Here’s my current favorite rimfire hunting rifle. A CZ 452 with the Leupold FX-II 6x36.

 

I have several burris 3x9's that work well. I've got a few old Japanese made tascos that work great. I've got a nice nikon fixed 4x, and lately I've played around with LPVO's with good success. I have a 1x8 strike eagle which I've used for squirrel hunting.

 

Yes I may be out of the official club but I liked my Nikon Rimfire 4X scope years ago, still do.

 

I recently picked up a TRACT Fire 22 4-12x40AO just out of curiosity and dropped it on my Ruger M77/17 which did have a Nikon Buckmaster 4.4-14x40SF on it. For under $300 the TRACT Fire 22 is really a nice rimfire scope. Definitely something to consider.

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Is that a hunting rifle?

 

Sharpshooter!!! We can-not argue with the video... thanks

 

I used to like a 2.5x, then 4x, then as I aged liked a 6x.......hmmm, a trend....
In my world a 2-7 or 3-9 is the best option now. My old gloss Tasco 3-9 Wideview(?) is perfect on my 22Mag.
That said, Im trying a vintage Lyman All American PermaCenter 10x with fine hairs on the Rem 510X. I know the squirrels I see bopping around my 50yd range wouldnt stand a chance if I was hungry.

 

I have these on my Rimfire hunting rifles. Leupold 4-12x40 AO, 4.5-14x40 AO, Weaver V-16 4-16 x40 AO and Bushnell Elite 4-16x 50. As my eyes have grown older I find the higher magnification is more useful.

 

I don't think Leupold still makes that 6x scope?

I own both of their VX Freedom rimfire scopes and if you are buying a new one I'd get the 3-9x40 because the 40mm lens should give a brighter image.

I googled "fixed power rifle scopes" and there are lots of sites that come up. There are a lot more fixed scopes out there than I realized.
I'm not that old school, I like variables that you can turn up for a closer look.

 

Correct, they discontinued my favorite rimfire scope. I find myself constantly looking for second hand ones at a price that doesn’t make me cringe.

 

Old Nikon Monarch’s for me. One 4x on my 10-22 stainless and 6x on my 514. i haven’t seen them for sale in a long time.
TP

 

I use (or have used) various 1" tube scopes: Bushnell, Tasco, Burris, Leupold, etc. Using several Weaver fixed power right now. Have a Lyman All-American on the way.

 

Hey guys, don't miss out on the Meuller APV rifle scopes!
I've had great success with the APV 4-16× 44MM.

ABOUT $150.00

Shoots fine on anything I own from .17HMR to .243 Winchester.
No issues at all.

Take a look, you might like them!

 

Don't hunt anymore, but when I did it was a Leupold 3-9X EFR. The Leupold 2-7X can work well too. But if hunting groundhogs, a variable up to 20X or 24X, but then usually with a .222 or .223.

Doug

 

I'm in my '70s and remember when scopes were not readily available, I remember that Weaver sold a ton of their 4x versions that had 3/4" tubes, but they were terrible. My Dad had an old, (older than me!) Marlin single shot .22 with one of those Weavers. Back then fixed power was all you could get.
Then the first variable scopes were expensive and heavy and fragile and got a negative reputation that some still live by. Today the variables are as rugged as any and have lifetime warranties, and they very rarely fail.

When there are crazy good scopes like the Leupold variables for not much money or more weight than fixed scopes I don't see the advantages of old tech. JMO

 

Whether it's target shooting, or hunting I prefer old target scopes. My favorite are the old JW Fecker target scopes, followed by Lyman Targetspot scopes.
One mine with 15x Lyman Super Targetspot:

 

I have several Leopold Vari X 111 4.5-14 40 AOs fine cross hair scopes on hunting rimfire rifles, I like them alot. Having said that the last couple I've bought are in the 1-6, 1-8 magnification with either illuminated dot or cross hair. It's easier for my old eyes to get on target in low-light woods and early-late hours of hunting. At low illumination settings neither will flare out your vision.

 

I like fixed 4x scopes, 2-7x or 3-9x best for rimfires.

I do have one Leupold VXII 4-12AO on my CZ 452 varmint. It’s mainly a bench gun the way I use it.

 

I have tried several other scopes but the one that I like the most is the Leupold 2-7x33mm.

 

For a fixed power the Leupold 10X is the berries. Parallax adjustable to about 20 yards.

I think the finest rimfire scope overall is the Leupold EFR 6.5x20.

