What is the best rimfire scope

#3
Use?
Benchrest?
Hunting?
Silhouette?
CMP?
Is price important or is absolute quality the priority?


Seriously, I've got a 70 dollar mil-dot CenterPoint that does what I need for small game hunting.
I've got a Weaver T-24 that is ideal for punching paper off a bench
and a Mueller 8-32x44 that doubles as a varmint scope and range scope on my 17 hmr.

None are high dollar names like March or Schmidt and Bender, but all get the job done.
 
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#5
BSA Midway special is your only option then. I have one, Steve 123 here is a user and it ain't bad for .22 use. I like it, it works, FFP, great reticle, fair glass, I have used it from 35 degrees f to about 80 degrees f, no isssues so far. I know people will slam BSA, heck I was one of them, until Steve showed me the use of it. I wouldn't put it on a hard use rifle, nor do I worry so much about eye relief on a .22 rimfire. Try one from midway....
 
#12
What's an acceptable rimfire scope? FFP, MIL/MIL, cheaper is better, but not a POS. Something to stick on a CZ455 trainer for punching paper at 25-100yds.

To answer my own question: Either a Primary Arms or BSA 4-14x44mm. Sub-$200 if you shop around, and good reviews so far. Now to pick out rings.
 
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#15
depends on definition of best (they are not nightforce, us optics, leopold, S&B, etc):

2 cents on the nikko: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...-stirling-targetmaster-6-24x-56mm-review.html

2 cents on the hawke: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...-sidewinder-30-8-32x-56mm-review-problem.html

2 cents on BSA "tactical mildot" (not the 4-14, i have no experience with the 4-14): http://www.snipershide.com/[email protected]

2 cents on picking a rimfire scope: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ion/71572-thoughts-picking-scope-rimfire.html

probably the best out there when considering "creature comforts" vs. price is a centerpoint 4-16 - pretty clear / sharp image and repeatability.

tough to beat a nikon buckmasters target dot or mildot on anything if considering "creature comforts" vs. price and 10yd focus is not a real requirement

post with scope, rings, bases links stuff, though after the site transition may be lost or can be searched individually:
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...tion/24818-22-scope-mounts-rings-threads.html

rings - actually pretty impressed with UTG "max strength" series rings

Leapers UTG Max Strength LE Grade Quick Detach Picatinny Riflescope Rings RQ2W1156, RQ2W1104, RQ2W1154, RQ2W3226, RQ2W1206, RQ2W3156, RQ2W1204, RQ2W3154, RQ2W3104, RQ2W3224. Leapers UTG Riflescope Mounts, Rings & Bases, Leapers Riflescope Mounts, (actually prefer them over the weaver tactical rings)
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...trength-quick-detachable-rings-4-rimfire.html

and of course burris and millet angle loc steel rings is on my short list when it comes to rings, either in "tactical" or classic styles, rimfire or centerfire.

have had great history with walmart 10.00 weaver quad locs too.
 
#16
E. Bryant said:
The Schmidt-Bender PMII 5-25x56mm meets this requirement.
Click to expand...
The man who runs the rimfire match that follows the monthly centerfire match has one of these on his .22 rifle. Since he sets small targets out to 200 yards, I don't consider the scope overkill. If I could afford it, I'd put one on my .22.

If you're not planning on shooting past 100 yards, I think you would be happy with a scope that sent up to around 15X. I have an older B&L in that power that does well, but I don't think it focuses down to 10 yards. As Twisted .308 wrote, an airgun scope might be a good choice.

Richard
 
#17
I have a Simmons 6-18x40 with side focus that I got on close out for $59. It sucks. Totally wasted my money. The mag range is just about right for my purposes (paper targets up to 200 yards), but the glass is terrible. Reticle is slightly canted. Side focus is so finicky that if it's focused at 50 yards, I can barely even see a target at 55 yards. When I get around to replacing it, glass clarity will be a priority. Also, mil/mil with hash marks for holdover is a must. No more guessing off a duplex...

I knew it was garbage when I realized that my dad's 3-9x Leupold vx-2 was MUCH better at 150 yards than the Simmons at any magnification. Even spotting hits on paper was easier with the Leupold.
 
