Need scope advice for a .22 rifle

Status
Not open for further replies.
If I was on a tight budget and needed a basic .22 scope, I would go for this:
https://www.natchezss.com/burris-dr...ex-22-reticle-33-13-fov-3-1-3-8-er-matte.html

I have several of the less expensive Burris scopes and have been quite satisfied with their price/performance. The one I linked to appears to be quite comparable to the Nikon Prostaff .22 scope I have on my S&W M&P 15-22. Both are manufactured in the Phillipines, which I find preferable to those manufactured in China.


At a $102 these scopes are a steal. I have one, and while I haven't put it to use yet, I can say that optically it's very nice. Burris has a great reputation for dependability and customer service. https://www.natchezss.com/burris-dr...ex-22-reticle-33-13-fov-3-1-3-8-er-matte.html
 
Myself, I'd start with your hold with that 10/22.

If your cheek sits low on the stock the scopes with a large bell (high ring/high mount) are out. You'll be long necking/upright/pulling your head off the stock to shoot.
Too short of a scope and you could end up crawling the stock to see out of your scope.
What is most of your shooting going to be??? Huge difference between a scope setup to shoot bugholes and a scope for hunting.
Will the majority of your shooting be done from a bench, standing, sticks,etc???

A ruger 1022 setup for silhouettes, long bodied scope with the rear of the scope set back well over the handgrip. High cheek rest/cheek a short bodied scope will not be able to do this. A 8-32 x 56 scope with thick to fine crosshairs.
SGUe2SW.jpg

With a lower stock I like to use scopes with smaller bells. A lyman 20x on a field stock that's setup for offhand shooting. Again the long bodied scope is set back over the grip. That scope actually is an excellent choice for the cx lux's, the long body clears the rear sight and is still long enough to go back far enough so that the shooter doesn't have to crawl the stock when shooting offhand. 20x dot reticle
PLyg1fK.jpg

A anscutz fs setup for sitting/squirrel hunting. The rear of the scope is forward compared to the offhand setups pictured above. A 4x with a post reticle.
xBGtvhU.jpg
Another squirrel rifle, a Remington 513s setup for woods walking offhand hunting. A 3-9 x32 with thick to fine crosshairs
OPrVFnG.jpg
Years ago 4p shooter used sliding scopes for the different positions. I've sold off my 40x's and 52'd but I still keep a x-series Anschutz 54 (still nib) around just in case. I've also sold off my feckers & unertl's but I still keep a cheap tasco (made in japan) around. The tasco sits on a rem 540x setup for offhand.
6er9AZc.jpg

The Remington 540 series rifles have the fastest lock times of any rimfire rifle they ever produced. I like to take a 22lr rifle with me to the range and play around shooting offhand between sets/bbl cooling/etc. I find it relaxing, typical 5-shot groups @ 25yds with that 540x/tasco scope pictured above with blammo ammo from Walmart.
I4wkDtS.jpg

If you can't find anything new that appeals to you might consider looking at the older scopes made in japan from the 60's/70's/80's. Excellent value for what they are. A 4-12x40 bushnell scope with a bdc and thick to fine crosshairs that I use for standing silhouettes/modified taco hold.
hbdvMXh.jpg

Anyone can buy a scope, why not buy 1 that that is right for your style of shooting. A jack of all trades is a master of none and scopes are no exception.
 
Now that I have sold my dedicated target scopes, my best 22 scope is a 4x Nikon 22.

But I agree with Loonwulf, a shotgun scope is a very good thing on a 22. Ranges are about the same, so parallax is usually set somewhere close. They are rugged. No flimsy stuff taking a 12 ga recoil ...

I like Weaver 4x4 mounts for 3/8" dovetails. They hold well and don't have to be too tight.

If you want a tough 1" tube w/o busting the bank, look for a nice steel tube Weaver with Micro-Trac. Very rugged older scopes that hold zero well, and match blued barrels nicely :)

A couple of my 22's wear 2.5x scopes. Once you get used to them, you can easily shoot both eyes open with just an enhanced sight picture in one eye. There are a bunch of 2.5 shotgun scopes out there :)
 
Last edited:
Not surprising that when you buy cheap throw-away scopes, yopu end up throwing them away. Been there. Had a nice Ruger 10/22 and had a Leupold 2-7x 33mm that I paid a little over $200 as I recall, but has been some years ago. That scope was nearly perfect for the task of hunting squirrels. When you add the cost of the throw-aways, the cost of scoping the rifle was high. Should have bought the Leupold in the first place. As the years passed I've discarded or gifted all of my cheap scopes....good riddance.
 
I read about the Clearidge rimfire scope around eight or nine years ago on Rimfire Central. Took a chance and bought one b/c the reviews were so good. It’s a great scope, made by LOW in Japan. LOW makes some very nice scopes. They made most of the NightForce scopes when they first came and also used to make the Vortex Razor line. I don’t know if LOW makes Razors anymore.

I bought a Hawke Vantage 2-7x32 around five years ago and was underwhelmed by the glass.
 
