Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Rimfire scopes

Because I'm a curious sort and yes, I know what happened to the Cat. LOL Anyway, I was wondering what would be the rimfire scope of choice if you could only pick one scope for rimfire use. The use would include informal target shooting, Squirrel hunting, and just all around plinking.
As some know, mine is the old Burris 6X mini AO scope.

A couple of honorable mentions for me is the Leupold FX-II 6X36 with fine duplex and parallax set at 40yds.
One other that I'm really liking is the Tract 3-9X40 rimfire scope.

Leupold 6.5 X 20 efr, 2nd choice would be a Weaver V16

Don’t have one, but the Tract 4-12 AO looks pretty good. Like all 1” ones though, it’s lacking in adjustment range, which can have you holding over if you go long.

I have one of your little Burris 6s on my 457. It fits neatly behind the rear sight. My 10/22 CSC has a SWFA MOA 6x. I really like the fine dot in the center of that one, and the numbers next to the bottom lines let me hold without counting. Tracking has been spot on.

[quote=K22

A couple of honorable mentions for me is the Leupold FX-II 6X36 with fine duplex and parallax set at 40yds.
[/quote]

That or the 4x, for satisfying the criteria you stated for a light rifle used for casual shooting and woods loafing (and I've put my money where my mouth was on that one). For serious work, which for me means competition with heavy vintage single shots, please make it a 20x Unertl.

Everybody's needs are different, as are everybody's approach to filling them depending largely on whose propaganda they bought into and where they plink & hunt. This could be an enlightening thread, or at least an amusing one!

Classic Weaver 4x32 or a vintage K4. Best variable IMO is the Nikon 2-7x32 P-Rimfire, unfortunately discontinued. If shopping new today would go with the Leupold.

Leupold 4X.

I use the same scopes I would for my centerfire rifles.

If a 42mm objective lens isn’t too wide for you, the Burris Veracity 2-10x42 would cover most anything a .22LR can do, close or far:

https://www.burrisoptics.com/riflescopes/veracity-2-10x42mm

Mine’s on a .22LR Contender:

Pretty much any decently lightweight scope will do. Don't know how dark or overgrown your squirrel hunting places are but in general I'd recommend at least a 36-40mm objective just to help with the resolution, all else being equal.


Some fwiw info - any Leupold 3-9 scope with their standard duplex reticle will give you a precise 100 yard aiming point. At 9x that reticle covers 6 MOA point to point which means the tip of the bottom post is 3 MOA or 3" at 100 yards below the crosshair. A .22 high velocity bullet sighted in at 75 yards drops right about 3" at 100 yards.

Also, 3 MOA covers 1.5" at 50 yards which just about coincides with the mid range trajectory of that .22 bullet sighted on at 75, so you can get a good enough aiming point at 50 yards by holding just below the top post.


If you find a scope you like but it has a longer parallax setting than you want, you can change that. Never done it myself but offer this link as a public service, or menace as the case may be.

Changing Parallax On a Non AO Scope Yourself?



Can't stick to just one scope but to sort of answer your specific question, I've gone with two scopes for general purpose shooting. A Leupold VX-II 3-9x40 centerfire scope with duplex reticle is on a CZ 457 American for the reason mentioned above.

My two "informal plinking to 200 yards" rifles both wear the Leupold VX Freedom 3-9x40 with their Rimfire MOA reticle. It has a 60 yard parallax setting and the reticle has 25 hash marks below the crosshair in 1 MOA increments, that's 25 MOA total holdover which is plenty enough out to 200 yards. The view is bit busy under the crosshair but within 75 yards you just use the crosshair anyway.


"Serious" rifles all have SWFA 10x40 scopes with mil quad reticles, but those are large and heavy and not something you really want to tote around a lot.

Interesting answers, hoping to get more.
At the age I've now reached, actually at the age my eyes have now reached, getting a scope to focus and be clear can be a challenge. When fast focus became available I was surprised how well my eyes liked it. It was to the point that the older Leupolds would not focus clearly for me at close range even with the parallax set at 50yds. For what ever reason, the fast focus scopes worked in that regard. Why some of the optic companies rimfire adjustable objectives are only going down to 50yds. is beyond me when they used to go down to 10yds. That is one of the many reasons I like the Tract 4-12X40 AO scope and the old Burris 6X mini AO's.
As Jim in Idaho brought up, I have changed the parallax on several fixed parallax scopes. The hardest part is getting some of the outer rings to break loose.

