Thread: What scope are you running on your .22?

My Brno No. 4, with barrel shortened by a previous owner, wears a Leupold Euro 2-7x33 with a Leupold Euro reticle (basically a No. 4 reticle with Heavy Duplex dimensions). The scope works equally well for target work and small game.

My CZ452 fully wooded has a Kahles C4x with 7A reticle (basically the Kahles equivalent of Leupold Heavy Duplex).

My Brno 611 has a Weaver 6x, with parallax set to 75 yards.

Don't underrate the 22.

From bench testing over 100 makes and models, most 22 rifles are well capable of popping bunnies at 100 if shot in properly with their preferred ammos. Rifle price is often an indicator of quality, but not necessarily of accuracy. Some comparatively cheap 22s will shoot under 1" groups at 100m, and a $247 Norinco EM332 I had with a huntsman 3-9x AVERAGED 0.6" for four consecutive groups at 100m. I have no trouble popping sub 1" groups with quite a few makes eg marlin bolts/semiautos and JW15s - and that means very dead bunnies at 100m.

The right ammo for your 100 meter shooting is the ammo that shoots best off the bench after testing 8-12 different types through any given rifle. Sporter rifles will often shoot just as well with the right high velocity ammo as they will with subs (excluding match ammos here). Here's some pics of just 2-3 standard barrel 22s off the bench - absolute sharpshooters, cheap as chips (all under $250) and with inexpensive optics:

Three .22 sharpshooters

You can choose to spend up on a 22, but in fact you don't need a $600 scope plus $1000 rifle. Just pick one of the good accurate rifles, pop a reliable scope on it and spend some good bench setup time.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

That's good shooting. I couldn't hit a rabbit past 50m.

What I meant was that for that 50 to 100m range a 17HMR would be better (have to admit I haven't used one myself but those that have say so...)
So, I was purely talking about using subsonic ammo which I reckon is the forte of the .22LR now.

I was shooting at those ranges with @mudgripz pretty early on in my career using the cheap PMX subs I got off @crnkin. The little Norinco I bought for the kids also loves that ammo.

Bore sighted the Norinco and a 5 shot the group off the dot at 50m. Then twiddled the doofers to adjust onto the 24mm dots and shot another 5 shot group.


Then onto the next dot for another 5 shot group.


This is all at 50m with a little 4x32 Huntsman scope (I think that's the name on it).

Woah have you still got some of those PMX's?

They were awesome, but I used them in a few months.

Chris

Originally Posted by crnkin

Woah have you still got some of those PMX's?

They were awesome, but I used them in a few months.

Chris

Yeah, still got about a brick left. That stuff is brilliant. Decided it was so good I'd hang onto the rest for target practice and switched to Fiocchi, that works almost as well, for hunting.

Aguilla is the other stuff I had that shoots amazing.

Ive got a few hundred of those left, mainly cos I like the smell of the primers.

Text incoming too.

Chris

I have a Burris Full Field 11, 2-7 x something with a ballistic type reticle on my CZ 452-2E
seems to work pretty well.

That excellent Aguila Superextra HV of 3-4 years ago is virtually identical to Fiocchi blue packet. Both made in Industrios Technos Mexican factory, same specs, looks to be same pill, and almost identical POI on range. Fiocchi HV excellent ammo in the right rifle.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

This is all at 50m with a little 4x32 Huntsman scope (I think that's the name on it).

Checked it earlier and it is a Nikko Sterling Gold Crown 4x32.

Nikon prostaff rimfire 3-9×40 BDC on the bolt action, good to 100m on rabbits, but it is an accurate rifle. And a Nikon rimfire 2 -7×32 on the semi. Yet to shoot this much so will reserve judgement but smaller, lighter, clearer and brighter than the Bushnell AR it replaces.

Originally Posted by Savage1

I've got a Nikon 3-9x rimfire. Perfect.

For how often I use my 22 in comparison to my larger guns it does warrant having something half decent, especially since it's often used in low light.

My .22lr ('s) are my most unused guns. My main one wears a Mueller Tac II 3-10x44. Have dialled it successfully to 200m.

Originally Posted by res

I have a diverse range of optics on .22's
From cheep bushnel t25 red dots, aimpoint h1,fixed 4x lepolds(fantastic value second hand), trijicon 1-4,Leopold rimfire target scope (my favorite),bushnel 10x , and a z3.

As I shoot more with .22 than centerfire and in often poor light I feel it's worth using good optics if you can justify the expense.

Have used the army's trick of a ringbinder reinforcing sticker to deal with parallax on some and some have had them adjusted. Of course some where made for .22 or are adjustable so not a issue for those.

Some of my friends make fun of a .22 with a scope on it that cost more than the rifle even if they do the same for there centerfires, for me it's a pride of ownership thing as well as I think in most cases the optic is the most important part of the package, followed by ammo and then how fancy the rifle is.
I cringe at friends with $800 rifles who only spend $50 on the cheapest scope they can find if they consider it a long term thing.

If I was in a tight budget a jw15 with a second hand fixed 4x of good quality would probably be my choice-it's what I used from 10-22years old and the setup is still going strong in daily use by my uncle over a decade later.

Wow I wrote a novel, I really am procrastinating from what I should be doing

who did you get to adjust the parallax on your scopes?

Originally Posted by Kscott

Rabbit gun has a Nikko Stirling LaserKing 4 -12 x 42 which has great light capabilities, built in laser.
Nikko-Stirling Riflescopes - Hunting and Outdoor Supplies

AR 22 has a Bushnell 2x
BUSHNELL AR Optics 2x MP Red Dot Sight

Both do a suitable job for the task at hand and were pretty cheap.

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Kahles 4X36 no shots past 75 as paid to kill not scare.

Originally Posted by Feather or Shoot

who did you get to adjust the parallax on your scopes?



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Whilhelm arms and optics in Christchurch and Leopold, you can do it yourself but I would rather pay a professional on relatively high cost scopes as the cost is low and there work is covered by the cga


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You should nail bunnies consistently at 75m with a 22. An accurate 22 model with its best ammos and a good shooter should group 1" and under at 75m - and that's very dead bunnies.

Gadgetman and I belong to a casual shooting team that has enjoyed great bunny sites over the last 10-11 years here in Canterbury. On one farm we have popped over 1000 in an evening a couple of times (6-7 hours shooting) and the average shooting distance we once calculated was 70 meters. With well set up gear we would not expect to miss at 75m - or 100m. The right 22 - grouping round 1" at 100m - will nail bunnies at 75 -100 very well. We weren't leaving them scared...

The key is preparation and practice. Experiment then choose only the super accurate rifles, then do the full ammo testing process to find each rifle's optimum performance ammo, tweak your rifles to have actions/triggers smooth, and have the 22 shot in for precision grouping at 75m (if shooting longer range). Also important to note that just a good rifle and scope alone won't necessarily make for accurate shooting - alot of hunters are actually not very good shots. It is invaluable to spend quality time on a range, and preferably getting some coaching from very experienced shooters. Just a couple of sessions on rifle setup and positional pressures etc can make alot of difference.

In the late afternoons when walking in our own seperate designated blocks we would sometimes see who could shoot 100 bunnies quickest. Mine was a reasonable 108 bunnies in 95 minutes free standing and off bipod, but depending on blocks other boys were certainly quicker. I think gadget - the tinny bugger - got the record at 100 in 37 minutes. Now this kill rate is all AVERAGING 70 meters - and very very few bunnies got away.

Can be done with a 22 - they can be a precision little weapon, an absolute wee sniper with the right setup and practice.