.22 scopes

[BOSS351]

Curious...what kind of scopes are you guys using on your .22 plinker/range rifles?? I'm talking 50-100 yds. Tell me what you like/dislike about yours and what would you recommend for a semi auto. I have a Tasco 4 X 32 with a 30/30 reticle on my old Remington 550-1. I shot a buddys CZ 452 with a Weaver 3-9 X 32 and his set up was vastly superior to mine...that thing was a tack driver at both 50 and 100. Is it the gun? Is it the scope? What would account for such a difference? Both shot off the same bench and in the same manner...

 

[JLouv]

It's the gun. CZ makes a damned fine rifle. You're comparing things that aren't even remotely related. Nevermind that a bolt gun is going to outshoot a semiauto 9 times out of 10.

However, there's many things you could change before your scope to enhance accuracy.

For starters, if you want ultimate accuracy, and you're happy with your rifles setup.....the easiest thing to change is your ammo. Shoot groups of every ammo you can find. You'll discover that different rifles, even different rifles of the same make & model, simply shoot one type of ammo better than any other.

I'd shoot a bunch of different ammo before i blamed the scope. If you can hold any sort of consistent grouping, the problem probably isn't the scope. And even if I started to blame the scope.....I'd first upgrade the mounts. But we're not exactly talking about high dollar glass here in this thread. If you're looking for an excuse to upgrade, then do so with my blessing.

I use BSA sweet 22 scopes on all my scoped 22 rifles. They're not expensive, and they work for me.

 

[sgt z]

I have gone to scopes on most of my .22's. I bought one with a Leupold 2-7x and it was still on from the previous owner. I was impressed. I bought an inexpensive B&L Banner 4x and shot well but need to see if it is still on. Grouping to find the right ammo will help also along with a good trigger. I got lucky and had a gun I shot recently group very well with Remington Golden Bullets.

 

[3fifty7]

Just echoing what's already here.
Ammo has been the biggest factor I've found in obtaining accuracy.
Good mounts are also key.
I have mostly Nikon scopes and they do fine by me. I have one BSA that shoots really well on a .22mag but I believe its a crap shoot. Mueller is well liked by the rimfirecenteral community.

 

[BOSS351]

Great info guys. Louv, you may have hit the problem. The ammo used was a mixed batch in a box that I got from my Dads house and was probably 30 yrs old. Honestly didn't think there would be that much difference but after reading some more on .22 rifle accuracy, it seems that you really have to try a variety of brands/weights to find out whats best for your particular set up. I"m new to the scope scene and this is a learning thing for me. Problem is, as you all know, our selection of ammo is pretty slim these days. The scope on this rifle is a Tasco Pronghorn and don't think its marketed as a rimfire scope. How critical is that??

 

[JLouv]

Not very critical for a scope to be marketed specifically for rimfire. You don't have to worry about that until you either start shooting magnums or, believe it or not, high powered air rifles.

Any decent scope will handle rimfire recoil. It's going to come down to what you want in magnification, field of view, and reticule. The clarity is generally what drives the price up on scopes. Higher quality=higher clarity=higher price.

But there's a bunch of tried and proven low cost scopes out there. For a rimfire, you really can't go wrong unless you go off brand or super cheap. Or worse, both.

 

[BOSS351]

Found this thread this morning.....looks like the ammo I was using, the Remington Gold and the Winchester HV which I know were in the mix, is not something this rifle cares for according to this article/thread. I have other types of Remington-sub sonic and Remington HV in bricks I will try next. CCI stingers are damn near impossible to come by as far as I know...

http://rimfireshooting.com/index.php?showtopic=8297

I"m glad about the scope not being such a big deal. It seems pretty clear and bright and crisp so far. It was installed back in like 1995 and bore sighted only. Tuesday was the first time it has been out to a range for sighting-in and shooting. I"m finding (with the exception of my Garand and M1a) that my eyes just don't like the old style blade and leaf sights--its hell getting older--and I'm looking at optics as something I'll need to consider more from now on...

