Different Scope Settings for Different Ammunition/Purposes

[AneemA]

Hi Guys

First post here. Looking for a bit of advice and/or confirmation I'm on the right track.

Just took my new CZ 457 Camo .22LR to the range for it's first shoot yesterday. It has a Vixen 3-12 scope on it with BDC reticle. This is my second rifle, my first one (10 years ago) was a little Savage Arms .22 with a fixed 4x scope.

I'm very happy with how the rifle shoots. The first 5 shots through the rifle were probably the tightest group I've ever shot, despite the fact that they missed the aim point by 6" (had only been boresighted at 10m at that point, first paper target was at 25m to start zeroing scope). Ammunition used throughout the afternoon was Magtech standard, CCI standard, CCI Minimag, Winchester Powerpoint HV, Winchester Powerpoint SS. It shot the CCI standard best, the Winchester HV grouped better than the CCI Minimag, the Winchester SS shot almost exactly the same as the CCI standard (not surprising given only 5fps difference). The Magtech standard shot well too, but the greasiness/waxiness of the rounds put me off shooting/purchasing them again.

After yesterday, the rifle is now currently zeroed at 55yrds for CCI standard.

The rifle has several desired uses.. I'm hoping to use it for shooting at the range (practice/fun), popping rabbits (and the odd feral cat) on some smaller land holdings (rural, with safe shooting lanes and backdrops) and also some wallaby on some larger land holdings.

My plan was to use standard velocity ammo at the range, with subsonic hollow points for the rabbits and high velocity hollow points for the wallabies. Likely distances are about 30-80 yards tops depending on what I'm shooting at.

With my original plan I was hoping to be able to zero the rifle at 60yrds with the standard velocity and then just hold under/over for the other velocities (based on practice at the range). However, what I found yesterday was that the difference in POI of the high velocity stuff was so different to the standard that I wouldn't feel comfortable taking an ethical shot. CCI Minimag was hitting 3" high and 1" right with a less than desirable spread. The Winchester PPT was 2" high and 1" right with acceptable grouping.

My new plan is to take extensive notes and have 2 (or 3) different scope settings. One each for SS, standard and HV ammunition. All zero'd at the same distance, then extensive practice with each (and notes taken) to determine appropriate under/over holds for different ranges (40-100 yrds tops)

In my head, with the above setup I'd be able to adjust scope to suit desired purpose, fire a couple of shots to confirm correct zero point, then use the rifle for the desired purpose of the day, before returning it to the default scope settings.

Is the a reasonable and practical approach? Am I just setting myself up for a ballache and a lot of wasted time and money on ammunition? Should I just bite the bullet (pun intended) and select one single brand/velocity and stick to it for all purposes?

Would love some input, thanks all.

[bladeracer]

The .22LR is not a potent cartridge, it is always going to be more important where you place the bullet than what the bullet might do to the target, so use whichever ammo is the most accurate in the rifle. I use CCI Standard Velocity for everything up to foxes as it's the most accurate in my rifles, holding around one-minute out to 100m. Place the round nose bullet into the brain and you won't have any trouble.

Hi Guys

First post here. Looking for a bit of advice and/or confirmation I'm on the right track.

Just took my new CZ 457 Camo .22LR to the range for it's first shoot yesterday. It has a Vixen 3-12 scope on it with BDC reticle. This is my second rifle, my first one (10 years ago) was a little Savage Arms .22 with a fixed 4x scope.

I'm very happy with how the rifle shoots. The first 5 shots through the rifle were probably the tightest group I've ever shot, despite the fact that they missed the aim point by 6" (had only been boresighted at 10m at that point, first paper target was at 25m to start zeroing scope). Ammunition used throughout the afternoon was Magtech standard, CCI standard, CCI Minimag, Winchester Powerpoint HV, Winchester Powerpoint SS. It shot the CCI standard best, the Winchester HV grouped better than the CCI Minimag, the Winchester SS shot almost exactly the same as the CCI standard (not surprising given only 5fps difference). The Magtech standard shot well too, but the greasiness/waxiness of the rounds put me off shooting/purchasing them again.

After yesterday, the rifle is now currently zeroed at 55yrds for CCI standard.

The rifle has several desired uses.. I'm hoping to use it for shooting at the range (practice/fun), popping rabbits (and the odd feral cat) on some smaller land holdings (rural, with safe shooting lanes and backdrops) and also some wallaby on some larger land holdings.

