greetings one and all,

Sighted in the new rifle with Iron sights out to 40 yards yesterday. What a great time. She ate whatever I fed her. Ran about 200 rounds through her.

My question now is for those with older eyes and glasses.
I 'm just plinking at whatever is out there,anywhere from 10 to 100+yards. What works best for you a red dot +3 power mag or
a 3x9 scope.

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas.
c p ron

At this point a red dot is what I'm using, but I only shoot indoor at the range I work at. If I were outside shooting greater distances I would probably use a reticle scope like I used on my rifles when hunting. A 4x32 always worked well for me.

Forget the Red Dot for any target shooting, they are used for quick acquisition , Anything larger than 1 moa covers the target at 50+ yards, pick up a good 6-9 power scope . forget 4X if you want any kind of grouping. A red dot is useless beyond, 20 yards. unless you want to play Army.

A red dot w/ magnifier is an option for your described shooting. Perhaps a 1-4x24 or 1-6x24 low power variable scope would be to your liking. With good vision, a red dot is easily effective out to 100 meters and a cake walk out to 50 meters.

1 MOA at 50 yards covers 0.5". 2" MOA at 50 yards covers 1.0". Must be a small target. Red dot optics w/ 2" MOA are very common and effective at distances greater than 20 yards.

If you can find a reticle you like, I'd go the 1-4 or the 1-6. the 1x will give you everything up close and personal and the 4x will give you 25 as compared to 100. Obviously 1-6 even more so.

Scopes come with both illuminated and non-illuminated or combined reticles. Here's an example of a Primary Arms 1-4. Decent reputation and affordable. Many brands with assorted features in a wide range of prices are available. If you decide on a scope I'd consider mounting it to a cantilever w/ a 2" offset. They come in both quick-disconnect and non-qd.

Primary Arms 1-4X24mm Illuminated Riflescope PA14X

If you have the option, go to a store, range, etc and see if you can handle and look through a variety of those which are of interest of you. If not, research, research, research.

You can shoot terrific groups at 100 yards with a red dot if you choose your dot and target well. Simply place a 4 MOA dot in the center of a 6" black bull and shoot. The sight picture you get is very similar to what you see with a set of target sights that use an aperture front sight. The same principle also works if your red dot is less than 4 MOA. The sight picture just isn't as distinct.

If you want magnification, get a scope. I personally prefer a low power variable scope in the 1-4 or 2-7 range. If a 3-9 scope rocks your world, go for it.

I guess it comes down to the size of your targets, I shoot 10mm dots @ 50ysd, and 2" dots @100 yds. I started out with a 3-6 x scope than went to 3-9x BSA Sweet22 and now I just sighted in a 6-18X 40 BSA Sweet 22. I have maybe 10 dot sites which I almost never use because the accuracy isn't there , I have an EOTech with 3x magnification which is still guessing . Here's what we shoot at 100 Yds, we save the 6" for 150 Yd.
What ever you choose I still say go 6X or better and preferably around 9X. It's better to overpower to have it when you need it rather than going with a lower power and need more. 15-20 years ago 4X was the thing, not today, the technology has increased to the point where you can have military quality optics for under $200. Something to also look at is a Scope / dot Combo.

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Depends on what type of shooting you do...

In general...

I'd skip the red dot/magnifier combo and go with a traditional magnified optic. Some folks find use for them but the guys I personally know have tossed magnifiers in the parts box. And if the prime objective is to please older eyes forget the 1x red dot altogether.

If sitting on yer can at a bench precision shooting at paper... get all the magnification you like. Higher magnification may not help a lot but it won't hurt anything. However, higher magnification is very useful for finding those pesky shotgun hulls taking partial cover behind rocks and weeds. I use a fixed 16x on one my .22s for that reason. Them pesky shotgun hulls can't hide from me at 100yds! Some guys like to use their rifle scope like a spotting scope to see bullet holes in paper targets at 100yds. You won't be able to do that with magnification much less than 12x.

If holding the gun in yer hands, magnification beyond 4x isn't much help. It just magnifies your movement and makes shooting more tentative and less pleasant. Low power fixed magnification and 1-4x variable scopes are ideal for offhand shooting. If you also want to sometimes put it on the bench for more precision groups on paper you'll be able to hold center on the target just fine. It's not like being able to see the grain in paper or a piece of lint on the bullseye at 100yds is going to make much difference as I suggested earlier.

Happy optics hunting.

My AR22s are for offhand shooting only.
I use a 1x red dot on my 15-22 and 1-4x on my CMMG.
1-4x is just as good at 1x as the 1x red dot with the added benefit of magnification.
The 1x red dot is significantly lighter which is a plus for offhand shooting.

I cannot tell a lie. I have a 12x with a rail adapter affixed to a camera tripod I use for a spotting scope. Don't have much of a need for one but when I do, it's my go to.

