I am 14 and Have recently gotten into predator hunting. I recently got a new 222./20 gauge over under for that reason. I would like a decent scope for shooting distances. I previously thought about the Bushnell dusk to dawn illuminated scopes for the crosshair feature. I have a hard time seeing the crosshair and thought that would help. Pardon my terminology, I don't know much about scope terms. I was told that Under 50 would not gather enough light to see the animals. Thoughts? I probably didn't ask this very well.

50 is good, 44 is small, 56 is even better

I love my Nikon ProStaff for hunting in general, works great though in low light hunts, deer, coyote, etc. You can pick them up pretty cheap too. My dad loves Nikon's as well, but he has a Tasco scope with a illuminated scope for deer hunting, it helps with the red/green illuminated reticle. Since I'm the same age ( still learning), what do you guys mean by 40 or 50?

That's the glass size in the bell

If you do some research you'll find that the quality of the glass matters more than the diameter of lens. All things being equal a bigger objective lens transmits(it doesn't gather it) more light but if it's low quality then it's not going to help much. Not enough to make much difference to the human eye anyway. The problem I have with objectives over 40mm is then I have to mount the scope too high for my liking on most rifles. I like a cheek weld a lot better than a chin weld on the stock. You can modify your stock of course to fit if you need to. By the way, higher magnification equals less light transmission too.

I put a 2x7x40 on my 222/20ga.......when a yote pops up at 20 yds the 2x is decent field of view (since it is really 1.7x)
yet a dog is dead at 250 yds cranked up to 7x for longer shots.

MAKE SURE to keep it at lowest power when sitting and turn up when needed to shoot far....just like you should do when deer hunting with another gun scope.

If you think you want a lighted reticle, consider Thompson Center scopes.

I'm with traprjohn with the 2-7 power 40MM scope for your particular gun (I have a 22Mag over 20 Gauge). A larger scope would need to be mounted too high, preventing a solid cheek plant on the comb of the stock.
Now do yourself a favor which you will never look back on if you do it. Buy a Leupold. Their 2-7 scope gathers so much light at dusk, it should be considered cheating.

if you get good glass, you won't see much difference between a 44 and a 50 MM, I'd rather have the smaller objective, unless I have a high comb stock.
RR

You will need long eye relief if you shoot the shotgun much and a scope made for that recoil.

if its too dark to see with a cheap Walmart in the plastic wrapper scope its too dark to shoot. Don't start calling till you can see. Quit if its too dark. All that JUNK the ads and gun writers and stuff talk about is get you TO SPEND MORE MONEY.

girls will pay 200 bucks for a pair of jeans and 600 for a handbag to impress other girls.

Men do that with pickups and gun stuff. don't try to impress people you don't know. the difference in a 200 dollar scope and a 1000 dollar scope wont put a single extra coyote on your stretchers.

I have only had tall rings for 30 years now, I needed no stock change, just bullet impact difference

I have bushnell 3x9x40 on my 22-250 works great from about 15 yds out to 400yds anything in that range is dead that is my go too calling gun been looking for 222/20 or 223/12

well guess these guys know way more than I do!
RR

No. No they don't...

I’ve got a 2x7-32 on mine and it works just fine. If you get to big of an objective your cheek will high on the stock. I’ve had my 12 year old shoot mine a bunch and it’s about perfect for him also. That’s with low rings. These guns seem to have a lower drop on the butt. You don’t need to over do the scope on these. I’ve got a very similar scope on my 22 hornet over 20ga. as well.

unless I am putting a gun together specifically to go father than 250 yards as it's primary purpose 2-7x32 is the way to go

Nikon or Vortex I have some of both there is better glass but but you pay double to take the next step up on a 222/20ga savage 24 you don't need huge glass chances are you will be very unlikely to shoot past 250 yards.

light transmission is very good and low magnification lets more light pass than higher magnification and provides a wide field of view

My tall rings don't give me any trouble, my t.20 has a couple three shot groups with less than a quarter inch outside to outside hole
If a coyote jumps up I have it in my scope immedeatly so I don't think it causes me any trouble

Anyone use Vortex. I would like to get one. got a .243 with a cheap Bushnell. Not a good scope. It is blurry and its focus is just horrible. So are the crosshairs. Big and thick, cover a coyotes whole shoulder and neck at 250 yards. Its also got 4-9 power but it stays on 9 because of the low magnification.