K22: My choices for my favs are close to Kirk J's - first would be the Weaver V-16 (four to 16 power variable with A/O feature) with the fine crosshair and fine dot reticle.
Next would be the WONDERFUL - no the OUTSTANDING - Leupold 6.5x20 A/O with E.F.R. feature. Mine have the fine Du-Plex reticles but if I could find one with the Leupold Dot or fine crosshairs and fine dot reticle I would buy it instantly! My reasoning for putting the Weaver V-16 as "first choice" over the Leupold 6.5x20 E.F.R. is the vast difference in costs.
Good luck with whichever you choose if you are looking to scope up some more rimfires.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks for the input VarmintGuy.
I'm really not looking to scope up anymore rimfires or centerfires. Like many others, I have a shelf with many scopes, some still sealed.
I was just curious what others have settled on for rimfire scopes, especially Squirrel hunting scopes they prefer.

At 19 I would have been fine with a K2.5 and a simple crosswire. At 69 most rimfires in the frequently used category have a mil reticle, 4 or 6x base magnification if variable, 6x or 10x if fixed, repeatable and accurate adjustments, 30-34mm tubes. Heavy, all of them, like I care.

My favorites have lit reticles, too. Better late than never to realize how that feature helps in relatively low light.

Been messing with a LH4 4-16 lately, and like it lots. More than decent value at $200-ish. Checks every box for my purposes. That would be my choice, if had to pick one.

Exceptions are on .22s rarely used now: my 1966 Ans 141 with 3-9x EFR Leup, a 10/22 with Aimpoint R1 Micro that kids gravitate towards at youth events, 9422 and Gr2 ATD Browning with factory open sights. A 52C Heavy has a 20x Super Targetspot, and a 1712 has the 6.5-20x EFR air rifle scope that came with it.

I haven't found a rimfire scope that I've liked more than the Leupold VX-2 Ultralite Rimfire EFR 3-9x33mm fine Duplex matte that is on my Ruger 77/22 RSI. That EFR will focus and parallax correct that reticle image down to 10 meters which is a whole lot closer to my normal red squirrel range than a centerfire scope parallax set to a much longer distance. Admittedly it rides around at the 4x magnification setting most of the time.

My most used squirrel killers wear a Nikon 2-7x32 and a Weaver 2.5-7x28. I've easily killed a couple thousand gray squirrels with these scopes over the years and they've proven more than adequate.

I’ve got a 2X - 7X Vortex Crossfire on the CZ 452 Trainer and Leupold 4X on the custom SS Ruger 10/22 with the black synthetic stock and a trigger job. The CZ has a lighter spring for the trigger. Also has Millet engraved rings as do the the other two. The other Ruger is a SS Walmart special Mannilicher green laminate stock. It has a Simmons 44Mag 3 -9 X on it as it was all I could find on my budget in silver when I got the rifle many decades ago.

K22 the Burris 6X mini is a gem - especially for squirrel hunting and is my second favorite - right behind the leupold 6X compact AO with a Leupold dot. This is for hunting and general usage - I like the light weight the most and plenty of power. The Weaver V-16 and Leupold 6.5-20X EFR are my favorites for target and silhouette. There are many others mentioned that work great also!

Just my two cents😊

PennDog

This is my favorite:

Sightron SIH Rimfire 3-9x32 RF - Crosshair #31019

I really like and have several Leupold VXII/2 4-12x40AO with fine duplex. Am also fond of the VXII 3/9x33AO EFR Compact, have a couple of these as well. Between these, I go with which ever works best for the individual rifle.

My only .17 HMR, a Ruger M77/17 sporter, wears a VXII 6-18x40. Good fit.

+1

A 3.5-10x40 on my hunting rig, a BSA SS5, a VXII 4-12x40AO with fine duplex on a CZ 457 Varmint, and the biggest scope on a CZ MTR or LRP stock but that's mostly for target shooting.

My 452 wears a 6x Leupold Compact AO. My Bergara BMRs wear Athlon Argos HMR 2-12x42, AO. Have both the illumination and BDC and prefer the illumination.