Thanks to all that have replied so far. Finding the right optic is like finding the right Lady,going to have try a bunch out before you find whats right for you.

This forum is of great value for all the information everyone passes on to the members here.

So my plan is to go to the local shops around here and try out in the store different optics.

Chattanoogaphil, Like the looks of the scope in the last picture. What model is it? also what mount are you using.

Thanks and keep the information flowing.

C P RON

The mount is a Burris AR PEPR 30-mm.
The scope is a Bushnell AR Optics 1-4x 24mm #AR91424.

Thanks I'll add to the list. Merry Christmas

Coach, look into the BSA Sweet 22 series, they are made for .22's with BDC

Out to 50 to 75 yards a Red Dort with a 3 moa size dot.
After that a 4X scope works better for me .
Old eyes and wearing trifocal glasses now .
Gary

The hunt is on going for the right optic. Thanks to all that have replied so far.
There sure is a big difference in clarity,guess you get what you pay for.

Has anyone had a chance to use a TRACT scope? Lots of nice red dots out there,but My eyes seem to like magnification best so far.

Going to wait till after the upcoming shot show to buy. Want to see what is new in optics.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year

C P Ron

I’ll echo the 1-4x recommendation for maximum flexibility. Since this is for a 15-22, you might find Primary Arms fixed 6x scope of interest for the reticule. I think the magnification is a bit high but the reviews, price, and reticule are all great.


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I've recently gone with Skinner Sights on my lever action rifles. Now, the limiting factor is the size of the front bead. I shot my Marlin 39A original Golden with the new Skinner Sight and factory bead, and the bead covered the bull on the target, still managed 1.5 MOA or so at 50yds. Same results with the Browning B92. The Henry Golden Boy didn't fare so well, as I didn't have the needed allen wrench to adjust the elevation. STILL in denial about that. I could've sworn I had that on site. Don't pass up the possibility of fine target shooting with aperture sight on the rear and a small bead on the front.

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Fight socialism. Never stop.

I have settled on a Leupold VX1 2-7x33 for similar purposes as you state (plinking, varmint, informal target). As stated by an earlier poster, shooting offhand anything over 4x is a problem. But it is nice to have some more magnification for testing ammo at 50 yds and 100 yds from the bench. On the low end, I don't find I need 1x for closer targets. 2x seems good for field of view and depth of view. I have tried red dots like the Bushnell TRS25 and 3-9x40 scopes, and decided the 2-7x scopes is the ideal balance between them for this rifle and within 100 yds.

I like the Nikon M223 cantilever mount which is similar to the Burris mount, very sleek and sturdy.

On my AR I have a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 scope in an Ultralight Aero one piece mount. I just bought a scope for my Marlin 30-30 and I too went with the Leopold VX-1 2-7 scope. I am mounting this scope in a DNZ mount since it will mount directly to the Marlin receiver. Tht DNZ people also make mounts for Ar's. You might want to check out DNZ and Aero Precision.

I too went with a strike eagle for magnified shooting, with a Bobro offset QR mount. For price and quality, can’t beat it.

Rob

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Utrinque Paratus

The 2-7x isn’t a bad choice. The M-223 mount is a good one if you don’t mind needing a tool to mount and dismount the optic. The Burris does offer the ability to tool less mount unless they have more than one model. The one I have on another rifle is the lever QD type.


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Good point about the mounts. For the 15-22 I don't plan to change optics but rarely. On my AR15 20" which I use for iron sight competition but also to test handloads I have a LaRue quick detach mount for a Zeiss 3-9x40 scope which holds zero well. I also use a QD mount for an Aimpoint PRO red dot used for home defense even though it also co-witnesses with the irons.

But I don't plan to change optics on any of my .22LR rifles except to upgrade or change type once in a great while. They all wear fixed mounts which tend to be a bit slimmer than quick detach. I have different sights and ptics on different rifles so if I want to shoot irons I use the Marlin 60. Red dot is on my Henry. 2-7x scopes on the 10/22 and 15-22.

But if you want to be able to shoot with irons, red dot and/or scopes of different powers on the same rifle then quick detach mounts are very handy.

I added a UTG 3-9X32 Compact CQB Bug Buster AO RGB Scope w/ Med. Picatinny Rings, 2" Sunshade. Really works great and has Red/Green crosshairs. My "Old Eyes" really appreciate the help seeing the targets! The Bi-Pod helps too!

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Smokey74,

That is the same route I went. Does what I need at the moment.

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C P RON
9/11 Never forget

Smokey74,

What bi pod set up are you using?

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C P RON
9/11 Never forget

X 100 on leupold vx-1 2-9. Great glass and light weight.

I purchased a UTG Bi-pod. If I remember right it extends from 6" to 12". Really helps steady the wooble when trying to reach out to touch things!