scope for my .22 mag Ultra heavy barrel

[12ptdroptine]

Tell me I am not crazy.. I have a leupold 3x9x40 VXII on it now. But I am putting that scope on my Savage 10mlII and going to put a Leupold 4x12x41AO fine duplex on the .22 mag. It is a tackdriver with the Hornaday or the rem ballistic tip's. I dont think it will be to much scope.. I am thinking headshots @ 75 to 100 yds..If I dont get "squirrel fever"... Can you ever have to much scope? Drop

[Rustyinfla]

   Yes you can have too much but it's usually more than what you're talking about there. 12 power is OK for a field rifle, but when you start going over 16 or so you'll notice you get shaky and it will actually make it harder to hit something.

   I had a BSA that was 8X32 and I can tell you shooting at 32 power anywhere except from a bench was futile. Even on the bench I could see my heartbeat through the scope. Your mileage may vary but for me 24 power is about I care to use.

[cwlongshot]

The 4x12x40 AO is my favorite rimfire scope!!! Leupold is my favorite scope maker!!!

I don't have a 22mag anylonger, the 17's shot SO much better I sold off the 22mag. But I have a 3X9X40AO on the 17M2 and a 4x16X44 NIKON on the 17Mag. They are comparable in quality, but I still prefer the Leupold!! IMHO AO scopes are a MUST for rimfires.

Years ago I shot the Chevy Truck Challenge and one of the guys on my team picked up one of those 8x32 AO scopes. (I shot a fixed 24 power AO VXII) He experienced EXACTLY what Rusty explains. Made shooting difficult at times. One thing that was neat with such a scope on a 22... You could see the bullet enter the scope from the bottom and drop into the target at longer ranges. I was actually able to "walk" my bullets into steel!!!
  We shot at steel sheets with stars, squares, circles and triangles cut out. Then another piece of colored steel on a hinge was placed behind the shape. You had to hit them to knock them out to get credit. I could watch my bullets strike the sheet either lo or high and adjust accordingly.

CW

[Rustyinfla]

 CW,
   IMHO you're right about Leupold. They are a fine scope and they stand behind their product. Service after the sale is an important point as well. Not to mention, they're American made.

  Just how much more accurate is the 17 HMR than the .22 Mag?

[cwlongshot]

I haven't ever been able to get a 22mag to my liking.  I have had about 6 or so thru the years. I bought a Ruger 77/22M when they came out in the stainless steel varmint version. I did everything imaginable to that gun to get it to shoot. Bedded, trigger, cut and re-crown the barrel, cryogenicly freeze the barrel, square the bolt, polish the rifling... you name it I tried it. I definitely got improvements, don't get me wrong and I was fairly satisfied. I did get exceptional accuracy from the FMJ's and shot them into sub 1" groups at 100. But none of the expanding bullets would do half that. Year or so later, I bought a 22M handi in the varmint version. It shot almost as good as the Ruger and a couple guys had been bugging me for the gun so I sold it to them and swapped the 4x12AO Leupold from it to the Handi. I later moved that scope to my 223 handi and picked up a nice high end NIKON for a song. Thats what the 17HMR wears today.
 Then came the 17HMR.... My pop and I both bought one, with a couple hundred bullets and headed for the range. All I can say is WOW, We where like kids with our first .22's! ANYTHING we wanted could be hit out to the +- 130 yard back stop. Pick a rock, piece of clay pigeon or shell casing, BANG it was either gone or sent skyward. On paper sub 1" was the normal at 100.

As good as the 17HMR is the little upstart 17MR2 is BETTER!!!  When I first got that I also headed to the range where I found a guy shooting his 30 cal carbine @ 25 and 50 yards. We struck up a conversation and ended up shooting and talking most of the afternoon. I got to the point where we could shoot THRU any 30 cal hole he could make. I'm not talking occasionally, I'm talking 99% of the time and even when there was a miss, it would clip the edge of the hole. This gun wears the 3X9 AO Leupold.

These guns have shot SO WELL, that every single one of my buddies that shoots has bought one or the other. ALL shoot like this!!! I am talking about 9 guns here not counting my 2.

 I sold the 22mag shortly after the 17MR2 showed up.... it just couldn't compare. I have a great affinity to the 22Mag and had a great deal of ammo for it. I only just the other day put it up for sale. Come to think of it.. I owe a guy a PM and need to get it together for him!!!! 

 Go buy one.. you'll be very glad you did !!

CW

[12ptdroptine]

This was my first outing with my Handi at 50 yds with the scope @ 3 power..But that scope is getting replaced by the 4X12 AO  I feel pretty confident that with hollow points or solid's coyote's within 100yds would be a clean kill. But anyway to each his own. I can see a .17 somewhere in my future. But not at the expense of my .22mag. I have done pretty good the last few years of hanging on to bmy guns. Saving for the new one  and not trading in. My grand children will remember me...lol. Drop

[Rustyinfla]

 That's not all that bad, but how much time expired between shots? I wonder if the shots are walking because the barrel is heating up?

[Keith L]

I have never had a .22 Mag that could heat up the barrel enough to make a difference.  Maybe with one of those crank triggers you could, but this is a single shot.  Was this on a clean bore?  With .22s I rarely if ever clean them.  Keep trying.  Also check all the screws etc.  And let us know how that new scope does.