Mostly El Paso Weaver K2.5X, parallax adjusted to 50 yards. Have a couple of Leupy M8 Compacts that are also 2.5X. They are cheap, durable and perfectly functional here in the swamps. And yes, they can aim very precisely. Also use them with my .30-30 T/C Carbine and a few others

I picked up a minty Unertl 6x Small Game scope with the thought of mounting it on a Springfield M2 .22. Now that it's in hand I can't bring myself to drill and tap the old girl, even though the Armory would do it for a civilian customer for a nominal fee if requested and nobody today would ever know it wasn't done as such. I guess I'll just continue on punching paper and killing stuff with the Lyman 48 receiver sight that it came with.

I am a fan of the now discontinued Weaver 2-7X28 rimfire scope. I bought a number of them when they were being discontinued on sale at Natchez. I owned a couple prior to that that made me jump on the sale.

This older Leupold Vari-X II, 2-7x28 RF ain’t bad, neither:

Pretty much this for me as well. But what kind of rimfire are we talking about? I think there is more than one answer to your question.

I use .17 HMR AND WSM for hunting ground squirrels. I have S&B 2.5-10x56 scopes for hunting with my Anschutz firearms.

Targets? What kind? I'm experimenting with my Vudoo .22LR using a Kahles 5-25x56 with adjustable parallax. That’s for long range. But it also works for short as well. Parallax goes down 10 meters.

For hunting with .22LR and WMR (which I have not done for a long time) I used Leupold Vari X3 1.5-5x20 for these. Plenty of scope out to 100 yards, which is the practical range for this caliber when used for varmint hunting. Because of the low power, there is no need for parallax adjustments.

For my T/C pistols I use EER scopes. I have a .22 LR and another barrel in .17 HMR. Leupold 4x for the .22 and a T/C 2-7 for the HMR.

Lots of answers.

I heard those Leupold 6X compact AO's were outstanding. Never had the pleasure of using one, only the FX II 6X.

Like these too and have a few. Also a fan of its larger cousin the 3-9x32 AO especially for 22wmr and 17HMR. Sadly they were discontinued also.

I just put a Leopold VariXII 3x9x40 on a Cooper Custom Classic 17 HMR.

You are going to get so many answers, and they will all probably work well. I know no one is going to suggest the scopes I use, but that is fine. I like to keep the power range to around a 4.5-14x42 or 4-16x. Those power ranges are quite usable. I also use second focal plane scopes, as the reticle getting smaller (to the point you can't see it), and larger, where it's huge and useless for way out there, when you crank it up is pointless: I just stick with a SFP scope. The main rifles I use right now, wear discontinued Burris AR rifle scopes. These scopes get used on all of my AR's as well, except for my 6.5 Creedmoor, that uses a NF. The beaty in this scope is it can be used on just about every type of rifle in the inventory. They weigh 18 oz's, and are not extremely huge, like some newer scopes are (no offense Arken).


One scope I have to show, is a LOW made Weaver v16 4-16x42, and it is also a great simple scope that works very well. The parallax adjusts down to 30 feet, or something like that, and the glass is pretty good. However, the Burris AR scopes shown in the pic are better...






Weaver on the model 52:



Burris on the cheap azzed Savage MK2:



Old faithful with a Burris:



I've always liked a little more magnification, even on a "squirrel" hunting rifle. Here, that is ground squirrels and jackrabbits. So trust me, I have a little experience at shooting at running targets too. A lot of the times, I'll head shoot squirrels, and the higher magnification helps with that. Shot the head off a ground squirrel yesterday, at 508 yards away. Using a 308 and a Nightforce though, so that doesn't count in the rimfire section..

Okay - you guys convinced me.

A like new LEUPOLD M8-6X COMPACT in original box and papers, front parallax, duplex reticles is coming over to play on my 22RF rifle.





I don't recall these scopes in a Compact with AO. Must have been manufactured in the early 80s.

That is a sweet scope! I'll bet it works great.

I’m having a RimX built right now for NLR22 and PRS rimfire shooting. I’m planning on running a Vortex Razor Gen 3 6-36x56. Parallax adjusts down real close to about 12 yards. Erector provides 36 mils of elevation which should be enough to get a .22 out past 400 with a 30 MOA rail.

