New member here. I specifically joined after reading many useful entries from other users, and not having any great success regarding a specific task on which I am working.

The popular recommendation to go look through specific scopes and judge for oneself is definitely my preference, but I am not having much luck finding two scopes so I thought I'd get some opinions here while continuing my search.

I am looking for a squirrel rifle scope for my Anschutz 1415/1416. Shots between 15-40 yards. Specs aren't any different than for most; clarity and brightness are top priorities. In addition for me, I would like a forgiving eye placement (side to side and fore/aft), and a close focus up to maybe 15 yards. This last spec pretty much limits me to a low end no greater than 2x, or an AO I think (though I looked through a Diamondback 3x9 which was sharp at this distance). I do not have any sort of max budget. Really prefer 50 yd parallax but your thoughts on the amount of error when shooting at a 15-40 yd squirrel head with a scope set at 100 yds, is welcome.

Following is what I've checked out and what I (literally) saw....


Leupold 2-7 rimfire (not too good with forgiving eye placement and not the brightest).
Vortex 3-9 Diamondback (very good with all specs but probably set at 100 yds).
Vortex Corssfire II 2-7 rimfire (noticeably less on all specs than the Diamondback).
Nikon P-Rimfire - Not going to have those turrets on my squirrel rifle
Nikon Prostaff "something or other" 4-12 AO - (very nice on everything and the AO got me nice and close. Don't have enough FOV at 4x).

Can't locate these scopes on which I'd at least like your opinions...

Weaver 2-7 rimfire
Leupold 3-9 EER
Vortex Diamondback 2-7 rimfire.

,,,And of course any others you feel would be suitable.
And finally another option which I've done before is to just send my 1.5-5 VX3i to Leupold and have them move the parallax free range to 50 yards (or for that matter go buy any Leupold I want and do the same). My 1.5-5 beats everything previously mentioned on all specs. I am going to take the rifle that it is on right now, to the range and set up a 25 yard test to see just how much error in bullet placement is introduced with head placement variation at short distances. May as well since I'm apparently not buying a rimfire scope anytime soon.

Thanks in advance folks,
Ed

I would not consider myself an expert, but my favorite Squirrel Rifle scope was the Burris Mini 6X with AO. Not the high turrent model. Those scopes are no longer made so I now use a Leupold FX II 6X with the parallax set at 40yds. and fine duplex crosshairs. When I did a lot of Squirrel hunting I always set the AO parallax at 100ft. and that worked very well. I shoot more 50yd. paper and a 40yd. parallax works a little better for me.
The Leupold 3-9 EER is a very good Squirrel and paper scope, but I prefer the brightness of the new FX II.

I never liked the Leupold 2-7 rimfire scope, but I know that is because my eyes are not what they used to be. Now the VX2 2-7X33 with the parallax set for 100ft. of maybe 40yds. would be great.

Not one of your listed choices and I don't think it's produced anymore, but the Nikon Prostaff 4x32 rimfire scope is slim, simple, and easy to use with a 50 yard parallax. I've got a couple of them on 22's.

Opposite end is the 6x42 SWFA in MOA or Mil quad. Adjustable parallax down to 10 yards, precise reticle for headshots, turrets with a lot of adjustment so you can play at longer range. I've got one on the 22 I use most and love it for how I use it.

Just a thought but what about a redfield revolution

The efr 3-9 is a very clear and good scope for rimfire, but, in my opinion suffers the same eye box problem as the 2-7 rimfire. They are both based on the compact models with shorter eye relief than the regular Leupold scopes. I have tried several scopes and finally went with the 2.5-8x36 vx3 and set parralax for 50 yards myself. My older eyes like the regular duplex vs the fine duplex in the rimfires also. I would think the 2-7x32 with parralax change would be very good also.

I have a couple of the Weaver rimfires. 2x7 and 3x9. Happy with them all

Ed, you should be able to reset the parallax on your VX3i yourself, I have done this on many VX2 and a few VX3, it's simple and quick to do and works on Redfield Revolutions, maybe other scopes but not a Zeiss Conquest.

