Do you need a rimfire scope for a rimfire rifle?

[S25]

Hi,
excuse my ignorance, but I have never delved into the topic of ammo specific scopes before. But now I am planning to get a CZ 457 Varmint which I want to shoot with not more than 50-100 yards (maybe try 200 at maximum). Now I am wondering which scope to get.
These scopes I zoomed in on:





I was wondering if it would be a real advantage to have the scope that is made for .22 caliber rifles. The Droptine variants of Burris are cheaper and have less quality glass, so the better option built quality wise would be the Fullfield. But maybe it is an advantage to have a reticle that is aligned with the caliber.

What would you recommend for my purposes? Thanks!!

 

[357Max]

No! Put whatever you like on n it.

 

[1911JMB]

Rimfire scopes are generally cheap low power jobs. You may want a scope with adjustable parallax for a rimfire especially to close ranges.

If you are just plinking and shooting under 100 yards any scope should work for you

 

[dscl]

Just make sure your parallax goes low enough

 

[prebancolt]

No! And this

Just make sure your parallax goes low enough

J

 

[Jgault]

Hi,
excuse my ignorance, but I have never delved into the topic of ammo specific scopes before. But now I am planning to get a CZ 457 Varmint which I want to shoot with not more than 50-100 yards (maybe try 200 at maximum). Now I am wondering which scope to get.
These scopes I zoomed in on:





I was wondering if it would be a real advantage to have the scope that is made for .22 caliber rifles. The Droptine variants of Burris are cheaper and have less quality glass, so the better option built quality wise would be the Fullfield. But maybe it is an advantage to have a reticle that is aligned with the caliber.

What would you recommend for my purposes? Thanks!!

Reticle wouldn’t make very much difference for your described purpose, so just pick one you like. Personally I don’t use 22’s at much range, I have a Vortex on mine, they make relatively durable scopes, and I love their warranty, so for a varmint plinker it works well.

 

[S25]

Thanks guys! Very helpful.
Vortex I like generally as well but I think they rarely have clean, easy to use reticles.

This Hawke could also be an option:

Product Description

Product Description | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

 

[S25]

Rimfire scopes are generally cheap low power jobs. You may want a scope with adjustable parallax for a rimfire especially to close ranges.

If you are just plinking and shooting under 100 yards any scope should work for you

And thats why I think it might be an overkill to buy a scope that would also withstand a big caliber recoil. The rimfire scopes are cheap jobs because that is good enough for that cartridge. The Burris Droptine comes in a variant with 50 yards parallax.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

In the long run, you'll want the best glass your budget will support, consistent with the price/quality point of the rifle. Your CZ 457 Varmint should be capable of good accuracy - I've seen top-shelf accuracy from some of the 457s - and I predict you would become very disappointed Very Quickly with a $100 scope.

I have four match-quality rifles, including RimX and Vudoo .22s. Both the .22s wear Vortex Gen-3 Razor 6-36x56 scopes. It's not uncommon for people to say that putting a $3000 scope on a .22 is nuts. Well, I disagree for two reasons:

• First, I can see bullet holes/strikes at much greater distances, which matters in matches. For example, I shot a 100-yard mini-Palma match on a dark, rainy morning. I could see my bullet holes in the black paper target center - no one else could. I won by a comfortable margin (actually, I cleaned it with a 450-28x).
• Second, for my use case (PRS-style matches and similar competitions), the elevation turret gets a LOT of turning. I'm not surprised when I see stages with distances from 80 to 400+ yards, which requires two full rotations on a 10-mil turret. My point of view, rightly or wrongly, is a higher-quality scope will be more durable as well as providing much better clarity.

My recommendation is that you look for a scope at a price point similar to or even higher than that of your rifle. It would probably be worth your while to call some of the Snipers Hide supporting vendors (@gr8fuldoug at CameralandNY, Richard at @CSTactical, Scott at @LibertyOptics, etc.) to discuss preferences and options. I've bought scopes from all of these vendors - we're fortunate to have them and others available to advise and assist. Be sure to tell them you heard about them on SH.

Good luck.

 

[S25]

Thanks but I still think putting a 3k scope on a 22 varmint gun is nuts;-)
You are shooting competition, so that makes sense. But for shooting only up to 100 yards, I think a solid entry level scope would do. I was just wondering if a special 22 reticle would give any advantage.

 

[lash]

Thanks but I still think putting a 3k scope on a 22 varmint gun is nuts;-)
You are shooting competition, so that makes sense. But for shooting only up to 100 yards, I think a solid entry level scope would do. I was just wondering if a special 22 reticle would give any advantage.

