currently i have a burris 3-9x40 fullfield 2 ballistic plex scope on my savage 22. am thinking about a small upgrade and wondered what suggestions the members might have. the 3-10 weaver midway sells at $300 looks good. or,maybe a lower end leup or vortex? my scope is a $200 one and want to go no more $ than $300. i can leave the scope i have on it and not be unhappy at all. just looking for input on a relatively inexpensive upgrade. rig is a 25-50yd squirrel gun. 100 on paper max and will hopefully soon have a suppressor. thanks for any input.
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Rifle Scopes suggestions for a 22 lr scope upgrade
- Thread starter mosin46
- Start date
I am a Vortex fan. I have a couple of their lower end Crossfire II's on my .22s and I couldn't be happier. I found a 4x16x50 ill mil dot that I have on my CZ 455 and I have a 6x24x50 mil dot on my Kimber 82G. Adjustments are precise and they are very clear. I have a Viper on my .243 and a Viper PST on a .308. I had to use their customer service for my SPARC that was acting faulty, come to fine out, my battery was weak, they replaced it and sent it back no charge.
I found the 6x24 online at SWFA's sample page.
I found the 6x24 online at SWFA's sample page.
I had a SWFA SS 10x on my .22 for years and was pleased with it for target shooting out to 225 yards but I don't know how much I'd like it for squirrel hunting.
Currently I have a Falcon Menace 4-14x mil/mil FFP on my .22 and I would recommend it but it'll be just a tad over what you're looking to spend ($360)
Currently I have a Falcon Menace 4-14x mil/mil FFP on my .22 and I would recommend it but it'll be just a tad over what you're looking to spend ($360)
I have 2 "Precision" 22LR trainer type rifles....one has the Weaver 3-10 Mil/Mil, and the other has SS 10X Mil/Mil. I like them both, but your specified needs, I would not hesitate to get the Weaver.....You will enjoy that scope!
At your distance of 25-50 yards for shooting I would pay attention to the specifications on the scopes you're interested in. Many rifle scopes (not specific .22 scopes) have a minimum focus distance of 75-100 yards... Most of the Sightron models go down to 11 yards, I bought one of their models for my .22 as I was shooting indoor gallery at 50 feet in the winter and then back outside where you can shoot to whatever distance you desire...and still be able to focus targets from 11 yards to ....
The Weaver is a good value but has fixed focus/parallax and is not ideal for 25-50 yards use. Within your $300 budget I would get the SWFA SS fixed power, probably in 10x. It has adjustable focus to quite close (I think 10 yards).
I recently upgraded my .22 trainer from a $20 Barska to a Sightron SIII 3.5-10x44. It's kinda overkill, but is just fantastic. Playing with the knobs to make four groups in a square is fun. It also focuses down to about 10 yards. It's about double your budget though.
I recently upgraded my .22 trainer from a $20 Barska to a Sightron SIII 3.5-10x44. It's kinda overkill, but is just fantastic. Playing with the knobs to make four groups in a square is fun. It also focuses down to about 10 yards. It's about double your budget though.
I think the SS fixed 6x is a great 22 trainer scope. It's field of view is close to a lot of 4x scopes out there and the mil-quad has 10 mils of hold over in the reticle. That combined with 36+mils of elevation makes it about the perfect long-range 22lr scope in my estimation, especially if you ever run subsonic loads. I think the fixed 10x's are a little much magnification for squirrels and bunnies.
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Why all the $300+ large objective, variable magnification scopes for 22LR for 100yds or less? I have a Mueller APT on my 10/22 and it's overkill out to 100yds. A 10x from 24-40mm objective is plenty out to 100yds.
I am shooting my .308 to 500yds with a SWFA 10x. No way I would spend over $200 on a scope for squirrel hunting or punching paper at 100yds or less.
I am shooting my .308 to 500yds with a SWFA 10x. No way I would spend over $200 on a scope for squirrel hunting or punching paper at 100yds or less.
