the right scope for a 22cal.

N

northsman

Inactive
i recently bought a savage 22 cal. and would like to put a scope on it, looking at 100$ or less, any experience would be welcomed. shot nice groups with iron sights @65 yards.
 
More info would be better. .22 cal? I assume you mean .22lr because you probably wouldn't be looking for a cheap scope for a .222 or .223 or even .22 magnum. A cheap scope for a .22lr might be a fixed 4x. Maybe a Bushnell? Simmons? Are you hunting under 100yds? If you're target shooting there's no way you'd find a good scope for under $100.
 
Got a nikko sterling on our .22lr. it shoots well. Doesn't loose point eveytime your knock it. Very very clear in low light. Bought it for 70 bucks AUS but the the currency isn't much diff atm.

Good luck.

MK
 
Despite the naysayers, you don't need to put a $200 scope on a $200 .22 rifle. I've had excellent experiences with my two Simmons .22 Mag. 3 X 9 X 32 with Adjustable Objective (A.O.). They are clear, precise and hold zero perfectly. They run $45 for the blue and $65 for the silver versions.

Recently, I also got a CenterPoint .22 Rimfire 3 X 9 X 32 with illuminated mildot reticle that is also an excellent scope for my old Remington 512. It was $54 at Walmart. Amazing scope quality for the price!

Since 99% of your shots with a .22 rifle will be on targets from 25 to 75 yards many scopes available will be up to the task. The most important thing to do is spend another $20 and get some better scope rings than the ones that usually come with any .22 scope package. Solid rings and mounts contribute greatly to the accuracy of scope setups.

Also, be sure and get a scope that either has an adjustable objective (A.O.) where you select the objective setting for the distance you are shooting at or get one built specifically for a .22. It will have an objective range set at 50 yards vs. the 100 yards that centerfire scopes are set at.

Good luck and good shooting! :cool:

The Simmons on my 10/22:

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The CenterPoint on my Rem. 512:

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ETA: I see now you're in Canada, the prices I mentioned above are in U.S. Dollars of course. :)
 
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I've generally used a fixed 4X on my .22 rimfires. I don't like the scopes which are advertised as being for .22s, because of the limited field of view from the skinny tube. A 1" tube for me, please. :)

Check at a gunshow on a Sunday afternoon and see how good a bargain you can get on a good used 4X scope. If you look the wrong way through a scope, you can spot any flaws in the lenses.

Weaver mounts work as good as any, in my own experience.
 
"Art Eatman: I don't like the scopes which are advertised as being for .22s, because of the limited field of view from the skinny tube. A 1" tube for me, please."
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Art, most modern .22 scopes have 1" tubes these days. While there are still some old brand names with 3/4" tubes around on E-bay and some built specifically for bb guns, airsoft and such, a newer, reliable name brand .22 scope will be 1" dia.. :)

The real problem is with those who have the old 3/8" dovetail rail grooved into the top of their rifle's receiver. That method for mounting a scope is a real weakness in my opinion, as most scope rings built for such a mounting method do a generally poor job of gripping the shallow groove. ;)
 
My Rem 541T wears a 4X Leupold I bought at a small gun shop for $75. Works great, especially since I shoot my 22LR rifles well beyond 100 yds.
 
Recently, I also got a CenterPoint .22 Rimfire 3 X 9 X 32 with illuminated mildot reticle that is also an excellent scope for my old Remington 512. It was $54 at Walmart. Amazing scope quality for the price!
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I bought the same scope several years ago and mounted it on a Ruger 10/22. I agree; very nice all the way around.

The only downside I've found is that the illuminated recticle is somewhat of a gimmick. You have a choice of several brightness settings in both red and green, but in very low light, even the dimmest setting is way too bright and overwhelms your view of the actual target.

Even without the illumination though, I think it's worth the money.
 
I picked me up a Savage 64 .22 LR last week for some plinking and squirrel hunting. I put a Simmons 3-9 x 32mm scope on it with Weaver rimfire quad lock rings. Today I picked off a squirrel at around 45-50 yards. Great scope and only $30. You don't need an expensive scope on a simple .22. I am going to be putting the Simmons 3-9 x 40mm on the .17 HMR I will be getting next week.

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I've been looking into a new scope for my Rem 597 .22LR, as the ".22 Special" scope I have (Bushnell, I believe) is complete junk. I'm glad you asked this, as it appears to have answered my question: Is it really necessary to buy a .22-specific scope? I'd read somewhere that the recoil of a .22 is different than a typical centerfire, and that the specific scopes are designed to handle that. Anyone have any experience with this?
 
I'd read somewhere that the recoil of a .22 is different than a typical centerfire, and that the specific scopes are designed to handle that.
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This is true of spring-piston air rifles, not .22 rimfires.

My preference for .22s is something with an adjustable objective so I can crank the focus down to 50 feet or less, since I also like to shoot them on indoor ranges. I've had good results with Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn and Mueller APV scopes on .22s. Either can be had for $100 or thereabouts.
 
One suggestion I'd have is to get a scope with the parallax adjustment set for 50 yards or get an adjustable objective lens. Most centerfire scopes are set to be parallax free at 100 yds. For a 22 lr it would be better to have your scope set to be parallax free at 50 yds.
 
I have a Tasco Pronghorn fixed 4X on my 10/22 for about ten years. Clear picture and has held zero all that time. I bought it used for almost nothing. I agree, those made for 22s only scopes are wuthluss.
 
Look at the Pentax fixed parallax scopes, Fox Optics has them for about a hundred dollars on Ebay. I have the 4-12x on a Remington 597, it has a super nice rangefinding reticle that's very useful for a .22.

These are way way better scopes than any Burris, Bushnell, Simmons, BSA, or other cheap .22 specific scopes on the market. For one thing their list price is way more, Fox is the biggest Pentax distributor in the country and they undercut their dealers, take advantage of it while you can.

This is the Gameseeker line and they list at about $225. For my higher end .22's I use the Whitetail Hunter series 4.5-14x that lists at $500+, it is the exact same scope as the Burris Fullfield II that's made by Pentax. It can be had on Ebay for about $200 to $225, the optics are getting into big buck European quality.

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Nikon Pro Staff

The Nikon may be an option for you in the a 4x in the rimfire scope or the 2x-7x shotgun scope with the niko plex reticule, it is parallax free at 75 yds., may have better glass and clarity than some others. Prices are about $75 and $95 for these two scopes.
 
+1 for the Centerpoint. I have the 3-9x40 on my mark 2. Its seen minor use/abuse and still holds zero, clear obj. Sure beats a tasco of the same price range.
 
I use the bushnell fixed 4x scopes on my .22lr's and they work fine. They cost under $50 and are surprisingly clear and durable for a cheap scope. I have dropped one on the concrete, dented the tube and it still holds zero and is clear, I also used it on a 12 guage slug gun for a while, that was 4 years ago and I still use that one on a ruger 10/22 that shoots nice groups.
 
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