What is REALLY the best all round scope for lamping rabbits

[sanibel686]

I had a chat with a pal of mine last week who made me stop and think about what the best scope is for lamping rabbits with a 22rf. He came out with "forget about paying for good light gathering - you're using a bloody lamp to find them!also why bother with a zoom when you set it at 6/8 and never change it" He also said he had always gone for cheap (like hawke) and fixed mag and that weight, manourerability and not being bothered if you bash it were more important.

 

So, here I am with relativley posh and heavy stuff (but not by much) compared to him on my rimmy, wondering who is closer to the ideal setup.

 

What do you guys say

Edited February 5, 2012 by sanibel686

[njc110381]

I've got a 6x42 Docter on mine. In an ideal world I would say a little more mag wouldn't hurt, 8x56 should do it.

 

I certainly don't believe in the cheap scope and bright lamp theory, no way! Once your bunnies get the idea of the lamp you want something that can give a good clear ID with as little light as possible. Compare my Docter with the Bushnell I used to have on it and it's like night vs day.

 

I'll always be of the opinion that if on a budget a cheap rifle with a good scope is better than the best rifle with a cheap one. Who cares how well the gun shoots if you can't see what you're aiming at?! With my .22lr the scope cost more than the gun.

[bullet boy]

There's no best scope really but there are some good ones on the Market!Firstly what is your budget?

[artschool]

I have a 6x42 zeiss on mine.

 

was doubtful about the fixed mag at first but it's the best setup I own.

 

same sight picture all the time and I would disagree about the light gathering not being important.

[Dekers]

There isn't a best scope. If there was, one manufacturer would make a lot of money and all the rest would go bust.

 

There are as many opinions about scopes as there are scopes.

 

It's a .22rf so you have no distance to speak of and no recoil, so you don't need engineering suitable for a cannon or optics for spotting craters on the moon!

 

Use what you want, if you can see the quarry and it holds zero what more do you need?

 

[Pointer]

Your max distance shot with a 22 rimmy should be on the 100yd mark when lamping. A few variables exist, such as type of lamp being used and how many lumens it is putting out to light up your tgt and bounce light through the objective lens of the scope etc. The larger the objective lens i.e. 3-9 x 50 will let in more light than a 3-9 x 42 but we then bring the quality of the glass into the equation. A more expensive scope will Normally out perform a cheaper Chinese scope etc.

 

Best bet is to buy the best piece of glass your budget will allow. I use Hawke scopes on my rimmies and love em for the price.

[bullet boy]

I got a Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5-20x50 scope on my Ruger 10/22 .22 Rimfire and it may not be the best scope but its a lovely scope,lovely clear glass,excellent light gathering plus this optic is excellent value for money that isn't gonna break the bank either!

[39TDS]

6x42 Hunter on mine. No idea what make Hunter actually is, I bought it for £50 30 ish years ago.

Damned good scope and never felt I wanted more mag or anything.

Would be quite happy with a decent airgun quality fixed power scope, a £50 scope these days is probably just as good as my £50 scope 30 years back.

[tomhw100]

I don't personally own a rim fire but I've shot many...I think definitely get the scope you can afford the most (within reason)if you do want a cheaper option hawke are a great scope manufacturer i have two of them but i only use them for airguns and one of my mates has a hawke varmint on his 10/22 but at distance it does look dull. More expensive scopes do grab more light and have a clearer lense. To be fair hawke scopes are more than good enough for normal rim fire distance though.

[TaxiDriver]

I have a Hawke 4-12x50 on the FAC air rifle and use it at x12 magnification

I have a Hawke EV 3-9x40 on the rimfire and never been really happy with it for a couple of reasons;

 

Firstly, I prefer the 12x magnification of the other one.

Secondly, I find the Hawke EV seems much more critical with regard to the positioning of my eye in relation to the eyepiece to give me a clear picture with no dark edge, I've been wondering IF this is due to the smaller Objective lens ?

[bicykillgaz]

i must of had 10-15 scopes on my .22lr in all different shapes and size's with allsorts of useless twiddly bits i never used so i moved over to fixed mag. the best scope quality wise i've ever had on it was a docter 6x42 only thing i didn't like was it had fairly thick posts which is why i sold it.

 

my current scope is a 6x44 optimate and is my overall favourite to date, its got a nice thin crosshair, good clear scope, 30mm tube its lightweight and does everything i need it to day, night or low light i won't be changing it unless its for something very special.

 

so for me personally a 6x44 optimate is my ideal allrounder

[Colster]

I'm in the same boat as Gaz, been through loads of scopes on my LR and HMR and found that while a cheapy Hawke, MTC or Simmons etc will work, you still get a benefit from quality glass. Faster target acquisition on rabbits on the edge of the lamp, clearer sight picture at varying ranges without having to fiddle with the scope etc.

 

I now have a Leupold FX-III 6x42 on the LR and a Pecar Berlin 4-10x50 on the HMR and they aren't getting changed anytime soon. The Pecar maybe variable but I leave it on 6x all the time.