Some brands and models of scope are mentioned often, but there still are a lot of different scopes and sizes being used.
I was never a fan of the hubble telescopes. With modern technology I've noticed they are getting shorter which is a plus in my book, but they are sure gaining weight. Trying to keep up with society? LOL
A 20+ oz. scope isn't something I would put on my light weight Squirrel rifles, but again, that's just me.
A few years back I tested 2 of my rifles I knew would shoot the same ammo very accurately. The ammo was Wolf Target Match. The distance was 50yds. and one rifle had a 24X scope on it and the other a 6X. Both rifle bores were cleaned before I started shooting. The results verified what I was saying concerning me and my shooting. I could match the group size at 50yds with a 6X scope versus a 24X.
Nothing against the higher magnification scopes, only that my needs for a Squirrel hunting scope aren't the same as others. Most of my Squirrel shooting occurred in trees much lower than 50yds. and a good clear 6X was more than enough scope. In fact, I used to zero my 22lr. rimfires at 100ft. as that was close to the maximum ft. I ever had to shoot. Add to that I was shooting uphill so a scope set to hit approx. 1/8" above center always worked for me. The rifle I used back then, a KDF K22, is still zeroed to hit 1/8" high at 100ft. That setup never failed me.
Below is the target I shot with the 2 different scopes.




This is a couple of targets I shot many years ago with the KDF K22 @100ft. The larger target at the top was shot by the owner of KDF at 50yds using my rifle and Win. Super X. The guarantee from KDF was 5rds. of Win. Super X @50yds into a 1/2" group or better.

K22 - IMO it is hard to beat the Burris you already have, I had one of them years ago and was really fond of it. I do seem to remember that it was a bit dark and the eyebox was critical, if my memory is correct I can see why you are thinking of something else, particuarly for a dark woods hunting scope.
Of the ones you listed in you original post I would go with the Leupold 6x36, it has good glass and the eyebox is not critical, and they look nice on a trim 22 rifle. The Tract may be a good scope but I really despise the looks of the Euro style eyepiece, they ruin the lines of nice looking rifles.

Nice targets - I am of the same opinion as you regarding magnification. I do like higher power but a lower power is not as much of a handicap as they are made out to be.

drover

I agree that lower magnification can be very accurate. With a Leupold 3X I’ve taken African game at yardages of 100, 130, 150, 220, and 240.

Since Leupold moved their RF specials from the FX and VX II lines to the "Freedom" series I've had nothing but bad luck with them. I can't recommend them anymore. My next RF scope is probably going to be a Simmons ".22 magnum", either 4X or the 3-9X. It's been a long time but I had one on a boat paddle 77/22 mag and it was good enough for turning live squirrels into dead ones at 100 yards or a bit more. The only other seemingly viable option is to get an adjustable objective centerfire scope. I recently moved an old 4-12X Vari X II AO from my .17 HMR to my .22 long rifle. With the fine duplex, I like it. I had a 4.5-14X FD/AO Vx 3 from the custom shop sitting homeless so I put it on the 17 HMR. Seems pretty good there. That .17 is a 77/17 HMR VT, pretty heavy rifle, and I might put a 6-18X vari x II AO on it. Going to try it as-is and decide if more X-s would be better for shooting between grass blades 'n' so on.

My preferred scopes on .22RF's are Leupold Rimfire Special 4x and Baby Redfield 3/4" 4x. I have a Lyman Alaskan with a dot reticle on my Springfield 1922 M2 Custom Sporter, I agree that low powered scopes are capable of producing small groups. That set-up will consistantly put 50 rounds of CCI Std. Velocity into one ragged hole @ 50 yds, frequently doing better than my Winchester 52 Sporter.

Your Leupold 6X36 choice is an excellent one. Back when Leupold had great customer service, they set the parallax to 40yds. on 4 6X36 for our shop. I bought all 4 of them. They also replaced the standard duplex with a fine duplex and those scopes are awesome. One of the features I really like about the Burris 6X I have is that 5" eye relief. I shoot with both eyes open and that much eye relief helps a bunch.
The Tract optics are very clear, super clear may be a better description, but the scope is a 3-9X40 which is more than I need on a Squirrel rifle. I'll probably mount on the 22mag.

Wow! That is outstanding.

Of course high powered scopes aren't needed for producing tight groups on paper. I do that with irons, so have others I know. Where the higher powered scopes shine is in being able to see real small targets. If that makes any sense. Where I shoot rimfire competitions in Washington, everyone uses some sort of higher magnification scope, even on their Ruger 10/22s. We do a lot of head to head speed matches too, but the targets are smaller. Golf balls hanging from strings, paint balls, KYL targets. Etc. etc. With some of these targets, it's a benefit to see what you are shooting at. Especially when you are needing to get on that target quick.