My plan was to use standard velocity ammo at the range, with subsonic hollow points for the rabbits and high velocity hollow points for the wallabies. Likely distances are about 30-80 yards tops depending on what I'm shooting at.

With my original plan I was hoping to be able to zero the rifle at 60yrds with the standard velocity and then just hold under/over for the other velocities (based on practice at the range). However, what I found yesterday was that the difference in POI of the high velocity stuff was so different to the standard that I wouldn't feel comfortable taking an ethical shot. CCI Minimag was hitting 3" high and 1" right with a less than desirable spread. The Winchester PPT was 2" high and 1" right with acceptable grouping.

My new plan is to take extensive notes and have 2 (or 3) different scope settings. One each for SS, standard and HV ammunition. All zero'd at the same distance, then extensive practice with each (and notes taken) to determine appropriate under/over holds for different ranges (40-100 yrds tops)

In my head, with the above setup I'd be able to adjust scope to suit desired purpose, fire a couple of shots to confirm correct zero point, then use the rifle for the desired purpose of the day, before returning it to the default scope settings.

Is the a reasonable and practical approach? Am I just setting myself up for a ballache and a lot of wasted time and money on ammunition? Should I just bite the bullet (pun intended) and select one single brand/velocity and stick to it for all purposes?

Would love some input, thanks all.

[Lazarus]

G'day AneemA

I have scope notes for my LA101, every 10m from 50 to 100m
With this rifle, I only ever hunt with subsonics.

If you can get them, CCI segmented subsonic hp are outstanding.
The quietest round I've tried, very accurate and hit hard.

[AneemA]

G'day AneemA

I have scope notes for my LA101, every 10m from 50 to 100m
With this rifle, I only ever hunt with subsonics.

If you can get them, CCI segmented subsonic hp are outstanding.
The quietest round I've tried, very accurate and hit hard.

That's good to know, thank you.

Can I ask what notes you keep? Scope adjustments? Holdover measurements or POA/POI measurements?

[AneemA]

The .22LR is not a potent cartridge, it is always going to be more important where you place the bullet than what the bullet might do to the target, so use whichever ammo is the most accurate in the rifle. I use CCI Standard Velocity for everything up to foxes as it's the most accurate in my rifles, holding around one-minute out to 100m. Place the round nose bullet into the brain and you won't have any trouble.

Fair point. Good to know some use standard ammunition to hunt with.

[Gamerancher]

There's nothing wrong with adjusting your sight settings for different targets/distances, that's what every target shooter does. (Its also why iron sights are adjustable.)
The issue is how repeatable your sight is. With a scope, it's ability to track and therefore be able to return to known settings is crucial for accuracy.
A simple "box" test is the best place to start.
The other thing is the range of adjustment available. The fact that you had to wind 6" on to be at point of aim at 25m tells me that your scope is not aligned with the bore and you have already used up a bunch of your adjustment range. Setting your scope up in the mounts to be as close to your desired starting zero is the only way to get the most out of the adjustable range of your scope.
If you have used up a heap of adjustment just to zero it, you will find that you will quickly run out when you want to change it. For example, if you wound 6" to the right, not only do you have limited amount of adjustment remaining in that direction, you will also now have a limited amount of elevation adjustment to use.
Maximum elevation for a given scope is only available with the retical centred in the scope. Move it off to one side or the other, there is less vertical room for it to move. Mounts that have windage adjustment are crucial to allow you to set your scope up on the rifle at a true centre for windage.

[JohnV]

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

[bigpete]

I agree with JohnV
K.I.S.S.

[Lazarus]

G'day AneemA

I have scope notes for my LA101, every 10m from 50 to 100m
With this rifle, I only ever hunt with subsonics.

If you can get them, CCI segmented subsonic hp are outstanding.
The quietest round I've tried, very accurate and hit hard.

That's good to know, thank you.

Can I ask what notes you keep? Scope adjustments? Holdover measurements or POA/POI measurements?

Just how many clicks up from my 50m zero range.
The Lithgow has a simple cross reticle, so holdovers have not worked for me.
With a more detailed or a BDC reticle, I would also note holdover.