 

My favorite Element Nexus first generation 5x20x50 FFP.
Great reticle with the way backlight works - only illuminates the cross.
Reticle not overly thin like a lot of FFP scopes same similar magnificstions.
10-12x satisfies most longer squirrel shots leaves off. Yes I fire at squirrels at 100 plus yards with my mighty 17 Mach 2 setups.
Leaves on 6-7x mag works fine.
Here’s video I did using trigger cam on scope back in Sep 2024 leaves on squirrel hunt using the Nexus scope at around 6.5x mag.

My favorite Element Nexus first generation 5x20x50 FFP.
Great reticle with the way backlight works - only illuminates the cross.
Reticle not overly thin like a lot of FFP scopes same similar magnificstions.
10-12x satisfies most longer squirrel shots leaves off. Yes I fire at squirrels at 100 plus yards with my mighty 17 Mach 2 setups.
Leaves on 6-7x mag works fine.
Here’s video I did using trigger cam on scope back in Sep 2024 leaves on squirrel hunt using the Nexus scope at around 6.5x mag.

My grandmother would be very upset with your shooting. Her favorite part of a squirrel was the head. She told my grandfather he’d better aim for the chest if he wanted her to cook squirrels for him.

 

I have two (2) Leupold VX-III 3.5-8X 36mm scopes on my two favorite .22s, a Tract Tekoa 4-16X on another, a Meopta Optika6 4-20X RD on another .22. And I have three 17HMS with Meopta, Burris, and another Tract Tekoa. All of these are hunters...prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, coyotes, possums, skunks, pigeons, rats, starlings, etc. My favorite is and always will be my Remington 541S with the Leupold mentioned above. I've killed a bazillion critters with it over the 45 years I've hunted with it. Actually, the Leupold is the 3rd scope I've had on it. The first two didn't make the cut and are long gone.

 

Athlone, tract, hawke all great options with very low focus parallax adjustment.

Just git a new Bushnell elite 3.5-21 it had focus down to 25 yard. $1500 but super duper clear Japanese Glass

 

I had a Leupold VXII 6-18x40 on my Sako P94S. I got it zeroed a couple of years ago after buying it from a long time member here, but wasn't all that pleased with the accuracy. Last year, I robbed the Leupold off the P94S after I'd found a nice Sako P78, and left the 94S sitting without a scope for the better part of a year, thinking that I'd go hunting on ebay for another Leupold. Then a few weeks ago, after I'd put an Athlon Midas TAC on the custom Howa Mini 223AI that I'd had a Weaver 4-20x50 Super Slam on, I found some medium height 1" TPS TSR rings while digging around in a tool cabinet out in the shop, and thought they'd be high enough to let the Weaver 50mm objective clear the P94S's bbl. They fit just right, providing about 3/16" clearance for the objective bell. In the process of zeroing that scope on the Sako, I found that it was shooting much better groups with the Weaver scope than it had with the VXII Leupold. So now I'm suspicious of that VXII that's on the P78. Hoping I'll remember to get the P78 out after this arctic blast & snow clears outa here by the end of this week - snowing pretty heavily right now, and with nothing but wind & sub-zero temps forecast for the next few days, it's going to be awhile before I'm going to be able to enjoy shooting outdoors again...

 

I just mounted a Vortex Diamondback Rimfire 2-7x35 on my RAR 22lr and am very pleased with it.
My 22WMR RAR has a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40.

 

Leupold 3-9x33 EFR

I've used several others over time but I currently have four 3-9 EFRs and none of the others have made the cut long term.

 

I still have a couple of these and have always considered them the best all-around rimfire scope.

 

My favorite for squirrel hunting is Leupold vx2 3-9x33 ao. For accuracy testing it’s Leupold 6.5-20x40 ao.

 

Meosport 3-15x50rd. 17hmr.

 

my squirrel guns have a hodge-podge assortment of glass, but i tend to prefer variables in 3x9, or 4x12 and 4.5-14x, if happens to be on a gun that i favor for use when the leaves drop, or when hunting open timber. I like glass that is either parallax set for rimfire ranges, or AO adjustable.

assorted gun smut pix:



2.5-8x on the Annie .22mag, that one was parallax adjusted to 60 yards.

3x9AO-EFR on several different guns, i kinda wish all mine were standard duplex rather than fine duplex, but i can live with fine:

4x12 B&L / Bushnell Elites on some T-bolts, and Maple CZ's:

3x9 Compact on the 452, that one has a Leupold Dot Reticle.

2x7 Compact:

Another 2x7, this one a Redfield Lo-Pro widefield, with the TV screen field of view:

Have several Sightron SII's also , they focus well up close , and are easy to get behind for my eyeballs.

Nikon 2x7's, and some Nikon 4x Fixed...i seem to recall those were marketed as shotgun scopes with 75yard parallax.

Last few years i've added several Burris..also seem to be easy to get behind: