Center Fire Scope On A 22LR

Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
4,961
Reaction score
15,461
Location
Florida
I have a fixed 4 power scope for a 5.56 rifle that I'd like to use on a 22LR Rifle.

Being a low power scope, will I have a problem with parallax?

I'm not going to be using it for target shooting, just yard critters.
 
Register to hide this ad
I don't see why. The only real difference between centerfire and .22LR/air rifle scopes is how robust they are.
 
You'll never get the top accuracy without a parallax adjustable scope, but I don't think the parallax would be an issue for shooting the average yard pest. The animal great beyond is full of millions of varmints that have been killed with fixed parallax centerfire scopes mounted of rimfire rifles.
 
Mount the scope on the 22 LR and when sighting keep Your head - eye and target centered in the scope and it should work fine .
Parallax only shows itself when you move your head-eye around to the outer edges ... just keep head-eye centered and it should be Okay !
I consider a fixed 4X scope a pretty dang good choice ...
... Roll with it !
Gary
 
I have two .22 rifles with 1" CF scopes on them - both Weaver K 2.5X. There is little parallax with low-power scopes and mine work just fine. I would recommend using lower power CF scopes, not over 4X. You are not likely to be shooting a .22 rifle at targets more than 50 to 100 yards distant where parallax with a lower magnification scope is not an issue.
 
Last edited:
If you want to see how much error parallax can cause, place the scoped rifle a sturdy rest and move your head slightly up/down and right/left while looking though the scope. Make sure to keep the rifle steady.

With proper parallel correction, the crosshairs will stay centered on the target. With improper parallel correction, the crosshairs will move right/left, up/down relative to bullseye.
 
I don't see why. The only real difference between centerfire and .22LR/air rifle scopes is how robust they are.

Rimfire scopes without parallax adjustment are generally set by the factory to be parallax-free at 50 or 75 yards. The centerfire versions are set to be parallax-free at 150 yards.
For shooting varmints in the yard it will be a non-issue, even if you have a very large yard.
 
Last edited:
I don't think you'll have any trouble with the setup as you describe it. But try it out, it sounds as though you have everything you need (except scope rings for the .22?) so it should be an inexpensive experiment.
 
I don't think you'll have any trouble with the setup as you describe it. But try it out, it sounds as though you have everything you need (except scope rings for the .22?) so it should be an inexpensive experiment.

No rings needed. It's a Brownells retro Colt marked 4X20 scope. They claim it's made by the same Japanese company that made them for Colt in the 70's and 80's.

i-f8tDNRC.jpg
 
I've seen a dozen articles and commentaries about standard centerfire rifle scopes vs. rimfire scopes over the past 40 years or so. During those same years I have had complete success using centerfire scopes on rimfire rifles, never any issues to worry about.

Parallax has never achieved dominance over my astigmatism or cataracts, before or after surgeries and lens replacements.
 
Either way you go, CF or RF scope, get one with a SF or OJ. I run a couple different CF scopes on my .22lr and air rifle, both with AO, and a CF rifle scope on my .17HMR with a SF. I have no issues seeing a nice in focus target from 10 yds to 150 yds. It makes a big difference being able to dial out parallax. Other than LPVOs, I run either SF or AO scopes on all my long guns. Pics are of air rifle (Weaver w/AO), .17HMR (Nikon w/SF) and .22lr (Mueller w/AO).

qJtiJEtl.jpg

REj3v8Fl.jpg

zcj32Npl.jpg
 
Last edited:
I’ve forgotten how but if you google you can adjust a scope to focus at whatever distance you want. I’ve adjusted a few centerfire scopes for 50 yards
 
No rings needed. It's a Brownells retro Colt marked 4X20 scope. They claim it's made by the same Japanese company that made them for Colt in the 70's and 80's.

i-f8tDNRC.jpg

So you have an AR pattern .22 LR, with a carry handle?
 
So you have an AR pattern .22 LR, with a carry handle?

Yep, I've been on a retro AR kick. I've put 3 together so far. Ordered this one from CMMG years ago with a dedicated 22 upper, and standard multi caliber lower. Had it stamped as a SBR not long after buying it.

I'm still using the original lower, bolt assembly, buffer tube, handguards, and barrel.

Before and after.


i-TLHzrGq-X2.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top