 

[highstandard40]

Scopes designed for rimfire are different from those designed for centerfire. But it is a mistake to think that the only difference is in resistance to recoil. Most rimfire scopes are set up to be parallax free at 50 yards and centerfire scopes are set up for 100 yards. It can make a huge difference when shooting at small targets at close range. Also in regards to scopes, it really depends on the demands you put on your shooting when it comes to choosing the best magnification for you. I have always leaned towards the higher end of power because most of the targets shot with 22LR are small. The more magnification you have, the easier it is to hit a small target. I also use only scopes that can be adjusted for parallax. The 550-1 can be an accurate rifle if set up correctly, I have one and mine is accurate. My advice is to clean the bore properly, then shoot LR only and never clean the bore again if at all possible. More damage is done to a 22LR bore by cleaning it improperly than will ever occur by shooting it. It usually takes at least 50 shots to get a 22LR bore seasoned and settled down after cleaning. I shoot competition with 22LR handguns. I have a Volquartsen barrel on a High Standard Trophy that is 8 years old and has NEVER had a brush down the bore. In fact, Volquartsen said that if you do brush the bore it will void the warranty. After 8 years, there has been no drop in accuracy. My Anschutz bolt actions get a single pass with a dry brush only every couple of years. Clean and oil the action, keep the outside wiped of fingerprints, leave the bore alone, and don't shoot anything but LR in that 550-1. Also as mentioned, good ammo matters.......a lot. I no longer shoot any ammo made in the USA in a match. I have found several US brands that will group decent at 25 and evern 50 yards. But out to 100 yards none will compete with the better European offerings. I currently use a lot of SK Standard Plus. It groups great in all my rimfires except one.

 

[Ritten]

Scopes designed for rimfire are different from those designed for centerfire. But it is a mistake to think that the only difference is in resistance to recoil. Most rimfire scopes are set up to be parallax free at 50 yards and centerfire scopes are set up for 100 yards. It can make a huge difference when shooting at small targets at close range. Also in regards to scopes, it really depends on the demands you put on your shooting when it comes to choosing the best magnification for you. I have always leaned towards the higher end of power because most of the targets shot with 22LR are small. The more magnification you have, the easier it is to hit a small target. I also use only scopes that can be adjusted for parallax. The 550-1 can be an accurate rifle if set up correctly, I have one and mine is accurate. My advice is to clean the bore properly, then shoot LR only and never clean the bore again if at all possible. More damage is done to a 22LR bore by cleaning it improperly than will ever occur by shooting it. It usually takes at least 50 shots to get a 22LR bore seasoned and settled down after cleaning. I shoot competition with 22LR handguns. I have a Volquartsen barrel on a High Standard Trophy that is 8 years old and has NEVER had a brush down the bore. In fact, Volquartsen said that if you do brush the bore it will void the warranty. After 8 years, there has been no drop in accuracy. My Anschutz bolt actions get a single pass with a dry brush only every couple of years. Clean and oil the action, keep the outside wiped of fingerprints, leave the bore alone, and don't shoot anything but LR in that 550-1. Also as mentioned, good ammo matters.......a lot. I no longer shoot any ammo made in the USA in a match. I have found several US brands that will group decent at 25 and evern 50 yards. But out to 100 yards none will compete with the better European offerings. I currently use a lot of SK Standard Plus. It groups great in all my rimfires except one.

Well said. I use a Premier Heritage Tactical 5-15x50 with the GenII XR reticle. It has some very fine crosshairs that enable me to really get detailed with small targets and the parallax adjustment is very good between 25-200yds. I also use SK Standard plus (or Wolf Match Target) and don't clean barrels. My .22lr is a Sako Quad.

 

[Richard in LA]

I put a Nikon P22 on my MKII, and have no complaints with it thus far. My gun likes CCI standard velocity thus far the best of what I have on hand, I haven't looked real hard for some wolf or other match grade stuff to try, but I did pick up 5 boxes of the federal gold medal rimfire target to try out.

 

[US Infidel]

I use the Simmons Whitetail series 3-9x40 on my 10/22 with standard barrel and have no problem with head shots on squirrels. I plan on getting the simmons whitetail 6-20x50 when I decide which 30 win mag to get. One with adjustable objective. Midway has good prices on them. $80 at midwayUSA for a 3x9.

 

[US Infidel]