I am trying out some GruBee scopes on Brownings

Riomouse911

Riomouse911

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I have a couple of Browning .22’s that would benefit from a small scope, so I read some reviews and picked a couple of GruBee 4X scopes. I bought a Fox Pup and a Wolf Pup, both with a gloss finish and the 3/4” tube that the old style Redfield scopes had. These small scopes really do match the svelte lines of these two rifles.

IMG_2721.jpeg

For my SA-22, I first bought the Browning cantilever scope mount. I drifted out the rear sight and removed the filler screws in the barrel. The mount screwed right in using a Torx driver, and I adjusted the set screw at the rear to hold the mount level over the receiver.

IMG_2719.jpeg

The Wolf Pup scope had a plex type reticle, which was clear all the way around the glass. It was sent with the proper rings for this mount, and they fit in the cut outs perfectly. The scope mounted easily, but the position of the cuts in the mount meant I had to move it back a bit in the mounts to set my eye relief where I want it. I used removable loc tite to hold things in place.

IMG_2720.jpeg

The Fox Pup scope is designed for smaller rifles with short LOP, which is exactly the ticket for my BL-22 Micro Midas with its 12” LOP.

IMG_2716.jpeg

This mounted directly to the grooved receiver, making this install a snap. The scope has a plex-dot reticle, which also is clear all across the scope and looks pretty good when looking through it.

IMG_2717.jpeg IMG_2718.jpeg

I haven’t sighted the guns in yet, I hope to sight them in to be dead on at 50 yds at some point next week.

I like the scale of these scopes, anything larger would dwarf the guns and look out of proportion. Hopefully the scopes zero easily and stay zeroed, I will add to this post when I get a chance to shoot.

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
I have a couple of Browning .22’s that would benefit from a small scope, so I read some reviews and picked a couple of GruBee 4X scopes. I bought a Fox Pup and a Wolf Pup, both with a gloss finish and the 3/4” tube that the old style Redfield scopes had. These small scopes really do match the svelte lines of these two rifles.

View attachment 1168586

For my SA-22, I first bought the Browning cantilever scope mount. I drifted out the rear sight and removed the filler screws in the barrel. The mount screwed right in using a Torx driver, and I adjusted the set screw at the rear to hold the mount level over the receiver.

View attachment 1168588

The Wolf Pup scope had a plex type reticle, which was clear all the way around the glass. It was sent with the proper rings for this mount, and they fit in the cut outs perfectly. The scope mounted easily, but the position of the cuts in the mount meant I had to move it back a bit in the mounts to set my eye relief where I want it. I used removable loc tite to hold things in place.

View attachment 1168587

The Fox Pup scope is designed for smaller rifles with short LOP, which is exactly the ticket for my BL-22 Micro Midas with its 12” LOP.

View attachment 1168583

This mounted directly to the grooved receiver, making this install a snap. The scope has a plex-dot reticle, which also is clear all across the scope and looks pretty good when looking through it.

View attachment 1168584View attachment 1168585

I haven’t sighted the guns in yet, I hope to sight them in to be dead on at 50 yds at some point next week.

I like the scale of these scopes, anything larger would dwarf the guns and look out of proportion. Hopefully the scopes zero easily and stay zeroed, I will add to this post when I get a chance to shoot.

Stay safe.
Click to expand...
Wait, Durant Oklahoma??? How have I never heard of these guys? Are they no longer a company?
 
LoonWulf said:
Super curious about these!
Click to expand...

@JCooperfan1911 reported on one he bought a while back. Maybe he has a long-term review so we can see how well his GruBee scope has held up?

Gru-Bee 4x Scope

I have never been a fan of the modern, enormous telescopic rifle optics especially when placed on what are supposed to be light and handy arms such as .22s. I have always found a compact, lightweight scope to be much more of a pleasure toting around in the field than having the Hubble space...
www.thehighroad.org

I hope it’s been a good experience! 🙏

Stay safe.
 
I have one along with two of the original Redfield scopes. Other than the GruBee having click adjustments and slightly less nice finish, they are functionally identical.

