Time for a New scope!

[Oldbushman]

I discovered yesterday I require a New Scope for one of my .22s I do'nt know they just do'nt make em to last any more !The Old one was only about 40yrs old
So I'm going to shout myself a New Bushnell 3-9 for Xmas I think ! I got a 4-12 given to me a couple of years ago & it has turned out to be a realy rugged scope in all sorts of conditions !

Dave

[C1PNR]

You didn't mention if it's a .22lr or some sort of centerfire. A centerfire 22 is certainly a different issue.

I just can't justify to myself the cost of a variable on my 10/22. I took an older fixed 4X Simmons, Whitetail I think, off a centerfire when I put the new Leupold on and installed it on the 10/22. That Simmons is doing just fine on the little carbine. It's about as plain jane a model as you'll find and shoots plenty good enough for my purposes as it is.

I've also got an old Winchester 190 with the tiny original .22lr scope still on it. I hardly ever shoot the thing. Probably should take it out for some exercise. Maybe it'll go along with some big brothers in the Spring for "whistle pigs."

Speaking of Spring, I sure am looking forward to a little warmer weather. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been above freezing in almost 2 weeks. A little skiff of snow Friday and again today. Brrrr!

[Oldbushman]

It's a custom built Feildman .22lr & as it is a working rifle Ive always had a 6x + on it as it has to ern a living for me & these tired old eyes ain't what they used to be of a night these days. normaly I only fit 4x's to a .22 for plinking.

Dave

[C1PNR]

Did you get your new scope? Which model? Do you use a particular brand of ammo for "work" as opposed to plinking?

In my case plinking is about all I do with the 22 lr. That 4 X works fine for that. So far I'm using the cheaper ammo, too. I probably should get serious about picking, or getting the rifle to pick, the most accurate ammunition.

[versifier]

I really couldn't see putting a scope on a 10/22.
I put a Williams on mine twenty years ago with the gold bead front. Best and fastest handling small game rifle I have ever owned (or seen). One of my friends put a 3-9 barbell on top of his, now it's as useless as tits on a bull for anything but plinking. He says it's to keep on top of the woodchucks and quill pigs in his garden, but the last time a woodchuck came by while I was there, I had three hp's into it before he got one off. He shot himself a tomato just after my last shot. He claimed he hit the woodchuck, but he was shooting solids and the enemy had three exit wounds that were quarter-sized, the tomato had a small clean hole straight through it. His wife told him he was full of it and told him it will sure come in handy the next time they get overrun by a pack of vicious vegetables. She like to shoot mine, too.
It is a lot of fun to target shoot with it at ranges up to 200yds, but for squirrels and pest control, it just don't cut the mustard. He never passes up a chance to shoot mine, and from the way he's been eying the setup, I think that scope will be finding its way onto his 22mag and he'll be setting the 10/22 up like mine. He was actually talking about using a SHOTGUN, but he's too good a Yankee (i.e. too cheap) to buy shells for it for pest control, the price of a brick of .22lr's at WallyWorld will be the deciding factor. (Notice he won't think twice about what the sights cost, and neither did I - that comes under "tools" and you always buy the best you can as they'll last longer than cheap ones.)
The good side is that for now it's forcing him to practice a lot more with his S&W K22, and he can almost keep up with me & my Ruger Mk II with the bull barrel, but he hasn't hit a tree rat with it yet. I have a feeling I'll be ordering it for him right after he puts the tomato sets in his garden in May. I can't wait until the target holders start appearing out of the snowbanks, but that might not happen until April. There are still rabbits (varying hares if you want to get technical, we're too far north for cottontails) to be had with shotgun and snowshoes, have to have our friend get his beagles running...
Stay out of the hot sun, Dave, and heal up quick.
C1PNR, both of ours shoot Fed HP's really well, neither likes any of the "hyper" rounds. His does as well with the Remington solids in the "milk cartons", too. Mine does ok with Win Dynapoints, but will keep its favored Feds under an inch at 100yds with a magful. It's won me a few turkeys. The cheaper ammo just might be what your's shoots best. I have tried a box of every different kind I've seen for sale, over the years, including match ammo's like the CCi Green Tags and different Elly 10X's - plain old cheap Fed HP's outshoot them all. When you find one that works best, buy a shitload of it and stash it.
I think Ruger makes (or made) the best .22's on the market, rifles (bolt & semi), pistols, and revolvers, though they can keep their new MkIII's. They tried to fix something that worked, and every new feature they added is a disappointment. I'm going to hang onto my MkII.

