CZ457 Varmint scope recommendations

[calicojack]

This conversation has unfortunately been another bug that bit me - I bought a 10/22 that's just kinda been sitting for a while. I think I've had it to the range a total of twice in the 10-12 years I've had it. Now I'm thinking:

upgrade trigger group
match grade fluted or carbon fiber barrel
upgrade stock
rail for the top of the receiver
aaaaand.....

a scope.

Arken is selling their SH4s pretty cheap these days. I already have one and it's pretty dandy, but I might look into getting something else. In any case, I don't disagree - I like having as much magnification as possible, because you can't shoot it if you can't see it, right?

How's this for a 10/22 stock? From Boyds, rimfire huner stock and pepper laminate wood. Fits nice and tight like a glove.

 

[trickg]

I actually like that a lot and it's one to consider. Mine actually isn't bad - I have the 10/22 with the walnut stock, but if I was going to use a different barrel profile, I'd need to inlet it to accommodate the heavier barrel.

 

[Uncle Duke]

The one thing that seems to be a thing with Vortex scopes is comprised of two things; one of the first things that's touted is the company's customer service and warranty, and following close on the heels of that is someone's firsthand account of having something jacked with their Vortex scope and needing to make use of the warranty.

I might go with a Venom for this upcoming 10/22 build I now have an itch to do. I'm sure I'll be happy with it, and it nothing else, it would give me firsthand experience with both.

Your last sentence speaks volumes. NOONE has first hand experience with more than a fraction of what's available in the scope market. Or the gun market. Or the reloading press market. Or the component market. Or many of the other firearms related markets. It's just damn near impossible. It's also something to keep in mind. Nobody's "fault", but unless one has more time and money than God, people's experiences and their recommendation will invariably involve their own personal and typically very limited sample sizes. Just as an example, to the very best of my knowledge, I myself have never once looked through an Athlon or an Arken product.

 

[trickg]

Your last sentence speaks volumes. NOONE has first hand experience with more than a fraction of what's available in the scope market. Or the gun market. Or the reloading press market. Or the component market. Or many of the other firearms related markets. It's just damn near impossible. It's also something to keep in mind. Nobody's "fault", but unless one has more time and money than God, people's experiences and their recommendation will invariably involve their own personal and typically very limited sample sizes. Just as an example, to the very best of my knowledge, I myself have never once looked through an Athlon or an Arken product.

I've done this one a couple of occasions with various pieces of gear. I currently own two Arken scopes:

SH4 6-24x50
EP5 5-25x56

Both are regarded very highly, and initially I ordered an EP5 because the reviews were favorable, and it was touted to have a clearer brighter image than the SH4. This is supposedly due to the EP5 using Japanese glass with the SH4 using Chinese glass. However, the EP5 was on a delay of 4-6 weeks because of availability - they were selling out of them so quickly they couldn't keep them in stock.

While I was waiting for the EP5, Arken put the SH4 up for sale with a discount code that was hard to pass, so I bought one and mounted it to my rifle while I was waiting on the EP5. I was pretty danged impressed with it and shot this 5-shot group at 50 the day I zeroed it.

With that said, comparatively the EP5 is a bit brighter and clearer. When it came, I mounted that one to rifle where I had the SH4, and I put the SH4 on an 18" AR I have.

I also do that with other kinds of products. As a drummer, I've tried out just about every kind of drum head for my toms - clear, coated, single ply, 2 ply, internally dampened, etc. There's nothing like firsthand experience to let you know what you do or don't like, and it's better than any kind of online review. The only downside is that it takes more money to do that.

 

[Uncle Duke]

The one thing that seems to be a thing with Vortex scopes is comprised of two things; one of the first things that's touted is the company's customer service and warranty, and following close on the heels of that is someone's firsthand account of having something jacked with their Vortex scope and needing to make use of the warranty.

