I have not bought a rifle scope in 40 years, and I am sure there are lots of changes since then. I am looking to put a scope on a bolt action 22 rimfire for shots out to say 200 yards.

I am not looking for Swarovski, Steiner, Leica or Kahles quality, but rather something rugged that has a good track record.

Variable say 3-9/4-12. Bullet drop compensator would be great.

suggestions?

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

An adjustable objective would be nice on a 22 that you plan to shoot at 50 and 100+ yards(I put a Burris 3x9 Fullfield on my Ruger 17hmr years ago and it works fairly well,but for a 22 I’d want something capable of focusing close in too)

Hey! I have the same question!!!!

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Come and take it!!

You can get these cheaper than MSRP.
LIFETIME warranty and excellent optics.

VX-Freedom 3-9x40 Rimfire MOA | Leupold

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"I also cook."

Vortex all the way. Crossfire series has BDC 3-9. It’s all I use now.

If you can afford Swarovski. Get it........It leaves everything mentioned here in the dust.

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S&W Accumulator

I "loaned" My S-I-L a 4.5-14x40mm Adjustable Objective Veri-X III 1 inch tube Leupold, when he bought a Anshutz 64 action entry level target rifle. It lets you see the pupil in a squirrel's eye at 75 yards.

In production scopes, I don't believe there are BDC's for 22's (too many variables) But you can have s second cross hair places a few MOA below the standard hair for a distance aim point.

While you are at gun shows keep an eye out for a used Leupold, they have a forever warranty!

Ween Kimber was still in Oregon, I bought a real nice "Varmint" 22 from them. #133/250 a couple friends had 134, 135, and 137 also. Wheen I set this rifle up, I put a 2x7 Compact Rimfire Special Leupold on it. The RF Specials have the Parallax set at 75 yards instead of 100, 200, or 600 like the CF scopes. I enjoyed that scope until My late 50's, then I put a 4.5-14 like above on it! Instead of AO you can go with side focus. But Side Focus when done right is expensive and not really necessary for 200 and below. When done on the cheap it can be a nightmare!

Ivan

Leupold makes really good mid and higher end scopes. That 3X9 that Chad recommended is going to be hard to beat. For a smaller gun like a 10/22 I also like Leupie’s 2-7 RimFire.

Vortex makes good stuff as well.

What rifle is this scope going on?

I have this om my CZ457 Varmint MTR.
Diamondback Tactical 4-16x44 FFP

Does everything I've asked it to. If you like to turn dials, it has very good repeatable turrets; if you like to use the reticle for holdover, the EBR-2C MOA is easy to understand and use. You can find them for considerably less than MSRP; I gave $349 for mine last fall at one of my favorite local gun stores.

If you don't want to drop a ton of money for a rimfire scope but what the BEST budget priced scope ($175.00-$300.00), Mueller Optics is the way to go. Lots of nice features like hold-over reticle, lighted reticle AO/SF (depending on model), very clear glass, Paralex focus down to 10 yds at max magnification, positive click elev/win adj, optional sunshade attachment, lifetime guarantee, plenty of models to choose from to suit your particular needs...... Check them out. You won't be sorry.

Mueller Optics Scopes, APV Scopes, Big Game Scopes & More

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Not sure yet on the rifle, but a CZ 457 varmint may be a good choice. Also a kimber or a Ruger 77/22 if I can find one.

Probably not a Kimber. Too much cash. Older Remington or Winchester maybe.

The hunt is on

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Not sure if they still make that specific model but that is what I would like to go with. Or just go to your next gun show and I would be very surprised if you could not find an old Leupold M-8 4X for sale for a reasonable price. They are about perfect for a general purpose .22 rifle.

The Ruger with a walnut stock is vey nice and feels like a rifle (I have one in 17hmr) but the czs seem to be very accurate too

I have had great results with the Mueller optics also.

If you find a CZ547 that you want and have it in hand, buy it immediately because there will be someone right behind you that will buy if you put it down. They are the hottest commodity in 22 rifles right now.

If you can find a Nikon P-22 it would meet your requirements. Nikon is out of the rifle scope business for a couple of years but you may come across one on eBay or at a show. I have one on my 15-22 and it is great. Has the BDC reticle.

Vortex and Leupold have lifetime warranties.
I was gifted a Bushnell 3-9x 40mm wide angle
with BDC, back in the early '80s, by Rob at Damascus USA.
Shown on a Ruger SR22.
It's used on the 9422 as well.

If you have a spotter that can see the holes at 200yds,
then I guess 3-9x40mm or more would work.
I'm comfortable with a fixed power so my older Weaver T36,
with fine crosshairs, is used most often for tight groups on
any rifle.
Mirage can be an issue.,
Great for indoors as well.
No longer in production, but called the poor man's F Class.
Have not tried it at 200yds or more yet.

My USAF Win 52D wore a fixed 20x.
Don't remember the brand, but it was like
cheating in 4 position smallbore prone.
Get the pulse beat into the 40s and lotsa steady
time on target.
Nice when an Olympic gold medalist buys
you a beer for out Xing him.
Army Captain Gary Anderson.
A few weeks later a 12 year old boy, gives everybody
a lesson, at the Western Nationals in '68.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

The Leupold today IS NOT the the Leupold of old......They will not work on discontinued scopes. They may offer to replace you scope with something of equal or less value if it can't be repaired. I run a couple of older Var-X III's on some deer rifles. Got a couple Var-X 3ci's.....NOT as good as the older stuff. Meopta is a great scope choice........As with any brand the top tiers are the best value for glass/low light & clarity.

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S&W Accumulator

Leupold makes a very nice 3-9x rimfire scope with hashmarks for BDC and it’s reasonably priced. I have one on a Christensen .22 that is dead on the money at 200 yds. at the bottom hashmark with CCI SV ammo. It’s their VX-Freedom, Part # 174181. MSRP is $299 and the optics are excellent. I’ve been very impressed with mine.

