Good scope for .22?

[Pukindog12]

I over the past year have acquired two Marlin model 60s. I have decided to take up small game hunting and need a good, rugged scope which will not break the bank. I noticed Walmart has some CenterPoints for around $70. Are they any good? If not, any suggestions? Also, what should I look for in a scope ie eye relief, parallax, etc.?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shuler13]

Funny thing. I was in Walmart today looking for a scope for my new ruger 10/22. I look forward to the suggestions.

 

[dagger dog]

I have always had reliable performance with the Bushnell line of price point optics, especially the Sportsman 3X9 target turret and the Trophy series.

The Sportsman is rated for spring piston air rifle which is very hard on a scope with its reverse recoil. It has 100 percent repeatability on tracking, and has had zero problems with excellent clarity for the price, under 100$.

The Trophy is a 3x9 x42 available with a mildot reticule again very good optical quality,
for the $$$ with 100 % reliability. Pricing just over 100$.

Both of these scopes do duty on 22 rimfires on on a 10-22 Ruger and a Savage MKIIFV.

One thing about mounting ,stay away from tip off mounts, the ones that use the grooved receiver type rings, these types unless used with one peice air rifle type mounts are notorious about shooting loose.

IMO If your rifle has drilled and tapped holes go the few extra bucks and buy the Weaver mounts with the cut outs for the cross bolt Weaver style rings, if not buy a quality air rifle one peice grooved receiver type mount ,you won't regret either.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Used, steel Redfield 3x9s for me in most anything up through 30-06 and especially .22s.

 

[hardluk1]

The centerpoint is a fine low cost scope for the .22lr. Hard to beat the power range the 4-16 offers for 70 bucks . My wifes 10/22 custon has had one on it for several years and fully capible of working well for .333 50 yards groups and adjusting from 25 to 100 yards and back.

 

[Dudemeister]

A few weeks ago, I bought a brand new Bushnell 3-9x32 Sportsman scope on eBay for $43 including shipping. It has a nice large view with good eye relief, and the optics are clear. I installed it on my Winchester 30/30 and it's holding zero perfectly for now (about 80 rounds later). I'm sure it will do so for a very long time on a .22.

The only concern is the size. At 12" in length, it looks big on my Winchester, so I think on a .22 it will look enormous.

The guy I bought it from has one more, so if you're interested, here is the direct link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/110915907877

I also have a 10/22 in a Archangel Marauder kit with a ncStar 2-7x32 tactical rangefinder compact scope. That one is also great, almost 1500 rounds later, it's still working flawlessly.

Best prices I found on the ncStar were on Amazon.

Good luck

 

[Furncliff]

I have/had three Centerpoint scopes. One dropped a lens inside the tube, having it on a cf rifle probably didn't help, iirc it was the 3-7X model. I have two of the 4-16X with AO models. One lives on a Marlin 60 the other gets moved around doing load testing. One was purchased at Walmart the other came from a pawn shop ($15).

They are decent scopes for the money. They come with mounts and lighted reticles, the AO function works fine and is handy for rimfire shooting. The glass is ok, but not a match for scopes at say $150 or so, the focus is ok except at the very edge. If you switch from this scope to a more expensive one you are likely to notice a distinct difference in brightness. Eye relief is adequate, I have other scopes in this price range, the Centerpoint is the best of the bunch. Mine hold zero, no problem, the turrets work pretty well for a scope costing $70, settings are repeatable and I have no complaints about the accuracy I can achieve.

I bought a Luepold fixed 4X at a pawn shop for ~$125, sent it to Luepold and they did an overhaul on it for free. Because it has better optics and is smaller than the Centerpoints something like this might make a better small game scope. Weaver offers a nice fixed 4X rimfire scope also.

The Centerpoint might be a little big for a carrying around rifle? This my Marlin 60 with the Centerpoint 4-16AO ...

Centerpoint is supposed to have a good guarantee, but be sure to save the sales receipt, I was unable to send mine to them because I discarded my paper work. Unlike Luepold whose guarantee is unconditional (except for abuse).

 

[almherdfan]

I have a Centerpoint 2x7 on my 10/22 and a Nikon Prostaff 3x9 on my Marlin 60. The Nikon is the better scope, but did cost 2X as much. Both are fine for plinking.

 

[wnycollector]

Another option is the Mueller 4.5-15x40 APV. I have three of them on my .22's and they are spectacular scopes for their ~$125 price tag.

 

[CraigC]

I would suggest avoiding cheap scopes like the Centerpoint, as well as centerfire variables like your average 3-9x. Folks will take issue with both.