[JohnV]

With the BDC reticle he can work out what hash mark corresponds with what range . Holding over with a plain duplex reticle is just a function of judgment on the target it's self . Backline hold , half head hold etc. etc. I once lent my 22 Brno to a graziers son to go spotlighting ( big mistake ) anyway he could not hit anything right . I got sick of the whining and said give me the gun , the next roo stopped at about 110 meters and I took a high hold about full head and hit it right in the brain . Then I looked at my gun and the A hole had dented all the stock on the ute head board so I took it off him and put it away . Luckily 99% of the dents came out with ironing and steaming it . Learn the trajectory and you will be good . Keep swapping ammo and it could confuse you .

[AneemA]

Interesting information, thank you for that.

I'm not too concerned at this stage, as it was bore sighted by me, having never bore sighted a rifle before.. I also know that while bore sighting I moved the reticle to the right a bit.. so the fact it was hitting left probably bought it back some. Need to spend a lot more time at the range yet getting to know the rifle.

as for scope repeatability.. That was part of my motivation for starting this thread and asking these questions. I was curious about how precise the average scope is, and if you were to adjust your scope 10 clicks up and right (for example) whether when you put it back the same amount it'd revert to the exact same impact point or whether there would be some kind of variance.

There's nothing wrong with adjusting your sight settings for different targets/distances, that's what every target shooter does. (Its also why iron sights are adjustable.)
The issue is how repeatable your sight is. With a scope, it's ability to track and therefore be able to return to known settings is crucial for accuracy.
A simple "box" test is the best place to start.
The other thing is the range of adjustment available. The fact that you had to wind 6" on to be at point of aim at 25m tells me that your scope is not aligned with the bore and you have already used up a bunch of your adjustment range. Setting your scope up in the mounts to be as close to your desired starting zero is the only way to get the most out of the adjustable range of your scope.
If you have used up a heap of adjustment just to zero it, you will find that you will quickly run out when you want to change it. For example, if you wound 6" to the right, not only do you have limited amount of adjustment remaining in that direction, you will also now have a limited amount of elevation adjustment to use.
Maximum elevation for a given scope is only available with the retical centred in the scope. Move it off to one side or the other, there is less vertical room for it to move. Mounts that have windage adjustment are crucial to allow you to set your scope up on the rifle at a true centre for windage.

[AneemA]

Appreciate the input

You've summed up what I was starting to become concerned about.. I have a nasty habit of getting bogged down in details and overcomplicating simple things.. Kinda the opposite to a guy I was chatting to the other day who hunts.. He couldn't tell me what brand his rifle was.. or what range it was zero'd at.. just that he points it at things and they fall over when he pulls the trigger.

I think I'll aim for somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

[AneemA]

Appreciate the input

You've summed up what I was starting to become concerned about.. I have a nasty habit of getting bogged down in details and overcomplicating simple things.. Kinda the opposite to a guy I was chatting to the other day who hunts.. He couldn't tell me what brand his rifle was.. or what range it was zero'd at.. just that he points it at things and they fall over when he pulls the trigger.

I think I'll aim for somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.


I also have options currently which is good.. The fact the Winchester SS HP hit near enough to exactly the same as the CCI standards means I can use both with the same zero point (more experimentation required to confirm, but it at least appears that way at the moment). I can then just use the HV HP from Winchester/CCI for any euthanasia requirements/farm butchering

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

[Oldbloke]

"Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over ."

That's what I do.
223 has 2 loads, normal and a squib.
1" high at abt 80 yards for normal load.
I just hold about 2" high when using the squib out to 100 yards.

[bladeracer]

as for scope repeatability.. That was part of my motivation for starting this thread and asking these questions. I was curious about how precise the average scope is, and if you were to adjust your scope 10 clicks up and right (for example) whether when you put it back the same amount it'd revert to the exact same impact point or whether there would be some kind of variance.

Set up a large target at 50m, a pair of adjacent A3 pages (or four A4 pages) with an aiming mark in the centre of them will do, and shoot from bags on a bench if you can (so your groups are as small as possible). Make sure your parallax adjustment is set correctly at 50m and shoot a group aimed at the centre of the target. Adjust elevation up and windage left ten minutes (probably 40 clicks each), shoot another group aiming at the same aim point every time. Adjust elevation down twenty minutes and shoot another group. Adjust windage twenty minutes right and shoot another group. Adjust elevation twenty minutes up and shoot another group. Adjust windage ten minutes left and elevation ten minutes down and shoot a final group - you may want to shoot this group onto a separate target so you can measure exactly how far off from zero it is. If the scope is good you'll have a box measuring 290mm square (twenty minutes), with two groups in the dead centre of the box. If the rifle/ammo/shooter combination is good, the groups should all be around 15mm across centres for any decent bolt-action rifle, with a lever-action you can probably double that.