Unscrew the forward ring of the scope, forward of the gold ring and take it off, the front lens is housed in a barrel that can be screwed in or out of the scope tube as needed. There are 2-4 slots in the edge of the barrel where a small screwdriver can be used to rotate it. I set the rifle on a rest or sand bags with a target set at the distance desired, I use 50 for small game rimfires. Put the crosshairs on the target and move the barrel in or out to eliminate reticle shift, paint the gold ring black <grin> and reinstall the forward ring and focus the reticle.

the 2-7 Leupold RF has long been my favorite rimfire hunting scope. I never found them hard to get behind at all

I do a LOT of squirrel hunting with dogs. Shots are mostly around 15-25 yards (horizontal distance). It may be way up in a tree but the tree is usually close.

My favorite scope for this s a Leupold 2-7x33 vxr with the firedot reticle. I got it from the custom shop and had them set the parallax to 50 yds and put a cds dial on the elevation. This is an awesome scope for a field gun. The combination of a red dot with magnification is a game changer for shots on game. The glass in the vxr doesn't seem quite as bright as VX 3 or FX 3, but the illuminated reticle more than makes up for it.

As it turn out, I probably didn't need the cds dial, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I've got it on a 10/22. Shots on squirrels from field positions from 15 to 50 yards are no problem.

Not quite what you're asking for, but....

I have a .223 that I use for varmint control at deer camp. I shoot chipmunks at from 10 -15 feet out to 100 yards or so, and larger varmints at various ranges. I have a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 on it and I like it a lot, I do have to crank it down to 3x for very close shots. I think it's OK at higher magnification beyond about 25 yards which is fine since that close I don't need the magnification anyway. The Conquests are well known for great clarity, excellent brightness and being very durable scopes.

If you were to be planning a mostly 25 yard target shooting I might advise a different scope, but for general squirrel hunting this is an excellent choice and they are reasonably priced. They are no longer made, but they are readily available used. Meopta makes a current production clone which is every bit as good which you would expect since Meopta made them.

I have a VXII 4-12 AO fine duplex on my 1416. I like to be able to shoot eye balls at 50 yards.

Check out Hawke scopes...I just bought a 3-9 Vantage AO for a pellet rifle.

E Arthur Brown has a 25% sale going on selected scopes

25% off selected scopes

Code RS25 gets the discount. Hawke has scopes with illuminated .22 reticles but I don't think they are included in the sale.
I have a Hawke Endurance 30 on an AR15 in 450 Bushmaster that I'm very happy with.

You can also call Doug at Camera Land and see if he'll match the deal or work one out on a Hawke that isn't part of the above sale.

Dan

Have one of these on a CZ 455. Works really well for a rimfire.

After doing the Scope Olympics with my 22's through the years , I've settled on these......for now......

10/22 Green Mountain barrel/Hogue stock for general squirrel/rabbit/ & plinking Leupold VX-1 2x7x33 reset to a 50 yard focus.

10/22 Volquartson barrel/Hogue stock for hunting/plinking/target - Leupold VX-II 4x12x40 AO with the LRD reticle.

Custom Stiller, Rock barrel, McMillan stock for everything - Leupold 3x9 EFR with fine duplex.

40-X heavy barrel for targets/plinking/steel - SWFA 3-15x44 MOA Quad reticle

I have a Weaver 2.5-7x and am very satisfied with it, though it pretty much stays on 4x, unless I'm at the range. I could be happy with their 4x scope.

This is what goes on my .22's and is a great squirrel scope.

I still continue to be very happy with the Nikon Target Rimfire EFR 3-9x40 that has the target reticle. I have used this scope on my last 2 22LR's and prefer to the Leupold that is on my oldest 22LR.

I agree with the vx 2 4-12ao and would use it over the efr 3-9. I had the efr first, then went to the vx2 4-12 ao, then the vx3 4.5 -14 ao till I finally settled on the vx3 2.5-8 with parralax at 50. It is fairly compact , depth of focus is good, and just plain looks good on my cz 17hmr. I use to think more magnification was better, but not for a hunting rifle. I only need enough magnification to put the bullet in a squirrels head, not watch it go through the squirrels head. Setting the parralax yourself is simple to do!

I'm a serious tree squirrel hunter and the scope that I have on my heavy/varmint contour barrel Anschutz, Marlin, Ruger, and Savage rifles is the Weaver V16, 4-16X42AO.

For several year my #1 fox squirrel rifle has been a Marlin 917M2S that is bedded in a Boyds Rimfire Hunter stock and topped with aforementioned Weaver V16. Earlier this month, I bought an Anschutz 1502 and have topped it with another V16, but haven't had the opportunity to take it afield yet.

