Thread: Mil/mrad scope for 22lr?

Originally Posted by Shot Bro

You bloody legends! Thanks very much, I will check out these recommendations.

Was originally thinking a 3-9 but after your post @Flyblown I am reconsidering.

Budget is $500 to roughly $1000, if I could keep it under/around 1k with some rings that would be sweet.

Cheers

I would be wary about getting “too much” scope for a rimfire. If you are competition shooting or always shooting longer range gongs, then a 6-24 is cool, but if it is a small game hunting rifle then a minimum magnification of 6x is too much and 24x is pointless on a rabbit at 100m.

I don’t shoot targets for fun and would estimate that in any 10 shots on small game I will dial once, maximum. The rest are a quick process of range / acquire target / holdover / fire. As long as a dialling mechanism has a good return to home test outcome on paper, you’re good to go. There’s always a temptation to go for gold with scopes, but you’ve got to work within the practical limitations of rimfire ammunition to find a sensible match with optics, and application is the main driver.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

... but if it is a small game hunting rifle then a minimum magnification of 6x is too much and 24x is pointless on a rabbit at 100m.

As a broad general proposition this is not wrong, but as is the case for all general propositions, in reality things are more nuanced.

In my all small game hunting I have never once felt I needed more Field Of View. I generally shoot small games when they are still. Even if in the odd occasions where I shot a moving animal, they were far enough that I never felt FOV was an issue. So I do not think a minimum of 6 power is a problem based on FOV concerns. Where 6 power can be a problem is when the scope does not focus down near enough. I have a VX2 6-18 on a 17 hmr and when I have a possum sitting within a few meters from me on a tree branch or a rabbit just under my feet, it can be annoying because the scope's minimum focusing distance is 50m. So even at 6x power, at a few metres away everything is out of focus. But you have a scope that can focus down to 10m then this is not going to be an issue. Lower powered magnification significantly mitigates this problem.

As to higher power for longer distance, it depends on if you shoot free hand. if you always shoot prone and off a bipod/bag, your rifle will be a lot steadier and you would not necessarily need high power scope to shoot well. But on the other hand if you shoot free hand, then you will never make the rifle truly steady. Accurate shooting is all about pulling the trigger when the crosshair covers the centre of your target. Then magnification matters a lot. The larger the magnification the better you can tell how your crosshair is moving and it helps you to pick the right moment to pull the trigger.

in indoor sporting rifle clubs, they shoot at 25 metres, and you will see that the standard equipment for most seasoned shooters is 20x scope.

Same with silhouette shooting, the steel ram is placed at 100m and most seasoned shooters use 20x scope. The steel ram is bigger than a rabbit's head.

One of my hunting 22 semi sports a 2-16, and I shoot at the 16 end most of the time whether it is 30 or 80 metres. When I shoot at 100m I do wish I had more magnification.

Originally Posted by Ultimitsu

As a broad general proposition this is not wrong, but as is the case for all general propositions, in reality things are more nuanced. In my all small game hunting I have never once felt I needed more Field Of View...

Yeah nah maybe

I also use my scope on high mag most of the time, because usually it's a one bird one shot type scenario at longish range for a .22LR.

But sometimes there's a whole bunch of bunnies only 30-40m away, and with subs I've got a good chance of getting 3 or 4 of them before they bugger off. So I need a much wider field of view to see what's going on. That's when the 3x or 4x is invaluable - wouldn't want it any other way. Nothing more irritating than waving your rifle around looking for the next target but the magnification is too high...