Advantage for what? What type of shooting with a .22 will a ballistic drop reticle give you and advantage over a conventional mil style reticle?

If you are shooting targets of any kind, even for fun, a better scope and reticle will provide an advantage. That includes varmints, as the are typically small targets.

It sounds like your only real question is ‘why not get a .22 specific drop reticle.’ If that is indeed your question, then you have to ask yourself, will I be using supersonic or subsonic .22 ammo? Which is this reticle designed for?

Or just use a quality scope instead of the gimmick scopes designed for those that don’t know any better, much like yourself.

 

[Fig]

Plinking or shooting varmints your right. You're just posting on the wrong forum. This is generally not a Fud place even if a lot of us hunt.
You need to go here: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/
For most guys here Rimfire out to 100 yards is way too boooooring. In fact, I find bench rest for tiny groups to be extremely boring and pointless if it is not in the service of taking the rifle (and you) out to the limits of the equipment and your own skill. To me "bench rest" is just a means to an end. f of that in mine, but I never shoot my .22 at the club without at least ringing a 400 yard gong at least once. I have a cheap, Chinese, 56mm scope on mine that works great, but if I got more serious about competing I would move a tier one scope to the .22.

 

[FuhQ]

Hi,
excuse my ignorance, but I have never delved into the topic of ammo specific scopes before. But now I am planning to get a CZ 457 Varmint which I want to shoot with not more than 50-100 yards (maybe try 200 at maximum). Now I am wondering which scope to get.
These scopes I zoomed in on:





I was wondering if it would be a real advantage to have the scope that is made for .22 caliber rifles. The Droptine variants of Burris are cheaper and have less quality glass, so the better option built quality wise would be the Fullfield. But maybe it is an advantage to have a reticle that is aligned with the caliber.

What would you recommend for my purposes? Thanks!!

Like was stated, NO! Don’t buy a rimfire scope. Most are cheap and shitty, and have a fixed parallax at 50 yards. Get a Real scope.

I’m running a Burris XTR-II 5-25x50 on my Ranger 22, and Vortex Viper HS-T 6-24x50 scopes on my 10/22 and .17 HMR rifles.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Thanks but I still think putting a 3k scope on a 22 varmint gun is nuts;-)
You are shooting competition, so that makes sense. But for shooting only up to 100 yards, I think a solid entry level scope would do. I was just wondering if a special 22 reticle would give any advantage.

Heh. It's nuts to consider what some folks spend on hobbies... I won't disagree with you at all; I'm admittedly at the "nuts" spending level. And you are correct to point out that your use case and mine are very different - I should have noted that in my post.

But I will submit that you aren't going to find a "solid [emphasis mine] entry level scope" for $100. Such a scope may serve your needs... for awhile. But it will be a throwaway with little or no resale value. At the entry level, you can get a lot more quality and features for relatively little additional spend whereas at the "nuts" level you spend far more and get far less incremental improvement.

If you're halfway serious about starting at a solid entry level, give Doug, Richard, Scott, etc. a call.

 

[acudaowner]

I have to ask is there really a scope really called a rim fire scope cause I can't seem to find any , but that does not mean they are not out there . we use the same high magnification scopes we use on other guns 10x50 or 5x50 just with an adjustable scope base to make up for the elevation needed to use a 22 past 400 yards . right or wrong it's just what we do .

 

[Fig]

There are a few of them...

Nikon PROSTAFF RIMFIRE II Rifle Scope 1 Tube 3-9x40mm BDC 150 Reticle

The PROSTAFF RIMFIRE II riflescope has Nikon’s Fully Multi-coated Lenses that deliver a superior sight picture. Sighting-in is made easy with...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[S25]

I have to ask is there really a scope really called a rim fire scope cause I can't seem to find any ,

the first one in my first post for example

 

[S25]

Plinking or shooting varmints your right. You're just posting on the wrong forum. This is generally not a Fud place even if a lot of us hunt.
You need to go here: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/
For most guys here Rimfire out to 100 yards is way too boooooring. In fact, I find bench rest for tiny groups to be extremely boring and pointless if it is not in the service of taking the rifle (and you) out to the limits of the equipment and your own skill. To me "bench rest" is just a means to an end. f of that in mine, but I never shoot my .22 at the club without at least ringing a 400 yard gong at least once. I have a cheap, Chinese, 56mm scope on mine that works great, but if I got more serious about competing I would move a tier one scope to the .22.