I've used a lot of different scopes from Bushnell, Leupold, Nikon, Pentex, Redfield, Sightron, Simmons, and Weaver in a variety of different magnification ranges and keep buying the V16s if the Feng Shui is in balance.

The weaver 4-16 is a good scope. I use it on my .22 for sillohuette. Just find it too large for a trim hunting rifle.

Of those you mentioned, probably the best and definitely the best bang for your buck, is that Weaver 2x7. That is a great little scope.

Totally agree, I think that the V16 is physically too large for most rimfire rifles with light/sporter contour barrels. On those, I prefer Leupold 2-7x28s and 3-9x33s or Weaver RV7s and RV9s. The only light(ish) contour barrel rifle that I have a V16 on is a Ruger 10/22 with a 24" medium contour fluted stainless barrel from Green Mountain. There is a guy on RFC who puts V16s and V24s on both light and heavy contour barreled rifles.

I had a Vortex Diamondback 2-7x35mm rimfire on my Ruger 77/22 until one day it fogged up and sent it in to Vortex. In the mean time I put a Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn 3.5-10x35 mm AO Multi-X on and it is still on.

Vortex returned the scope and I sold it.

One not mentioned is Clearidge. The 3-9 is a great Japanese made lifetime warranty scope with finger adjustable capped turrets.
https://www.clearidgeoptics.com/ultra-rm-s/1814.htm

I like my Leupold rimfire 4x scopes. I ordered one from the custom shop with their turkey plex reticle that works great for squirrel hunting.

I have a Bushnell Trophy XLT 4-12x40 AO I bought for a magnum springer airgun. It stayed there for 1000-1500 rounds, then went on a .243 for the deer season. Never box tested it, but have never had to chase the adjustments and once ran the elevation up a couple full turns while shooting the airgun, then back, and it landed right back where it started. Decent glass. It's going on my SS CZ 455 when that one lands. I paid about $130, but the current Amazon price is $176. Still a good deal. My son has had an earlier version on his .22 for about 20 years.

My Ruger RSI wears a Leupold 4x rimfire, but I like more Xs for longer shots these days.

My Remington 541T has a Burris 3-9x33 Compact with the parallax set at 50 yards. I would probably go with the Leupold 3-9x33 EER.

I like my leupold 4x rimfire on my abolt 22...

I just put a Sightron 3-9 X 32mm (or 33 cannot remember) on my 1422. It has a fine crosshair, not duplex. I have been using one on a CZ452 for 3 or 4 years and it has been the best scope I have used on a rimfire. Graf's had these on one of the tables at their "Tent Sale" for around $75 out the door. It is my favorite as it is light and compact with great optics for the money.

i have a pair of Anschutz 1415/1416's, one with the light sporter barrel, the other a medium heavy contour....the light one was wearing the 2X7 Rimfire compact; decent optics, but it was more more particular when it comes to
eye relief.....i pulled that scope off a a few weeks back, and replaced it with the Leupold 3x9EFR/AO rimfire scope, which was an upgrade to my eyes.

My other 1415/1416 is the medium heavy contour, and it wears a vari-x II 4-12xAO.....i like the scope, but on the slimmer & trimmer 1416 sporter weight gun i have, it was physically a tad larger than i wanted.... optically the 4-12xAO works well for a squirrel rifle and shots at any reasonable range. Have a 2.5-8x with adjusted parallax on my anschutz .22mag, and it works pretty well for close shots, and is very tolerant of eye relief.

as mentioned previously, the VX2/VX-II in 2x7 is pretty decent once parallax corrected, of decent brightness & physically not overly large on slim rifles. I do own a few of the others you mentioned; i found the weaver 2-7x also a bit finicky on eye relief, as is the weaver 3-9xAO. The nikon prostaff 2x7 which they market as a shotgun scope does work pretty well on rimfires for me though, have several of those on assorted RF rifles.

The Sightron that Crappie Killer mentioned is good glass, i tried one , but in very low light the fine crosshairs were a bit thin for my eyeballs to pick up easily in half-light at times.

The Leupold 3x9 EFR A/O rimfire is a good one; I have a couple.

Another one you don't see very often is the Kahles 2-7 Rimfire. If you see one, grab it. That may be the nicest rimfire scope of all. Mine is on a Cooper Classic .22LR.

DF

I have a 2-7X32 Nikon Pro-Staff shotgun scope {75 yd. parallax setting} on my favorite squirrel wacker. Over the years I've killed several hundred grey squirrels with it at distances from 10 ft. to 100 yards with no complaints.

