What optic do I want for 22lr?

Dev L · Jun 18, 2024

I want a new.scope for 22lr precision shooting.

I want the following features:

50mm or larger objective
24x or greater max magnification
FFP
0.1 mil adjustments
0.2 mil reticle marks (or 0.1)
Under 25y side parallax adjustment
Zero stop
Decent glass (at least Vortex PST Gen2 level)
Under $1000

Things I dont care about...

Illumination
Tube size
10 mils per rev
Locking turrets
Magnification range
Christmas tree reticle
Floating dot reticle
Super tactile turrets

So, what scope am I looking for? Everything seems to be missing something.

Taylorbok · Jun 18, 2024

The hard stuff is going to be 25y parallax and under $1k

Rob01 · Jun 18, 2024

Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56. Has everything you want.

Match Pro 5-30x56 Riflescope | Best Long Range Scope

Built for the competitive shooter, the Match Pro ED offers a zero stop and expanded 5-30x magnification with a 56mm objective for the long range shooter. Shop today.

www.bushnell.com

Kiba · Jun 18, 2024

Might want to check the PX for a used Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29. I've had 3 over the years on rimfires and PCP air rifles and was very happy with them. You can sometimes find nice used Gen 1s in the low $800 range.

Parallax goes down to 25y at 29x, but reduce the magnification and it will go much closer with a clear and parallax free image. If you want a scope that has actual parallax adjustment down to 10-15y at max magnification though, the Cronus probably isn't for you.

Fret · Jun 18, 2024

This is just barely over $1K:

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 5.5-30x56mm 34mm SCR 2 Mil Riflescope 201214

FREE SHIPPING on Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 5.5-30x56mm 34mm SCR 2 Mil Riflescope 201214

www.eurooptic.com

A.sosa · Jun 18, 2024

I have a 6x swfa on my savage and a fx6 with target turret on my cz. Both allow me to be in correction beyond 300.

david walter · Jun 18, 2024

What he said above.

And, I have a few with 4-16 Arkens just because.

beetroot · Jun 18, 2024

Why not just get a 5-25 PST Gen2 if you like that level of glass? Or do you want parallax those goes way down (eg10yards??

The Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25 and Bushnell Match Pro 5-30 are probably the best contenders, but I'd rather have a PST Gen 2.
The new Viper HD 5-25x50 could be a good option, but not many reviews out for it yet.

Rob01 · Jun 18, 2024

PST Gen II 5-25 is a bad idea for a Rimfire scope. Not enough elevation.

0724/1030 · Jun 18, 2024

Rob01 said:
Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56. Has everything you want.

I’ll second the Match Pro ED. If you are eligible for the coupon code (WELCOMEBACK0624), Midway has them for $599.

Simonsza1 · Jun 18, 2024

Used strike eagle leaves you $500 for other gear or ammo.

beetroot · Jun 18, 2024

Rob01 said:
PST Gen II 5-25 is a bad idea for a Rimfire scope. Not enough elevation.

I know you know this already, but it's entirely dependent on how far you are shooting.
Vast majority of matches I shoot are inside of 250yards and the PST is fine for that.

Have you had the match pro along side the Strike Eagle (or PST G2)? And can comment on the glass?
The Strike Eagle glass IMO was a step down compared to the PST Gen2.

021411 · Jun 18, 2024

Match Pro ED. The glass is pretty damn good from around 12-20x where I hang out when I shoot matches. My main glass is a ZCO and I have no issues with the clarity of the Bushnell for the money.

rumblefunk · Jun 19, 2024

I’d suggest either a Vortex Venom or Vortex Strike Eagle, either in 5-25x56.

FuhQ · Jun 20, 2024

My suggestion…

Yslg77 · Jun 20, 2024

I run a Strike Eagle 5-25. It's s good balance between price and glass quality for a 22, the turrets are solid, the zero stop is easy to set, the reticle matches my centerfire rifle, and the illuminated reticle is important for the handful of night PRS matches I shoot each year.

