Best Hi Power Rimfire Scope

[andrews1958]

I have a full custom 22 and was wondering what would be the best clearest high power scope for shooting at 25 and 50 yard targets. I was thinking of the Nightforce BR 12X42 but was told it does not focus well down at these distances. Any experiance with NFs at these short ranges.

Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm ?

$1,500 budjet

 

[in2deep]

At a big match there will be lots of guys shooting competetively with Weaver and Sightron 36X scopes and they are plenty capable and shoot perfect 250's every weekend at the distances you mentioned.

Also see alot of Leupold 36's and the newer 40 and 45X power Leupys at matches and if you want a step up then a Leupy would be nice- a little sharper and brighter but no guarantee of shooting any better. Many guys are going to the Leupy 45X and I really like mine but really doesn't help my scores as it's all about reading your wind flags mostly anyways so there can be depreciating returns.

I got to shoot with a March 40X a competitor just bought and if money was no object you won't get a better scope for what you are doing and the few that can afford and appreciate them are moving up. You could parse the dot on an RBA target- it was brilliant optically and way better than my Nightforce 42 or any of the ones listed above as a matter of degree. But a 22 bullet moves around so much in the wind that parsing a dot is not a panacea and may be wasted on about 98% of shooters.

Nightforce is big and heavy and hard to keep the rifle weight down if you shoot 10 1/2# class and optically no better than the rest for what your doing at short range and you hardly ever see serious rimfire competitors using them.

So you get the usual price creep from 3 or $400. starting out then up to $1000. for a Leupy Competion model (or + - $600. for a nice used 36X) and about $1800. for the March.

 

[alton9]

My Dad & I shoot 50yd rimfire benchrest matches weekly. I'm shooting with a NF 12x42x56mm BR model & love it. Dad has had Weavers, Leupold comp. series,and a March. His March is for sale & he has a NF BR model on order.Hope this helps.
alton9

 

[Minesweeper3433]

I have only ever shot short with a sightron 24x and I liked how I could dial down fast if I needed it. Plus sightron big sky scopes are rather light weight. I used mine for 50 ft indoor shooting a few times and could see the target even with our horrible lighting. Plus it didn't through off my balance for offhand.

 

[timbertoes]

Most ? of the Leupolds wont focus that close.
In Sightron, IIRC a Big Sky II model works well - I had one, and stupidly sold for a 25X target loopy. It barely makes min distance focus in Silhouette.
But the Loopy's target knobs have crisper clicks, the sightron just on the side of mushy.
And yes the weavers.

a number of the focus issues and fixes are discussed at steelchickens . com

If you are inclined.....believe it or not, Older Made in Japan Tasco Target scopes, with traget dot reticle. work very very well, with great repeatability in turret settings, very little disturbance of the other turret not being set, and focus close. I have 3 of these on some nice silhouette/3 position type rimfires.
funny, but just posted similar info on a varmint forum must be Tasco night.

 

[in2deep]

I sure didn't mean to poo-poo Nightforce scopes by any means and all the scopes mentioned are great and very competetive and we are blessed with lots of great optics right now.....
but for the 2 big games in rimfire being RBA and IR 50/50
there are weight restrictions and if you get serious and want to shoot these matches then weigh your rifle before you buy a scope as weight will be the determining factor in scope selection and the NF being by far the heaviest means you will have to compromise elsewhere like in your stock or barrel weight putting you at a disadvantage before you even get started. In 10 1/2 pound class you want all the weight in the butt you can get and don't forget to add the weight of the tuner in also it can get touchy....
they even get creative and use special skeletonized aluminum scope rings at this level to save an ounce or so and weight always becomes the limiting factor in putting together a rig unless you just shoot local fun matches or only shoot unlimited class where you can shoot whatever you want.