I've been debating putting one on a centerfire to test the claim that they can handle it.
 
Crosshair said:
I have one along with two of the original Redfield scopes. Other than the GruBee having click adjustments and slightly less nice finish, they are functionally identical.

I've been debating putting one on a centerfire to test the claim that they can handle it.
Click to expand...
They claim to be center fire capable. Maybe @LoonWulf has a .458 WM that could use a teeny scope? :thumbup: (And they are teeny!) Better get the standard eye relief Wolf Pup model if you do, the Fox Pup has about a 2” eye relief.

I hope to get home and sight them in on Friday.

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
They claim to be center fire capable. Maybe @LoonWulf has a .458 WM that could use a teeny scope? :thumbup: (And they are teeny!) Better get the standard eye relief Wolf Pup model if you do, the Fox Pup has about a 2” eye relief.

I hope to get home and sight them in on Friday.

Stay safe.
Click to expand...
Not yet, let me get my BAR back from Del and rebarreled lol.......ya know......I guess if we wanted to see if it was gonna fail could always put it on my .375, it generates the same recoil as my .458 did.
 
Well, I got back into town and made it a point to run to the indoor range to try to get these scopes on paper. (It’s a max of about 18 yards indoors, if I can get close then I will go out to 50 and be ready to dial them in.) Of course the recent tropical moisture has the creek crossing to the outdoor range flowing high again, I hope to hit that next week.

The Auto 22 took about ten shots and many clicks to move right enough to be within striking distance of the bull. Once I was close I fired ten shots at each 1” bullseye, using the following 40 gr RN loads; Aguila Super Extra plated, CCI Standard Velocity lead, CCI Blazer lead, Norma TAC-22 Match, and Magtech lead.

Shooting was at 17-18 yards-ish, using a front rest while seated on a folding chair. The shelf at the front of the stalls is too narrow for two bags, and tall enough so I have to sit on my backpack to shoot, so it is not the most stable set up for accuracy. (But it’s all I have, so it’ll have to do! :))

IMG_2760.jpeg

The Auto shot very well, even though I kept getting fired cases landing in or on my left hand from the bottom ejection. The Magtech is budget ammo that didn’t shoot that well in either gun today. With the Blazer, I tossed the one that didn’t land in the ragged hole.

This Wolf Pup scope is very clear for such a small tube. The plex reticle makes holding on a small bull pretty easy and repeatable. It is a tiny unit so it fits the rifle well, and the mount is really solid. I have not taken it down yet, so I do not know how much if a pain that will be..

IMG_2761.jpeg

The BL-22 Micro Midas was tough to shoot, with the shorter stock and shorter eye relief making the tall shelf/single rest set up pretty Mickey Mouse. This one took about 25 shots to creep over to where I needed it. Sadly, between having to reposition after every lever cycle, and a less than ideal set up, the results were not as accurate as I would like.

It did shoot the Blazer and Norma rounds very well, both times some decent shooting was tarnished by a self inflicted flyer (the story of my shooting life!). The others, not so much. Most of this was my inability to get back where I needed to be, but even if I could it did not like the Magtech very much, and the Aguila & CCI-SV wasn’t a whole lot better.

This Fox Pup is also very clear, but the short eye relief takes some getting used to. (It’s about 2”) The scope has a dot-plex reticle. It did make spotting the shot easy, but the dot does cover more of the target than the plex reticle does. For precise shooting, I personally prefer the plex, or a fine wire reticle, over a dot at the junction.

I hope that shooting these guns outdoors at 50 yards will be as easy as this indoor trip was. I will say that the bench set up at my outdoor range is much, much better than this one is, so I will get a better idea of the potential accuracy of these rifle/scope combos. But so far, I would take either one out in the squirrel woods and feel pretty well equipped. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
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Crosshair said:
As far as I'm concerned, the only question about them I still have is if they hold up on a centerfire. For rimfire guns they are good to go.
Click to expand...
The rings are pretty small, with two hex screws holding the mount to the gun and two pretty small flathead screws holding the ring halves together.

I do wish the flathead screws were torx or hex, they would look better and be easier to tighten up.