Agracer · Jun 21, 2024

FuhQ said:
My suggestion…

View attachment 8442709 View attachment 8442710 View attachment 8442711

read the optics are better than the PST G2, but capped windage turrets???

FuhQ · Jun 21, 2024

Agracer said:
read the optics are better than the PST G2, but capped windage turrets???

Yes, and yes.

Thomas Geistman · Jun 22, 2024

So far the furthest I’ve shot at a PRS 22 match is about 220 yards. I run the Venom 5-25 FFP. It seems to do well within those distances. My worst complaint is the eye relief seems poor on it. Can make it difficult to get in the eye box on challenging barricades. But then again I’m not that good either lol. I struggled to make myself spend much more on a production 22 rifle for the optic. I think they can be had for around $500 so you’ve got much more budget to work with.

david walter · Jun 22, 2024

How small are then 220 yard targets?

theonlykernel · Jun 22, 2024

I put the Athlon Cronus on mine. I think the Gen 1's can be had for $1k or so. The floating dot is a must IMO.

Thomas Geistman · Jun 23, 2024

david walter said:
How small are then 220 yard targets?

If I remember correctly it was like a steel groundhog. So about 4x2 maybe? The steel groundhogs were the biggest targets we had. Some were small little pigs and other were just square or round 1-2” targets.

Agracer · Jun 23, 2024

FuhQ said:
Yes, and yes.

At first I wondered why they capped the windage and thought it was a mistake to do that. I want to be able to dial wind easily. Then yesterday I didn't dial wind a single time all day at the NRL 22 match, and the winds were 10-15 with gusts to 20. I just held over.

For PRS Centerfire I'd think most folks would want to be able to dial wind.

Rob01 · Jun 23, 2024

Agracer said:
For PRS Centerfire I'd think most folks would want to be able to dial wind.

Why?

carbonbased · Jun 23, 2024

Agracer said:
For PRS Centerfire I'd think most folks would want to be able to dial wind.

If they do, just uncap the turret before it’s one’s turn to shoot.

NF ATACR and NX8 scopes do the same thing for the windage turret.

Rob01 · Jun 23, 2024

No one is dialing wind on the clock.

carbonbased · Jun 23, 2024

Rob01 said:
No one is dialing wind on the clock.

I’m not a competitor, but I wouldn’t dial for wind if I was…but this MPA guy apparently does/did when he can. I would think it would be slower, and I think this guy is the exception.

I never dial for anything. I am going to try dialing this year when shooting varmints, just to experiment.

Speaking of dialing @Agracer, I remember Reubenski talking about how he had a revelation about the T3 holds-for-everything reticle (mil sniper guy, he wiped his stuff off this site). He had dissed the T3 hard for quite some time. I mean, who can blame him, the thing looks abominable.

Then he actually committed to it for a while to see if it indeed worked. Worked = shaved time off his shooting strings.

By Jove, it did, and not by an insignificant amount. Echoed by @Rudy Gonsior, another mil guy, somewhere on SH.

Now, I hate the looks of the T3. Hate.

Still, Reubenski’s story tempted me to try it until I calculated the size of the dots at 400yds. They’d obscure my pdog targets, either partially or totally (depending if pups/adult & position), at around that distance. So no dice for me.

Xmas trees can be challenging in my little niche, but I like thin ones as it’s faster to line up and shoot.

But it shows one sometimes needs to commit to something for a while to really give it a fair shake.

Baron85 · Jun 23, 2024

I still see a few people at our matches that dial wind and do pretty good. It just doesn’t make sense to me since the wind is a constant variable that has to be adjusted for. So much easier to hold and correct if you don’t have wind dialed in.

Rob01 · Jun 23, 2024

You can dial an initial wind but adjust when shooting with a hold. Never seen anyone get into shooting and reach up for the windage.

Taylorbok · Jun 24, 2024

If your shooting a mover dialing the wind makes everything much easier. After that I almost never dial wind unless I figure all the targets are the same wind and then I can just make minor adjustments as needed. I also had to dial wind at KRG they had a 3000 Yard target and my wind hold was off my reticle so I had to dial some.