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#18
probably the best out there when considering "creature comforts" vs. price is a centerpoint 4-16 - pretty clear / sharp image and repeatability.
Click to expand...

That's the Crosman/CenterPoint Adventure Class 4-16x40 AO, from 5 yards to infinity.

Inexpensive and tough. I've used it for taking many squirrels and rabbits.
Dial it down to 4x and between the mil-dots and heavy crosshairs does well
in brush where fine target crosshairs disappear. Turn on the crosshair illumination
and use it like a red dot sight, with both eyes open, makes for fast acquisition and squeeze.
Important when chasing small game during lowlight conditions when those critters slip
into the understory so quickly. At 70 bucks it's a bargain and as long as you keep the sales receipt
Crosman will repair or replace as long as you own it. I've had 'em mounted on a 308 for hog hunting,
multiple rimfires and an RWS 54 AirKing. The AirKing is a heavy springer that destroys weak scopes.
Any scope that can take that kind of abuse and maintain accuracy is worthy of a second look.
As Top said, it's the best combination of features and low cost.
 
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#20
TOP PREDATOR said:
depends on definition of best (they are not nightforce, us optics, leopold, S&B, etc



tough to beat a nikon buckmasters target dot or mildot on anything if considering "creature comforts" vs. price and 10yd focus is not a real requirement

buckmaster 6x18 has put me in the money, a lot last year, at the match
only it is not FFP. but I still like it
may try a leupold 8.5x25 SF soon
Click to expand...
 
#21
yoteman said:
TOP PREDATOR said:
depends on definition of best (they are not nightforce, us optics, leopold, S&B, etc



tough to beat a nikon buckmasters target dot or mildot on anything if considering "creature comforts" vs. price and 10yd focus is not a real requirement

buckmaster 6x18 has put me in the money, a lot last year, at the match
only it is not FFP. but I still like it
may try a leupold 8.5x25 SF soon
Click to expand...

True story, I have watched every bullet of yoteman's go down range in the series... Basically, if you have Good Glass, Good TRACKING of Elevation and Range of Mag -- you can shoot anything from 10M to 300M
Click to expand...
 
#22
E. Bryant said:
The Schmidt-Bender PMII 5-25x56mm meets this requirement.
Click to expand...

A year ago I would have laughed and shook my head at this suggestion... but here I am a year later with one S&B 5-25 on my Quad in .22LR and another 5-25 on my Quad in .17 HMR so now I'll just nod and agree with you. Having the same scope & reticle on all of my frequently shot rifles is nice. I'm even stupid enough to have an S&B 3-20 on my air rifle which I use on a near daily basis-- might as well put good glass on the most used rifle in the safe!

For a more reasonably priced scope I used to run Bushnell 3-12 x 44 FFP G2DMRs on my rimfires & air rifle. 10Y parallax, great reticle, pretty good glass, mil/mil/FFP, tracked and repeated extremely well. Eyebox got a little tight at 11-12x but if you have a consistent cheekweld it's not a big issue. I just received a couple of the new 3-12 x 44 LRHS to upgrade the older scopes as I wanted the 10 mil elevation knob & zero stop and it's a big improvement over the old 3-12 x 44 in every way but one... someone dropped the ball at Bushnell and instead of having 7Y parallax as George & Pat initially touted the LRHS as-delivered only has 50Y parallax and is no longer a good rimfire scope IMO. So for now back to the old 3-12 x 44 FFP G2DMR on the 10/22. It's a big step up in quality compared to all of the cheaper options (BSA, Falcon, Hawke, etc) for not too much more money.
 
