Need help on Nikon scope choice.

[fonzy]

Hello again.

The time has come for me to choose a scope. Especially right now that Nikon is having a sale. I'll let you know some of the things that are important to me and those that are not.

My rifle is an all arounder. I don't practice cqb nor would be my first choice as a defense weapon so I don't want red dot optics.

I will be shooting this on the range from 50-300 yds. Knowingly that accuraccy will probably suffer at extended ranges. Will also be a critter getter so ranges and sizes of targets will vary.

Budget is $200 not including mounts. Or am I being optemistic and asking too much of the rifle.

I'll put links up let me know you opinions please. P.s I'm throwing in a mueller in the mix. I have heard good things of them. Thank you.

Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 Rimfire Rifle Scope 6725, Matte w/ BDC 150 Reticle

Nikon ProStaff Target EFR 3-9x40 Rifle Scope FREE S&H 6734. Nikon Rifle Scopes.

Nikon ProStaff 4x32 Rimfire Scope w/ Nikoplex Reticle FREE S&H 6718. Nikon Rifle Scopes.

Mueller APT Tactical Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 4.5-14x 40mm Adjustable

 

[don5]

I have both prostaff 3x9 rimfire and P22 scopes on Nikon bases. What do you want to know? They are both good scopes. I would stay away from the 4 power simply because of the distances that you might be shooting at. I don't know anything about the mueller scope. I use the 3x9x40 prostaff with the bdc reticle for target shooting as well as squirrel hunting. The P22 scope is a 2x7 model with bdc reticle. It is made for the AR platform. This means that the scope has externally adjustable turrets and it is 1 inch shorter than the other Nikon rimfire. I like the rimfire 3x9 simply because it has more magnification which I need for my old eyes. My son has a 1522 with the rimfire scope mounted as well and he likes it. BTW- we also have a 45 degree mount on our 1522 with a red dot reflex sight. This comes in handy when you get a squirrel 10 to 20 yards away. No looking through the scope- just tilt the rifle and put the red dot on it. This setup works really well for hunting. Hope this helps.

 

[fonzy]

On the p22 with BDC does it have the turrets the go with the range, in case you choose to ignore the circles and instead just turn the turrets. I had seen a video of a P22 where there were ranges marked on the turrets.

Is parallax and issue?

 

[don5]

P22 has numbers from 0-past11 and back to 0. These are not range numbers. This scope has the parallax already set from factory since it is specific to the 22. As far as range, that is what the circles are for. I don't know about the video you are talking about. Hope this helps.

 

[gm272gs]

...from 50-300 yds.

...Or am I being optimistic and asking too much of the rifle..

I'm going to go with a little too optimistic.
Your .22LR bullet is good to about 100 yards, and it's dropping around 10 inches to get there. Most people use a .22 (for varmints) at 75 yards or less.

At 200 yards, it will drop nearly 3 feet.

At 300 yards, it will be like trying to direct mortar fire. Even a CCI higher-velocity round is going to drop more than NINE FEET at 300 yards.

That said, I like a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 BDC on my Ruger 10/22. At 9 power, it's easy to see the holes going in, at 100 yards.

 

[fonzy]

Thank you for your comments. I really wasn't aware that I'd be pushing it past 100yds.

BDC or Nikoplex?

 

[fonzy]

SHOT Show 2012: Nikon P22 Series Scopes - YouTube

 

[don5]

SHOT Show 2012: Nikon P22 Series Scopes - YouTube

Hmm- Thanks for posting that. Mine has the bdc reticle. I think it would be quicker than using the dial. A squirrel can move pretty quick and I don't like to take my eyes off of one after I spot it. So the rangefinding dial wouldn't work for me. That is not to say that it wouldn't work for someone else. Every Nikon scope that I own, 11 right now, has the BDC reticle.

 

[don5]

I'm going to go with a little too optimistic.
Your .22LR bullet is good to about 100 yards, and it's dropping around 10 inches to get there. Most people use a .22 (for varmints) at 75 yards or less.

At 200 yards, it will drop nearly 3 feet.

At 300 yards, it will be like trying to direct mortar fire. Even a CCI higher-velocity round is going to drop more than NINE FEET at 300 yards.

That said, I like a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 BDC on my Ruger 10/22. At 9 power, it's easy to see the holes going in, at 100 yards.

I agree totally with this post! Anything over 100 yards with a 22 is pushing it. Although my son shot a squirrel in a tree a long way away. When I got there he asked me to go to the tree. I couldn't believe two things. One- that he shot a squirrel that far away and killed it. Two- I actually found the darn thing under the really thick brush pile at the bottom of the tree! I mean I was down in a thicket!

 

[fonzy]

11?

If you have 11 then you must have chosen them for a reason. Thank you both for your comments.

One last thing, how do you know which circle to use? Are you guys pretty good at guessing range? Cause this is a big weakness for me.

 

[don5]

Get a range finder and play with it for awhile. Eventually you can guess pretty close at your distances without using it. Downside is that you have to spend a little more money to get the rangefinder. This is one of the quicker ways someone can learn about distance. In my case, it took years of hunting in the woods, shooting and missing!