Because a lot of guys like to push their 22lr out to 300+ yards and need both the magnification and the elevation. Shooting rimfire that far really pushes the skills of marksmanship and wind calling, and is a highly valuable training tool for those that want to save money or don't have continuous access to longer ranges.
Just because it's a 22lr doesn't mean it has to be cheap or low grade, including the accessories. Now who has an Annie 64 they want to get rid of, I have an S&B with no rifle at the moment....
But this guy is talking about shooting squirrels and paper out to 100yds. If I was him I would just save my money and buy more ammo or put it towards something else.
Even if I was to shoot my 22LR out to 300yds, why would I need a more expensive scope? I can't find a justification for it.
You're right. I didn't read the "squirrel gun" part in the OP. That's what I get for glazing over...
My 10/22 with iron sights is still my favorite critter-getter and has taken hundreds upon hundreds of the guys, but I do slap the scope on it when I'm not in the treeline. For a rimfire scope in that range I prefer a fixed 4x-6x range, tops. Fixed for clarity and brightness in cheaper glass. I have a Bushnell Banner .22 that I've run for years and killed many with it as well.
I have 3 Midway- BSA tactical 4-14 mil/mil FFP scopes/$250, on air rifles and a 22 mag. The parallax (focus) goes down to 10Y, which is nice to have sometimes. This scope is very versatile, especially for holdovers and holdoffs. They also track pretty good. I shoot one of the air rifles 3-4 times a week from 25Y to 135Y mostly using holdovers. The reticle is .7 mil thick or so and is usable at 4x which is nice for close range hunting, like for a squirrel in a tree 10Y - 20Y away.
thanks all. some good input. am leaning toward keeping the burris or get the weaver if one comes up here as a steal. 2-4x for small game out to 50 and 8-10 for paper out to 100. either would work. having the bal plex or mil dots on either is helpful. i do shoot off the reticle despite that being a no-no in some quarters. thanks again.
A buddy of mine has one of those on his wife's .22. I was amazed at how good that scope is for the price!
Of the scopes noted, which if any, are Made in the USA. I need to pick up one for a friends son and would like to buy USA if possible. Not always easy, but like to when I can...
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A couple of American made scopes that would be great on a 22lr that come to mind are the Redfield Revolution 2-7x32 and Minox ZA5 1.5-8x32, 2-10x40.
Thanks Crosshair. Appreciate the quick insight. I used a Redfield spotting scope and for what it cost, was pretty decent. Have you experienced any Minox glass?
I've spent countless hours researching a scope for my .22lr and this is the best IMHO
Leupold VX-2 3-9x33 ultralight EFR
Leupold VX-2 3-9x33 ultralight EFR
Not my Anni but I'm thinking of letting my Vickers go....
I've used a Bushnell elite 3200 to great results and is currently my go to for a decent .22 plinker.
Only reason I could see switching from low/mid grade scope to another (slightly more expensive) low/mid grade scope would be if you were using it for ranging practice for your FFP on a long range rifle. Others already suggested the Falcon Menace and BSA so I'll add the Primary Arms version (all 3 look similar and are Chinese).
I vote to keep the Philippines made Burris since you use it for plinking/target and squirrels. I am pleased with the same scope on a 30-06 Rem700BDL deer rifle and have the 4.5-14x42 version on my CZ453 which rocks for applications similar to yours.
I vote to keep the Philippines made Burris since you use it for plinking/target and squirrels. I am pleased with the same scope on a 30-06 Rem700BDL deer rifle and have the 4.5-14x42 version on my CZ453 which rocks for applications similar to yours.
Yes, I have looked through them, and have briefly owned the new ZV3 series 3-9x40 that is a Chinese assembled version of the ZA3 3-9 and the glass was shockingly good, it actually has the same coatings as the German Schott glass. In broad daylight I didn't really see much of a difference compared to the ZA, which is comparable to the Zeiss conquest. The mechanicals aren't on par of the higher end scopes, but with a bdc reticle it would be a great budget hunting scope. I had an issue with the erector and is currently being taken care of by Minox, nice guys. I'll probably trade up to the German glass/american assembled ZA5 2-10x40 bdc for my 300 win.
