Scope choices for Rimfire and Centerfire

[Crow Hunter]

I am in the process of setting up my new hunting rifle "battery". When I get finished I will have a Tikka T1x and a pair of T3x's in .223 and .308.

I was wanting to get optics that would be useful on all three rifles that were as close as possible in operation/reticle etc if not identical.

Of course, there's the rub, Parallax.

Any non-parallax adjustable scope that will work good for the T3x will not be as good for the T1x and vice versa. I would be using this for informal target shooting/plinking and hunting. No organized NRL shooting or anything. Just "general use" but I don't want to miss a critter/target and think it was because of parallax.

Right now I have a couple of Leupold Freedom 3-9X33 EFR scope and a couple of older Leupold VX2 2-7X33.

Anyone have any good ideas on a better option(s) that would work for both?

[okie john]

It's easy to slip down the rabbit hole on making everything identical, and it's harder to do it with rifles than with pistols.

The cheapest gear is the gear you already own, so all other things being equal, I'd put the VX2 2-7X33s on the 223 and 308, and trade the other two scopes for something that has the right parallax for a 22 RF.

That way you can start to learn the game with adequate glass and upgrade later. If you start to shoot in competition, then you quickly learn that match shooters are always chasing the next new thing, and they often sell perfectly serviceable gear at deep discounts after only a short period of use.


Okie John

[Crow Hunter]

It's easy to slip down the rabbit hole on making everything identical, and it's harder to do it with rifles than with pistols.

The cheapest gear is the gear you already own, so all other things being equal, I'd put the VX2 2-7X33s on the 223 and 308, and trade the other two scopes for something that has the right parallax for a 22 RF.

That way you can start to learn the game with adequate glass and upgrade later. If you start to shoot in competition, then you quickly learn that match shooters are always chasing the next new thing, and they often sell perfectly serviceable gear at deep discounts after only a short period of use.


Okie John

Thanks John!

I am the poster boy for rabbit holes when it comes to identical.

The 3-9s have adjustable objectives and are intended for airguns/rimfires. They will adjust down to 10m. They are just 3-9 instead of 2-7 with tighter eyeboxes, shorter eye relief and fine duplexs.

I would just get a 3rd one of them and put it on a one of the centerfire rifles but the eyebox is noticeably smaller and the eye relief is about an inch shorter.

I had thought about swapping out and getting a 2-7X33 Rimfire scope on everything but I am not sure how much parallax would affect the centerfire shots. I know from personal experience using the 2-7X33 centerfire Leupolds on rimfire scopes that parallax can throw off a shot on a squirrel. That is why I originally got the 3-9 EFR scopes. I have never tried the reverse though with a short parallax scope on a rifle intended to shoot at 100-400 yards.

Always a problem with me.

[okie john]

I know from personal experience using the 2-7X33 centerfire Leupolds on rimfire scopes that parallax can throw off a shot on a squirrel.

Putting a rimfire scope on a CF rifle is a giant step backwards. It will throw your shots farther than the reverse because greater distances are involved so the error becomes greater. Ensuring that you have the right parallax, eyeboxes, eye relief, and reticles matters far more than whether the top end is 7x vs 9x.

My main rifles are a 308 and a 30-06, both stainless/synthetic bolt guns. Both are bedded, free-floated, and ready for wet weather. Each has a Nightforce SHV 3-10x42 scope with an illuminated Forceplex reticle, and I feel comfortable using either one to about 550m. My spare scopes for each are 4x Leupolds. They cut my maximum range to about 300m, which is fine--that's still a long poke and most game anywhere is taken within about half that distance.

My 22 is a blue-and-walnut Remington that's probably older than I am. It has a gloss 4x Leupold rimfire scope in Weaver rings. I use it to practice basic rifle marksmanship, getting into and out of position quickly, using a sling, and to hunt small game. It's perhaps most valuable for practicing offhand within 50 yards. The trigger control required to shoot well offhand pays off everywhere, plus you get a lot more opportunities to win people's beer money up close.

Long-range rifle shooting is hard enough as it is. Don't let your quest for uniformity derail your quest for results.


Okie John

[Crow Hunter]

Don't let your quest for uniformity derail your quest for results.

I am going to try and memorize this.

Thank you.

[TWR]

I'd put a 6x SWFA Classic scope on all 3. Focus from 10 meters out and with the MilQuad reticle, you have a good usable MIL reticle. They track great as well and a buddy used his 6x out to 1000 yards on steel, I would not feel handicapped with a fixed 6x.

[frozentundra]

You may know this already, and it doesn't necessarily solve the exact problem you're trying to solve, but reading the post #1 made me think of how much it helped me to hear Todd Hodnett explain the usefulness of scope shadow to minimize parallax issues some years back. Total game changer for me in certain applications.

This is a different account, somewhat more recent and less detailed, but gets the point across pretty well.

TLDR summary: If you learn to use scope shadow to center your pupil in the scope tube, you can minimize the effects of optical parallax, not only for a fixed parallax scope, but even if you have parallax adjustment on your scope. Different head positions in various shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, prone, etc.) tend to induce different alignments; you use can use the phenomena of scope shadow to detect and correct your alignment. If you are repeatably in the mechanical center of the scope, the parallax issues won't necessarily cause dispersion in your groups like otherwise would be the case.

[BN]

I am the poster boy for rabbit holes

I have gone far down the 22 rimfire rabbit hole. I shoot from around 25 yards out to 350 yards and beyond.

A Tikka T1x is a good rimfire choice. I have friends with them that also shoot long distance.

It seems you mostly want a hunting rifle. You might want to learn about Maximum Point Blank Range if you want to continue with a duplex reticle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point-blank_range

I mostly shoot from a bench and use FFP scopes with side adjustment parallax, reticles with hash marks and 5-25 power. You should probably look through a bunch of scopes before you buy. I would think you would want a lower power than me for your hunting scopes.

[Crow Hunter]

I'd put a 6x SWFA Classic scope on all 3. Focus from 10 meters out and with the MilQuad reticle, you have a good usable MIL reticle. They track great as well and a buddy used his 6x out to 1000 yards on steel, I would not feel handicapped with a fixed 6x.

I actually looked at doing that. Unfortunately SWFA is a long ways out on getting restocked on their scopes. Apparently this was even before the covid supply chain issues.

I think it is an excellent idea though.

[Crow Hunter]

You may know this already, and it doesn't necessarily solve the exact problem you're trying to solve, but reading the post #1 made me think of how much it helped me to hear Todd Hodnett explain the usefulness of scope shadow to minimize parallax issues some years back. Total game changer for me in certain applications.

This is a different account, somewhat more recent and less detailed, but gets the point across pretty well.

TLDR summary: If you learn to use scope shadow to center your pupil in the scope tube, you can minimize the effects of optical parallax, not only for a fixed parallax scope, but even if you have parallax adjustment on your scope. Different head positions in various shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, prone, etc.) tend to induce different alignments; you use can use the phenomena of scope shadow to detect and correct your alignment. If you are repeatably in the mechanical center of the scope, the parallax issues won't necessarily cause dispersion in your groups like otherwise would be the case.

Very interesting. I might just play around with that some this weekend, since I have several scopes with no rifles or rings to mount them.😁