You are asking about rimfires, but also with squirrel hunting in mind. Just about any scope will work, as has been shown. Like my first post said, you are going to get so many suggestions, it's not even going to be funny. Scopes are always highly subjective. Eyesight needs to be considered, and also what the quarry/prey is going to be. I grew up using 3-9x40 rifle scopes, and shot many many running jackrabbits and ground squirrels, but now I prefer a good 4.5-14x42 or there abouts, as a good all around scope. Yet, on my big game rifles, I always us a 3-9x40 with the appropriate LR reticle. This gets me out to 500 yards easily with all of my big game rifles. Like anything, there's always going to be a multitude of choices, you just have to figure out what works best for you..

How much do you want for it🤔😄!! Yep that’s my favorite .22 scope - IMO perfect size and enough power - this is for squirrel hunting and informal target work. Like BSA says though this is a personal preference thing and many would work well!

Yes they were an 80’s product!

PennDog

An 80's product? Your age is showing PennDog.
Notice how I've never mentioned the year of the Burris Mini's.

I agree with BSA, the higher power scopes work quite well for many folks.
I do remember when a 6x scope was referred to as a Western scope because of its high magnification.

I do own many variable X scopes and the vast majority are in the 2-7 range, a few 2.8-36, a few 3-9, and a few 4.5-14.
Several years ago I was Predator hunting, one of my favorite things to do, and was using a new to me 204. At that time I had a 2-8 Nikon on it and was calling from a fence row over looking a rather large field for this area. After 20 min. or so a Bobcat came out of some pine trees and sat down facing me at the edge of the field. I set the crosshairs on it's chest, but because there was a slight breeze blowing left to right I held to the left of center of his chest and fired. Flipped the Cat over backwards and when I got to it you could see it never even twitched, usual for a Cat, and the shot hit exactly where I had held. So much for wind drift. LOL Anyway, the scope had been set on 3X, where I set all of my variables, and I didn't even think about turning up the scope power to 8X. Of course I didn't realize I hadn't until after I shot the Cat. I have done that so many times while Deer hunting you would think I would remember to up the scope power.


I was sitting by the fence post on the right side in the photo. The Bobcat came out and sat down at the edge of those pine trees which is 225yds. plus some.



And the Cat.

Yes! In a previous post I mentioned taking African game with a Leupold 3X. (The 375 H&H was set up for a buffalo hunt.). In particular, a Kudu was taken at 240 yards. The PH was reading the distance with a rangefinder. The Kudu was quartering away fairly significantly. It was almost certain that if he took two steps we would never see him again. My mind was racing with a lot of thoughts. But one thing that never entered my mind was, “Oh I wish I had more magnification.”

Yeah, pretty impressive for a 22RF

K22,

Yes I started accumulating the Leupolds in the 80s - I was born in 1998😜. For hunting I rarely go above 6X (even though I have a few scopes with 14-18X high end settings). Most of my shots on squirrels are 30 yards and less and big game rarely exceeds 250 yards. I shoot targets out to 1000 yards where I appreciate the magnification - although most of my competition now-a-days is lever action silhouette so I don’t “need” any magnification😁

Impressive country you shot that bobcat in and even more impressive shooting. Beautiful animals those bobcats!!

PennDog

Cool story and neat pics, K22.

I've got a Vari-X III 4.5-14×40 AO and a VX3 4.5-14×40 AO I'm considering switching over onto my Tony Kidd 10/22 that shoots little bugholes with just about anything I feed it. Not very impressed with the scope I've got on there right now. Eye relief isn't great and I catch myself crawling up or down the buttstock.

I have 2 Muellers on my 457s. They are 8.5-25 x 44, I got them from MidWay a few years ago.

Thanks local dirt.
I've always wanted a Kidd 10/22 but have failed to buy one.
Great photo of yours and I like the looks of that stock.
Eye relief is so critical to me these days. The Burris mini scopes and Leupold 6X36 have ruint me. The Tract scopes have good eye relief but at the expense of a large eye piece.

K22, the stock is a Hogue Overmolded. My gunsmith removed some material to bed the action and floated the barrel. It's funny. It sounds like a tuning fork when it goes off with your head up against the buttstock.

