able to change to parallax) I might consider the weaver 3-9x32 A/0 for about $200 or the Leupold VX-II 3x9x33 for $400.

I like Leupold and like to support American made products but their products are just too expensive. Besides their glass is probably sourced from the same Japanese factories that make Weaver scopes. I don't think any American companies make their own glass these days. Only a few like Leupold actually utilize American labor by assembling their scopes here instead of China, Japan, or the Phillipines.

Weaver is now owned by ATK which is the parent company of dozens of gun related companies such as Federal Ammo, CCI, RCBS, Speer, just to name a few.

 

[xfyrfiter]

I really like my 4-12 A/O Simmons A-tech, parallax adj. down to 10 yds. and very accurate. Crosshairs could be a little finer but bare good enough for the price. Roughly $125 shipped with rings.

 

[RNB65]

I have a Nikon Pro-Staff 4x on my CZ452. I like it a lot.

 

[skoro]

Weaver RV-7

 

[cottswald]

http://www.weaveroptics.com/optics/riflescopes/classic_rimfire/

Nice and compact 28mm. Comes in both fixed and variable.

 

[paulo]

Mueller APV

 

[jpwilly]

I've found that a quality scope for a 22lr is a must!

for hunting 2-7x or 3-9x with AO
for paper 6-24x with AO even the weaver fixed 36T's

 

[BUGUDY]

I just ordered a Bushnell Banner 6-24x40 for 109$ shipped. Have used it yet, but I believe I will know what my 60 will do at 100 yds with it.

 

[ctgmi]

My opinion as follows.

For hunting puposes used within about 75 yards, I’d go with the Leupold 2-7X28 or Weaver V-7.

Hunting and light target work, Leupold 3-9X33 EFR.

For a more of a balance of hunting and target, Weaver V-16.

Strictly target, either a Weaver T-24 or -36.

In all honesty for your Henry I’d go with the one of the 2-7’s as it’s smaller and won’t overwhelm the aesthetics of the rifle.

 

[Durty]

I was thinking the same thing. While I want good quality, I do not want something big. I would imagine a 4x scope is all I will really need for shooting squirrels at 50-75 yds.

 

[Quoheleth]

I've got an old Marlin with an equally old Weaver K-4 on it. It'll slap-out shoot. Set it and forget it.

I've got a 15-year old Ruger 77/22 with a Tasco World Class 4-9x40 on it. Seems like I'm always fiddling with it.

Tasco has cleaner glass but I prefer the old Weaver

Q

 

[Tomcat47]

I always preferred Tasco or Simmons in 3x9x32 or similar varieties!

I put Simmons on my Marlin 883 it works out great!

I put Tasco on one of my Model 60 Marlins for squirrel hunting!

Sometimes a 40mm Objective lens, but that sometimes creates mounting issues.

I would splurge on something like a Ruger M77 and go with the likes of a Nikon Monarch 2x7x32, or A Leupold VX 2.

 

[ctgmi]

I was thinking the same thing. While I want good quality, I do not want something big. I would imagine a 4x scope is all I will really need for shooting squirrels at 50-75 yds.

Take a look a the spec's from both Leupold and Weaver.

The fixed 4x and 2-7's have the same dimensions.

 

[dugasgunner]

Do not forget about Sightron and Vortex...

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

nothing wrong with a simmons 22 mag 3-9x32. it's about $40. mine holds zero well and is fine for headshots on squirrels out to 50 yds or so on a bone stock marlin 795.

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, "acceptable" begins with Weaver's 4x and 2.5-7x rimfire scopes. They are good scopes for the money. I've had too many cheap scopes fail to trust anything less, including anything by Tasco. Mueller makes a good scope and they are a good value, although I detest a big AO variable on a field gun. The Nikon's are also good, the Leupold's are excellent. My little VX-II 1-4x has made a great little rimfire scope and parallax has not been an issue.

 

[BrocLuno]

Been playing this game some 50 odd years.

Any older Weaver steel tube with an adjustable objective will do for pretty much all range work. So, if you are doing target work, I'd say 6 to 10x with AO. You can go higher and critical target work will need more. But your sight picture gets smaller and smaller. These scopes hold zero and are tough enough. Their light gathering is not quite as good as modern scopes, but target work is pretty much a daytime thing, so they work fine.

My next favorite is the Nikon 22 scopes with parallax set at 50 yds. They are very good at dawn and dusk and are Nikon - 'nuf said.

Next is Simmons AETEC with side focus. Very nice scope for rifles that do not hit too hard and 22's certainly fall into that category.

For a casual plinker - it's any older TASCO made in japan in 4x32 fixed. It'll cover you out to 75 yds easily and they are also tough as nails. Can be had on the 'Bay for $25 in good shape. Skip all the TASCO's not made in Japan.

Last up is Bushnell Banner or BSA SWEET. They are popular with some folks. Not so much with me. I have other Bushnells that I really like for center fire, but their lower end stuff leaves me cold.

 

[CraigC]

For what it's worth, every Tasco in my junk box of busted scopes was made in Japan.