There isn’t a lot of mass to these scopes to be slammed around by recoil forces, so the scopes will possibly hold up for a while on a center fire rifle. But IMHO the mounts are the weakest link and may not hold up to hearty recoil for very long even with the teeny scope.

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
The rings are pretty small, with two hex screws holding the mount to the gun and two pretty small flathead screws holding the ring halves together.

I do wish the flathead screws were torx or hex, they would look better and be easier to tighten up.

There isn’t a lot of mass to these scopes to be slammed around by recoil forces, so the scopes will possibly hold up for a while on a center fire rifle. But IMHO the mounts are the weakest link and may not hold up to hearty recoil for very long even with the teeny scope.

Stay safe.
Click to expand...
That's more or less my observation. Which is why I want to test it, but don't have anything to mount them to at the moment that I would want to keep them on.
 
i bought this .22 winchester 61 made in 1940 for a very good price due to it being D&T for a old weaver side scope mount, digging around in one of my semi junk boxs. i found a old weaver 3/4" side mount that fits the hole spaceing and mounted one of the original 4x baby redfield,s i have. they do look like right on small framed .22 rifles and it shoots 10 shot one inch groups at at 35 yards with the shells it likes. i have killed alot of small game with.
 

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Riomouse911 said:
I have a couple of Browning .22’s that would benefit from a small scope, so I read some reviews and picked a couple of GruBee 4X scopes. I bought a Fox Pup and a Wolf Pup, both with a gloss finish and the 3/4” tube that the old style Redfield scopes had. These small scopes really do match the svelte lines of these two rifles.

View attachment 1168586

For my SA-22, I first bought the Browning cantilever scope mount. I drifted out the rear sight and removed the filler screws in the barrel. The mount screwed right in using a Torx driver, and I adjusted the set screw at the rear to hold the mount level over the receiver.

View attachment 1168588

The Wolf Pup scope had a plex type reticle, which was clear all the way around the glass. It was sent with the proper rings for this mount, and they fit in the cut outs perfectly. The scope mounted easily, but the position of the cuts in the mount meant I had to move it back a bit in the mounts to set my eye relief where I want it. I used removable loc tite to hold things in place.

View attachment 1168587

The Fox Pup scope is designed for smaller rifles with short LOP, which is exactly the ticket for my BL-22 Micro Midas with its 12” LOP.

View attachment 1168583

This mounted directly to the grooved receiver, making this install a snap. The scope has a plex-dot reticle, which also is clear all across the scope and looks pretty good when looking through it.

View attachment 1168584View attachment 1168585

I haven’t sighted the guns in yet, I hope to sight them in to be dead on at 50 yds at some point next week.

I like the scale of these scopes, anything larger would dwarf the guns and look out of proportion. Hopefully the scopes zero easily and stay zeroed, I will add to this post when I get a chance to shoot.
Click to expand...

Scopes still just look wrong on lever action rifles to me. Despite that I accept the increased accuracy they provide and put a glossy 4 X Bushnell ScopeChief that I picked up at a gunshow for a nice price on my Henry LBF. It is about the same size as your wolf pup although with a 1" tube. I put it in the lowest scope rings I could find which are made for a 7/8 " rail and used utg adapters for the 3/8" rail. They add very little height. :thumbup: for both of our projects.

Over the years I grew to dislike slotted screws for any use. Now that tremors have set in I detest them.
 
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doubleh said:
Scopes still just look wrong on lever action rifles to me. Despite that I accept the increased accuracy they provide and put a glossy 4 X Bushnell ScopeChief that I picked up at a gunshow for a nice price on my Henry LBF. It is about the same size as your wolf pup although with a 1" tube. I put it in the lowest scope rings I could find which are made for a 7/8 " rail and used utg adapters for the 3/8" rail. They add very little height. :thumbup: for both of our projects.

Over the years I grew to dislike slotted screws for any use. Now that tremors have set in I detest them.
Click to expand...
I agree 100% :thumbup: . All 11 of my others wear peep sights, or the buckhorn original rear sights. This one just needed a scope to help me to shoot it best.