[bladeracer]

I also have options currently which is good.. The fact the Winchester SS HP hit near enough to exactly the same as the CCI standards means I can use both with the same zero point (more experimentation required to confirm, but it at least appears that way at the moment). I can then just use the HV HP from Winchester/CCI for any euthanasia requirements/farm butchering

I don't recommend the .22LR for shooting larger stock animals, it is capable of doing the job, but it really is marginal, even on good sized calves. I've heard and seen so many times where it doesn't drop the animal. I'm preferring the .44Mag for cows now, but the 7mm-08 or .243 do an excellent job as well. The .44 is significantly quieter though which means we don't need hearing protection - subsonic 7mm-08 is excellent, very quiet and effective. I like to know what's happening around me when in the yard with other animals and people. The .357Mag would also be a good choice I think, but I haven't tried it on a big cow myself as yet. I dropped a large billy goat with a .22LR headshot on the farm when I was a kid, and it was marginal then as well, though the range was about fifteen feet (I had to lay in wait in thick reeds and ambush him when he brought the herd past). A mate uses .223 for his pigs.

[AneemA]

I also have options currently which is good.. The fact the Winchester SS HP hit near enough to exactly the same as the CCI standards means I can use both with the same zero point (more experimentation required to confirm, but it at least appears that way at the moment). I can then just use the HV HP from Winchester/CCI for any euthanasia requirements/farm butchering

I don't recommend the .22LR for shooting larger stock animals, it is capable of doing the job, but it really is marginal, even on good sized calves. I've heard and seen so many times where it doesn't drop the animal. I'm preferring the .44Mag for cows now, but the 7mm-08 or .243 do an excellent job as well. The .44 is significantly quieter though which means we don't need hearing protection - subsonic 7mm-08 is excellent, very quiet and effective. I like to know what's happening around me when in the yard with other animals and people. The .357Mag would also be a good choice I think, but I haven't tried it on a big cow myself as yet. I dropped a large billy goat with a .22LR headshot on the farm when I was a kid, and it was marginal then as well, though the range was about fifteen feet (I had to lay in wait in thick reeds and ambush him when he brought the herd past). A mate uses .223 for his pigs.

Yeah, I wouldn't use 22LR on large livestock. I've used it without issue on sheep, pigs and goats though. My old butcher uses a .22wmr for cattle. He's 2/2 for perfect drops on the cows I've had him do.

[AneemA]

as for scope repeatability.. That was part of my motivation for starting this thread and asking these questions. I was curious about how precise the average scope is, and if you were to adjust your scope 10 clicks up and right (for example) whether when you put it back the same amount it'd revert to the exact same impact point or whether there would be some kind of variance.

Set up a large target at 50m, a pair of adjacent A3 pages (or four A4 pages) with an aiming mark in the centre of them will do, and shoot from bags on a bench if you can (so your groups are as small as possible). Make sure your parallax adjustment is set correctly at 50m and shoot a group aimed at the centre of the target. Adjust elevation up and windage left ten minutes (probably 40 clicks each), shoot another group aiming at the same aim point every time. Adjust elevation down twenty minutes and shoot another group. Adjust windage twenty minutes right and shoot another group. Adjust elevation twenty minutes up and shoot another group. Adjust windage ten minutes left and elevation ten minutes down and shoot a final group - you may want to shoot this group onto a separate target so you can measure exactly how far off from zero it is. If the scope is good you'll have a box measuring 290mm square (twenty minutes), with two groups in the dead centre of the box. If the rifle/ammo/shooter combination is good, the groups should all be around 15mm across centres for any decent bolt-action rifle, with a lever-action you can probably double that.

https://vixenoptics.com.au/product/vixe ... e-vx82011/

That's my scope there.

I don't believe it has any form of parallax adjustment unfortunately. It's supposed to be paralax free at 100yrds or something? I must admit I'm not totally on top of scope tech..

