I get a lot of questions sent to me via private messages on different platforms. I try to answer everything when I can, although at this point, I do not think I get to all of them. There are a lot of questions and not a lot of time. That's one of the reasons I started this community. It is my primary focus.
However, when I do get an interesting question that is specific enough to make a substantive post, I bring it here. Also, Locals seems to be rolling out a better text editor with a function the call "Create Article". This is a good opportunity to try it out.
This came in from a gentleman I have talked to before and the question is timely since a couple of 10/22 projects are close to wrap and I plan to talk about them a bit shortly.
I’m looking into an optic for a 10/22 that I use for hunting cottontail rabbit in my yard and would like to practice long range shooting fundamentals with it as well. I have a 100yd range in my yard as well. I think I’d like a mil tree, close adjustable parallax, good turrets, and zero stop. Athlon has several options that were attractive, I think my top end budget would be at the Ares ETR UHD for 725, or XTR3i for 864 (I would then put my favorite between the 7 Conquer and one of those on my 308 gas gun and the other on my 10/22). Those are a bit more than I really want to spend, and was more considering the Helos BTR 2-12, Ares BTR 2.5-15, Kentucky Long 2-12 or 3-18 all ranging from 350-600. The obvious shortcoming of the Swampfox being no zero stop, but I’m not experienced enough to know if that should really sway my decision.
This was followed up a day or so later with an addendum:
I just came across the meopta optika6 3-18x50 FFP mrad 1 rd to add to my list. Seems to check all the boxes minus being in that upper price range.
This is a really well worded question because of how many specifics are in there. When I am asked a good question, I can usually provide an appropriately actionable answer.
We are dealing with some verson of a 10/22 that is accurate enough for small game hunting, plinking and proper long range practice, so the scope needs to have parallax that adjusts down to at least 25 yards. It needs to have enough magnification to engage fairly small targets out to about 400 yards (I assume that he will take it out of his backyard 100yard range at some point). It needs to have enough adjustment range to accomodate 400yard drop with 22LR. Once again, I do not know if he will ever go that far, but if I am setting up a scope for a rimfire trainer, I want to make sure it is capable of that. 400 yards with a 10/22 is VERY hard. It is very hard with any rimfire, to be honest, but it is nice to have a goal. On the other hand, the bulk of his shooting for a while is likely to be at 100 yards and in. A fair amount will be on small game, possibly shooting fairly quickly. With that in mind, while we set up for long range, it is important to not compromise shooting at closer distance on small and mobile targets. That means we need to keep low magnification at 3x or thereabouts.
High magnification is open to interpretation, but given that rimfire targets tend to be very small, I would keep it at above 15x.
To reach 400yards (admittedly a stretch goal), you will need around 20mrad of turret adjustment after zeroing, but that can be combined with reticle holds. Since he is looking for a scope with a tree reticle, it is a fairly viable way to go, though not ideal.
Now, the gentleman asking the question clearly understands all of that, given the scopes he is asking about. He also clearly states he would prefer to stay under $600, but can go a little higher if he has to.
Before we go onto the specific recommendations, there is also a questoin of how necessary the zero stop is. To be blunt, if you plan to spend a lot of time twisting turrets, it is pretty nice to have. More improtantly, given that there are plenty of options out there with a zero stop, I would not by a scope (for this application) without one.
Let's go over the scopes he mentions:
Athlon Ares ETR UHD, presumably the 3-18x50 model. I am not sure where he found it for $725, since it seems to be around $1k in most places. This is a very good option. magnification range is just about right. Ares ETR scopes have very good image quality and unexpectedly good turrets. APLR6 MIL reticle is very good: just enough of everything without unnecessary crap. Total elevation adjustment is right around 32 mrad, so if you put it on a 20 or 30MOA slopes base, it is likely to have enough adjustment for 400yards. Between that and the reticle you are all set. It also focuses down to 10 yards. In other words, it is a really excelent rimfire scope for general purpose use from plinking to precision shooting. https://bit.ly/3P4yzBO
Burris XTR3i 3.3-18x50 should probably be the top choice here, but until I spend some time with it, I can't give it a full endorsement. The prototypes looked very good. Once again, I have no idea where he found it for $864. It has even more adjustment range than the Athlon at 35mrad and a really wide FOV. SCR2 is an excellent reticle. Pending a full review, it really should be a top choice. Now, I do not see XTR3i scopes listed around a whole lot yet. Most of what I see is for the original US-made XTRIII. While it is a really excellent design, the reticle is thing and not illuminated. For me, that is a show stopper, but YMMV: https://bit.ly/3Q7O6RN
Athlon Helos BTR 2-12x42 is a really nice scope and I actually had it on my 10/22 for a bit. In the end, I decided to put it on a different gun. I think the reticle on it is designed for DMR-ish applicatoins and the center dot is too big for me to use on a rimfire. If it w a dedicated rabbit hunting gun, that's a different ballgame, but I prefer a smaller aiming dot for 22LR applications. For general purpose hunting, it is a great reticle though with good visibility across the board https://bit.ly/3CPU9XZ It is a bit less magnification than I'd want for long range training purposes, but if we take that down a notch, it does have clsoe focus and 32mrad of adjustment. It is a solid choice, but check on whether the reticle will work for you.
Athlon Ares BTR Gen2 2.5-15x50 really looks good on paper. It also looks good in person. It is not quite as good as Ares ETR, but it is also less money. APRS5 is a good reticle, but ETR's APRS6 is better. It also has 29mrad of adjustment, which makes it a little harder to make it to 400 yards. It is a very good option for the money, but if you want to go with Athlon, I would be very tempted to just step up to the ETR with its extra adjustment and wider FOV eyepiece. Either way, it is a very workable option with good close focus and lighter weight https://bit.ly/3wPAbc6
SwampFox Kentucky Long scope are quite good. I reviewed one and have seen several more. My basic problem is that they do not have a zero stop. That having been said, if you do plan to ush the rifle to 400 yards and prefer to hold with the reticle, Kentucky Long 3-18x50 with Recce Mil reticle should be on your list. It is very good image for the money. 3-18x50 would be my choice here https://bit.ly/3Q7U459
What else is out there that might work? Well, I ahve a couple of 10/22 rifles, one is a takedown with a compact scope, but the other one is sorta relevant here. It is my experiment with a fast twist precision 10/22 barrel. It sits in the Titan stock and wears the new Element Titan 3-18x50 scope: https://bit.ly/3bBFfJP
As you have already figured out, I like the 3-18x configuration on these crossover rimfire designs and Titan kinda checks all boxes here: it focuses down to 10yards, has a very good APR-2D reticle, tracks like a champ and offers 43mrad of adjustment range. It is a near ideal crossover rimfire scope for my purposes.
The outside option here and the likely bang for the buck choice is probably the US Optics 3-12x44 that you can still, incredibly, get from Eurooptic for $350: https://bit.ly/3fmvgpD It is short, light, has close focus and 30mrad of adjustment. There are three things it does not have though: illumination, tree reticle and zero stop. That's the scope I have on my other 10/22 and it is a perfect there, but illumination and zero stop would definitely take it to another level. Optomechanically though, it really works well while being really lightweight and short.
Lastly, if you are not planning to go to 400 yards, i.e. if you do not need all that much elevation adjustment, looking for a used Vortex PST Gen2 3-15x44 might not be a bad idea. It check every other box. Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 is sorta in the same category. I amclearly partial to this design since it has my reticle in it and it does work well, but with 26mrad of adjustment, it is best to stay with 200yards on a 22LR. Very nice design otherwise.
