I've just acquired a .225 Winchester rifle which came with mounts and rings but no scope. I'm trying to decide what to put atop the rifle and looking for recommendations. Right now I'm leaning toward the Leupold VX-II 6-18x40AO with the LR Duple Reticle or the VX3 4.5-14 AO with the Varmint Hunter's Reticle, which I think would be more than sufficient power for everything I'm ever likely to hunt with the rifle. It will be used primarily for woodchucks in Pennsylvania and, hopefully, on an occasional prairie dog adventure.

Thoughts or suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Either is a great scope. I just got back from a weekend of prairie doggin' where three of the guns our group was using were equipped with the VX-II 6-18, one of them with the LRV. Other scopes in use were VX-III 6.5-20 and Vari-X II 4-12. All are good choices.

On very long range prairie dogs, the 18X has some slight advantage over the 14X, assuming that mirage is not too bad. All of us found the LRV (or the similar Varmint Hunter's Reticle) to be very useful. I made the longest shot of the day at nearly 600 yards using the LRV 6-18 on a .244 Remington.

Between the two scopes you are considering, I would take whichever I could get my hands on the fastest!