22lr scope

I am looking to put a scope back on my 10/22. Purpose is 75% bench shooting 25% squirrels. One of my annoyances is longer ranges. Zero for 100yds and it isn’t really practical for squirrels at reasonable distances. Zero it for 50yds and shooting on the bench at 100 is Kentucky windage and trying to keep the same holdover.

So I’d like to get a scope with BDC or at worst MOA/Mildot hash marks. Longer range on Fox/Turkey is also a possibility (with velocitors).

The three I am looking at are Bushnell AR 22 2-7x32 scope, Nikon rimfire 3-9x40 and P rimfire 2-7x32

The Nikon’s are a bit of a turn off as they are 1/2MOA at 100 adjustments. However the Bushnell is a heavy B at 19 ounces compared to 13 for the Nikon 3-9. Also 3-9, since it is second focal plane means the BDC is only accurate at 9x, but is also a little bit of a strong mag to be using against real targets (IE squirrels and what not) at 50yds and under.

Thoughts? Should I just try the Bushnell as it is fairly cheap and has good reviews and see if the weight bothers me? Or buckle on my big boy britches and get one of he Nikons? Or is there a scope out there I am missing (budget is $150 or under)? The Vortex crossfire II is a contender, but seems to only have a Vplex reticle, no BDC or MOA/Mildot reticle options.

I have two of the Nikon's. My brother has the primary arms. We didn't have issues hitting 4" plates off hand using the bdc in each at 100. I like the Nikon for its simpler reticle. Primary Arms reticle is pretty effective though. I'm sure you will get many differing opinions. I found at 9x zero at 50 puts me very close for 3x at 25.

The 3-9 Nikon? Or the 2-7? Or one of each?

I have a Weatherby Mark XXII with a 2-7x Leupold rimfire scope and a CZ .452 with a Weaver 2-7x rimfire scope. Both are excellent...the Weaver was less expensive.

OP, no specific scope recommendations here, other than selecting a scope set to rimfire parallax, or adjustable for same.

You have a LOT going on here. Some considerations are inherent to your desired multitasking. Some with your mention of potentially using 2 different loads, and in reality probably many more as pricing and availability of .22 ammo tends to dictate. Arguably the most challenge here is inherent to the cartridge itself.

TO ME, any time I'm looking at shooting something that's alive in the woods, being aware of and compromising on the side of increasing my chances of killing cleanly is my primary consideration. For me, where live targets are concerned, that's true regardless of where I spend most of my time.

Very long story made shorter, I'm not a fan of BDC, especially with scopes coupled with the ballistic characteristics of .22 rimfire. Given typical squirrel hunting distances, I'm primarily concerned with knowing where that bullet is going to be between typical shot distances of 20 and 50 yards, with the idea of keeping keeping that bullet in a kill zone the size of a squirrel head. Properly sighted at either 25 or 50 yards, you can be reasonably sure of staying within that kill zone window. The cartridge allows for that.

Now between 50 and 100 yards while hunting, the game changes drastically. With your mentioned hyper Velocitor, (and these are approximations off the top of my head----check a calculator by brand specific for better numbers) you're looking in the neighborhood of 3.5 inches of bullet drop at 100 yards. With a Mini-Mag as an example of the typical "high speed" breed, more like 5.5 inches. With standard velocity target ammo, which may well be your most precise ammo by the way, closer to 7.5 inches. And now since you're hunting rather than being at a range with marked distances, you're looking to estimate range. Is this shot 65 yards, or is it 85? And your answer is going to matter, because all the while you're got a bullet exhibiting different degrees of falling off the table. In the context of a squirrel head, it matters greatly.

Now bullet drop inherent to gravity is one thing. The REAL challenge with 22lr as range is extended becomes windage. Similar to above, and magnified when hunting at ranges that aren't fixed and are comparatively unknown, you're playing a guessing game with not only wind speed, but variable wind speed.

If you've never really concentrated on the affects of wind drift with rimfire, take your 22 to the range on a day with variable winds. Ok to cheat some by shooting at a known 100 yards, to where you'll have some pretty fair consistency with known bullet drop. But watch what happens to your individual shots, and especially your multiple shot groupings. Keeping your mechanics as consistent as possible, you'll see some real correlation between the wind speed changes, and especially those you can feel or see on a wind tape, and the shot placement on your target 100 yards away. It's astounding what wind does, and it's a great mental exercise for understanding the forces at play with longer range shooting in general, where the same phenomenon occurs, differing by different cartridge ballistics. 2 inches right, 3 inches right, back to dead on now that the wind has settled. Thing is, for purposes of your question, you're shooting a .22 rimfire, and you're hunting, and it's hard to estimate these variables closely enough to keep shots in a squirrel head, when hunting at now unknown and extended ranges, and ideally with a goal of killing rather than potentially wounding and losing an animal.