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Everybody could shoot

I went with a bit of extra power on my 457 and I like it.

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I think you’ll want a lot more than 9x for shooting at 200 yards. You’ll want an adjustable objective as well. Leupold, Vortex, and the Bushnell Elites have great warranties.

I’ve got a Nikon that’s made for that and I love it.
I’ll see if I can find the box and send you some pictures & info.
It’s a crow one-leg shooting machine!
(Old crow hunter’s trick…shoot a crow’s leg off, and he can’t get off of the ground. He will call up other crows, and they will drop down to the ground to help that crow…and you can kill 2-3 before they wise up)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a CZ 457 Varmint Target with a Athlon Second Focal Plane scope 6-30 x 56 MM with 30 MM tube and side focus / parallax adjustment. I used Leupold and Burris first focal plane scopes for years on prairie dog rifles. Now my scopes (5 in total) are all Athlon SFP with etched glass reticles that have stadia lines or 'hash marks'.

The over whelming advantage of SFP scopes is that the target can't 'hide behind' the cross hairs. If you miss the target, the bullet impacted 2 lines down and 4 lines left, that is your aiming point for the second shot. I don't change my scope settings for longer distance, but use the stadia lines instead.

Athlon offers a lifetime warranty. CameraLandNY is where I bought my 2 new ones, and Amazon / Esty for 3 used ones.

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S&WHF 366

A great budget 22 scope that I've had great luck with is a Nikon 3-9x40 BDC Rimfire. I had 3, and sold one last year for $150. Nikon stopped making them, but you can find them used.

Access Denied

Leupold makes the freedom in the extended focal range (EFR) in 3x9x33 ( Leupold number 175075). I have three of these on my high end hunting guns and love the ability to focus in to 10-15 yards. The scope chad recommended is new and that hold over reticle is great for a 22. The EFR only has the duplex. Depending on usage but I would recommend the EFR over anything on the market today for a 22LR with that other Leupold Rimfire a second option with that rimfire reticle. Center fire scopes without adjustable objectives just do not work on 22LR if you want to shoot small groups at normal rimfire range. Both 10 year old grandsons found new 6.5 creedmoor deer rifles under the christmas tree this year, I purchased the 2x7 rimfire freedom scope for these guns and was super impressed with that new hold over reticule and the eye relief on 2x is great for young shooter that have not grown to the normal length of pull for adult guns. Go with one of the Leupolds, you will not be sorry.

I been using a couple of discontinued
BSA 6-24 x44 tmd scopes with 30mm tubes and side mount parallax adjustment Had them mounted for 11 or 12 years now years and I use to them Knock a squirrel out of a tree at 25 yards or make a head shot on a ground hog at 125 yards and still able to ring 2" steels at 200 yards but ammo cost more for that type shooting . My rifles a savage mkii bv . I still have a good 2.5-10x40 scope on 308 rifle I huntd with since -76 and it still works . Costly scope maybe needed when treating a scope hard . I not found that to be truth for the average shooter or hunter .

How about a Bushnell - Or maybe this -
And others -

First, decide how much you are willing to spend.

Anything under $1000 is probably going to be made in China, and a $500 Vortex is no better than most other $500 chinese made glass. And maybe worse. At least they'll fix/replace it for free...

I have two Athlon Ares BTRs and two of their Cronus series and they are very very good, but at the higher end of the budget. If you can get an LE discount on the Ares, it's a really good value. I have an Ares 4.5-27x on my CZ 457 and it's a great match.

IMHO, the best value in optics right now is the Arken EPL series. I have an EPL4 6-24x on my Tikka T1X, and it's far superior to anything else I've looked through in the price range. Japanese glass and under $400. You won't find anything at that price point with similar features or equivalent glass quality.

Hard to beat a Leupold. I've been running a number of Primary Arms scopes on my ARs. They have been impressive. They have a 6x32mm fixed power scope with an ACSS reticle for $150 on their site right now. Never tried one, but the other scopes I've tried are top notch and they stand behind their product.

Lots of great suggestions here, and much research to do

I see several of you have the CZ 457. That is what i am looking at.

I could have my 512 Remington drilled and tapped, but i do not want to ruin it

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

The 457 is a great choice in the mid price range. My T1X outshoots my 457, but only slightly, and the 457 is just starting to settle in as I only have ~300 rounds through it, and I'm still testing ammo.

I don't think you can really go wrong with one.

Whatever you get, make sure it has a 1 inch tube, not a 3/4" tube. The bigger tube is supposed to admit more light.

Probably more like a 1" tube as opposed to a 30mm tube. A larger tube diameter in conjunction with a larger objective will EMIT more light which results in a larger Exit Pupil thus producing a brighter image in low-light environments.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

^^^^^^^yes-I have one on my 15-22. Excellent. Made in Philippines. Even though Nikon is out of the rifle scope business I understand that will honor the lifetime warranty.

There is a Leupold Vari XII, 2x7 on my Remington 541 and it's been there for almost 40 years. A fixed 12 power Leupold is mounted on my Kimber Gov. Mod. 82. It was bought from a friend of mine and I sent it back to Leupold to have target knobs installed.

I use that set up for prone shooting at 100 yards. It does the job. I can see where a variable power could be beneficial. You may want to look at the Vortex lineup.

Since I swap scopes among rifles, I like the flexibility that scopes with AO afford, so I can use them on both centerfire and rimfire rifles.

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213th FBINA

Take a look at the Tract Optics offerings, great company. The two Jons who started and run the company spent years in the optics industry for large companies. They are NOT made in China. They sell direct to consumer so you get more scope for the money. The glass is REALLY good.

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010