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#23
Va_Gentleman said:
yoteman said:
True story, I have watched every bullet of yoteman's go down range in the series... Basically, if you have Good Glass, Good TRACKING of Elevation and Range of Mag -- you can shoot anything from 10M to 300M
Click to expand...

thanks Va,
but to clear something up
this year, i have not been in the top 10.
joe an i was thinking it might be the scope. but johnson an i did a box test one day,
(i was hopeing it was the scope, or the ammo) but no, test proved for that day the rifle, scope, ammo, combo
was ok, did not want to say it but i think the driver is the problem.
now as for the ones to watch for in the winner circle this year,
my money is on Armopla8chikn,Apachie,Blitz, are them johnson fellows,
them damm mountain men sure as hell can shoot.
yes jaybrid is 13yr old but in my book he is a man.
i think the top 5 scopes are Leuopold, this year so far.
Joe an Steve going to be hard to beat as always.
uncle BS can shoot more than his mouth,(joe you make me laugh all the time) an i need that now more then wining

if you really want to know what your rifle/scope will do. come to the conover TSC match.
are any match that will test you from 50yd out to 200yd,
then you will see if your scope is up to the task. shooting from a bench all the time is not a real world test
most any scope will let you shoot ok off a bench at 50yd an dare i say all day long
Click to expand...
 
#25
Another good FFP scope worth mentioning is the SWFA 3-15.

The glass is better than the various 4-14's but not quite as good as the Bushnells Kiba suggested. It has 6y mimimum parallax which is handy for shooting airguns indoors in the winter. 30 mils of turret travel as well. I was hitting a steel at 414Y using Wolf/MT with a tad bit of holdover without a angled base.

For the money the BSA tactical is a no brainer. Quite a value!

S&B's are the APEX, that's for sure. I'm trying to talk my wife into buying one for herself when she gets the money from the sale of her rental. She likes me and might even let me borrow it occasionally, haha.
 
#26
I just picked up a Primary Arms 4-14x44 mil/mil FFP at a discount. It was sold by PA as having some black spots in the eyepiece if you looked at a certain angle. Considering the significant discount off the retail price, I decided to give it a try.

The rings (UTG 30mm dovetail mounts) and scope are on my workbench, and the CZ 455 should be here tomorrow so I can assemble everything. I'll post some pictures and results from the range this weekend.

P.S. Looking at the BSA and Primary Arms, am I the only who thinks they're coming off the same production line with a few minor differences in configuration?

456482.jpg

PA4-14XFFP-2.jpg
 
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#30
DFoo right as ever....you will be hard pressed to beat the EFR 6.5-20x40 Leupold, mounted on a decent 20MOA cant rail, decent rings(Burris XTR minimum) It is a scope you can use a lifetime and I challenge you to tear it up.

Oh me? What do I reccomend? I was just quoting Ole Fooman. You don't even want to ask me. I am putting my Mark 6 on mine very soon...seriously. If you have a serious 22 why in hell would you put a tinker toy on the thing. Hey, I told ya you didn't want to ask.
 
#31
armorpl8chikn said:
DFoo right as ever....you will be hard pressed to beat the EFR 6.5-20x40 Leupold, mounted on a decent 20MOA cant rail, decent rings(Burris XTR minimum) It is a scope you can use a lifetime and I challenge you to tear it up.

Oh me? What do I reccomend? I was just quoting Ole Fooman. You don't even want to ask me. I am putting my Mark 6 on mine very soon...seriously. If you have a serious 22 why in hell would you put a tinker toy on the thing. Hey, I told ya you didn't want to ask.
Click to expand...

yep chikn, time for me to grow up, an play with the big boys
looking for a leupold 6.5x20 or a 8.5x25 now.
but the nikon almost got me there last year, but time to stepup to the plate now.with a real bat.not in tee bal any more
 
#33
I have three of the midway specials, can't be beat for the price. I like the reticle, they have tracked well, I've shot out to 300 meters with CCI SV and didn't run out of travel. I've got Vortex PST and Bushnell 3-21 on my centerfires. I'd put the bushnell on a 22. The PST won't focus at 25 yards.
 
#35
I just got the vortex viper HS LR for mine. Has a BDC reticle which is not necessarily my favorite but it's actually MOA based, so usable. I like that it has a capped windage turret but a tactical elevation turret, since I don't plan on dialing for wind but might need to for elevation. (My typical long range shots are 165 yards - that's the fence line behind my parents' house where the marmots hang out). Sportsman's Warehouse has it on sale for $399 right now. Hard to beat that. I'd prefer FFP just for the practice, but functionally, this will work just fine.
 
