Need scope advice for a .22 rifle

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Persuader12

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I have a Ruger 10/22 and have twice attempted to have a scope on it, but never with any lasting good results. The first time was a $10 Tasco that was surprisingly good. It was a 4x15 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tasco-Tasco-Rimfire-Scope-4x15mm-Gloss-Black-Crosshair-Reticle/16767721, but I could adjust it and shoot tiny little groups at 50 yards right where I aimed. The zero would shift on it a little between shooting sessions but not during the time I was shooting, even though I made sure never to bump it or handle it roughly. Eventually, I could no longer make adjustments to it and it became worthless.

Then I spent $50 on a Simmons scope thinking I was getting something 5x better than what I had before. Wrong! It would lose zero all the time before I could even finish making adjustments. I might get elevation just right and was still trying to get windage on target, then a couple shots later, the elevation would be 6" low again. Sometimes I'd try to get it back up, and then my shots went even lower. Windage was no different. I took it back to the store for an exchange and got the same results with the second one. I took it back again and asked for a refund, but they refused and only allowed another exchange. Same results for the third one. Then the store went out of business. It was Gander Mountain. After looking for ways to fix the scope, I gave up and trashed it.

Since then, I've been doing my research. Nearly all of the problems people report is with hard-recoiling guns that are hard on scopes. Since mine is just a .22, I shouldn't be having those problems. I'm told to expect to pay at least $150 on a scope that will actually work. But is that all there is to it? Sure, you get what you pay for, but how much do I have to pay before it results in a scope that actually functions as a scope by allowing me to shoot accurately?
 
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If you buy another scope, be sure it has at least a !" tube, and is parallax adjusted to 50 yards. Also try to get good mounts, not the cheap clamp on rings. Get a mount base for a 3/8" grooved receiver with Weaver or Picatinny slots, and use good rings. Good air gun scopes would work well on a .22.
 
Have you checked that your rings and mount are secure?
There was a chap at the range who had a similar problem where he couldn't stay on target and it turned out to be a loose base.
 
Odd Job said:
Have you checked that your rings and mount are secure?
There was a chap at the range who had a similar problem where he couldn't stay on target and it turned out to be a loose base.
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Good idea! Reminds me of the time I figured out my ghost ring sights were loose and bouncing around on me. ( I thought I had bad eyes .)
A little blue loctite fixed that issue.
 
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As others have said, make sure your base is secure first, a little blue Loctite on the base screws will ensure it does not come loose. I use Burris steel rings for .22 scopes. Then get a decent scope, Leopold makes a nice .22 scope, Nikon has one as well. Your going to pay more, scope and rings will set you back $150 or so but that is all you'll need to get on target and stay there.
 
A while back at Bass Pro I got a couple 22 caliber Leupold Scopes on sale at over half off. I would keep an eye on the sales, for good name brands, in rimfire rated scopes. Got my scopes for 89$. Not bad for Leupold, full price was closer to 230$.
 
Shotgun scopes are also good options for rimfires as they are usually parallax free at 50-75yds.
Personally Ive got a Hawk 2-7x32A0, Bushnell 4.5-14x44 UltraHD, and a 1.5-5x32 Bushnell trophy shotgun scopes on my 3 .22s
I had an older Simmons Aetec 3.8-12x44 on my air gun, and a Simmons 6.5-20x50 Whitetail classic on my older heavy barreled .22 (among other guns).

Honestly ive used dozens of cheap scopes on my rifles, .22 and otherwise, and the only ones id really recommend avoiding are the lower end BSAs, Simmons, and Tascos.
Right now im considering doing a rebuild on my 795 which will wear a athlon talos 4-12 or so if i do.

You may have issues with cheap optics, you may not. Personally for a stock 10/22 I wouldnt be willing to spend much on an optic, but i honestly dont like the platform so there is probably some personal bias involved there.

If you wish to get nicer optics theres no reason not to, personally ive used the efr leupy and liked it, but they arnt cheap. Ive also used my Midas, and Ares BTRs, and other similar scopes, but they are large and heavy. It really depends on what you want out of the gun and how much your willing to spend.
Im honestly contemplating a 452GF (cause ive always wanted a 452) and it would get topped with a custom shop leupy most likely.
 
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I have a Mueller on the 540XR. They are popular on target .22's. In the Optics forum here there is a link to a Weaver Kaspa for $39.00. Parallax adjustment could be an issue depending on the range you shoot at but for that price I would go for it. I have one and it is a decent scope for the price normally over $100.
 
