New scope for rimfire - suggestions?

[jimbo1984]

Simmons whitetail classic 6.5-20 x50 mildot

 

[ironmatt]

if it was me id be looking at the hawke airmax 4-16x50 that's in the for sale section. bargain at £160 and decent glass.

 

[caorach]

after using various vari mag scopes on my .22 and .17hmr i now use 6x42. Possibly could do with slightly more mag for 17 but when lamping the simplicity of the format compensates.

I was talking to a mate who was shooting rabbits with 22LR with another mate a few nights back, one of them bought a second hand 6X42 Zeiss and the other had an all zooming and knobs rimfire scope that he paid about the same money for new based on a "requirement" for all the features. The one with the 6X42 reported that he was able to shoot a lot more rabbits as the fellow with the fancy rimfire scope couldn't see them when they came out at last light.

The bottom line with a scope is that it is about good glass and being able to see what you want to shoot, everything else is just about marketing and people talking on the internet.

 

[User00033]

The bottom line with a scope is that it is about good glass and being able to see what you want to shoot, everything else is just about marketing and people talking on the internet.

Au contraire...

I just managed to lose my first reply. Which is really annoying. So again, this time shorter.

I recently bought a Bushnell Engage 3-12x42 with exposed turrets and the Deploy MOA reticle. It is currently sitting on a Ruger American Target .22LR and will eventually go on a Tikka T1x, whenever that arrives.

After 4 hours and 200 rounds of calibration checks and working out the d.o.p.e. with CCI Stingers, we set out for the nearby warrens in quite hummocky country. Lots of knob twiddling geeky fun later, we agreed that our rabbit killing percentage had gone through the roof, with clean kills past 120m and no concerns at all about stretching it further, or switching to subs or segemented. A quick check with the rangefinder, click click, crosshairs on the bunny’s shoulder, whack. Easy.

Far better than the previous BDC reticle and range guesstimates. Marketing + people talking on internet = increased kill ratio!

 

[Dawnrazor]

I have a Vortex Diamondback HP on my .22LR. It was around £300 I think. It is pretty good but not as optically good as I would expect for the money. I was exchanging a far superior scope optically that had developed a fault and the Vortex was basically a replacement. I needed something quickly. Given my time again, I would not get it to be honest although it is nice and light and mechanically is faultless. I just think you can get better last light optics for £300

I have an old Hawke Eclipse 3-12x50 scope on my air rifle. It is very very good for the £130 it cost. If you could find one of those second hand, it would be around 50quid. They are old now but it is a very very good scope. Lovely clutter free mildot scope, good mechanics, works superbly with Digi NV and is light weight and optically superior to the Vortex.

If you want to spend money, I would say the baby STAC from Sightron in 3-16x42 flavour is the best bang for buck scope if you are looking at good optics, bullet proof mechanics, lightweight, good mag range etc. It is gonna be nearly 400quid though.

Look at Athlon scopes too.

Or if you want rimfire perfection for not much money, try and find an old Nikko Stirling Gold Crown Wide Angle 3-9x40, not the modern chaff but the old Japanese models. I have one. It is sooooo crisp and clear. It dicks on more modern scopes with larger objective lenses IMO.

I have that very Nikko Sterling scope, lovely scope, I have an old, 15 years old, Hawk 3-12x50 on my 22 but I think the Nikko Streling better.

 

[swarovski]

Thanks for all the replies

 

[tarponhead]

Or if you want rimfire perfection for not much money, try and find an old Nikko Stirling Gold Crown Wide Angle 3-9x40, not the modern chaff but the old Japanese models. I have one. It is sooooo crisp and clear. It dicks on more modern scopes with larger objective lenses IMO.[/QUOTE]

+1 - I inherited one on an older Tikka and swopped it over for a Lightstream, so the Nikko went onto my FAC Airarms S410 - awesome combo for headshots on rabbits, magpies and rooks.

 

[25 Sharps]

I think that Hawke scopes are worth looking at for what you need.

Defo - got the 4x16x50 Hawke sidewinders on my rimmy, HMR and FAC air. All do a great job for sensible money.

I'm looking for a scope for my rimfire, switch barrel .22LR and 17HMR. I'd like zoom with parallax adjustment, I've narrowed it down to Vortex DiamondBack 4-16x42 or Nikon Monarch 4-16x42.
Any experience of these or any other scopes that I should consider? Don't want to spend silly money.

This BUT Hawke endurance would be, and is (on 0.22H and .22WMR/25-45) for the mobey they are very good, hold zero, good with digi NV and low profile sporting rather than target turrets which is a real consideration if your cabinet is as full as mine - tracks pretty well to for the money

 

[25 Sharps]

Au contraire...

I just managed to lose my first reply. Which is really annoying. So again, this time shorter.

I recently bought a Bushnell Engage 3-12x42 with exposed turrets and the Deploy MOA reticle. It is currently sitting on a Ruger American Target .22LR and will eventually go on a Tikka T1x, whenever that arrives.

After 4 hours and 200 rounds of calibration checks and working out the d.o.p.e. with CCI Stingers, we set out for the nearby warrens in quite hummocky country. Lots of knob twiddling geeky fun later, we agreed that our rabbit killing percentage had gone through the roof, with clean kills past 120m and no concerns at all about stretching it further, or switching to subs or segemented. A quick check with the rangefinder, click click, crosshairs on the bunny’s shoulder, whack. Easy.

Far better than the previous BDC reticle and range guesstimates. Marketing + people talking on internet = increased kill ratio!

That's interesting as I've been looking at the bushnell rimfire range as they're available here for sensible ish money

 

[25 Sharps]

Thanks for the input. I hadn't copnsidered the Bushnell - if they are that good do they come up secondhand? What makes them the ultimate rimfire sccope?
I've always dismissed Hawke - not really sure why but I always think they pack too much technology in for the price, such as illuminated reticle for example, so lens & build quality is going to suffer.

I can honestly say, to my eye at least, there is nothing between my Hawke endurances 4-16x50 LR Dot at £220 ish and my Sightron S111 6-24x50 LRMOA at £900.00ish in low light - other than I can see the illuminated centre dot on the hawke so can still shoot deer after the fine ret on the sightron has disappeared.....

My 90's zeiss 8x56 p*sses over both of them but won't work with NV add on which is a must for most of my rifles as most of my pest control is done at night