#36
On the cheap I would recommend the PRIMARY ARMS 4X14 ffp Mil/mil. Lots of great things for the money and I am well pleased with mine. BTW, this scope has so much vert adjustment that I am able to go out to 400 yds. Really incredible for the sub $250 price. I do use the Burris 30 mil signature rings though with the split inserts so I guess I am cheating a bit with the offsets in the rings, -10 front and +10 rear kinda like a 20 min base but still, you gotta love the enormous range built into a cheap scope. It's only the price that is cheap, the rest of the scope is a great value.
 
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#37
Hammer47 said:
On the cheap I would recommend the PRIMARY ARMS 4X14 ffp Mil/mil. Lots of great things for the money and I am well pleased with mine. BTW, this scope has so much vert adjustment that I am able to go out to 400 yds. Really incredible for the sub $250 price. I do use the Burris 30 mil signature rings though with the split inserts so I guess I am cheating a bit with the offsets in the rings, -10 front and +10 rear kinda like a 20 min base but still, you gotta love the enormous range built into a cheap scope. It's only the price that is cheap, the rest of the scope is a great value.
Click to expand...

I second this motion. I bought a blemish model from PA for my rimfire, paid even less than the already good price. Glass was fairly clear, the blemish was a few black spots in the upper right quadrant of the lens, but it was insignificant to me. The scope tracked well when I dialed adjustments, and you can't beat a sub-$200 price for a mil/mil FFP scope that won't need to survive heavy recoil.

If you look at 10 o'clock in the picture, you can see two blurs that are the blemishes, totally negligible as far as function goes.

Ta0JZ0Fl.jpg


I've considered putting my Bushnell ERS on the rimfire rifle one day, just to be... THAT GUY.
 
#38
I have a Leupold VX-R 4-12Xx40mm with a Ballistic FireDot reticle on my CZ 455 17hmr Tacticool build, and I'm fixing to order a VX-2 3-9x33 with a LR duplex reticle for my 10/22. The VX-2 is highly touted as a rimfire scope, as it has an adjustable objective for parallax adjustment.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
#40
Am I the only one ordering the new Steiner T5Xi 3-15x50 for rimfire use? 20m minimum parallax isn't what everyone wants, but that's more than close enough for the shooting I do. $1700/ea is low enough for me to "buy once, cry once". I'm not crazed about the 34mm tube, but I'll make do with it on the 1517 and 1710. I am disappointed in the clarity of the SWFA SS 3-15x42 on the top end, so I'm hoping this does the trick.

Now if only I could find the perfect tactical stocks without ordering a non-inletted version and having it milled out...
 
#41
Redmanss said:
Am I the only one ordering the new Steiner T5Xi 3-15x50 for rimfire use? 20m minimum parallax isn't what everyone wants, but that's more than close enough for the shooting I do. $1700/ea is low enough for me to "buy once, cry once". I'm not crazed about the 34mm tube, but I'll make do with it on the 1517 and 1710. I am disappointed in the clarity of the SWFA SS 3-15x42 on the top end, so I'm hoping this does the trick.

Now if only I could find the perfect tactical stocks without ordering a non-inletted version and having it milled out...
Click to expand...

Yep, I'm going to dump the last of the two Bushnell LRHS I preordered for my air rifle and 10/22 because they arrived with 50Y parallax instead of the advertised 7Y parallax and give the 3-15 TX5i a try. 50Y parallax is a pain in the ass for some of the stuff I do with the 10/22. Still pissed that I preordered and paid for those two LRHS based off the early specs George posted and then what showed up wouldn't work worth a damn on the rifles I purchased them for because they didn't have 7Y parallax as was initially touted.

I'd prefer the TX5i had 10Y parallax like the 3-12 x 44 G2DMR Bushnell FFP I had on the rifle before but I can live with 20Y parallax on that rifle-- it's way better than the 50Y parallax the LRHS has! Same goes for the 34mm tube, I can live with that too. The rest of the scope looks great! However, I will *NOT* be repeating my mistake of preordering them based solely off early advertised specs like the LRHS-- I'll wait until a few are out in the hands of end users to confirm what was delivered is what was advertised!
 