I might go with a Venom for this upcoming 10/22 build I now have an itch to do. I'm sure I'll be happy with it, and it nothing else, it would give me firsthand experience with both.

Your last sentence speaks volumes. NOONE has first hand experience with more than a fraction of what's available in the scope market. Or the gun market. Or the reloading press market. Or the component market. Or many of the other firearms related markets. It's just damn near impossible. It's also something to keep in mind. Nobody's "fault", but unless one has more time and money than God, people's experiences and their recommendationwill invariably involve their own personal and very limited sample sizes. Just as an example, to the very best of my knowledge, I myself have never looked through an Athlon or an Arken product.

I've done this one a couple of occasions with various pieces of gear. I currently own two Arken scopes:

SH4 6-24x50
EP5 5-25x56

Both are regarded very highly, and initially I ordered an EP5 because the reviews were favorable, and it was touted to have a clearer brighter image than the SH4. This is supposedly due to the EP5 using Japanese glass with the SH4 using Chinese glass. However, the EP5 was on a delay of 4-6 weeks because of availability - they were selling out of them so quickly they couldn't keep them in stock.

While I was waiting for the EP5, Arken put the SH4 up for sale with a discount code that was hard to pass, so I bought one and mounted it to my rifle while I was waiting on the EP5. I was pretty danged impressed with it and shot this 5-shot group at 50 the day I zeroed it.

View attachment 379929

With that said, comparatively the EP5 is a bit brighter and clearer. When it came, I mounted that one to rifle where I had the SH4, and I put the SH4 on an 18" AR I have.

I also do that with other kinds of products. As a drummer, I've tried out just about every kind of drum head for my toms - clear, coated, single ply, 2 ply, internally dampened, etc. There's nothing like firsthand experience to let you know what you do or don't like, and it's better than any kind of online review. The only downside is that it takes more money to do that.

Good to know. I can see why you like it.
Nice shooting!

 

[rbird7282]

The one thing that seems to be a thing with Vortex scopes is comprised of two things; one of the first things that's touted is the company's customer service and warranty, and following close on the heels of that is someone's firsthand account of having something jacked with their Vortex scope and needing to make use of the warranty.

I might go with a Venom for this upcoming 10/22 build I now have an itch to do. I'm sure I'll be happy with it, and it nothing else, it would give me firsthand experience with both.

I’ve only heard about their great customer service. I have three Vortex scopes and have never had a single issue. One resides on my 3 gun AR and I’m not exactly gentle with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[calicojack]

I actually like that a lot and it's one to consider. Mine actually isn't bad - I have the 10/22 with the walnut stock, but if I was going to use a different barrel profile, I'd need to inlet it to accommodate the heavier barrel.

Boyds also has stocks for the heavier profile 10/22 models. For that matter, there is also Bell and Carlson if you want a synthetic stock, and they also have models for the target barrel 10/22's.

Bell and Carlson: RUGER 10/22® STOCKS&ACC.

Bell and Carlson is a leader in synthetic stock design, technology and manufacturer of the highest quality fiberglass, aramid and graphite gun stocks available.

www.bellandcarlson.com

 

[calicojack]

Same scope, same price, slightly different adjustment - this one is MOA instead of MIL.

SH4 GEN2 4-16X50mm FFP MOA VPR

www.arkenopticsusa.com

Sounds like a great value, given how happy you are with it.

 

[calicojack]

So all this talk of 12X, 16X, etc. scopes for 22LR got me to thinking. I ended up ordering a Vortex 4-12X40 AO for my Browning T Bolt. I am liking this for 25 to 100 yards. I don't expect to shoot the rifle futher than that.

Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO

Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO

vortexoptics.com

 

[trickg]

So all this talk of 12X, 16X, etc. scopes for 22LR got me to thinking. I ended up ordering a Vortex 4-12X40 AO for my Browning T Bolt. I am liking this for 25 to 100 yards. I don't expect to shoot the rifle futher than that.

Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO

Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO

vortexoptics.com

The original scope I bought for one of my ARs, that later ended up going on my Bighorn Origin build for a bit before I sold it, was a Cabela's brand 3-12x44. It came in right under the $200 price point once my mil discount was applied, and I have to say, for no more than it cost and for what it was, it was a pretty danged solid scope. The ONLY reason I sold it was because I'd upgraded to the Arken 4-24x50. I was blown away by how clear the glass was. I A/B'd it against every optic I have in the safe:

Late 1960s era Redfield 3-9x40 - this is the scope on my Dad's 25-06 build
1980s era Redfield 2-7x33
1960s era Western Field 6x33 fixed
Athlon Helos 1-4x32
Primary Arms 3x prism

From a clarity perspective, it blew everything else other than the Athlon and Primary Arms away, and it was slightly better than the Athlon and Primary Arms - hard to compare though with them being different types of optics. I don't know who makes Cabela's brand scopes, but for the price, it was a solid value IMO.

I guess that's my long way of saying that you can get something decent even on a budget.

 

[calicojack]

Inspired by this thread. This should be more fun with the Crossfire II 4-12X40 AO.

 

[4g64loser]

My rimfire precision trainer has a Burris xtr2 4-20 with a horus reticle. I like holding with it as a lot of the time one can dial the close shot on a stage or in a field and hold the rest.... particularly with a 22 I find it faster.

I've not had to send in a Burris for warranty but I can comment directly from my own experiences dealing with zeiss, vortex, and even a few less well known others on service or warranty issues. Vortex gets my vote for best service ever. Several of my friends have had similar experiences. Of the probably ten vortex scopes I have owned, only two needed to go back for work. May seem like a lot until considering that one of them was on a rifle through three .260 rem barrels and the elevation turret got a lot of abuse. The other was a scope I bought used and noticed an issue with one of the elements. Both were repaired with no questions asked.

Zeiss was not nearly so good. I owned four of them at the time. One had an issue with parallax adjustment after less than 200 rounds on a hunting rifle. I sent it back, they never called or communicated and sent me a capped turret duplex reticle "replacement" for a target turret mil reticle scope. When I called to blast them, they said it was because they didn't make the model I had anymore. They offered me target turrets but refused to put a #43 reticle in the tube, even though that's what I sent them. They flatly refused to repair my original scope and return it. I have since sold all but one zeiss product and have no plans to buy another.

IOR Valdada has some good optics too. They look a bit klunky compared to some of the competition but I have not seen a problem with their turrets nor have I heard of any guys I know breaking one.

Even ZCO has failures, folks, and they are about the top of the market. Know a guy who just sent one in for repair. He had a hunt coming up and was worried about getting it back in time. He called them to explain the situation and ask about lead time for repair. They sent him an overnight shipping label and turned the scope around in a week total.

 

[Augie]

My favorite for target with a 22 is no longer available new but can be found on used market, a Leupold VX-II 6-18 with a fine target dot reticle. Excellent for both steel and paper, I just remember the clicks when going from 50 to 100 yards and it is spot on. Leupold may offer the reticle on newer scopes but I have not looked recently.
A lot of my vintage target scopes have the fine target dot reticle. The steel target I'm posting is one Alex made up for me as I was complaining to him that standard size targets were no challenge, shoot this at 100 yards.

 

[Russ D]

Boyds also has stocks for the heavier profile 10/22 models. For that matter, there is also Bell and Carlson if you want a synthetic stock, and they also have models for the target barrel 10/22's.

Bell and Carlson: RUGER 10/22® STOCKS&ACC.

Bell and Carlson is a leader in synthetic stock design, technology and manufacturer of the highest quality fiberglass, aramid and graphite gun stocks available.

www.bellandcarlson.com

You really can’t go wrong with Victor Titan 10/22 stock.

 

[calicojack]

You really can’t go wrong with Victor Titan 10/22 stock.

Victor Company USA Inc

victorcompanyusa.com