Favorite rimfire scope

[cabezaverde]

I just picked up a new to me .22. What is everyone’s preferred rimfire scope?

[Finster101]

There really is no such thing as a "rimfire scope" anymore. I have one with a 6-24 Nikon, one with a 3-8 Leupold and recently acquired vintage Weaver 4x for a vintage Remington 550-1. What is the intended use of the rifle.

[cabezaverde]

I would say hunting and paper to 100 yards.

[TNsailorman]

Mine would be the little Leupold Rimfire Special that I bought years ago and put on my Marlin 39a with Control mounts. james

NOTE: Correction of this post on post #22. james

[45DUDE]

I will say 3x9 overall. With a splatter target you can see the holes at 100ys. I have 4 power and up to 6x32 on a bench rest. I prefer peep sights but you can't see the holes.

[Jack Russel]

2 1/2 to 10 Tasco AO works great.

[Finster101]

The 6-24 is on my 100yd CZ. No need for a spotting scope.

[Texas by God]

The rifle should dictate the scope choice.
I like a straight 4x 1” scope the best for my hunting bolt action and semiautomatic.22 rifles. I’m currently using a Bushnell Sport view4x, a Valor 4x(1960’s Japan), and a BSA 4x, and a B4 Weaver.
I’m not sure, but I don’t think anyone offers a NEW 4x scope anymore.
I bought a Vortex 2-7x Rimfire scope last year, but I’m wringing it out on my 6.8 SPC AR15- to see if it holds up to that buisiness.


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[elmacgyver0]

There really is no such thing as a "rimfire scope" anymore. I have one with a 6-24 Nikon, one with a 3-8 Leupold and recently acquired vintage Weaver 4x for a vintage Remington 550-1. What is the intended use of the rifle.

Not entirely true. BSA makes a scope called "Sweet 22" it comes with 3 elevation drums.
One for 40 gn, 38 gn and 36 gn.
I think they also make a "Sweet 17"
Of course they are not quite the high dollar scopes like Nikon, Leupold and Trijicon.

[Bigslug]

The Leupold 3-9 EFR allows you to dial the parallax out at shorter rimfire ranges if you're into a semi-precision field rifle. . .

I got a lot of good mileage out of a Weaver RV7 2-7x28 for keep-it-simple bunny gun applications. It didn't really cut it for serious group shooting.

[oconeedan]

A Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14 AO scope is hard to beat for the money.

[DaleT]

I have one of those BSA's Sweet 22's on a Remington 597. For the money , IMO , it is a very good 22 scope that holds zero good and seems clear enough for my purposes.

[recumbent]

I have one of these really a nice scope
https://www.muelleroptics.com/products/mueller-apv-4-5-14x40ao-black/

[nueces5]

Being optimistic, most of the time a 22LR does not shoot more than 100 meters. So in my opinion, you never need more than 4 or 6x if you are shooting casually and hunting.
Many of us would be fine with a good quality 4x scope. I have a cz 452 that is very accurate and several scopes have gone through it. I started with a 3-9x50 Chinese, it was not good.
Then I bought a German 3x from the '60s that could cut grass at 50 meters.
Later I bought a Nikon 4-14x42 Monarch, which was the one I had worn the longest. And it meets all the needs. Now I put a Leupold mark4 4.5-14x50 that I bought second-hand, to practice long range. Since I have the same scope on my 308.
If I had to start buying from scratch again, I would lean toward the German 3x or the Nikon Monarch.

Recently I have been searching for the same thing and I came across something that may be the best of all worlds. If they have the quality of the rest of the SS I would definitely give them a chance. If I lived in the USA, I would already have one mounted on a 22.

https://swfa.com/swfa-2-5-10x32-ss-ultralight-rimfire-plex-reticle-1-tube-25-moa-clicks-50-yard-parallax/

[georgerkahn]

I just picked up a new to me .22. What is everyone’s preferred rimfire scope?

I have several scoped .22 rifles, and pretty much my favourite is the old 3-9x Weaver .22 "Classic" Rimfire scope. Note that Weaver had a "rim-fire line", too, which was priced considerably lower -- the two I have and love were dedicated rim-fire scopes -- then in the $100.00 each range. Googling them, I see Natchez not only has them, but they are on sale: https://www.natchezss.com/exclusive-weaver-classic-series-rifle-scope-3-9x40mm-1-rimfire-sfp-dual-x-non-illum-black

[pietro]

Mine would be the little Leupold Rimfire Special that I bought years ago and put on my Marlin 39a with Control mounts. james

Yep - I've used a 4x version & Ruger rings for hunting, for decades, on my Ruger M-77/22M boltgun. :goodpost:

[roysha]

I have 7 of the Leupold, 3x9 EFR compact scopes on several of my 22s and a couple of CZ 527s. Never found them to be insufficient in any way. If I needed another scope in that category, unquestionably, that is what I would buy. (the older gloss version)

[elmacgyver0]

The first scope I ever owned was a Bache 4x 15 made in Japan, bought in when I was a kid, paid the hefty sum of $4.00 for it from someplace like K-Mart.
Killed many of rabbits and vermin with it mounted on a Marlin M99-22 carbine.
I came to the conclusion that you don't need to spend a fortune on a scope.

