Scoping the 10/22 target: Pt.II..... featuring a DNZ Game reaper mount and Nikon Prostaff Rimfire scope

When the Ruger 10/22 Target model came home with me from The Collectors Gunshop, the idea was the rifle would be my ticket to Appleseed nirvana. After all it has a target bull barrel, a great trigger, a super stiff laminated stock perfect for sling use, and is already set up to mount an optical sight... something my aging eyes require.

The day it came home, an Eotech found it's way onto the Ruger's included Picatinney rail, and immediately the rifle began demonstrating an amazing capacity for accuracy. So much so, in fact, that not mounting a quality optic on the rifle would almost be a sin. Towards that end, the knowledgeable folks at Collectors guided Carteach towards a new offering from Nikon... Specifically, the Nikon ProStaff Rimfire 3-9 x 40.

The Nikon ProStaff Rimfire 3-9 x 40 is designed for the .22 rimfire and Air Rifle market, and is an exceptional piece of work. Investigating the scope, I discovered Nikon makes an 'EFR' model, so named for it's 'Extended Focus Range'. That's a feature The Fat Man can snuggle up to, being able to dial in and focus a crystal clear sight picture anywhere from 15 yards all the way out to 300 yards. In keeping with it's intended use of relatively close range target shooting, the scope has click adjustments equaling 1/4" at 50 yards, or 1/2" at 100 yards.

Obviously, the scope will also work just fine for other calibers than .22, and I have read of them being used on varmint rifles in the .223 category quite succesfully. I have my own plans on buying another and mounting it on my Savage .17 HMR, to enhance it's already substantial ground hog eradication powers.

Do I like this scope? Oh... I don't know.... Is it possible to fall in love with an optic? YES! I Like this scope! I want a few more exactly like it for other rifles!

Now.... how to mount this spectacular scope on the tack driving Ruger 10/22 Target? Here again, the folks at Collectors had an answer, as they introduced me to the DNZ 'Reaper' mounting system. This one piece mount is specifically machined to fit the rifle, and eliminates the idea of mounting bases on the rifles, and then rings to the bases. Improper alignment is all but impossible, and the rings need not be trued to fit before bolting in the scope.

The Fat Man contacted the owner of DNZ mounts down in North Carolina and talked with him about the mounts history. It seems it all began back in the 80's when he wanted a quality mount for a muzzle loading hunting rifle. In the finest American tradition he machined his own.... and the 'Game Reaper' mount was born. Last year they shipped 60,000 units...... yes, I said 60,000 units.... and Carteach had never heard of them till Collectors hit him with a clue bat.

The DNZ Reaper line has about sixty different offerings in it, each designed and built to perfectly fit a specific rifle. They also have a number of offerings built to fit AR carry handles and Piccatinny rails. Now that I have seen how well this mount works, I'll be swapping over a few other rifles to DNZ setups. The pricing on them makes this reasonable for the quality you get, and the one piece design is strong and stable.

Carteach's Ruger proved no hassle at all in mounting the DNZ mount designed for it. In fact, it took less than five minutes to unpack the mount and have it secured to the rifle using the provided hardware and tool. Installing the scope took another ten minutes, what with all the fussing about eye relief, levelness, rechecking everything, etc... etc.

It almost seemed too easy, but not twenty minutes after unpacking the scope and mount, shots were going down range as it was all sighted in. Less than five rounds put the bullets hitting exactly where they were pointed. The Nikon's specially designed adjustment knob made this even easier, and once the scope was zero'ed, the dial was simply lifted to unlock and then set to 'zero'. Targeting adjustments from there are a snap. The idea is... get the rifle dialed in, and then set the adjustment knob back to '0'. After that, it can be dialed up and down as needed depending on the targets range, but always returned to the original zero.

Five rounds to sight in.... and the next five rounds did THIS:


After shooting this group (while simply resting the rifle on the porch rail out back), the scope was then adjusted through it's power range, shooting three more groups... each at a different setting. The groups looked like the targets had been run through a copier.... each exactly the same size, in exactly the same place.

The Ruger 10/22 target model is spectacularly accurate. The Nikon ProStaff Rimfire is startlingly clear and precise. The DNZ mount is rock solid. Put it all together, and the package is.... perfect.