I like a dedicated squirrel rifle scope to be mounted as close to the bore as possible and I like 9X or better top magnification. Here's why. I do most of my squirrel hunting slipping quietly through the woods. This means I often see the squirrel as it is moving to try to hide from me. Often when the hide they want to keep an eye on me, and that is literally just about all that is exposed. It takes some patient scanning on higher power to find them. The less distance from the bore line to the line of sight the better. Quarter inches can count in this game.

Just for conversation purposes, would you use a different scope if you were doing Squirrel head shots only. You might say, moa of Squirrel eye.
I would still use the scopes I mentioned, but wondered if everyone else would.

i'd probably stick with the same choices also....

I try for head shots only squirrel hunting. I definitely don't feel underpowered with 2.5-8. Like I said, I just need enough mag to place bullet in head, not enough to watch it going through the head.

the clearidge 3-9x RM is my favorite.

also theyre airgun-rated ...

Leupold 6X42 TARGET A/O is my choice. Of the recommended scopes sadly many are no longer made. (3X9 EFR is no longer made)
I can use the 12X A/O nearly as well, but your trees must be shorter than where I hunt, so the 6X may well be perfect for your use.
My 6X A/O has a 1/2 minute dot. I find it is an excellent scope for squirrels. (and Dragon Flys!)
I like the 17 HMR with a trajectory of only 3/8' high at 50 yards... it is then zero at 100 yards. I can not abide the drop of standard velocity .22s.

I used to run Leupold compact scopes on my rimfires but the eyebox on these scopes are too tight for my taste, I now run Weaver V9's on My rimfires, they have a decent eyebox are pretty sharp and brightness is good, for the money they are hard to beat.......Hb

The Leupold VX-1 2-7 Rimfire has been my go-to rimfire hunting scope. Cheap and tends to hold zero good enough, once you get done chasing the zero that is.

I have a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 rimfire edition on one rifle and a VX3 2.5-8x36 w/custom 50yd parallax on another.

I prefer and cannot say enough about the Zeiss.

I ONLY do headshots. That's why I asked specifically about performance within a pretty close-in sweet spot, about 15-40 yards. "A man's got to know his limitations."

OK.. Talk to me about it.

Bushnell AR-22 2-7x32. Has a side focus that goes down to 15 yards. Very nifty scope. Love mine.

Any input on the Bushnell Rimfire scopes that have side focus and 3 turrets?

First off welcome to the forum. We have a lot of fun on here. A few issues back of Field & Stream magazine David Petzal staff gun guru spelled out what he thought was the best of the best and for a .22 he picked the Ruger 10/22 take down with that Leupold 3-9x33 AO rimfire scope. I have always liked the clean lines of the Leupold scopes, so now that my M61 Winchester is getting a scope to replace the peep sight, I ordered that same scope through Midway USA. The duplex is really fine compared with my other Leupold scopes, but for head of squirrel I assume that finer is better. While I don't exactly think of a 10/22 as the best of the best, I figure that David Petzal looks through lots more scopes than I do so that Leupold seemed to be a good idea at the time.

I had a Leupold 3x9 AO rimfire scope. I sold it and went to the 4x rimfire. The AO feature was a PITA to me. YMMV

In what manner was it a PITA? Your 4x rimfire parallax is fixed at 50 yards. Why couldn't you have just set the 3X9 at 50 and left it there?

I have been killing squirrels for over 40 years with an old Remington 521t bolt rifle. Cheap Bushnell 4X scope. I don't miss. Squirrels don't know I'm shooting a piece of crap scope. Just saying............

That didn't work for me for some reason.

I've heard others say that too. I just never understood exactly why. I've used several higher power AO scopes and never fooled with the AO unless I wanted to use max power at less than 50 yards or max power at over 300. My big game AO's get set at 100 and my rimfire AO's get set at 50.

RH Clark, the technical term for it is depth of focus. If You take a normal 3-9 scope with no ao and it is set for 150 yard parralax and look at something 25 yards away it will still be fairly clear. Now set an ao scope to 150 and look at 25 yards, not even close to as clear. With ao there is less leeway from set parralax.

Maybe some are better or worse. I've had no problems in that way with any AO scope I've ever used. If I set a VX2 4-12 AO on 50 yards the only out of focus you will get is under about 20 yards and then only on 12X. You can adjust it and focus to about 15 yards using the AO on 12X but you could shoot using 4X up to about 8X or 10X at 20 yards with a 50 yards focus no problem.

