.22 LR Scope Advice badly needed

[Jack Ferguson]

So all going to plan i should(hopefully) have my FAC by the end of September. I will be getting a ruger 10/22 so that's the rifle sorted out now all i have to consider is what scope to get. I know basically next to nothing about what magnification i should be getting what makes to avoid or how much money i have to spend. I honestly don't have very much money to spend on the scope as in February i will be turning 17 and purchasing my first car so i am looking for a scope under £100 and ideally less... I am aware i won't get an amazing scope for this money but what would be my best option for near and preferably under £100?

Thanks

[Keef]

First question is what will you be using it for?

I shoot gallery Rifle from 10 to 25 yards so a magnification range of say 2.5 to 10 is fine. As I am never shooting in poor light at dusk and dawn I don't need a very high quality light gathering lens so I can stay with a budget scope.

What I do need is the ability to adjust the focus/parallax to cope with the 10 yards shots. I also dial in the range on a turret so I don't need a multi line ret, in fact the more lines there are in the ret the worse it is for me, a 30/30 ret is fine.

If you are hunting then your needs start to change. For fast taken shots at a rabbit for instance a range estimation by eye and then using a known line in a multi line ret for that range would enable a quick line up and shot. You might not have the time to mess about dialling in a range on the turret. The same for parallax adjustment, a fixed parallax will allow for a quicker shot.

If you intend to hunt at dawn and dusk then you are going to need better glass but what ever the glass theory says that a magnification of 7 on a 50mm lens or mag 8 on a 56mm lens is best. This is because the eye can cope with a beam of light of 7mm diameter (as you get older the diameter you can cope with gets less). If you divide objective lens diameter by magnification it gives the diameter of the light beam, so a 7 x 50 gives 7mm as does the 8 x 56 making both bright. Go to a 50mm lens with 16 mag and the beam is down to 3mm giving a less bright image.

So sort out your needs first, that then narrows down the sort of scope you're looking for, with your budget narrowing it down further.

[1066]

That's all good sound advice from Keef. I would say - Keep it simple. Stuff like illuminated reticule, high mag and massive object lens may look impressive but they all add weigh and cost without much gain.

If you're using it for rabbits, then being a 10/22 you will be looking at 30-50 yards as a practical range - Don't be conned into thinking 80-100yds is normal .22 range. You will find many fixed parallax scopes won't focus down to 25 yards, so if you're doing some gallery range stuff you will need adjustable parallax and if you go that way then I would advise a scope with side adjustable rather than object lens adjustable.

Being a .22 there's no scope shattering recoil to worry about so, if money is tight, I would have a good look at the scopes aimed at air-rifles, something like the Hawke range. I have always found they have very good glass for the money.

Something like this might fit the bill:

http://www.guns.gb.com/contents/en-uk/p ... scope.html

[hungryrob]

Wait and look on here for a second hand older scope with decent glass.

Look on the BBS too; there are always good scopes there second hand.

[hungryrob]

http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php ... itan-scope

http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php ... s-for-sale

http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php ... -3.5-10x40

[Triffid]

Lots of people I shoot with have got smallish, low mag scopes on their 10/22's. The Simmons White-tail Classic 1-5x20 is what I've got on mine and I find it a good match for the 10/22.

There are a couple on ebay at the moment within your price range.

Triffid

[Jack Ferguson]

Thanks very much for the advice everyone

Look on the BBS

What does that stand for?

[leadpig]

Thanks very much for the advice everyone

Look on the BBS

What does that stand for?

air gun bbs,another forum,not as pleasant as this

i keep saying this but for a decent but well priced scope these are very hard to beat,ive had a couple that ended up getting sold with the gun they were on,but am getting another for the gsg
Panorama AO EV 3-9x40 IRAO 1/2 Mil-dot ,or its bigger brothers,for £112 you can do a lot worse
http://www.airgunbuyer.com/Showproducts ... t%20Optics

[tisme]

I've just bought a BSA international .22lr. Last night I went to the range to buy an old tasco classic scope (not cheap). We fitted it and I tried it, the result was rubbish 2" groups at 25 meters, so off it came.
Today I wanted to check it wasn't the rifle or ammo so set a target up at 50 yards. In the workshop we found an old bushmaster 3-9x40 from the 80s and fitted it. Within 20 shots it was clover leafing and proved to me that you don't need to spend a lot on a .22 lr rifle scope.

[bedwards1966]

Just about anything will do. I have found cheap scopes to remain on target and to work fine. Something like a 3-9 x 40 or 50 lens should be ample (assuming hunting). I wouldn't waste any money, £40 or £50 should be plenty.

[leadpig]

Just about anything will do. I have found cheap scopes to remain on target and to work fine. Something like a 3-9 x 40 or 50 lens should be ample (assuming hunting). I wouldn't waste any money, £40 or £50 should be plenty utter tosh.

until it falls apart,whites out,refuses to track,wont focus ect
i have gone down the cheap scope route and learnt my lesson,buy the best you can afford especially if you intend to hunt,hitting a rabbit in the ass when your aiming at its head is not very nice when it starts squealing

[Beer Hunter]

Have a look for a second hand Bushnell Legend scope. For the price they are very hard to beat. The 5-15x40 in particular is stunning quality.

Kev.

[Buffy Vampire Slayer]

have you considered a BSA sweet 22
I`ve got the sweet 17 variant on my HMR and for the money they are bang on.
get a rabbit in the cross hairs and it`s history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZW7griBkt4

[Shootist]

Pretty much any decent quality scope will do. don't look away from fixed mag scopes, they have fewer bits to go wrong. Neither need you get hooked on magnification. I have a Greener .22 Martini action with an old German 2.5 mag scope and it's damned near as accurate as the .22 rifles I use for bench rest. The Nikko 6x AO is a very good scope for a .22 IMO.

[leadpig]

have you considered a BSA sweet 22
I`ve got the sweet 17 variant on my HMR and for the money they are bang on.
get a rabbit in the cross hairs and it`s history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZW7griBkt4

my god the origional was one of the worst scopes i have seen,not just my opinion either,never got near a rifle just put on ebay