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#42
I hear you Kiba and was very close to getting a LRHS myself, but fortunately a recent move delayed that budgeting until I found out the changes. When it's the Steiner Optics rep giving the specs this time, I'll trust what he says without fear of someone being deceived or major changes being made between prototype and production. I have two 3-15x on order, got them in with Liberty before he had to take the pause on that. I went for the MSR, but that this wired SCR is starting to grow on me and might change the order. It would go well with my H2CMR practice as well on wind hold training and the silence on the MSR is making me think they may be delayed further than I'm willing to wait.

For me, the closest target shooting I do is 25yds on limited indoor ranges, but that is very rare. If I can't get at least 50yds, I don't bother. I guess if I was looking to scope an air rifle I would feel differently, but I'm trying to keep a balance of open sights along with scopes. Hunting wise I'm on my old trusty iron sighted 10/22 or Buckmark at close ranges, but I did get the 1517 for hunting beyond 25yds. I'm really itching to get it in the woods and fields next year for some mid distance rimfire varminting!
 
#43
I usually don't take shots within 50Y but occasionally I'll do 25Y offhand practice on small targets or reduced silhouettes with the 10/22 or let my nephew and niece use it for similar purposes. Myself, I couldn't do 25Y shooting for more than a couple of minutes with the LRHS as it causes eyestrain in a very short amount of time since my eye kept shifting focus between the reticle and the target inside the minimum parallax setting. At about 45Y+ it's a great scope but inside of that any prolonged use is out of the question for me.

Very rarely I'll take a shot at say 10Y with the 10/22 at a critter but since that's only a brief shot 20Y parallax on the TX5i shouldn't be a problem, it's not like I'm trying to use the thing for 30 minutes straight as I would for targets. 20Y parallax will be perfect for shooting 25Y small targets if I need to.

I do have more faith in Steiner themselves posting the specs on the TX5i but I'm still going to play it 100% safe and wait until some are in-hand before I order one. I've already been burned this year on the two LRHS I ordered-- I don't want to repeat that mistake!
 
#44
I'll probably be doing the same same thing and selling the LRHS's to buy the new Steiner TX5.

If March comes out with a better reticle for their 3-24 I might go that way. Or keep on saving and selling to get into another S&B which probably the best idea.
 
#45
best rimfire scope

My prairie dog shooting buddy turned me on to the Shepherd scopes. He had one on each of his rifles to include his 22's. I set one of his on my 10/22 to see how it worked. it was amazing. the 22lr Shepherd has 9" circles that you just put the prairie dog in and squeeze the trigger. good to 500yds. very clear. didn't want to give it back. check out their web site for more information.

max
 
#47
I have been thinking about the 3-18 razor hd II. It has a 25 yard parallax and a decent price for what it offers. But I am happy with my DMR G2 for now. Just some days the parallax will not always correct, it only focus to 50yds
 
#48
djskit said:
I have a SS 10x mil/mil on my 10/22 and I'm very happy.
Click to expand...

This is kinda hidden in this thread, but I'm gonna second the motion. A SS 6x or 10x fixed makes an excellent rimfire scope. the clicks are repeatable and they have a ton of elevation adjustment range, if you're wanting to stretch the .22's legs a little ...
 
#49
I have a Nikon Prostaff RImfire 3-9x40 with the BDC 150 reticle on my Savage MKII and its an excellent piece of glass. Very clear, holds zero well, positive feedback on adjustment clicks with zero reset turrets. The BDC 150 reticle is one of my favorite features, although my local range only extends to 100yrds Nikom says it can be used for bullet drop comp out to 150 and beyond.
 
#50
sentry1 said:
I just picked up a Primary Arms 4-14x44 mil/mil FFP at a discount. It was sold by PA as having some black spots in the eyepiece if you looked at a certain angle. Considering the significant discount off the retail price, I decided to give it a try.

The rings (UTG 30mm dovetail mounts) and scope are on my workbench, and the CZ 455 should be here tomorrow so I can assemble everything. I'll post some pictures and results from the range this weekend.

P.S. Looking at the BSA and Primary Arms, am I the only who thinks they're coming off the same production line with a few minor differences in configuration?

View attachment 38623

View attachment 38624
Click to expand...
I'm guessing they are made on the same line as the Falcon 4-14x with all three looking exactly alike.

Anyone know how their glass compares to the Mueller APT?
 
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