Same deal on a Z5 Swaro. Set the SF on 100 yards and you don't have to adjust it to make a 10 yard shot or a 50 yard shot or whatever,because I won't be turning the power to 18X for a 50 yard shot. I could if I wanted to though,if I was using the scope on a rimfire and I wanted to shoot fly's at 50 yards. What it is good for though is to get rid of any parallax error if I want to try for a 400 or 500 yard shot. I could see to make the shot without adjusting the parallax, but it's there if I want to use it.

May be different peoples eyes, but it was noticable to me with efr 3-9 and vx2 4-12 set at 50. The 2.5 -8 with parallax change to 50 I just throw up to shoulder and have clear target from 20-100 yards. Not perfectly clear but much clearer than the others.

I would think that the lower power made less correction necessary. I've used a 4-12 VXII for about 10 years or more on a rimfire without any issues. The only time I adjust AO is shooting closer than 30 yards on 12X. I always thought the 2-7 VX2 or 2.5-8 VX3 with a parallax change would make a great rimfire hunting scope. I don't need the extra power of the 4-12 for hunting but I do enjoy it target shooting with the same rifle. For me half the fun of a 22 is having an extremely accurate one and shooting very small or difficult targets with it. I've spent lots of enjoyable evenings on the back deck with the Annie.

What are you shooting on 12x at less than 30 yds?

I hear You about lower power but it even distracted me with the 3-9. When I noticed it was when I would see a squirrel on a limb and throw the gun up to shoot. I would find limbs in background were perfectly clear and the target wasn't. Best I can describe it, but I put the efr 3-9 on a plinker, and gave the 4-12 to my son for sillouette. The difference isnt near as distracting without ao.

This....change the parallax yourself. An easy adjustment.

Just playing. Mostly wasps that land on the hedge that grows along the back yard fence. I live in the country.

It needs a squirrel plex reticle.

Fantastic input guys; especially regarding the greater "sensitivity" to focus distance with AO scopes. That they are not simply an improvement over non-AO scopes, but that you give up some of the "in-focus" range, was useful to the extent that I am now not going to consider them for any hunting applications.

Tonight I am going to attempt to adjust the parallax in my VX3i 1.5-5 since I really like this scope. This just means I need to get another one to put back on my .270.

Thanks again for all the great input.

I've never experienced giving up anything on an adjustable objective scope. I have been disappointed when a non adjustable scope wouldn't focus at a particular distance on a particular power,and wished I had an AO scope instead.

I agree for an all around scope for hunting and paper punching at the range to 100 yards the ao is worth it. The OP stated for hunting from 15-40 yards, an ao is unnessesary. If You like the 1.5-5, set the parralax Yourself, and never have to mess with it again.

The 1.5-5 with parallax set to 50 yards would make a fantastic hunting scope. It would probably be a better squirrel hunting scope than the 4-12 AO. I just didn't want anyone to be afraid of AO scopes worrying about focus issues.

Understood R H. I was just trying to convey why I didn't care for ao in hunting. There really is no right or wrong, it all comes down to using what You enjoy!

I had the parallax in a Leupold Vari X II 3 to 9 X 40 set at 60 yards. It works great on a Winchester Model 190.

RDW,
Thanks a bunch friend, for the suggestion to reset parallax. I just did it, though to do it right I had to make a couple of tools in the machine shop. But man is that image ROCK SOLID now at 30 yards. I've now got a fantastic close range (1.5x) as well as medium range (5x though it is actually 4.4x) Leuppold VX-3i with the brightness that originally drew me to this scope for my deer rifle.
Ed

Rdw, what was the most difficult part to do on the reset?

Correction. Question meant for InTheAlders

Correction. Question meant for InTheAlders

Pretty simple, isn't it, Alders? No charge, and no shipping. Enjoy!

Holding the inner ring in place, once you have it in its new position, while tightening down the outer ring. I made a spanner wrench to fit the notches in the inner ring which made it much easier.

I've tried quite a few scopes over the years on my squirrel guns. Favorite has been the Leupold VX1 2-7x33mm set parallax free at 50 yards. Most places I can hunt don't present many very long ranged shots, and 7x top end has been plenty, along with a big field of view at 2x for moving critters and those in heavy cover at short range. The eyebox on these scopes is big, eye relief perfect for the mounting position on many rifles, light in weight, etc. Hard to beat for my situation. An AO 3-9x or 4-12x make good sights for squirrel guns too.