Yes agreed, and sorry for posting this here. I just was a member already here but will also register with the rimfire forum. But if your cheap scope even works for 400 yards I think any scope of a reputable manufacturer will do for up to 100 yrds.

 

[Jgore]

Get a scope that’ll shoot the max for the gun. Trust me you’ll want it later. I started out with a CZ and have built it out. Hits 400 with no issues. I haven’t tried 500 but I’m confident it’ll hit.

 

[obx22]

You have to pick both according to purpose, as well as budget. This lil 3/4” tube 4X Redfield just looks right on the T-bolt’s diminutive receiver, however holding 7” over at 100yds isn’t insurmountable, it would be a challenge on game. There are better choices.

The great Vortex StrikeEagle 5-25X56 doesn’t just look right on the CZ457 or Bergara B14-R, it allows dialing dead on from 15yds to over 500yds with confidence.

The problem with dedicated rimfire scopes such as this Shepherd 2-10 is it’s only calibrated for one specific speed and weight of round, under specific weather conditions, any deviation and your looking at strikes outside of the “calibrations”. Yes, I’ve hit 12oz sodas with this reticle at 300+ yards, but I’ve also missed 8” steel at the same distance, under different conditions, and with different ammo.

 

[obx22]

You have to pick both according to purpose, as well as budget. This lil 3/4” tube 4X Redfield just looks right on the T-bolt’s diminutive receiver, however holding 7” over at 100yds isn’t insurmountable, it would be a challenge on game. There are better choices.View attachment 8168765
The great Vortex StrikeEagle 5-25X56 doesn’t just look right on the CZ457 or Bergara B14-R, it allows dialing dead on from 15yds to over 500yds with confidence.View attachment 8168768
The problem with dedicated rimfire scopes such as this Shepherd 2-10 is it’s only calibrated for one specific speed and weight of round, under specific weather conditions, any deviation and your looking at strikes outside of the “calibrations”. Yes, I’ve hit 12oz sodas with this reticle at 300+ yards, but I’ve also missed 8” steel at the same distance, under different conditions, and with different ammo.

For whatever reason, the Redfield pic populated last.

 

[Jabberjaw]

For something on the cheaper end, I've had good luck with the Bushnell Rimfire optics 3.5-10x36 AO. CDNN usuzlly has them for about $70 TYD.

 

[MarkCZ]

Hi,
excuse my ignorance, but I have never delved into the topic of ammo specific scopes before. But now I am planning to get a CZ 457 Varmint which I want to shoot with not more than 50-100 yards (maybe try 200 at maximum). Now I am wondering which scope to get.
These scopes I zoomed in on:





I was wondering if it would be a real advantage to have the scope that is made for .22 caliber rifles. The Droptine variants of Burris are cheaper and have less quality glass, so the better option built quality wise would be the Fullfield. But maybe it is an advantage to have a reticle that is aligned with the caliber.

What would you recommend for my purposes? Thanks!!

The only problem with the rimfire scopes. Will the ballistic plex fit the ammo your gun likes. If does not match the plex then you are guessing where the bullet will impact.
You said you may go out to 200yds. You will want a scope that click up and down, with a lot if adjustment and adjustable parallax. Most guys these days are using centerfire scopes, that meet that spec. The 22lr drops 7" at 100yds and 24" at 200yds depending on ammo.

A good scope for the money is a SWFA SS fixed power in 10X, 12X, 16X, and 20X in MOA or Mils. https://www.swfa.com/swfa-10x42-ss-30mm-riflescope-105768.html They parallax adjust down to 10 yds to infinity

 

[BILL7532]

I have to ask is there really a scope really called a rim fire scope

Many optic manufacturers have a "rimfire" scope listed.
The most common difference is the parallax is usually set at 50 yards rather than the 100-150 of most centerfire optics.
But again most people using a .22 are shooting at 100 yards or less and many using the .22lr for hunting small game are shooting at distances 50 yards or closer.

Not everyone buying a .22 has intentions of shooting it at targets at 200 yards or further so for many a standard plinking or hunting rimfire optic will fit their needs not to mention the smaller lighter more appropriate hunting rimfire optics usually weigh only around 11 ozs or so and much nicer to haul around in the woods all day.

 

[SanPatHogger]

Once you get a FFP MIL scope you will never want anything else.
I have one of these. It works pretty good. If it breaks it's cheap enough you just give it to some kid to play with.

These used to be $125, but I see they have an illuminated reticle now and a fance ranging thingy in the reticle now too.