At the moment I'm happy the rifle is hitting exactly where I aim it and grouping well.

I'm going to stick with the advice in this thread. Keep it simple. Zero'd at one distance with one ammunition type. Learn and practice the under/over'ing from there.

[Shootermick]

I’ve got that exact scope on a 223. I don’t dial it up and down, but it’s a great scope. Bought a lower powered Vixen for a 22 after I was so happy with the first one.

[bladeracer]

I don't believe it has any form of parallax adjustment unfortunately. It's supposed to be paralax free at 100yrds or something? I must admit I'm not totally on top of scope tech..

Parallax is the offset between where the reticle is and where the image is on the lens in the scope. You set the parallax to the specific distance of the target to place both images on the same plane. With the parallax fixed at 91m, and your target at 50m there is an offset in the scope. If you lay the rifle securely resting across a bag and look through the scope at a target 91m away, you should be able to move your head around behind the scope and the reticle will remain centred on the target. If you then look through the scope at a target at 50m, and move your head around, you will probably see some "movement" of the reticle around the target, this is caused by the parallax "error". For most field use it probably won't be a major issue within .22LR ranges but it's worth being aware of it. A good consistent cheek weld on the buttstock can obviate the need for parallax adjustment as your eye will always be in the same place behind the scope anyway. You might need to use some padding on the buttstock to get your eye perfectly positioned behind the scope, especially with higher-magnification scopes.

The exit pupil (objective lens diameter in mm divided by magnification) of the scope is the diameter of the shaft of light that comes through the scope, this is what you are actually looking through. At 3-power your exit pupil is about 13.3mm in diameter, so your eye can be anywhere behind that 13mm "tunnel" and you'll be looking through the scope. At 12-power your EP is only 3.3mm across, much smaller, so your eye needs to be within that "tunnel" of light coming through the scope to be able to see through it. A 40-power scope with a 40mm objective lens would have an EP of just 1mm, and can be very difficult to find the tiny shaft of light coming through the scope without a good cheek weld.

[JohnV]

If you just use a hold over you don't need to touch your scope turrets at all . In the heat of a hunt you will forget that you moved the turret and forget how many clicks you moved it . Just stick with using hold over and under and the BDC reticle .
Man I once put my shotgun down in a wheat field to help the dogs on a boar , well the action was quite intense and we had moved about quite a bit but when it came time to pick up the gun I could not find it . The crop was too thick . One of my dogs was a big bugger and higher than the crop so I drove my knife into the ground on the end of a lead and clipped the dog to the lead and told him to stay . I could see his back ok . Went back to the truck and got a long rope and a hammer and shovel . Well when I got back the dog was not there he had laid down . So I whistled him and he stood up thank god . Went over to the dog and drove the shovel into the soil deep and connected the rope on a slipping noose around the shovel handle . Then systematically went around and around going out a bit wider each time but from the life of me the rope ran out and I never found it . I was desperate as it was a nice Breda auto fully loaded and laying in the dirt . I had this other smaller Dingo Cattle dog cross that was a great tracker so I tried to get her to find the gun . It took some strange antics and mime ability to give her the idea of the gun and to find it , but eventually she went off sniffing about and found it . I was over the moon . I never made that mistake ever again . That dog was the smartest dog I have ever owned or ever seen not a great lugging dog but super smart in other ways . So you think you won't forget things and loose track but in a hunt you will .

[AneemA]

I don't believe it has any form of parallax adjustment unfortunately. It's supposed to be paralax free at 100yrds or something? I must admit I'm not totally on top of scope tech..

Parallax is the offset between where the reticle is and where the image is on the lens in the scope. You set the parallax to the specific distance of the target to place both images on the same plane. With the parallax fixed at 91m, and your target at 50m there is an offset in the scope. If you lay the rifle securely resting across a bag and look through the scope at a target 91m away, you should be able to move your head around behind the scope and the reticle will remain centred on the target. If you then look through the scope at a target at 50m, and move your head around, you will probably see some "movement" of the reticle around the target, this is caused by the parallax "error". For most field use it probably won't be a major issue within .22LR ranges but it's worth being aware of it. A good consistent cheek weld on the buttstock can obviate the need for parallax adjustment as your eye will always be in the same place behind the scope anyway. You might need to use some padding on the buttstock to get your eye perfectly positioned behind the scope, especially with higher-magnification scopes.