For these reasons, BDC and variations of same become a gimmick and a marketing ploy to me, especially with a .22 scope to be used for hunting, given the small target size combined with the inherent limitations of the .22lr cartridge itself. End of the day, I want to try my best to ensure within the limitations of the cartridge, kill zone accuracy inside of 60 yards for squirrels. And I'll dial my adjustments at 100 yards for range day fun, where any miscalculations I make I can see on paper, rather than in seeing a lost animal scurry off. And when I leave the range, I'm back to hunting zero. Because for me, it's hunting zero that matters most.

Not the only answer....just mine.

i have the bushnell 2-7 on a rimfire AR platform. all i do is shoot paper and steel from 25 out to 100 yards with it so can't really comment on the hunting side. it has a BDC reticle that is "fairly" accurate depending on the ammo. the manual that comes with it says you should zero it to a certain ammo and stick with that ammo for it to be most "accurate". also with the variable power in the second focal plane the BDC is only valid at 7x. glass is your standard bushnell glass for a rimfire optic. not top of the line but also not bottom of the coke bottle. its does parallax all the down to i think 10 yards or so.

if i had the chance to do it again, i would probably get the primary arms fixed 6x with the 22lr specific acss reticle. since i spend all of my time at 7x shooting paper the variable power is a waste. i like the primary arms concept and the reticle is good for ranging, and bdc if you want to. specifically, the "crosshair" is a chevron so you have a good view of where you are aiming if you are dialing instead of holding. i think this would be a good option for your situation

Great post, Uncle Duke.

Lazarus, if you're in Frederick area, I have the prior model of this scope ...

BSA 3-9X40 Sweet 22 Rifle Scope with Side Parallax Adjustment and Multi-Grain Turret https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AK7KMO

... that I've never used and you can have (as long as I don't have to ship - I'm lazy ). It's been in the closet for 4 years and I want to get rid of it.

For me, it's a design aesthetic thing. I ordered it when they were selling them at deep discounts to clear out inventory. Couldn't resist the sale. In its favor, it's got very bright glass (far exceeded my expectations - better than my Nikon rimfire scopes), parallax adjustment on the front objective (newer version is on the side), and some sort of bullet drop reticle (again, the utility of these for 22LR is probably less than the manufacturers may suggest). The scope does run around 15 ounces though - but it's free.

If you're looking for more options, check out Primary Arms. They have a new 6x scope that runs around $110 for the nonilluminated version that has been developed for 22LR and has a special reticle.

Decent Nikons for rimfire are slightly more expensive, and if you get to the $200 range, the Weaver Grand Slam series (with Adjustable Objectives for parallax) or lightweight Leupold VX-1 Rimfire scopes are good options. Also note that Leupold is possibly replacing the VX-1 series (with their smooth lines) with a different series (with a blockier aesthetic), so they are selling out.

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Fidelity, umm I am willing to take free. Thanks! At least if you don’t mind it might take me a week or two before I could drive out to Frederick. I am over in a Sykesville.

At least back to “uses”, I can’t imagine taking a shot on a squirrel past 50yds.

A bunny, maybe 75. Same with fox or turkey. Those would be body shots and not head shots so I am not as worried about trying to keep it within an inch.

At least right now Aguila match is the most accurate out of my 10/22 grouping just under an inch 10 shot groups at 50yds. Minimags run 1” and velocitors slightly under 1.25”.

Cheap stuff is 1.5-2.5” at 50yds.

I use minimags on squirrels. Velocitors would be my choice for bigger/further targets. Though I’d need to spend more time shooting at 75 and 100yds.

As for the distance, yeah that would matter a lot. I am fairly good at judging distances to within 10yds inside 100. That said, I also have a range finder I use for bow hunting. If I was specifically going to do something like turkey rifle hunting with my 10/22. That said, eh, I might just use my .223 AR-15 for turkey hunting if I ever decide to use a rifle (western MD of course).

What would be really cool is an AR-15 with underslung 12ga for turkey! :-)

lazarus said:

Fidelity, umm I am willing to take free. Thanks! At least if you don’t mind it might take me a week or two before I could drive out to Frederick. I am over in a Sykesville.

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Take your time. It's been waiting to be mounted on a 22LR rifle for several years (I just rediscovered it while doing a little cleaning two weeks ago). Send me a PM when ready.

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fidelity said:

Take your time. It's been waiting to be mounted on a 22LR rifle for several years (I just rediscovered it while doing a little cleaning two weeks ago). Send me a PM when ready.

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You’ll have to tell me your favorite beer. I think I can manage a beer for scope swap at least.

BSA 3-9x40, 2-7x32, and 6-18x40 Sweet 22 models all with either separate turrets for 36, 38, and 40g loads or single turrets marked for all three bullet weights.

I am also a fan of the BSA Sweet