Does your Nikon have regular cross hairs or does it have BDC/mil dots and whatever else they can fit in?
I'd like to get one, but all the ones i see at stores have something besides crosshairs.

I like the duplex type, it's easy to find cross hairs on running shots, compared to only a thin cross hair

Plus, if folks would read the owners papers, a Duplex will work as a rangefinder!

all of my Nikon are duplex
I have vortex with the BDC hash reticent and without the BDC is a little more to look but at 2 power not really a big distraction with just the hashes

here you can see sort of what they look like not exactly to scale but not bad
I did all of these at 225 yards but with 300black out , 223 with a 55gr hornady soft point and a 308win running a 165 gr speer soft point

vortex v-plex 110gr v-max

vortex BDC-hash 110gr v-max

vortex BDC-Hash 223 55gr sp

Vortex VMR-1 MOA hash

even thought the magnification is higher the program shows the animal as smaller because of all the other info it needs to get on the screen , the application allows for you to zoom in but I didn't so you could see the hole screen

I have many scopes from $180-1,200 and for the money as others have said the Nikon is a good choice for a couple hundred bucks. I have several 3x9x44 that work fine. I also have a couple Vortex and they are clear for the price. I have a Vortex Crossfire 1.5-4x24 with a variable illuminated dot mounted on a AR 15 in 300 blackout for hogs. It’s very clear and the variable illumination is important because I have had some in the past that were illuminated but not variable and they were to bright at dusk and dawn.

Thanks Pete,
Yea, i like duplex for hunting. I don't like the ones like your bottom 3 you posted and that seems to be what i find every time i look at one in a store.

For target, i like a fine crosshair.

Nikon with nikoplex https://www.midwayusa.com/product/134630/nikon-prostaff-rifle-scope-2-7x-32mm-nikopex-reticle-matte

Vortex v-plex https://www.midwayusa.com/product/854643...2-7x-32mm-matte

they are still available but the same cost as the bdc , I suppose store owners figure they can better sell the idea of a BDC reticle

if you look carefully on those pictures near the cross hairs it has a near and far zero I shoot both those distances and several in between and beyond to make sure calculations meet reality.

most of those are chosen because it makes the highest point in the arc about 2.5 inches above zero.

me too!...since it is also an uncluttered range finder, once educated on its use...info used to come in owners manuals, probably only online now.

Normally I can judge out to 300 yds by eye, t.20 shoots so flat all I need to know is if it is less than 350 yds and all I do is hold dead on up to 350 yds

I got the BDC to try it on a 300 black out because I can shoot farther than the round is flat for , the first hash is 1.5 minutes that puts me right on at 200 , then the next hash is 4.5 minutes and should be 250 yards , but I only have taken that gun to 225 so the middle between.


I bought the VMR-1 MOA hash scope after taking a long range class , I knew I was going to need it to get distance , we went over estimating distance with the reticent in a MIL dot scope in class.near the end of the class the instructor messed with some of the targets , he had moved a 10.5 inch plate forward but you couldn't see that standing on the 300 yard line so when he moved us back to what should have been 425 yards it was from the target line the plate was actually at 325 but everyone figured it was 425 and the crazy part was when you saw the dust go up from the berm that was 425 you though you missed just undernith and not that you had gone right over the plate then the bullet dropped and was actually hitting behind the plate. so in 3 rounds I had 3 misses , even though I could drill that plate all the way back to 500 yards if I knew the range I couldn't see the the difference between 2.35 and 3.08 moa in the standard duplex reticel of the 3-9x50 I had been using.


you get used to just looking at the target and using the main cross hairs unless you need to use the other function.

the MOA hash is very handy in sighting in aim at what you wanted to hit , fire a shot as long as your confident you were holding where you should when the gun fired , you measure from where you were holding to where your shot landed on the target make correction and your next round lands where you had been aiming or very close to it.