The exit pupil (objective lens diameter in mm divided by magnification) of the scope is the diameter of the shaft of light that comes through the scope, this is what you are actually looking through. At 3-power your exit pupil is about 13.3mm in diameter, so your eye can be anywhere behind that 13mm "tunnel" and you'll be looking through the scope. At 12-power your EP is only 3.3mm across, much smaller, so your eye needs to be within that "tunnel" of light coming through the scope to be able to see through it. A 40-power scope with a 40mm objective lens would have an EP of just 1mm, and can be very difficult to find the tiny shaft of light coming through the scope without a good cheek weld.

Thank you for that very clear explanation. It's very helpful. It also explains that yes, I was having some trouble on the bench rest getting the eye relief right with field of vision and did find the reticle was moving around a bit. That was all quite new to me and I didn't remember experiencing it on my old fixed 4x scope (I also don't remember what scope it was).

Ive got the mounts and the scope set as far back as I can as that appears to be the natural eye relief and clear vision point for me. It works reasonably well in a standing position, but the different head position on the bench rest did add a small amount of challenge. Thanks to the explanation above I now understand why when the scope is on 3x I can pull it up and instantly have a crystal clear picture but on 12x I have to hunt around for it a bit.

[AneemA]

If you just use a hold over you don't need to touch your scope turrets at all . In the heat of a hunt you will forget that you moved the turret and forget how many clicks you moved it . Just stick with using hold over and under and the BDC reticle .
Man I once put my shotgun down in a wheat field to help the dogs on a boar , well the action was quite intense and we had moved about quite a bit but when it came time to pick up the gun I could not find it . The crop was too thick . One of my dogs was a big bugger and higher than the crop so I drove my knife into the ground on the end of a lead and clipped the dog to the lead and told him to stay . I could see his back ok . Went back to the truck and got a long rope and a hammer and shovel . Well when I got back the dog was not there he had laid down . So I whistled him and he stood up thank god . Went over to the dog and drove the shovel into the soil deep and connected the rope on a slipping noose around the shovel handle . Then systematically went around and around going out a bit wider each time but from the life of me the rope ran out and I never found it . I was desperate as it was a nice Breda auto fully loaded and laying in the dirt . I had this other smaller Dingo Cattle dog cross that was a great tracker so I tried to get her to find the gun . It took some strange antics and mime ability to give her the idea of the gun and to find it , but eventually she went off sniffing about and found it . I was over the moon . I never made that mistake ever again . That dog was the smartest dog I have ever owned or ever seen not a great lugging dog but super smart in other ways . So you think you won't forget things and loose track but in a hunt you will .

Funny story.. I always make that joke about this little CZ having the camo stock (I would have preferred a plain black synthetic) .. Better not put it down or I'll never find it again!

[AneemA]

I’ve got that exact scope on a 223. I don’t dial it up and down, but it’s a great scope. Bought a lower powered Vixen for a 22 after I was so happy with the first one.

Great to hear some positive feedback about it.. A .223 is the next rifle on my list, so I may well end up with the same set up as you. So far with my whopping 1 day at the range with this little CZ and scope, I found I was actually shooting better groups at 55yrds with the scope on 6x rather than 9x. I was originally only after a 4-9x scope as I knew I wanted more magnification than my old fixed 4x had.. This particular scope was the only one they had with any reticle that wasn't just a simple crosshair. In my head I wanted something with some other markings on it to help under/overing.

I did shop around online but ended up buying both the rifle and scope from that store as I felt like I was getting lost in a see of info online.. I'd held the rifle, played with the bolt and looked through the scope and it all felt good, so I decided that was best for me rather than dying by analysis paralysis with the volume of options and opinions on the interweb.

[Shootermick]

I’ve got that exact scope on a 223. I don’t dial it up and down, but it’s a great scope. Bought a lower powered Vixen for a 22 after I was so happy with the first one.

Great to hear some positive feedback about it.. A .223 is the next rifle on my list, so I may well end up with the same set up as you. So far with my whopping 1 day at the range with this little CZ and scope, I found I was actually shooting better groups at 55yrds with the scope on 6x rather than 9x. I was originally only after a 4-9x scope as I knew I wanted more magnification than my old fixed 4x had.. This particular scope was the only one they had with any reticle that wasn't just a simple crosshair. In my head I wanted something with some other markings on it to help under/overing.