[georgerkahn]

The first scope I ever owned was a Bache 4x 15 made in Japan, bought in when I was a kid, paid the hefty sum of $4.00 for it from someplace like K-Mart.
Killed many of rabbits and vermin with it mounted on a Marlin M99-22 carbine.
I came to the conclusion that you don't need to spend a fortune on a scope.

elmacgyver0, you do make a good point re not needing to spend a fortune. I was privileged to be invited to a rabbit hunt a few years back -- mid 1970s -- and reckoned I needed a scope for my Mossberg .22 bolt action I inherited from my Great Uncle Vince. A new "big box" store opened up, and I saw the answer to my dreams in a rimfire-suitable scope branded Tasco. I couldn't wait to mount it and get to range to make adjustments. Bingo -- a snap -- and I was all set. At the store, I also bought a few extra boxes of .22 ammo -- so I was all set! We made the four-hour drive in buddy's RamCharger and all decided to just set up camp, going out early the next morning. I had incredible good luck, as at the moment I was putting the magazine in rifle a bunny stopped right in front of me -- no further than twenty feet distant. I missed! We put a paper plate on a tree, and at ~50 feet I was not even on it. BUT -- we got it zeroed in. That was my only rabbit that morn, but I saw another just as sun was dropping, late afternoon. Maybe I didn't notice it sans sunlight that morn, but when I went to aim on this rabbit -- it was as I was looking though foggy Saran wrap! I quietly removed the scope and target was close enough I got it using the Mossberg's iron sights. At least I didn't get 'skunked', but that was my only rabbit in the 2 1/2 day hunt! When I returned home I went to range -- and it turned out "good" that I removed the scope, as point of impact was just under a foot at 25 yards! I tried to return scope to store to no avail -- another story.
But, the fellows I was privileged to be with suggested, as you did, there is no need for a recreational shooter/hunter to "remortgage the house" for a scope of decent quality. The brand I had did not make scopes -- they started out, purportedly, by re-branding Redfields, later (e.g., the one I bought) outsourcing no-name manufacturers to put them together and market them. I understand their quality has greatly improved -- but I bought cheap junk -- and learned it was cheap junk the hard way!
With today's pricing, I feel most brand-names in the hundred dollar range should do OK!

[sigep1764]

I have 3 of the BSA Sweet 22 scopes. All are serviceable. Fairly clear glass and adjustable objective for parallax. On the CZ455, I have a Mueller 8-24 power that is parallax adjustable as well. It is a very nice $300 scope. I am very happy with both choices.

[Milky Duck]

fixed 3 or 4x leupold a 2x7 leupold would be ultimate

[TNsailorman]

Sorry guys, I have to make a correction of my earlier post. I did not check the rifle before I posted and my memory is nowhere near as good as it once was. I haven't shot the rifle in over 25 years. The scope on my Marlin 39A is a 4X Burris Mini scope and it is clear as a bell. I like the smaller scopes and have several of them on my rifles. I just never like to see a rifle with a scope on it that was nearly as long as the barrel, just a visual thing with me. james

325724]. 325723

I picked the wrong photo on the Ruger 6.5-55mm, and don’t know how to get it off.

[Texas by God]

Now you’re just bragging!
Both those rifles are nice,
Those Burris Mini scopes are good to go.
I had a Mini 6x on my BRNO K98/ Shaw 8mm sporter when it was my only deer rifle.


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[elmacgyver0]

There is one big advantage to a cheap scope, besides being inexpensive of course.
If you miss you can blame it on the scope.

[Electrod47]

Back in 1981 I splurged.... licked a stamp and signed a check for a Bushnell Banner .22 Scope a couple weeks later it arrived, went directly onto my Ruger 10/22 circa 1967. I was so impressed that the following payday I licked another stamp and got a second one for my Western Auto Model 100...both 4X and both still functioning flawlessly crystal clear after years of constant use. That Model 100 accounted for at least 50 Jack Rabbits yearly along the Colorado River agriculture area in Mohave Valley AZ. It was a great tune up for Mule Deer season. 40.00 bucks ea.
I imagine Ebay might have one from time to time.

[littlejack]

Oh my Lord James. That is one beautiful rifle.