Interesting topic and great discussion here guys. I know, sometimes I suggest things that may be different than some of you here, but that is what has worked for me. And I shoot a lot. I also tinker with all of my rifles, until they shoot lights out. That means from the first shot till the last shot. As for the 10/22 that is freefloated, sometimes that doesn't work. I mean, a lot of times that does not work. 10/22's are a weird beast and react to a different type of bedding process, and generally shoot best with a barrel that is in full contact with the stock. This is something a lot of guys can't wrap their head around, because generally a freefloated barrel is what you do with your centerfire rifles. Just sayin.

Now, for scoping a rimfire. Back in my younger years, I used to use a lot of 3-9x40's. Those being Bushnell, Tasco, Leupold, Simmons and Burris. As we know, the parallax is generally set at around 100 yards, for use on a centerfire rifle. Most of my 10/22's, when I was younger wore cheap 3-9x40's though. This was before I worked for a living, and many (if not 1,000's) of jackrabbits and yotes died from the wrath of a 10/22 wearing a regular ol 3-9x40. That's the lowest power rifle scope I will use. My eyed don't do well with low power scopes.

I recently bought an older Winchester 22lr bolt action, and said screw it, I'm going to run a good ol 3-9x40 on this rifle. For a couple reasons.
1. It keeps the package nice and light.
2. Keeps the rifle well balanced and handy.
3. I had one laying around, with the cellophane wrapping on the box. It needed to go on something!!

The only downfall to this type of scope is not being able to see a 1/4" dot very well at 50-100 yards. I would have shot an online match with this new rifle, had it had my usual 4.5-14x42 Burris on top. But as it is, this little scope and rifle are working out great!! I like light and handy too, as that definitely has a place in the hunting fields.

Winchester model 320, wearing a now discontinued Burris FFII 3-9x40 with ballistic plex reticle:






All interesting conversation and some great choices being thrown out there, but like I've said before (right or wrong), most rimfires are not too picky about what you scope them with. We all know that an adjustable objective, or side focus is great to minimize parallax error, but is it needed 100%? No, absolutely not.

I've been using a 3-12X40 SF Athlon Talos Mil-Dot on my Bergara BMR .22 LR, and Savage 93 .22 WMR. It has parallax adjustment dow to 15 yds, and the reticle works well for wind holds. It has also been accurate on adjustments out to 300 yards and back down to my 50 yard zero.

My Bergara BMR.



50 yard 10 shot groups testing ammunition.

BSA, it looks like you’ve got that 320 shooting extremely well👍🏼

Man, I'm very happy with that rifle.

Looks great!! Nice shooting too. I've been keeping my eye on those Bergara B14's very recently. I know everyone always says buy a CZ, or maybe even a Tikka, but those Bergara's are putting on a good showing on the st Patricks day challenge seen on Youtube. I started a thread about that challenge here on the fire. It may be something you should consider shooting. IF you get your rifle dialed right in there, it it may do very well. The 10/22 I used shoots in the .3's with the ammo I used, and it's still a pretty challenging shoot.

Me too. Bought several of these and the 3x9 AO when they were closing them out. Like them better than my Leupold rimfire

I swapped out a Burris for a 3-9x32 Sightron with a fine crosshair on a Marlin M-60.

I zeroed with Federal Bulk and then proceeded to drop 10 shots of CCI SV into a 1" diamond at 50yrds.

My dad's old Marlin 60 (bought in the early 80's) shoots better than that, with it's old 4x scope that was on the rifle when he bought it new. Wondering what it was about the Burris that degraded the precision of the rifle, and the Sightron worked better? Just about any Burris would suffice, as some guys use the 6x Burris or the rimfire versions with great success. Hell, even the FFII I posted works well enough.

My around the house dispatch rifle

Ruger 77/17M2 w/Lilja barrel

Vortex 2-8x32 Diamondback HP

First 6 p/dogs of the year with it this week

A great scope for open fields, can be challenging in darker woods.