I'm 81 and my squirrel rifle is "retro"....Winchester mdl 75 Sporter with a 4x Leupold Alaskan.

I ended up looking in the silverware drawer and found a bread knife that fit the notches perfectly.

The hard part generally is getting the damn objective end loose. A rubber strap wrench works well, as does a Red Green staple, duck tape.

Pretty much agree with this. My scoped .22 is an older Marlin 25N with an even older Bushnell "Scope Chief"4x on it.
Works for me.

I guess my stuff is pretty outdated, but my favorite squirrel rifle (on nice weather days) is a Remington 541s that has a "baby" Redfield 3/4' tube 4x.. Makes a classy looking setup and shoots very well. My everyday 22's are a Marlin glenfield model 25 with an old weaver j model 4x and a western auto revelation model 150m semi auto that has a jap made tasco 3-9x40 with the tv view. They all shoot pretty well, but the revelation is a little picky with what ammo it likes.

I have a 3x9 Denver Widefields on my 22’s. Posts with a crosshair.

I run a Burris Fullfield II with the BP reticle. I am quite pleased with it.

Good to hear it worked out, go kill some squirrels!

I have used, and had success with, both “rimfire” and “big game” scopes for squirrel hunting.

I have a couple of Bushnell Banner straight-tube 4x “rimfire” scopes ( made in Japan). Bright, clear, and low cost ($25-$40). Could be my favorite 22 rimfire scope.

I have used (am still using?) an old Weaver El Paso ( pre- micro trac) 4x scope with a dot ( 2 moa?). I have that on a Winchester model 310 (single shot). Shoots less than 1 inch groups at 50 yards with CCI std velocity 22 Lr. Not the brightest ( old coatings), but bright enough. Don’t really notice any parallax issues. Think I paid $20 for it 15+ years ago. Works fine.

I use a newer Weaver k2.5 ( alum tube, made in Japan) on another 22 LR ( Marlin 880 SQ , and Marlin model 60). VERY bright. Plex reticle. Plenty of magnification for most squirrel shots (30 hardest or so). Again, parallax doesn’t seem to make a big difference for accuracy. Great squirrel scope.

I agree it’s idealistically wonderful to have parallax settings matched perfectly to your shooting distance, but there is an overlooked issue about parallax: if you keep your head aligned consistently on the comb of the stock ( like most people do) , parallax movement of the reticle is NIL ( as in nada, minimal, maybe zero). I don’ t see too many shooters in the field or on the range zig-zagging their head left and right 2 inches behind a scope in actual shooting/hunting conditions.

I sometimes think parallax adjustment is an point of shooting knowledge you have to talk/ write about, to show other people how advanced / educated you are about optics/accuracy. News alert....I’m not shooting IBS 300 yard benchrest matches. I’m shooting a squirrel at 20-35 yards from a sitting or offhand position. My head is aligned on the comb of the stock the same way ( or darn close) each shot. Result? Minimal enlargement of group size ( degradation of accuracy).

Personally, I feel discussions about parallax on a squirrel rifle can get silly pretty quickly. If you have an idle 2.5x , 3x, or 4x scope (. “ big game” or “rimfire” parallax setting ) just use it.

Don’t forget all those shotgun scopes. They have parallax set at 50 -75 yards, and can be very bright.

Just shoot what you have. Don’t overthink/ over analyze having a fixed parallax scope ( set for 100 yards) and think that by taking a headshot at a squirrel at 30 yards is going to cause a miss. Use decent standard velocity 22 LR ammo ( that is accurate in your rifle) and you will more than offset parallax accuracy issues. Remember, your head/ cheek doesn’t move much at all , so don’t worry about parallax.

To the original poster, if you want something “ nice” on your Anschutz, get a Leupold or Weaver rimfire fixed 4x or 2-7x. I prefer fixed powers, but it’s not my rifle, scope or money. 6x is the max power I’d ever want, and that is really too much for sub-40/50 yard shots. I have to admit, I really like that “ big game” ( 100 yard parallax setting) Weaver K2.5x scope for squirrel hunting. It’s all the magnification you need for squirrels.

My 2 cents of reality.

Different folks, different strokes.

About 1/3 of my fox squirrel shots come at ranges over 50 yards in cut corn fields, so the higher velocity of the 17HM2 and higher magnification and AO feature of a V16 comes in handy in some situations.