but on a gun like the original poster is wanting to know about a 222 rem for coyote hunting inside 225 yards the point blank range for the cartridge a duplex is just fine. you can still use a standard duplex reticle to range it is just more of a go/no-go than a value.

as an example on the 3-9x50 v-plex reticle a 16 inch plate at 300 yards fit perfectly between the thicker part of the reticent

so say you went with a Vortex 2-7x32 v-plex and you have a coyote hung up just doesn't want to come in any further so you your looking at him with the scope on 7x magnification

so you lay the cross hair on the yotes back the lower thick part of the reticent just touches the brisket. you estimate that it is a large coyote an than top of it's back to bottom of the brisket is about 12 inches the calculation for inches in yards out moa 12 inches x 95.5 /2.85moa = range in yards 402 yards so unless you know you can hit at 400 and just where to hold and the wind is still , no-go.
but now say he came in a ways further your still not sure should I , you measure and now the top thick of the reticle set on the yotes back makes the bottom thick part just touch the brisket

2.85+0.17+2.85 = 5.87 moa so 12 inches x 95.5 / 5.87 = 195 yards take aim and squeeze it is inside you zero range and wind unless howling isn't a major enough factor.



your obviously not sitting out there with your slide rule or calculator figuring this stuff out on the fly , but you study your target ahead of time and using the known subtenses of your retcle come up with ranges go no-go mainly

if the coyote back to brisket fills 3/4 of the distance between the top and bottom thick parts of the reticle then you would guess 300 yards , know what you can hit at what distance , I like 6 inch steel plates because they are inexpensive generally less than 20 dollars and if you can't hit that reliably your farther than you should be shooting at game.

I explained this is for the young mans education , this is what trapperjohn is talking about when he says uncluttered range finder

Holy crap fellas.... poor young lad probably has brain overload!

Put a low profile straight 4x on that gun.

come now he is 14 he has surely had some algebra and geometry figuring range from scope subtenses should be nothing compared to last nights homework

This^^. Just make sure it’s at least decent quality glass. I see no need to use anything more than the 1x6 Vortex I now use. I worry a lot more about the 30 yard coyotes than I do the 300, because most of my calling shot opportunities occur at under 100 yards.

I leave mine on 8x unless in out in a stalk and need better magnification, I turn it up, then back down before taking my shot, 8x seems to work good at close up and long shot

I leave mine on 2x all the time or the lowest power if it is another scope but most of my hunting guns are 2-7x32

at 2x I can shoot a running deer at 15 yards and still shoot a standing one at 100 no problem if they are further out than between my near and far zero I have time to turn the dial.

Sounds good for close up, big target

I definitely got more than i anticipated! That's a good thing though. I may have to reread a couple million times to understand it, but I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to explain.

What scope would you recommend? If i were to go with Leupold's 2-7x33 or vortex's 2-7x32 which one would you get. does leupold sell a 2-7x32? I don't really want to spend more than $200 for a scope. I am not really in to precision shooting so I don't need anything fancy.

I also saw that leupold's 2-7x33 had two versions VX I, and VX II. What is the difference?

Also after looking, what's a BDC reticle.

I might shoot some paper this summer, haven't for ten years or more, and see what duplex measures out to at 300 yds, it might help me confirm me yardage estimate, I wish I had good quality rangefinder, my 20 year old Bushnell is a poc

BDC = Bullet Drop Compensating

NOT NEEDED with the lil .222

Just PRACTICE at longer ranges you COULD shoot, to learn where the lead flys.

Coyotes were DOA out to 400 yds-ish out in Idaho with my .222.....if not much wind. I was blessed to have a local range to practice long shots.

Windy days, the .257 Ackley did the job.

I agree. Get a simple 4x and get some practice with it. That will work fine.