I did shop around online but ended up buying both the rifle and scope from that store as I felt like I was getting lost in a see of info online.. I'd held the rifle, played with the bolt and looked through the scope and it all felt good, so I decided that was best for me rather than dying by analysis paralysis with the volume of options and opinions on the interweb.

Actually, my 3-12 Vixen is the straight duplex reticle, no hash marks, but apart from that it’s the same anyway.

[JohnV]

They say that Vixen scopes are made in Japan so that would tend to make them better quality than some others .
They look pretty good to me .

[Oldbloke]

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

Yep,
Unfortunately my brno shoots best with subsonic solids so I'm restricted to head shots.
IMO try and find a hollow point that shoots well and stick with that.
And limit the range.

[JohnV]

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

Yep,
Unfortunately my brno shoots best with subsonic solids so I'm restricted to head shots.
IMO try and find a hollow point that shoots well and stick with that.
And limit the range.

I was lucky with my Brno it shot good out of the box with a few different types as most Brno's do. Winchester Power Points , T22 and sub sonics . RWS Match shot as well but more expensive at the time . Tried a few others which I forget but in the end Winchester PP did the job anyway . Accuracy got slightly better after I bedded it from infront of the front forend screw to the rear screw with a central pillar . I also noticed that the front action ring was slightly distorted at the front face edge . So I pulled the barrel and lapped the barrel threads very slightly to ease the screw in tension as the threads were slightly galled and locked it back up at a reasonable poundage not crazy like it was . The barrel was locked in so tight it was crazy and actually squashing the front action ring . It was the hardest barrel I ever removed . They must have locked it up with a hydraulic wrench system or something . Also lightened the trigger spring to a sensible safe weight .
It shot real good after those mods . I love Brno's and would not use anything else . Anschutz are usually very good shooters but I could not deal with the pinned barrels very well so I sold it .
Although the pinned barrel idea does alleviate ring distortion as I mentioned above but pressing them in and out needs special gear . For a non tinkerer Anschutz is also a good gun . Sako , Krico , Browning , Ruger also made some nice 22 rimfires in the old days and there was others . I had a Winchester 490 auto that shot very well was a real handy gun and a Browing pump action .
Unfortunately they all got sold off to help buy a house .

[JohnV]

Appreciate the input

You've summed up what I was starting to become concerned about.. I have a nasty habit of getting bogged down in details and overcomplicating simple things.. Kinda the opposite to a guy I was chatting to the other day who hunts.. He couldn't tell me what brand his rifle was.. or what range it was zero'd at.. just that he points it at things and they fall over when he pulls the trigger.

I think I'll aim for somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.


I also have options currently which is good.. The fact the Winchester SS HP hit near enough to exactly the same as the CCI standards means I can use both with the same zero point (more experimentation required to confirm, but it at least appears that way at the moment). I can then just use the HV HP from Winchester/CCI for any euthanasia requirements/farm butchering

Your making things way to complicated . Just zero the best shooting ammo at 75 to 90 meters and use that for everything . Then all you have to remember is the hold under or over . Makes life easier and the hunt more enjoyable and less chance of mistakes .

Using a 22 rimfire for killing cattle especially bulls and older cows is not optimal as blade has said . I have seen cows shot in the brain that got back up and ran around the yard . Not good for meat quality .
Older cows and bulls have a thick ridge of bone down the middle of the skull at the forehead and if the 22 bullet hits that ridge of bone and stops it just stuns them . So with a 22 get close and aim an inch or two to the side of the center forehead . A better plan is to shoot the cow while it's standing in the paddock all calm and contented from a longer range say 50 to 100 meters with a centerfire minimum 223 and go straight over and bleed it out . Gut it , cut off the head and hocks right there and bury the waste . You get better more tender meat . You don't stink up your yards and attract flies so much . Take the carcass back home , hang it , skin it and wrap it . Then leave overnight preferably in a cool room to set up and then butcher early the next day . You don't have to fully butcher every cut . Just block the carcass into two shoulders , two hindquarters , two full loins . So it can all be hung quickly and stay cool while you cut it up as you need it or whatever .
You can then butcher a shoulder , hind leg or lion with just a wide boning knife , no saw needed after the initial split the spine cut , once you know how to do it .