i have a couple of critters i might have to dispatch and i want to use a scoped rifle do it... problem is they are here at night...... any tips? the scope on the rifle has a 32 lens so it really doesn't gather much light at all........ thanks in advance... jjb

Many factors come into play. What's the max range of your shot? What's the size of the target? Shooting at night is a whole 'nother ballgame, so to speak.

If it is going to be close, 4 or 5x magnification and a 32mm objective -- assuming good glass and a reticle you can see -- will do OK if you can wait until you have some moonlight to work with.

Scopes don't gather light; they transmit it. And while objective size does play a role, equally important is the scope's ability to render fine detail under adverse lighting conditions. If you can provide more details regarding your situation, we may be able to point you in the right direction.

ok.. the distance of the shot would be inside 25 ft.... the target is a fairly large recoon that is raiding our domestic cats home inside the garage... the light source is an outside garage light with motion sensor activation...... if i have to i will smack him with a 17 gr. .17 mach2 bullet in the head..... i can see him real good with my eyes when he is on the concrete pad in front of the building but i want to take the shot when he is on the ground and there is less chance of the bullet bouncing and hitting a neighbors property... the light is best on the concrete pad a goes away quickly in the yard....... jjb

If your light turns on, my guess is that even your scope with the 32mm objective will be good enough.

Why don't you go out and see what the view is like, even if the critter is not there.

With auxiliary lighting, you should be just fine with about any scope. Just have it turned down to the lowest power to get as clear of an image as possible (unless you have traditional parallax adjustment or side focus). Also keep in mind that the impact of the bullet will be a bit low at your stated range of 25 feet. Good luck!

Lastly, a good pellet gun at that range -- or even a CB Short to the brain -- will be very effective in case noise is an issue.

i am really considering using my rws model 34 but i am afraid the 10.5 gr h p premiers won't be enough for a good quick kill shot..... a friend even suggested i cut the ballistic tip off of the .17 mach2 for more complete expansion and impact.......

The ballistic tip actually Helps expansion. It drives back into the jacket initiating expansion.
Too bad you don't have a low powered variable with an illuminated reticle.
I'm really liking the Vortex Crossfire 2 1-4×24 30 mm tube with the V Bright reticle.
My favorite small game ( quiet ) load is the CCI 22 LONG 29 gr bullet going a bit over 700 fps.

If you put that 10.5 grain pellet in its brain, it will be a quick kill. Like Cold Trigger Finger and I mentioned, the CB Short (or Long) version with a 29 grain bullet at 700+ fps works wonderfully for such applications and is nearly silent from a rifle with a barrel of 20-24". I used a Marlin 39A for close range, small pest elimination for several years and never had an issue. And while I'd certainly never recommend it, I even used it to take boar hog one night. After coming from from eliminating a few pests at our business location, I drove back home around midnight. Turning into our driveway, which is about 350 yards long, a hog darted across but stopped in the edge of the headlights and just glared at me -- and did so from the exact range the rifle was sighted in at. Without even really giving it any thought, I placed one of those CB Shorts where it would do the most good and immediately had nearly two hundred pounds of pork on the ground. It may not have been my wisest decision ever, but it worked.