i know nothing about scopes

What's to know?

SPUSCG - What do you need to know? Get someone experienced to mount your scope. Ask if you can observe.
Get it bore sighted. Take it to the range, sight it in at 25 yds. This means to adjust your scope either up or down to match up with the bullet holes on the target, then move back to the distance that you plan to shoot,
shoot it at that distance. Adjust your scope to where your rounds are impacting. There is nothing difficult about it, just something new.

Lessee: Where to start!

I like a bolt-action .22 for a learner's rifle for several reasons. One is the inhibiting of "spray and pray" rapid fire shooting that serves but to turn money into noise. One learns a certain amount of self-discipline about sight alignment and coordination with pulling the trigger.

So, first get skilled with iron sights.

I'd select a rifle that was already drilled and tapped for conventional scope mounts. Not one of these which are only suitable for what are called ".22 scopes" of some 5/8" diameter--which to me aren't much good.

For rifles with which one would rarely shoot beyond 100 or 200 yards, it's my opinion that for other than really fine-control target shooting, a four-power fixed-lens scope works quite well. I've used the old Weaver K4s for decades.

Sighting in is generally no big deal. Remove the bolt and set the rifle on some sort of rest (I've used books and towels, all set up on the dining table) and look through the barrel at something off at a distance. (a car's door handle, a neighbor's window, an electric transformer on a pole) Adjust the scope until as near as you can tell, the crosshairs and the center of that little dab of daylight are together.

At the range, start off sorta up close. I like 20 to 25 yards, just to make sure I'm on the paper from the git-go. My preference in zeroing a .22 rimfire is for dead-on at 75 yards.

None of the above is absolute Gospel, but it's close enough to reality, I guess.

I don't know anything either and was thinking of getting a simple scope for one of my .22s to learn.

I might be even worse off though - I don't even know what the numbers mean. I hear "3x9" or 3-9x40" or something, I have no idea how any of that translates into what scope I'd need.

Google a little bit and read all you can. It's nothing cosmic.

http://www.elkhuntersports.com/buyersguide.asp

Tore the guts from a scope via a .50 cal muzzleloader today

When the innards fall to pieces inside a scope, it's time for a replacement: Twas and old scope anywho. 3-9x40mm is a standard size made by nearly every scope company. Works well on .22 LRs through .300 WSMs and beyond, if the scope's build-quality is robust enough. Seen too many supposedly great scopes fall to pieces internally due to extreme recoil. One can buy too many scopes before realizing one generally gets what one pays for. Trashing three or four $200 scopes gets expensive, so look into the premium Leupold and Burris $400-600 models to actually save money regarding hard-kicking rifles and pistols. cliffy

Yeah, it's easy. There are fixed-power scopes and the "X" is an abbreviation for the magnification: 4X, 6X, 12X, etc. Then there are "variables" which can be adjusted through a range of magnifications. For instance, a 3x9 means that by rotating an adjustment ring, you can change to any magnification between 3X and 9X.

The third number is the diameter in millimeters of the objective lens, the one furthest from your eye. So, a 3x9x40 simply means a scope which can be adjusted from 3X to 9X, and which has a 40mm objective lens.

Lots of information at the various manufacturers' websites.

Get a 3X9X40 made for rimfire shooting. BTW, that's more like 50 yards!

We all had or "got" to learn...You'll get it!
HAVE FUN!

CRITGIT

Regarding .22 LR Scopes . . .

3-9x40mm means 3x to 9x power adjustable magnification, while 40mm is the diameter of the objective lens at the front. Setting the dial to 9 power at 100 yards really brings up the target size. It also cut field-of-view as one dials up the power, so locating the target comes from practice. I have a 6-24x44mm scope which I like shooting at 20 power at 100 yards. That field-of-view becomes quite skimpy, but with lots of practice, one can blast a fly off the target holder cardboard. Avoid 1/2" click adjustment scopes, and make sure one gets a 1/4" click adjustment scope. Mine has 1/8" click adjustment, but much practice is required to note any appreciable difference. 1/4" click adjustments means each click at exactly 100 yards moves the crosshair exactly 1/4", which is close enough for government work. The more a scope costs, the better the glass, the stronger the construction, the sharper the image, and the better the light retention. A good scope will have 90 to 95%light retention. NONE will have 100% to date. A one inch tube diameter is perfect for .22 LR applications. 30mm tube diameters cost more and require more expensive scope rings, and are total overkill regarding .22 LR applications. This about all I know, and is adequate knowledge regarding a good scope purchase. cliffy

Thank you Cliffy - good explanation.

One more thing regarding scopes . . .

First, thank you Premium Sauces, for the compliment. If one's scope has 1/4" click adjustments, one needs some quick math skills. Say one fires three rounds that average 7" low and 5" left of the bullseye (measure that accurately with a tape measure, don't guess and don't start adjusting after merely one round fired) the math is easy: four clicks equal one inch of correction. 7" low requires 4 X 7 = 28 clicks UP and 5" left requires 4 X 5 = 20clicks RIGHT. this should get one very close given a one click correction in any direction. Remember changing bullet weight or even brands of ammo WILL Require resighting slightly almost EVERYTIME. cliffy