Typically you won't be shooting very long distances with a .222/20 ga. combo gun.

cost . the higher the number the more they seem to cost , it should also be better quality assurnace checks and higher quality materials


BDC = bullet drop compensating , it means there are other markings besides just a crosshair to tell you different messurments down from the center cross hair

bdc
same scope not bdc

the leupold is good stuff but your going to spend 200 for the lowest model

the vortex should be right about $149 has a very good warranty they will take are of you if it does break so with your budget get the vortex , a set of rings and be under 200 and go hunting

I think my redfield has bdc in the turrents, but I don't use it, gun shoots so flat I only need to raise it up after 350 yds

There is one rule to follow with scopes and binocs. Get the best you can afford or you will end up buying cheap stuff over and over and spending more and mor in the long run.

Leopold should be the starting point.

you may be able to get calibrated turrets but a BDC reticle has subtensions laid out in specific increments so you don't have to touch the turrets.

they can be used to measure as well as provide hold overs

some people do both a BDC or mill dot or MOA dot reticle for measurement and then turrets calibrated to range. but change the bullet or ammo purchased and you need a new turret if your going to use turrets I think it makes more sense to just have them numbered and have a quick reference taped to your stock.

but this is way beyond what this young man with a 222rem/20ga is going to need to shoot some yotes.

only difference is the quality of the coating on the lenses, BDC bullet drop compensator, you don't need that on a 222
RR

I’ve shot a 222 for years, like Ridge Runner said you don’t need a that ! Get the scope and cross hairs you like, sight it in about an 1 1/2” high at a hundred. This will put you about two inches low at 200 yards or so . Make sure when you pull the trigger you’ve got the cross hairs on the target.

Yup, I put my .223 3.5" high at 100, dead on at 280-290

Keep in mind fella's, this fella has a gun that on a good day will produce 2moa. at least any i've been around. horrible triggers and barrel mounting system isn't ideal for long range. I wouldn't be afraid to put a 90 dollar bushnell on it and keep shots at a reasonable distance.

Good call hippie, it also won’t pattern big shot worth a hoot either ! The combo gun is a good predator gun , but this particular mod will take some work to make it worth caring. A lot of work as in a lot of shooting to figure out how it handles different loads to make it a coyote killer. If that particular gun has a gloved receiver for a scope mount you will have to have it drilled and tapped or you won’t be able to shoot the 20 ga. it may never shoot big shot without having choke tubes put in !

All depends on how picky you are !

Thank you all for the great info you have given me! I think I will go with the vortex 2-7x32. I also live near Grice gun shop if any of you have heard of it. They are selling the vortex for $130.00. The leupold is being sold for $150!

those are both good prices the shop should be able to help you with mounting , then try it at 25 yards on a big sheet of fresh cardboard with a small target in the middle

you may find yourself a foot off at 25 yards measure in inches how far you are off

say you made a 1 inch square and shoot at that and you were 8 inches low and 5 inches right

25 yards is 1/4 of 100 yards , the adjustment on your scope is for 1/4 inch at 1 hundred yards

so 8 inches times 4 you would be 32 inches off at 100 yards so you need to adjust 32 minutes up generally there are numbers 1-12 on the vortex go all the way around 3 times in the up direction

5 inches X 4 is 20 so go around once and then 8 more minutes in the left direction

it use to be we had to count clicks but most new scopes have numeric markings with 1/4 marks between them

when we had to count clicks you would have taken 8 inches low X 4 = 32 x 4 clicks per minute (or inch at 100 yards) you would have counted 128 clicks there are still 128 clicks but now much easier with the numeric minute markings

by the way a MOA or minute of angle is 1/60th of a degree so there are 360 degrees in a circle and 60 minutes in each degree so 21600 minutes in a circle but about 1 inch at 100 yards technically a MOA is 1.047 inches you can see till your way past what your going to shoot 0.047 doesn't add up to much about a half inch at 1000 yards so close enough.

once you know how to use the math you can get very close in 3 rounds once your just about perfect at 25 yards move to 100 for shooting groups and establishing a zero.

you probably want to be about 2 or 2.5 inches high at 100 yards so you shoot at say a 2 inch diamond target you can print those off form several places online but I like these http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html I like the medium range diamonds they work well at 100 and 200 yards for the 7 power scope

if you can get someplace where you can shoot at 200 also and see where your at 200 sometimes I fine tune when I have a group at 200 you likely won't need to move much but fine tuning so you are the best you can be from 25 yards to 225 yards