Last edited:
how much do I have to pay before it results in a scope that actually functions

There are always exceptions, but I agree that $200+ generally gets a scope that:

Is clear enough to see 22 caliber holes at 50 yards (at least with a lightly colored target).
Has adjustments that are evenly incremented and repeatable.
Will consistently hold zero.
 
Rule of thumb is you pay as much for the optics as the rifle then add really good mounts on top of that and you will save money in the long run.
JW
 
Since nobody's mentioned it, OP, what sort of configuration is your 10/22 in? OEM barrel and band? or .920 Bull barrel?

I wouldn't waste time or any money scoping a regular carbine barrel with band. They just aren't accurate enough... If you don't have one already, get a bull barrel.
 
Weaver makes, or made, a sweet little 1-3 by. I think I paid around $100 for mine. Clear glass and compact. 1" tube. Perfect for a .22.
 
It's rather disappointing that a scope that actually works can't be had for even $50.

Why would it surprise you that a cheap crappy scope doesn’t work? I’m sorry but If you want to shoot your rifle and actually hit what you aim at you are going to have to put some money into it.
I have a Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 on my 22lr. It’s a great adjustable objective scope for a 22. Buy once, cry once.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1362121194?pid=527533
 
Purchased a Leupold Freedom EFR for my CZ455.
The older 3-9 EFR used command silly price (discontinued).

Shame they screwed up the looks w the Freedom line.

My CZ now wears a reg VX1 2-7x (was on .35 rem Contender carbine).
For 25 bucks I can send it back for parallax adjust to make it a .22rf scope.
Or just run it up to 4x and leave as is.

If I find another one at good price will proly convert one of them.

My 10/22 had a VariX II 4-12X AO.
Not click adj but otherwise a decent scope (was on .243 chuck rifle).
Target build shot good, but overall was too heavy/big for a walking critter popper (IMHO).

I like my beater sporter 10/22 better. But it shoots like crap.
Currently wears a Leupold reg 4x.
May order a GM bbl today.
 
I don't know what your budget is but I have been using
Nikon scopes on all my rifles and both my 10/22 and
my CZ455 have Nikon scopes on them and
I have had no problems. The Prostaff series
are relatively inexpensive. Get one with adjustable parallax.
You can usually find one for around $300.00.
With optics, you just can not 'cheap out' with
those junky under $100 scopes and be happy.
1/8 MOA adjustable turrets are best, but 1/4MOA
are also fine. Basically a 1/4MOA turret means that
each click is 1/4" at 100 yards. Believe me,
there is nothing more irritating then trying
to shoot well with a cheap scope. You'd
be better off just using the gun's iron sights
if it has them.
 
In the low budget category my 10/22 has had the same BSA 2-7x scope on it since 1998. Still going strong although the optics aren't as good as some of my more expensive stuff but it works for a .22 plinker and small game gun. Got the BSA because money was tight back then and I planned to put something better on it someday. Now I can afford better but this one's gonna stay on the 10/22 because it works and I can't complain about it. IMG_1858.JPG Three years ago the hunt was on for a decent rimfire scope for the newly acquired CZ-455 and it wound up with a Vortex Crossfire 2-7x 32mm rimfire model. Bought it locally and got to take it outdoors and play with it in real world, outdoor conditions. Bought it on the spot. Like it a lot. If that BSA on the 10/22 dies I'd strongly consider another one of these. They're still available; recently saw them at Midway USA for about $130. IIRC. IMG_1661.JPG
 
I’ve been critical of Vortex scopes for a long time but with good reason I believe. Their binoculars aren’t bad and I like their Mini Red Dots, one has been on my AR for a long time.

I bought two Vipers a long time ago and sent them down the road fast. At the same time I purchased a Crossfire 2-7x32 Rimfire and mounted it on my Model 60. For what I use the Model 60 for, which is virtually nothing, the Crossfire gets the job done.
 
Thank you for the replies everyone! I've taken a bunch of notes based what everyone here has said.
It's rather disappointing that a scope that actually works can't be had for even $50. The latest one I had couldn't even be lined in. This was about 2 years ago, so I don't have it anymore. I trashed it when it became clear that the situation was hopeless and the store wouldn't give me my money back. But I remember checking different reasons that I might be having problems. I tried wiggling it to see if something was loose, but it wasn't. In fact, I had brought my rifle to the store and had them install it on my rifle each of the 3 times so that if a problem was found with mounting it, they could notice it right away and not accuse me of doing something wrong if the scope was found to be defective. Instead, they mounted it, used a bore sight to line it in, and gave it back to me. When I actually shot it, it wasn't lined in, and no amount of adjustments I did were helping.
This might be a necro-thread but $50 doesn't buy what it used to. I am looking at scopes as well
 
My 1022 wears a Simmons 22 Mag that I got off of ebay several years ago for $18.00. It has always worked great but looks a little goofy as it is silver and the rifle is blue...but, hey the price was right and it works!
Paint
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top