Rob01 · Jun 24, 2024

Taylorbok said:
If your shooting a mover dialing the wind makes everything much easier. After that I almost never dial wind unless I figure all the targets are the same wind and then I can just make minor adjustments as needed. I also had to dial wind at KRG they had a 3000 Yard target and my wind hold was off my reticle so I had to dial some.

Yup dialing in the initial wind for a mover will make using your hold easier as you will have the same hold either way the mover is moving. No negative holds either which mess with people's minds.

Charger442 · Jun 24, 2024

Rob01 said:
Yup dialing in the initial wind for a mover will make using your hold easier as you will have the same hold either way the mover is moving. No negative holds either which mess with people's minds.

i dont like that at all. maybe im the exception, but i have it in my head which way the wind is blowing and what my mover lead is. one side just gets more lead than the other.

but i have an engineers mind and maybe thats different. dialing wind would feel wrong. especially if im reading different wind downrange between shots.

Taylorbok · Jun 24, 2024

Charger442 said:
i dont like that at all. maybe im the exception, but i have it in my head which way the wind is blowing and what my mover lead is. one side just gets more lead than the other.

but i have an engineers mind and maybe thats different. dialing wind would feel wrong. especially if im reading different wind downrange between shots.

Everyone is different and do what works for you. IMO it's just asking for a mental mistake switching leads depending on which way the target is going

Rob01 · Jun 24, 2024

Charger442 said:
i dont like that at all. maybe im the exception, but i have it in my head which way the wind is blowing and what my mover lead is. one side just gets more lead than the other.

but i have an engineers mind and maybe thats different. dialing wind would feel wrong. especially if im reading different wind downrange between shots.

Both ways work. Just which works for you. I normally don't dial wind on either but it's easy enough to do. Even if not dialing wind you might have to adjust your mover hold depending on what the rounds are telling you when impacting on or near the target.

Charger442 · Jun 24, 2024

Rob01 said:
Both ways work. Just which works for you. I normally don't dial wind on either but it's easy enough to do. Even if not dialing wind you might have to adjust your mover hold depending on what the rounds are telling you when impacting on or near the target.

was doing out of position mover targets at 400-500 some years ago at Rifle Only. i was surprised at how easily i picked it up. that was a lot of fun.

made hitting a running coyote last saturday at 200 yards mid morning almost as easy as yawning.

Rob01 · Jun 24, 2024

Yup I have shot movers at Rifles Only a lot at matches. Always fun. It's the only place I shot a mover and had to use a negative lead due to those TX winds. LOL

DocUSMCRetired · Jun 25, 2024

For information purposes. If you want to be able to shoot beyond 250 yards in the winter then you will need at least 42 MOA/12Mils of adjustment. 500 yards will need 140MOA/40mils.

FuhQ · Jun 26, 2024

DocUSMCRetired said:
For information purposes. If you want to be able to shoot beyond 250 yards in the winter then you will need at least 42 MOA/12Mils of adjustment. 500 yards will need 140MOA/40mils.

Yep, from my 100 yard zero with my Ranger 22, to get to 200 is 5.1 MILs, and to get to 300 is 11.7 MILs with CCI SV ammo.

oldrifleman · Jun 26, 2024

I shot internationalish trap for 20 years so leading a target is second nature and my mind just processes the wind automatically. I haven’t dialed in wind age in many years.
As was said we each process things in our own way and arrive at what works. The secret is to know when to change because it isn’t working for the situation.

Simonsza1 · Jun 26, 2024

youthman said:
I'll suggest the Athlon Argos Gen 2 BTR 6-24x. Great scope and price is affordable with lifetime warranty. I use it for bench rest 50 yard targets with my 457.

This is a great scope. The only problem is for prs type of competition on a rimfire the 6 mills per revolution is a deal breaker and something that should be considered. Otherwise it’s worth every penny.