Since we're only allowed one scope I would go for clarity and versatility in conditions and magnification while sacrificing light weight.
https://www.opticsplanet.com/nightforce-nx8-2-5-20x50mm-rifle-scope.html?_iv_code=NF-RS-NX8RS1-C622

That’s one hell of an expensive scope right there. I probably speak for a lot of us here, when I say a typical rimfire 22lr, just doesn’t need that kind of a beast on top. A scope that is reliable, clear enough to see well enough at the distances most of us shoot rimfires is sufficient. Like a lot of these guys suggesting straight 6x, 2-7, 3-9x40, and 4.5-14x42 or even 6-18x40. They are all acceptable, even the modest priced ones, like Tasco, weaver, Nikon, Burris, and Bushnell have worked flawlessly over the years. Anything over 10x should have an adjustable objective, anything with less magnification doesn’t really need it. I’ve shot a schidt load of rimfire to know what works, what doesn’t, and also what isn’t necessary.

All of my scoped 22s wear a 12 power. If you're going to shoot at dime sized targets, it never hurts to make it a little bigger when shooting at it.
Come to think, they are all mid priced Bushnells. They don't have to take the punishment that larger calibers would give them so they work quite well on a 22.

@BSA1917 That is true. The OP didn't ask about need or typical, it was choice of one to do all. 1-6x makes a good critter stopper, 36x makes a good target puncher, the compromise is 2.5-20 with a quick throw. Illumination for night use. Personal preference, I'll use side parallax instead of AO. 11yd to infinity will cover any rimfire range. Add up the cost of all your rimfire scopes, I'll bet you could easily afford the one Nightforce.

I wouldn't mind a B14r as well, I like the idea of the 700 SA footprint as a trainer. The only reason I actually bought the BMR is I received $150 gift card to Brownell's unexpectedly. I also wanted a threaded barrel to use with my suppressor. This little rifle is proving to be a shooter.

I think I'd need more consistent ammunition to participate in the St Pats challenge. The most consistent I have right now is the Aquila Super Extra standard velocity in this rifle. However, what I have is consistent enough for small varmints and steel targets.

If I could just choose one, the SWFA 6x42 would be hard to beat. I also like the Burris Fullfields with adjustable objectives and the Droptine 3-9 with a set 50 yard parallax.

I have Nightforce, on my precision rifles, and love them. No need for one on a 22lr. My 7-35x56 Atacr would look funny on top of any of my 22lr's. However, I remember one time putting my NXS 5.5-22x56 on my 10/22 to shoot a KYL match. My buddies laughed at me and asked if I really needed a "$2,000.00" scope on my 10/22 to kick their azz. I said to my friend Dave, Ok, I guess I'll get my Savage MK1 FVT with the $100.00 Bushnell on it. Now, that was funny!!! It wasn't surprising who won the KYL matches that day..


I wish I had taken a picture of the 10/22 with the huge NF on top. It was kind of ridiculous looking..


After that, I pulled the NF off and put the Burris AR scope back on it. That's how it has stayed since. It does well enough with that rifle scope. Those are discontinued now, but all of my AR's wear them. They also work damn well on just about anything else I put them on.

The way I see it, is you have guys saying you need this or that, when in all reality, you DON'T. Sometimes that may intimidate new shooters. I like proving things work, by showing examples, and as we should all know, there are multitudes of scopes that will work on a rimfire. Or at least I'm assuming guys have tried most, if not all, much as I have. I've been shooting since before I was in kindergarten, and playing around with different scopes on rimfires, since I was about 12. The first ones are just like some of the ones that have been mentioned. Simmons, Nikon, Burris, Bushnell, Tasco, Leupold, Redfield and Weaver. I'm not a scope snob, when it comes to what goes on my rimfires. Why? Because I know what works..

The Compact 6X AO was a near perfect match for early Kimber 82’s. I had one on my lefty Clackamas Custom Classic. The other compacts were a little too small. A really nice match for a squirrel rifle.

For just shooting and hunting I have a few 4x and some 2-7’s. The one I shoot in our local usbr matches has a 6-24 on it and mine is one of the lower powered scopes there. Max power of 32x-60x scopes are becoming the norm with 40x-45x being the most common top end.

I wish some people in sales and marketing would wake up on fixed parallax scopes for rimfires and up the parallax to 100 yards instead of 50 yds.

With all the mentions of Burris scopes, I went exploring on their website and found a neat little tool for using their Ballistic Plex or any other reticle. I'm sure many of you have already seen this but I hadn't poked around their website in quite a while.

https://www.burrisoptics.com/ballistic-tools

Choose Reticle Analysis from the menu at the bottom of the page and you can enter your exact scope, reticle, specific ammo and environmental conditions and it will show you the path of the bullet at each hash mark on the reticle. You can play around with zero range to find the most useful intersections.