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
I agree 100% :thumbup: . All 11 of my others wear peep sights, or the buckhorn original rear sights. This one just needed a scope to help me to shoot it best.

Stay safe.
Click to expand...

I only own two more lever action rifles. The Rossi 92 has a tang mounted rear peep and a globe front which improved it's accuracy a lot.. My antique 94 saddle ring carbine retains it original buckhorn sight. I also have a Navy Arms rolling block reproduction that came with a rear tang with elevation and windage adjustments and three muzzle loaders. The TC Hawken has TC's rear tang peep and globe sight, the Lyman Plains rifle a tang rear peep I added that is much like the TC sight, and the CVA Mountain Rifle has traditional sights. I have a rear tang peep for it but have never gotten around to installing it. I built all three from kits. The TC has some really nice wood, the other just ordinary but I did a fake tiger stripe on the CVA which doesn't look too bad.
 
I love lever guns! As a kid the Win 1894 in the glass-fronted gun cabinet in the ranch house living room was always the one gun that caught my eye. I don’t have any tang-mounted peeps, the ones I have are either Skinner (Henry’s) or Lyman/Williams peeps. :thumbup:

Whoops! I misspoke in my earlier response. I completely forgot my Marlin 336 .35 Rem came mounted with a 4X scope when I bought it off GB.😞 DOH!

I was intending to remove the scope until that thing shot a genuine 3-shot cloverleaf at 100 yds with the old Rem 150 gr PSP core-lokt rounds (single loaded because of the point). It also shoots the 200 gr loads very well, too. Clearly the previous owner (it came from Michigan) did a great job putting it all together, so I put my no-lever-gun-scope bias aside and left it alone.

Stay safe.
 
These small scopes definitely do look more aesthetically correct on the smaller guns. But somehow, even though they look great, I usually can't manage to leave them installed instead of switching out to something with the capability of more magnification power, and usually a better, clearer image through the scope. I've learned to ignore the slightly over-size look of the 3-9x32 on my SA-22 in return for the versatility of the mag range. I ended up with this particular scope on the SA-22 after comparing several of my 3-9s side-by-side, including a Leupold Rimfire EFR, Weaver RV-9, Clearidge Ultra RM, and a couple other cheaper Tascos. Very surprisingly to me (shockingly, actually), this old China-made Bushnell was essentially as nice optically as any of those others - very good clarity and resolution. It does lack the A/O, so I just adjusted the parallax-free setting (focus) down to 50 yards and have been pretty happy despite the lack of A/O. It actually bothers me more that I have a "cheap Chinese" scope on my 1970 model Belgium Browning than it does that I have a "too large" scope on it. :)

R1Aj0ou.jpg


What I'd prefer to have on it, functionality and pleasant-to-sight-through wise, is the same scope I have on my even smaller gun, the CZ 452 Scout. It's a 4-16x44 Weaver Grand Slam (one of my very favorite scopes of all). But in addition to looking pretty bulky on the Browning, the SA-22 isn't quite accurate enough to make use of the additional mag power, IMO.

vQJMv9b.jpg
 
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Been a while since I could get to the outdoor range and stretch the scopes out to 50 yards.

The target backer had some old shoot-n-see targets that had targ-dot patches at the bottom. I tried two 5 shot groups at some dots to show:

The Auto-22 did NOT like the Norma match ammo. This was the best 5 shots I could get at 50, shooting at the upper targ-dot patch. 😞 (It was a bit windy yesterday, but not that bad.)

IMG_3348.jpeg

The Auto-22 LOVED CCI Blazer. This is 5 shots at 50 in one ragged hole. (The 2 upper-left bullet holes were on the paper from the prior shooter already.)

IMG_3347.jpeg


I think I’m going to go buy a couple more bricks of Blazer ammo, that’s about as good as I will ever do with this gun/scope combo. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
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And it has a gloss finish instead of a tacti-cool flat black finish. How (un)cool is that :)! Does not every .22 need a 34 mm tube, illuminated night reticle and laser range finder? I keep hoping that sanity might return and then I watch the news :(.
 
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