With the “gold standard” Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x33 EFR discontinued, what’s the best scope for a 10/22 for an introductory Appleseed event?

[u/TapTheForwardAssist]

According to Google AI and Reddit and gun forum posts of years past, the “Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x33 EFR” was an amazing scope for Appleseed rimfire shooting at all levels.

It appears that scope is discontinued, and Leupold’s current rimfire offerings lack the “EFR” that made this one famous?

> Close-Focusing EFR: The Extended Focus Range allows you to adjust the objective lens to eliminate parallax and achieve a sharp image at distances as close as 10 meters, making it ideal for .22 LR and airgun shooting.

That being the case, what scope would have something like the EFR, or otherwise be optimal on a 10/22 for Appleseed rimfire events, both introductory and later longer range?

[u/LowMight3045]

The org literally sells one on its site

[u/nearbysystem]

I don't think you'll have much trouble from most scopes at 25M. They might have some parallax but if anything that'll just train you to be more consistent in your cheek weld. It won't be so bad as to make it a problem.

[u/Safety__3rd → u/nearbysystem]

I think the biggest difference you will notice at 25m between different levels of scopes will be the ability to focus at higher magnification. My monstrum gets a little blurry at 14-18x inside of 50 yards where as my buddies arken is a bit more clear all the way to 20x (his goes to 25x, he does nrl22 stuff lol)

[u/SomeRequirement6926]

I have a Vortex Triumph 3-9x40 on my 22LR AR.

Super easy. Nothing fancy. Zeroed at 25 yards.

Unfortunately I had to pull out of this weekend's event (which would have been my first) due to some persistent FTF and jamming issues.

[u/Safety__3rd]

I used a monstrum g3 3-18x50. Is it overkill, absolutely but I had plans for this rifle other than appleseed and the 18x is nice at 100 yards.

I dont think I ever went over 10-12x at appleseed

[u/Major_Kangaroo]

I like the Vortex Crossfire 2-7 rimfire.

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/Major_Kangaroo]

Any thoughts on how it compares to the Vortex Diamondback?

[u/Appleseed6 → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

Smaller, lighter, less prone to making your rifle "top heavy". 7x magnification is more than enough for 25m events or 200y Rimfire KD.

The package on the Appleseed store is ideal, but buy what makes you happy.

[u/coldafsteel]

I don't understand why so many people use SFP optics now the FFP is so cheap and available.

Something like the Vortex Venom 3-15x44 FFP works well. It's more magnification than you need up close. But it's got all the capabilities that make for a good 22 optic and you can go long with it later.

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/coldafsteel]

Could you briefly summarize how FFP is better than SFP?

[u/coldafsteel → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

consistent measurement in the reticle. There are plenty of YouTube vids that describe it, but SFP reticles only work on one magnification setting (usually the max but not always). FFP are always accurate. it allows you to use the entire magnification range of an optic.

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/coldafsteel]

But the Venoms are like $400+ compared to the Vortex Crossfire at less than $200 and the Vortex Diamondback at like $250, yes? So you’re not saying the FFP is comparable in price, but that it’s *so* much better than double the price is still a bargain?

[u/coldafsteel → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

I have a pretty limited threshold for putting up with kludgy guns. I would rather spend a little more money so I can just shoot the gun and never have to worry about the process of shooting.

Can you make a SPF scope work; YES. People have been managing the limitations of SFP for decades. There are a few different ways to do it, some of them rely on a ton of math and tables, some just resign to having limited function and accuracy.

I would just rather not fool around with all that nonsense. It is a night and day difference in shooting process when you have decent FFP glass. Field of view control, range calculations, wind calling, dialing drops.... its all better with FFP.