[TNsailorman]

You ought to have seen it when I first bought it. We had a local hardware store in town in the 60's and 70's that was being run by a really nice guy who had inherited it from his father, who had inherited it from his Father. All Great people and gun people. Anyway, every time my brother and I went into the store on our lunch hour, George would be there and hollar at us from wherever he was in the store. One day he asked me if I was willing to do a little work on a nice rifle that had come into the store in a large shipment of guns. He took me upstairs to a storage safe and pulled on the little Marlin 39A and handed it me. Some one at the factory should have been fired for letting it out of the factory in the shape it was in. It had been sprayed, the whole rifle, with the plastic finish that Marlin used on their stocks. It was called Marshield and tough as nails. He said he was going to send it back if I didn't take it as there was no way he would sell it to a customer that way. I took it for a ridiculous low price and went home and started work on the stock and handguard, leaving the metal receiver and barrel to last as I really dreaded trying to get the plastics finish off it without ruining the blue. Long story short, it took me about 3 weeks of hard work to get the plastic finish off the stock and forearm. But it was worth it as you can see the tiger tail streaking in the wood. I finish the stock in Linspeed oil and it looks great to me. I used bore cleaner and patches and rubbed and rubbed for 6 months or longer to get the plastic all off the metal but it slowly came off. It was amazing at the beauty of the wood underneath all that plastic and also the beautiful polished blue also. I even got plastic finish off some of the internals such as the extractor and firing pin. AS well as the lifter and inner part of the lever. But in the end it was well worth it as it is a tack driver par excellence. I have been offered far more money that I paid for it over the years but it is one rifle that will be with me when I cross over the Jordan. james

[dverna]

Good story James and it is a beautiful rifle. Your efforts paid off.

[TNsailorman]

My skills are average at best. There are legions of people on Cast Boolits that have far greater skills than I do. Really I jus lucked into a beautiful rifle that had been hidden beneath a terrible job at the Marlin factory and it had to be done by someone who knew better. Maybe drunk on the job, high on pills, who knows. Biggest thing I thought about when I got it home was the question "who in their right mind would spray a rifle after it had been assembled and finished". I still have a hard time believing that it happened and how it ever got out of the Factory that way. ow well, I have beat this one to death in my mind over the years and still no answers, james

[LeonardC]

KimberLH #1 has a 2-7 Leupold with plex.
Wife's Kimber has a 4x Leupold. (She could outshoot me and the above rifle.)
KimberLH #2 has a 2-7 Leupold RF MOA. I wish this was gloss finish, but l like the scope. The clicks are not a clear as the older scopes but I am having fun learning to use the hash marks.
All the above scopes are held on with Conetrol rings and bases.

My most used 22 scope fits on a SS Ruger 10/22 and is an older silver Weaver 2-7. This is the rifle that gets to go shooting the most. The first scope came apart inside (parts could be seen "floating" inside) but was replaced by Weaver with a new one that has held up for many many years.

[jsizemore]

EFR Leupold. Got a couple of the 6.5x20x40's mounted.

[Mr Peabody]

I bought the Burris Rimfire, the parallax is set a 50 yards. It has hold over hash marks that work nicely to 100 yards. Cost about $110

[farmbif]

ive been thoroughly impressed with the vortex diamondback 2-7 35 and the warranty cant be beat

[txbirdman]

I use a 3X9 Nikon Prostaff on my lightly customized 10/22. Does a good job.

[barrabruce]

6-24 power nightforce.
Seen a couple now on some tactical railed out , dialed in things which have 308 size mags. I assume , so you can pretend you are shooting the big boys toys.

4x was all I used for hunting 32 or a bigger 40mm was considered optimal for low light shooting.

But then again we didn’t need Eley tenx or Lapua to shoot rabbits in the head either.

[35isit]

On a 14 inch Contender a Weaver T36 is the best :bigsmyl2:

[Kestrel4k]

My skills are average at best. There are legions of people on Cast Boolits that have far greater skills than I do. Really I jus lucked into a beautiful rifle that had been hidden beneath a terrible job at the Marlin factory and it had to be done by someone who knew better. Maybe drunk on the job, high on pills, who knows. Biggest thing I thought about when I got it home was the question "who in their right mind would spray a rifle after it had been assembled and finished". I still have a hard time believing that it happened and how it ever got out of the Factory that way. ow well, I have beat this one to death in my mind over the years and still no answers, james
My thought was an intentional "mistake" by a line worker, hoping that he could buy the 'defective' rifle for a song instead of the factory having to rework it. And then his plan didn't work out for whatever reason ?

Perhaps more plausible with the wood being choice like that; anyway, just brainstorming on my end.

[TNsailorman]

After giving your post a little thought Kestrel4k, your reasoning is most likely better than mine. I know one thing for sure; it was a lot of work but it was well worth it. james

[papaglenn]

I have been very happy with the Burris Droptine 22LR scope on my Remington 512 and my Marlin 60.