I've had at least half a dozen cheap scopes fail on me, most of them mounted on .22's. Think about it like this, your .22LR is the one rifle you'll probably shoot the most. Why would you want to always be looking through cheap glass and waiting for a failure?

Centerfire variables, usually set parallax free at 100-150yds will present minor to serious parallax issues when used at 25-75yds, at higher magnifications.

I would suggest spending at least $100-$150 on a good rimfire scope. Dedicated rimfire scopes in 4x and 2-7x flavors from Weaver, Nikon and Leupold are excellent. If you go big, which I do not believe is necessary on a field rifle, get an AO.

 

[minutemen1776]

I cannot believe it has not been mentioned yet, but the Nikon Prostaff fixed 4X rimfire scope is superb for a .22 rifle like the Marlin 60. I have one on my 10/22 and I'm always pleased with its clarity and precision. I cannot speak to the Centerpoint brand. I have had a Mueller, and it was pretty good, but it is a very large scope for a plinker .22.

 

[wingman]

Mueller APV 4-14x40 clear glass edge to edge one of the best I've found in the price range $129.

 

[Sako Shooter]

Don't rule out the Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40, with optional AO.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I am a huge fan of Bushnell scopes for my rimfire rifles. I think their 4X32 rimfire scope is a great match for a .22 rifle. I have one on several of my .22's... It's not expensive either.

 

[Sav .250]

Nikon has a nice scope for rim fire weapons.

 

[SGW42]

I just bought a Leupold VX-1 2-7x28 for my 795. Was looking at the FX-1 4x28, but the variable was the same price, so decided to go with that. I am very happy with the result. It is as clear and as easy to use as the Leupolds I have on my centerfires. At 7x I can see .22 bullet holes on white paper at 50 yards easily. The 28mm objective is smaller than the usual 32s, but I don't notice any less light transmission, it is very bright, and made it easy to mount low without interfering with the rear sight. The new VX-1s have finger adjustable turrets (the same kind that the Redfield Revolutions have), which makes the caps higher profile than if they were the old coin slot type, but oh well.



I read about the scope mount "walking" issue 60s and 795s seem to have, but the airgun-type mounts that are the "fix" for that seem to mount the scope very high, which was unnecessary with just a 28mm scope. Decided to take a risk and stay with regular tip-offs to keep the scope low and for better appearance. I went with Warne 7.3/22 rings, which are made of steel and feel very high quality. The top rings are very tight on the scope tube, which made it hard to level the reticle, but I managed. The claps adjust to 3/8" or 11mm dovetails. I adjusted them to the 11mm side of the clamp which seemed to fit my 795's dovetail better. I also originally mounted the scope with the clamp screws on the left side of the gun, and found the scope was canted in relation to the receiver. I removed the whole setup (where I found that the rings, despite being tight, did not mark the scope or receiver) and reinstalled them with the clamp screws on the right side of the gun, and found the rings and scope were level with the receiver. I don't know if the dovetail or ring clamp design caused the mounts to cant when installed the other way, but it's on there correctly now.

Ran about 300 rounds through the gun, and the mounts have not walked. I will keep an eye on them, I bought some clear nail polish just in case they do. First time I've done the "pay more for the optic than the rifle it's on" bit, but happy I did so.

 

[theautobahn]

A 3-9 or 4-12 with a 40-44mm objective (and possibly an adjustable objective) is one thing off a bench at the range, but is going to be heavy for what the OP mentioned the use was in the original post:

I have decided to take up small game hunting and need a good, rugged scope which will not break the bank.

I would recommend nothing bigger than a 2-7x a small objective (28, 32, 33, etc.) as anything bigger is going to be heavy and effect the gun's handling in the field. You might do even better with a fixed 4x, which would be even lighter.

Most rimfire specific scopes have their parallax set at 50 yards which might not be optimal from a bench, but should suit you perfectly in the woods.

The rifle I shoot the most, my wife's 77/22, wears a 4x Redfield. It works well, and I can plink (not seriously) out to 200 yards with it, but I keep debating putting bigger glass on it. I have a couple of extra 3-9x40's that I could throw on it, but they're just too heavy (and would make the gun look funny [optic heavy], in my opinion).

 

[mberoose]

I never went nuts with scopes on my 22s. My Marlin 795 had a Bushnell 22 rimfire 3-9x32, and my 10/22 had a Simmons 3-9x32 Short Mag. Both were fine for the price, why go crazy me thinks.