[Oldbushman]

Did you get your new scope? Which model? Do you use a particular brand of ammo for "work" as opposed to plinking?

In my case plinking is about all I do with the 22 lr. That 4 X works fine for that. So far I'm using the cheaper ammo, too. I probably should get serious about picking, or getting the rifle to pick, the most accurate ammunition.

I settled on a 6x power Ziess I had stashed away ! So far as Ammo goes I'm with you when the kids are shooting or I'm plinking round the Place I use PMX (no not PMC) it's cheap & nasty and comes from the Philapines! For work I use CCI stingers ,Winchester SSAA range ammo or Fedral Hollow points

Dave

[Ableshooter]

As far as scopes go for rim fire rifles I like a 6X, brother has a simmons 3-9 and it serves its purpose. What I would stay away from is a BSA sweat-17. The optics are not bad but the adjustments are a mess. They just don't track and are terribly inconsistant. Even though they are a relativlely cheap scope I wouldn't spend the money on one, and if I was buying a savage 17 I would not buy the package deal that includes the BSA scope. It just ruins a pretty nice little rifle.

[C1PNR]

A BSA scope on a new rifle, in ANY caliber. Wow, what a waste!

I admit that I just can't figure out why someone would buy a $25.00 scope to put on any firearm. I've seen guys pay several hundred dollars for their "new" deer rifle, and then put a $40 or $50 scope on it!

I have some military surplus rifles that I paid less than $100 for, but the "Scout" scope cost me $200. People look at me a little funny, but I want to HIT the target, game, whatever, that I'm aiming at.

I've got an old Weaver K-6 that I had rebuilt a few years ago. It's presently mounted on the Savage 99 in 250-3000 that it was on when I bought them.

The rifle was fine but the scope was a mess. But, the price was right and I didn't mind the cost of refurbishing the scope.

Versifier, I'm with you on the new MK III Ruger pistol. In fact, I don't even have a MK II, just the old 4" MK I from a long time ago. Now I need to find it. I thought I had it here at the house, but can't put my hands on it. It's probably over at my Brother's house, like a lot of my stuff left behind when we went to PDRKalifornistan.

I'll see him tomorrow night for beer, cigars, and conversation. I'll bring it up then, he should be in a good mood after a really good cigar.

[Oldbushman]

I admit that I just can't figure out why someone would buy a $25.00 scope to put on any firearm. I've seen guys pay several hundred dollars for their "new" deer rifle, and then put a $40 or $50 scope on it!

This is something that has fasinated me ,for years ! A prime example was a shipment of Howa/Weatherbys that came to my Gun Guy ,they were offered as a 'Package deal' including a Nikko Stirling 6x scope & mounts for a extra 80.00 ! I brought one in.223 as I got a really good deal on it ,in.223 ,but I did'nt worry about the el cheapo glass ! Yet other Pros flocked to take advantage of the Package deal ! It has to be remembered that we make our living out of our rifles & it seems rather foolish to me to buy a reasonable rifle & then put yourself behind the 8ball straight up with a cheap scope!

Dave

[Ableshooter]

I couldn't agree more. When I buy a rifle I go into it with the idea that I am going to have to spend at least half what the rifle costs on optics. Well, that's not totally true. I am a Leupold enthusiast, especially the VXIII Long Range. I have a swift 3-9 and a Sheels 4.5-14 that is more or less a Burris I believe, but neither compare to the Leupold. So when I look to buy a rifle most of the time I plan to at least spend four hundred if not six hundred on optics.

My father has always been really bad about buying a forty dollar scope to put on a five hundred dollar rifle. Then he had the chance to shoot some of my rifles with Leupold optics and since then he has purchased two Leupold scopes to replace the forty dollar ones he had.

[shaman]

Hy Guys
Normally i have swarovsky scopes on my rifles. Except on my thompson center encore rifle there is a tasco titan 3-12x56.And on my Sako 338 Lapua mag. i use a nightforce nxs scope. I tryed too use the tasco scope on a bigger caliber but it was demaged after short time . But as i say mostly i use swarovsky scopes .They are not cheap but really good scopes