E.g., I used a Fullfield II 3-9x40 with Ballistic Plex reticle - the one Amazon is selling for $135 - and 40 grain Federal Automatch (UM22). Zeroed at 60 yards the bullet path crosses the first hash mark at 74 yards and the second one at 97 yards, close enough to 75 and 100 for field work.




Obviously twisting knobs or a more detailed reticle, i.e. busier, will be more precise but for a simple hunting scope that's pretty useful dope.

Why would you not buy a standard rifle scope if you want parallax set at 100?

I believe most non rimfire fixed objective rifle scopes have the parallax set at 150 yards. I know Leupold does.

@Timbo
I've been using Burris, the rimfire is set to 50yd and the standard model is set to 100yd.

https://www.burrisoptics.com/riflescopes/droptine-riflescope-3-9x40mm

I have a huge assortment of scopes. I have a LOT of older Bushnell's, many different models. Also have some Nikons I like. I have several Leapers/UTG scopes that have worked well. My best are my Burris Compacts. I have several and really love them. Forgot there are some old Weavers, Redfields, Simmons, Tascos, and many other oddballs. I have a lot of old guns and I often use what came on the guns. Some of those optics are not great, but useable. Un-useable scopes go in the trash bin as I don't want to unload problems onto someone else.

Is the Burris a FFP or a SFP?

Good post H. i know a lot of my buddies at the club in WA, have all but switched to higher magnification on their rifles to shoot the fun shoots and targets we shoot there. Here's a good video on a high magnification rifle scope, that costs about $250.00.


The Arken's are starting to get a good following too. Like I said, you don't have to spend a ton of money, to scope a rimfire. There are so many good choices out there right now. Decide what you want to do with the rifle, and go from there. Pretty simple.

Good post Jim. That is a fun reticle to mess with. It works with a lot of different cartridges. Back in the old days, Burris just supplied a chart for different cartridges, and that worked well. They were actually stickers, so you could put them on the scope, if you wanted. Takes a lot of guesswork out of it..

One step further. Some of my Burris scopes came with a coupon. Fill in the pet load data and mail it in. Burris shipped back custom yard marked turret matched to the load for free.

Really no wrong answer for a 22. It really depends on the need of the 22. I have a Leupold 6x compact on my CZ 452. It is absolutely perfect for grey squirrels. Not shooting past 50 yards for them.

GreggH

You asked if I had to settle on one scope for rimfires, what would I pick? I already did. This is a Hawke Vantage 4x32 AO with a mildot reticle.







https://us.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-4x32-ao-mil-dot.html

4 powers are pretty much set and forget optics, but this particular model has proven to be versatile for me. I have two. One is on a 22LR The other is on a 22 Magnum.

The adjustable objective means that you don't have to worry about parallax.

The tracking is pretty good, and it has fully multi-coated lenses.

This target is a sighting in target. The first was low at about 7 o'clock. The second, a bit high at 12 o'clock. I brought it down a bit and put the rest into this cluster.

Granted, small groups are easy to make at 50 yards. For little rimfires, it's all I need.

Burris 4x12 mini AO

They never did that with the FFII. I agree though, if you have a Burris scope with that option, take advantage of it. I know I have with my AR 556 and AR7.62 scopes. However, I have to reiterate this: The FFII is not a scope you dial.. The sweet and strong point of that scope, is entirely it's reticle.. Take that for what you want..

That's one of my favorite rifles here. Thanks for posting!!

Thanks BSA,She shoot's fantastic.

Shot this spruce grouse in the head at 20 yards with my 39A mounted with a Leupold® VX-Freedom 2-7x33mm Rimfire scope

i like the hawke 4x12ao airmax scope

Hi - On my Savage B22 and CZ-455 SS Lux I use a Covenant-4 6-24x50 FFP, 6x is low enough for close shots and the 24x is good out to 100 for targets. On my CZ-457 VMTR I use an Athlon Argos 8-34x56 FFP. The rifle is too heavy for 'long walks' but is Heck on targets. My 2014 Marlin-60 just has a Tasco 4-12x40 Sportsman Plus SFP w-side-parallax, just a lot of fun