22LR Bolt Action Magnification

[MrHandsome]

What magnification do you all prefer on a 22lr bolt action rifle?

[dmd08]

I have a little 3-9x on my old Marlin but a 6-24x on my nrl22 rifle. So it depends....

[Pappabear]

That really is determined by intended use. People shoot matches with very high mag ie 24X, people hunt with 1-6 or 3-9X42 is scopes. I have 3-9's on mine.

PB

[HKGuns]

I don't own a bolt action 22.....

My closest comparative are two Ruger 10/22's. They are used to hunt, eliminate vermin and target practice.

They both wear Leupy Rimfire scopes 2-7 power.

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

I have a Bergara B14R that I have Vortex Strike Eagle 5-24x56 on. I love it and regularly shoot it at 300yds.

[TheAlsatian]

I usually go with straight 4s. I have a Leupold on my Kimber 82B and a S&B on my Anschutz 1527F.

[T2C]

That would depend on the purpose of the rifle, long range, squirrel hunting, etc.

My .22LR varmint rifle has a fixed 4 power scope. My 300 yard steel target rifle has a 4x16 -44mm scope mounted on it.

[JiminAZ]

Have a dedicated 4x fixed on a bolt action Kimber, also on 10-22's that the kids shot growing up.

Have a 2-7 Leupold on a Tikka T1X.

[gunnerblue]

For squirrels and general target shooting I use Leupold 3-9 rimfires. For target/precision I use SWFA 3-15X42 largely due to the fact that the parallax is adjustable down to six meters

[BrigandTwoFour]

I have a T1x primarily used for targets and PRS rimfire matches. It usually has a Strike Eagle 5-25x56 on it, but is currently sporting an Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2 4.5-29x56. I took that combination out to 486 yards at my last match.

Of note, though, I generally keep it at around 12x to 16x for that style of shooting. The extra magnification is a nice to have, but I see no reason why you couldn't be very successful with a 4-16 or 3-12 scope for precision rimfire. That would work just as well for varmints or any other rimfire stuff.

The important thing to me is that it focuses down to 25 yards or less and that the turrets track well.

[artoter]

I don't like a lot of magnification on a .22 rifle. Well, not for my intended purposes. I only have two semi-autos right now, and one wears a 4X, and the other carries a 2X red dot. I would like to invest in a chassis rifle, in .22...I would probably put a higher end scope on that, with at least up to 9X magnification.

[Coal Dragger]

My current favorite .22LR bolt gun is a magazine fed Cooper Model 57M with a sporter weight barrel. I put a long serving Leupold VX-III 2.8-8X36 on top of it in Leupold Redfield style mounts, and that little scope has been about perfect.

[Todd.K]

My .22LR varmint rifle has a fixed 4 power scope. My 300 yard steel target rifle has a 4x16 -44mm scope mounted on it.

This.

I’ve never missed a squirrel because my fixed 4x wasn’t enough… or because I was messing around with the the power.

That said if you have one .22 for a few roles get a 3x9 etc, just put it at low power and leave it alone for hunting.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Close parallax compensation is the biggest thing. I think that for target shooting, at all but the longest ranges, a 10-15 top end is all you need. I have a 5-27 on a 22lr bolt gun for target shooting, and usually I’ll dial it down to about 15 most of the time. Especially if you are going from target to target under 125 yards

[Failure2Stop]

Depends entirely on your application.
My PRS Rimfire rifles have 5-27, 7-35, and 6-24.
I rarely use them at magnification above 15x for actual competition, but do roll up into the higher end occasionally.
I would not recommend sticking at a 15x max just because I don't use it in competition often.

My "carry around" 22s have LPVOs, and are used at both 1x and top end.

I have a "precision" 10/22 that has pretty much become a plinker and what I put people on for fun. It has a 4-12, and works really well for that use as it's easy for new shooters to find their target and see what's going on. I don't personally shoot it much, as I have other guns/optics that fit my individual needs better.

As noted above, magnification range is an important aspect of use, but you definitely want to have the ability to pull parallax down to 25 yards, with closer being better. Parallax can distinctly affect performance at 15-50 yards, especially given the size of appropriate targets at those distances when it comes to .22 LR application.

I also look for as much elevation available inside the optic, as I need to be able to shoot from 25 to 500 yards, and there is a LOT of drop at 500 with subsonic 40gr pills. I have around 50MOA in my bases and mounts for that.