Lastsaint21 · Jun 26, 2024

I have done my equipment "learning" my own way..It was more expensive than just taking someone in the knows word for it but I see the scope choices like this..

Under 1k
I prefer the Match Pro ED...Superior to the Strike Eagle to me but the SE is not a bad choice either..

1k-2kish
Burris XTR Pro hands down for my eyes and the features you get for the money. It is pushing the 2k line..Some will say the Zeiss S3 (touch more expensive than 2k)..I respect their opinion on that and wouldn't tell someone not to get it but personally the XTR PRO just works for me better..If you like the reticles (I do not) the S3 is so close to the G3 in price, I don't see how you chose the Ziess over the Vortex. If I liked the reticle I would also spend the extra to get the G3 over the Burris Pro..A used Burris Pro is usually the steal of this category, resale does suck on those. I think that is perception vs what your actually getting.

Above that and you should just save and get what you want, whatever you have been dreaming about.. ZCO, TT. Your not looking for value here, you are getting yourself a Mid Life Crisis gift..

or a Later in Life I deserve the best and have worked for it gift..

Simonsza1 · Jun 26, 2024

Lastsaint21 said:
or a Later in Life I deserve the best and have worked for it gift..

ME!

ECK · Jun 26, 2024

It seems kinda counter-intuitive that a PRS/NRL22 rimfire scope has more requirements than a scope for centerfire. You need more internal elevational travel, large turrets, and parallax that goes down to 25 yds (or less).

As mentioned above, to dial out to 300 yds you need 12-13 mils of up, 400 yds is 21-ish mils, and fortunately 500 yd shots are rare enough that off-hand I don’t even know what I would need to dial. So a scope with at least 24-26 mils of internal travel is needed plus a 30-50MOA base.

Along those same lines, it helps to have a turret that has a least 10 or 12 mils per rotation. 10 is easier I suppose on the brain (11 mils is one full rotation +1 mil, 12 is one full rotation +2, etc.) as opposed to a turret with 12 mils where 13 mils is one full rotation +1 etc. In centerfire world I rarely go beyond the first full rotation shooting PRS or NRLH. But at a rimfire match, you’re doing a lot of cranking on a turret with only 6 mils per rotation, I know bc I had one.

And lastly parallax that focuses down to those 25 yd shots on the 1/4” KYL when its all greyed out and blending in with the background.

My search for a rimfire scope with all those features led me to the Burris XTR Pro with the SCR2 reticle. I’ve tried a few other scopes and reticles (including ones in .5 mil increments) and the SCR2 w/ the .2 mil increments works best for my brain. I tried .25 mil increments, and had I not gotten used to .2 I probably would have been fine. I now have the XTR Pro on 3 rifles (Vudoo .22, my 6GT for PRS and my 6.5CM for NRLH). I keep hearing good things about the Zeiss S3 and one of these years I need to check one out in person since it also checks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a scope.

oldrifleman · Jun 26, 2024

To me there is no practical difference in scope requirements between rimfure and center fire so I just put ZCOs on all of them!

Charger442 · Jun 26, 2024

Simonsza1 said:
ME!

so then S&B 3-27 High Power?

Simonsza1 · Jun 26, 2024

LuckyDuck · Jun 27, 2024

I presently am running an Athlon Cronus G2 on my NRL22 rig this year. Before that- I spent... about 4 years running a 'bottom of the barrel' Vortex Diamondback FFP scope on my other rig (still have it and it still gets the job done). You need optics that track correctly and that you can see the target clear enough- don't over think it. I've taken the Diamondback (again bottom of the barrel of the Vortex offerings for this sport) out to 300 yards and while there were plenty of options that were 'nice to have', it still got the job done pretty dang well.

It wasn't until I upgraded my NRL22 rifle that I put the Cronus on it- and I'm sure others here will say why that was the wrong choice but again- can you see the target, do the turrets track correctly? focus on those things and you'll be money ahead.

-LD

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