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I have two Hawke Sport Optics scopes and have had very good luck with them so far. The Hawke Vantage line has some very reasonably priced riflescopes with adjustable objectives (AO) that are very suitable for 22lr rimfire rifles.

I have the Hawke Vantage 4x32 AO fixed magnification scope and the Hawke Vantage 3-9x40 AO but Hawke also makes a 2-7x32 AO that would be a good choice.
 
If I was on a tight budget and needed a basic .22 scope, I would go for this:
https://www.natchezss.com/burris-dr...ex-22-reticle-33-13-fov-3-1-3-8-er-matte.html

I have several of the less expensive Burris scopes and have been quite satisfied with their price/performance. The one I linked to appears to be quite comparable to the Nikon Prostaff .22 scope I have on my S&W M&P 15-22. Both are manufactured in the Phillipines, which I find preferable to those manufactured in China.
 
Check the various firearms forums on the internet, you can often find a vintage Weaver K-4 for around 50 bucks. I have a Marlin 39 with one of those on it and have found it to be very adequate. Use good quality rings to mount it and your troubles will be over.
 
My Savage Mark II wears a Mueller APV 4.5-14x40. They're extremely well regarded over at Rimfire Central for what that's worth. I really like the adjustable parallax for rimfire ranges. They recently released a 2-7x32 version of the APV as well, some may prefer the lower magnification for a rimfire rifle though I like the 4.5-14 personally but most of my shooting is stationary and off of a bipod or rest.

http://muelleroptics.com/products/mueller-apv-4-5-14x40ao-black/

http://muelleroptics.com/products/mueller-2-7x32-apv/

20190519_163253.jpg
 
Thank you for the replies everyone! I've taken a bunch of notes based what everyone here has said.
It's rather disappointing that a scope that actually works can't be had for even $50. The latest one I had couldn't even be lined in. This was about 2 years ago, so I don't have it anymore. I trashed it when it became clear that the situation was hopeless and the store wouldn't give me my money back. But I remember checking different reasons that I might be having problems. I tried wiggling it to see if something was loose, but it wasn't. In fact, I had brought my rifle to the store and had them install it on my rifle each of the 3 times so that if a problem was found with mounting it, they could notice it right away and not accuse me of doing something wrong if the scope was found to be defective. Instead, they mounted it, used a bore sight to line it in, and gave it back to me. When I actually shot it, it wasn't lined in, and no amount of adjustments I did were helping.
 
I'll echo the good mount/rings make sure nothing is moving sentiment.
I really like Bushnell rimfire optics I have a 2-7x a 3-9x and a 4.5-18 they have side focus that goes down to like 10yards comes in handy when you're trying to shoot tiny groups at shorter ranges.
 
I have an apv, and it's great. Turrets are a little mushy though. I've used a simmons 8-point on a couple guns over the years. Holds 0 ok.
 
My 1022 wears a Simmons 22 Mag that I got off of ebay several years ago for $18.00. It has always worked great but looks a little goofy as it is silver and the rifle is blue...but, hey the price was right and it works!
 
e rex said:
My 1022 wears a Simmons 22 Mag that I got off of ebay several years ago for $18.00. It has always worked great but looks a little goofy as it is silver and the rifle is blue...but, hey the price was right and it works!
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Id recommend those over the 8 points lol, i actually just mounted one on a friends gun that i need to sight for him.
 
I bought a Simmons 22mag 3x9 as a temporary scope and after a couple uses I ended up not buying anything better like I intended. In fact I bought another but don't have it anymore.

I also have an older one before the 22mag came out. It's probably 25 yrs old.

Ive never had any issues with any of them but I will say the rings the 22mag come were absolutely garbage in both of the ones I bought.

The rings are stamped and formed. Cheap for sure but iver seen it work many times. Both of mine were twisted and out of round.

If the mounts/rings are even half way decent that scope should hold zero if nothing else.
 
e rex said:
My 1022 wears a Simmons 22 Mag that I got off of ebay several years ago for $18.00. It has always worked great but looks a little goofy as it is silver and the rifle is blue...but, hey the price was right and it works!
Click to expand...
Up until last year, I used the scope that I got for about my 13th birthday. Telstar, maybe? When I googled it, a bunch of collector's sites came up, so I don't think they're even made any more. Anyway, it worked for 30+ years, so I can't complain.
 
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