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Will a Wolverine 3x9x32 scope that came with my Ruger .22 pellet rifle work on my Savage Model 64 in .22 LR? I know that putting a scope made for a .22LR on a pellet rifle can ruin the scope, but how about the other way around?

Thanks for any input,

Crash

I don't have experience using a pellet rifle scope on a .22lr but the internet says you can.

I have never had the need or desire to take a scope off a .22 rifle and put it on a pellet gun but am curious about how that would ruin the scope. I suppose I never thought of any scope being specific for the caliber. Being a pellet rifle or .22.It seems to me a scope that is made well enough to take the "kick" of a .22 would definitely be OK on a pellet rifle.

A spring operated air rifle ie break barrel will damage a rifle scope. The dynamics of the mechanism apparently puts forces on a scope not seen in the recoil of a cartridge firearm. I was informed of that by my cousin who shot CO2 and high pressure charged air guns. He also said that CO2 and pump air guns do no harm to a rifle scope. I don't know if using a scope made for a spring air gun would be harmed by the recoil of a firearm , especially a .22 lr, but it seems to me it would be ok.

puma guy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 10:08 pm A spring operated air rifle ie break barrel will damage a rifle scope. The dynamics of the mechanism apparently puts forces on a scope not seen in the recoil of a cartridge firearm. I was informed of that by my cousin who shot CO2 and high pressure charged air guns. He also said that CO2 and pump air guns do no harm to a rifle scope. I don't know if using a scope made for a spring air gun would be harmed by the recoil of a firearm , especially a .22 lr, but it seems to me it would be ok.

I have a pellet rifle that is spring operated. You cock it by breaking the barrel on it. It is strong enough that I have killed many a nuisance squirrel in my neighborhood. They get in attics and just destroy wiring and all kinds of stuff. Crapping everywhere. Nasty critters. Tree Rats! I am not even sure what brand scope it has but at 100 feet or less, it is deadly accurate. I make 95% head shots. It is just the cheap scope that came on the rifle.

mayor wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:56 pm I don't have experience using a pellet rifle scope on a .22lr but the internet says you can.

mayor,

Right, that's what I found out, too, when I stopped being so lazy and did my own research. Thanks for your input.

Crash

03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 9:38 pm I have never had the need or desire to take a scope off a .22 rifle and put it on a pellet gun but am curious about how that would ruin the scope. I suppose I never thought of any scope being specific for the caliber. Being a pellet rifle or .22.It seems to me a scope that is made well enough to take the "kick" of a .22 would definitely be OK on a pellet rifle.

03Lightningrocks,

I stopped being so lazy and researched it on the internet and, apparently, on a spring air pellet rifle, the force of the piston moving forward and coming to a sudden stop puts forces on a .22 LR scope that they weren't designed for.

Crash

puma guy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 10:08 pm A spring operated air rifle ie break barrel will damage a rifle scope. The dynamics of the mechanism apparently puts forces on a scope not seen in the recoil of a cartridge firearm. I was informed of that by my cousin who shot CO2 and high pressure charged air guns. He also said that CO2 and pump air guns do no harm to a rifle scope. I don't know if using a scope made for a spring air gun would be harmed by the recoil of a firearm , especially a .22 lr, but it seems to me it would be ok.

puma guy,

Yeah, that's what I found out, too--when I stopped being lazy and finally did my own research.

Thanks for your help.

Crash

Crash wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 1:16 am

03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 9:38 pm I have never had the need or desire to take a scope off a .22 rifle and put it on a pellet gun but am curious about how that would ruin the scope. I suppose I never thought of any scope being specific for the caliber. Being a pellet rifle or .22.It seems to me a scope that is made well enough to take the "kick" of a .22 would definitely be OK on a pellet rifle.

03Lightningrocks,

I stopped being so lazy and researched it on the internet and, apparently, on a spring air pellet rifle, the force of the piston moving forward and coming to a sudden stop puts forces on a .22 LR scope that they weren't designed for.

Crash

Well I'll be hanged. I learn something new every day. Thanks for info. I don't know that I would ever need to do it but it is good to know.

Crash wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 1:14 am

mayor wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:56 pm I don't have experience using a pellet rifle scope on a .22lr but the internet says you can.

mayor,

Right, that's what I found out, too, when I stopped being so lazy and did my own research. Thanks for your input.

Crash

Holidays kept me away. I didn't intend to be snarky. I ruined a cheap 22lr scope on a pellet gun. That's how I found out THAT won't work. The great and powerful Google told me why after the fact. I've never had the courage to do a "turn about" to see if my pellet gun scope (that I got afterwards) would work on the 22. I also found that you need a bumper behind the pellet gun scope on the pellet gun to keep it stable on the rail.

Crash wrote: ↑Mon Dec 26, 2022 1:16 am

03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Sun Dec 25, 2022 9:38 pm I have never had the need or desire to take a scope off a .22 rifle and put it on a pellet gun but am curious about how that would ruin the scope. I suppose I never thought of any scope being specific for the caliber. Being a pellet rifle or .22.It seems to me a scope that is made well enough to take the "kick" of a .22 would definitely be OK on a pellet rifle.

03Lightningrocks,

I stopped being so lazy and researched it on the internet and, apparently, on a spring air pellet rifle, the force of the piston moving forward and coming to a sudden stop puts forces on a .22 LR scope that they weren't designed for.

Crash

Not a pellet or .22 rifle, but a SCAR-17S is also death to rifle scopes over the long term, and for very similar reasons. The point is that, depending on what kind of action is in operation, that action can set up harmonic vibrations that are transmitted through the receiver and into the optic, damaging the internal elevation/windage mechanisms…which can be quite fragile. Thus, scopes that are rated to withstand .50 BMG recoil, can be damaged by a .308 Winchester SCAR-17S.

This would easily explain why a .22LR scope could be damaged by a spring-piston driven pellet rifle, but not the other way around.

One possible answer might be to investigate the given scope's warranty policy. In my particular case, both Vortex and Primary Arms will warranty for life any scope made by them that is damaged by my rifle. I have verified this verbally by phone with Primary Arms' customer support department, and Vortex's policy is available on their website. So, if your .22 scope is made by a company that offers a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty, go ahead and mount it on the pellet rifle. OTH, you’re likely to pay at least 2x as much for such a scope in the first place, so maybe it’s not worth it to you.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheapest Vortex magnified optic ($289.99): https://vortexoptics.com/crossfire-ii-1 ... e-moa.html
Cheapest Primary Arms magnified optic ($89.99): https://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arm ... cope-pa14x

(When talking to PA customer support, their rep asserted that PA had, to date, put over 7000 rounds through their SCAR test bed using the same LVPO as mine, and without any failures. PA may not be the cheapest scope maker around, but they are FAR from the most expensive. It’s normally axiomatic that a $1000 rifle deserves a $1000 scope—although in my particular case, PA is letting me get away with putting a sub-$400 optic on a $3000 rifle. I get it that you don’t want to spend money unnecessarily on a scope for that pellet rifle; but just maybe a scope approaching the value of the pellet rifle—depending on how much you have invested in the rifle itself—might let you not worry about it so much.)