[mcwoodduck]

Yes,
You can have too much scope.  but the 4X is fine at the low end.
Mine wears a 6X weaver.
My Marlin 882 has a bushnell 3-9X32 scope and when sitting the rifles in cleaning racks side by side on the table and aiming at the same thing the weaver at 6X looks clearer and brighter than the Bushnell at 6 and the object looks closer at 6 with the weaver than the 3-9 does at 9 power.  But I have played hide and seek with a ground squirl at 30 yards with my 6-18X 40 bushnell on my Ruger 22 Hornet when it was set to 12X and a gound digger popped up close and I could not move the power back down and the mag was too much to easily find the thing in the scope and too much power for the range.  If your off my an inch you can't see anything but dirt.  If your talking about tree squirles than 20 yards is going to be a long shot unless you have a tree out in the open or on the edge of a field.  On our farm 20 feet was a normal shot on grays.  But at my Aunt pecan grove where the trees 30 to 40 yards were possible on the groomed  open trees in the grove.
Still think a 22 LR with a 40 grain round nose bullet is the best for eating small game, small hole in small hole out dead critter on the ground.  The super hollow points are good but really messy and you need to take head shots with them.  The 40 grain Mag rounds work great for that.  Small hole on one side and empty bowl on the other.
CW Long shot.
As far as not finding a good 22 mag.  I have had a Marlin 882 for years and had to try a few different bullets before i could stick all 7 from the mag into one big ragged hole at 30 yards, and group to about 1/2 inch at 75 yards. 
But I try another and buy four or five boxes of different ammo and head out to the range for some tests.

[12ptdroptine]

Yeah I cleaned it between brand's of ammo. OOP'S... I thought I was doing the right thing.. I am very happy with it on the first outing. I have a 39a with a 3x9 Leupold and a CZ 453 varminter with a 4x12 ao on them that I havent even sighted in yet..and a 20 ga Encore...and I just bought a new Savage ml that I have to scope. (3X9X40) Leupold also... I hear I am going to get some time off about Feb..Maybe I can go sight in some before I buy another one...lol As I said earlier ... I can see a .17 in the future, But it is going to have to be out there a little.. With the economy being like it is I better slow down a little. Drop

[12ptdroptine]

Well I got the Leupold 4x12 ao all mounted up..And took it to the range today... Warmed it up with some Remington 33gr vmax...then started dialing her in with the 30gr Hornaday vmax... I had a KILLER 4 shot group..then some fellas wanted to take a "quick" trip down range... 10 minute's later after the barrel cooled down I had the "dreaded" flyer...But oh well..I am still pretty happy with this considering it is at 50 yds. Drop

[MSP Ret]

I heartily agree with cwlongshot on his statement, "As good as the 17HMR is the little upstart 17MR2 is BETTER!!!". I really like my .17 HMR and I find it very accurate, but for shots of 100 yards and under on smaller varmints I prefer my H&R .17 Mach 2. It is more accurate, not by much, there is not much room for improvment anyway, but with either 17 Mach 2 ammo or .17 Aquila 20 grain ammo, head shots on crows at 100 yards are feasible and repeatable. Past 100 yards or so I reach for the .17 HMR....<><....

[12ptdroptine]

But anyway as my thread started... I really like my .22mag with the new Leupold 4x12 ao on it.... But I guess thats another thread Thanks Drop

[Slowhanddd]

https://www.gboreloaded.com/mhp/images/slowhanddd/picture176.jpg
Never can have too much scope.Mueller on my 17M2.Slow

[cwlongshot]

https://www.gboreloaded.com/mhp/images/slowhanddd/picture176.jpg
Never can have too much scope.Mueller on my 17M2.Slow

 Nothing like upping the WOW factor by adding a sunshade!!  Looks good!

Back when I was shooting Chevy Truck Challenge, I had two of them on my scope... it damn near came out to the muzzle!!  It kept that "intimidation factor up when I dropped target after target. 

 Nice setup you got there!!

CW

[Jones]

Were can I get a sun shade? (tasco3-9X40)

  GJ

[mcwoodduck]

Jones,
First look inside the front objective and see if there are threads for a shade to screw into.  If so then go to the tasco website.  If not then no shade for you.
I ordered a shave for my Leupold 3-9X40 Var XII scope only to find it did not attach.  Thought the 4" shade would look cool on my 10/22T.

[saltydog]

For a field walkaround rifle - IMO this is too much scope. For a 22 rimfire bench - close to truck rifle gun it is just right. I would put a rimfire designated (parallex adjusted for rimfires) Leupold ($200) or Weaver 2x7 ($125) scope on the rifle to carry in the field as most shots are going to be 100 or less yards. 

[cwlongshot]

But anyway as my thread started... I really like my .22mag with the new Leupold 4x12 ao on it.... But I guess thats another thread Thanks Drop

Sorry for the hijacks. 

 Glad you got it shooting to your liking!! You have a very nice setup that will do all you ask of it!! I have said it before and I will say it again, pick Leupold and you wont be let down.

 Good luck and safe shooting,
 CW