"RangeFinder Today is reader supported. When you purchase through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you."
Almost every gun owner is guaranteed to own a .22 rifle. For most of us, it was the first rifle we ever owned and the one we grew up shooting. It was the foundation of our learning and for that reason, we will always love the .22. Combining this caliber with the best .22 rimfire scope is a natural progression.
A scoped .22 is such a versatile choice for small game, shooting practice, and just having fun. No shooter should ever be without one.
Short on time? Our top picks for a .22 Scope
- Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 Rimfire Riflescope
- Vortex Viper HS
- Simmons 3-9×32 Riflescope for .22
- Leupold VX-Freedom
- Athlon Optics Neos 3-9×40 BDC22 Rimfire Riflescope
- Monstrum G2 1-4x Riflescope
- Konus 3-10×44 Pro275 Rifle Scope
- Bushnell Banner
What We Will Cover
What makes a good .22 Scope?
There are a couple of ways you can go with a .22 scope and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It all depends on what you want your rifle to do. This is the most important aspect to understand before you make a choice.
For the hunter and recreational shooter, you are simply looking to improve your shot placement over distance.
Since the .22 is a lightweight, lower-powered rimfire round, it drops significantly and is highly susceptible to wind at greater distances. For this, a scope that is of reasonable power to shoot to distances around 100 yards is more than enough.
For those who want to get the highest level of precision over shorter distances of 50 yards or less and don’t care about speed, a more powerful scope can be used.
This is common for shooting competitions such as sandbag or benchrest. Often for the hunter, this doesn’t work out well as it can be very hard to find and follow a target.
You can attempt to blend the two disciplines but will often end up with an optic that doesn’t do either in a way you will be happy with.
If you are very interested in both, you really are better off investing in two scopes and probably two rifles. This is expensive but at least most .22 rifles are very affordable.
.22 Rifle Scope Buyers Guide
The goal is to cover both possible uses for a rifle scope. You want to make the best possible choice and I want to help you do just that.
All of the information below is simply a suggestion of what is known to work. Make your decision based on what you need for your particular situation but this guide is a great place to start.
Magnification
The magnifying power of a scope is the whole reason we want one in the first place so this is the normal place to start. You need to be aware of everything else that goes into a scope but starting with the magnification you want is the perfect way to narrow down the options.
For a hunter or recreational shooter, high-powered scopes are not a great option. It simply takes too long to get on target.
For these shooters, something in the 7 to 14x range is usually more than enough. Any of these scopes will easily get you to the 100-yard mark and beyond that, the .22 is pretty ineffective anyway.
For those interested in the ultimate precision, no power is too high. It’s common to see scopes as high as 40x on .22s for sandbag and benchrest rifles. These are often high-dollar options but for the job they do, they are worth the money.
Just be aware that these are nearly impossible to shoot a moving target with and are best used at no more than 50 yards, often less. That said, these are the scopes that can put one round on top of another all day.
Fixed and Variable Power Scopes
The world of variable-powered optics has grown significantly over the past 30 years to the point where finding a fixed power scope is often difficult. For most shooters, a variable powered optic is a great choice.
Fixed-powered optics are more durable but for a .22 this hardly matters. If you don’t want to deal with having to mess with power, look for one. Most people with a variable power scope tend to set them on the highest magnification and leave them anyway.
The reason most people used to shy away from variable powered scopes was cost. With modern scopes, this is hardly a concern at all. The price difference is insignificant.
Reticles
Most people go with a reticle far more complicated than they need for a .22. Usually, this doesn’t cause much of a problem but having a simple reticle makes shooting more natural and less complicated. The last thing you need is lines clogging your scope image when you never use them.
There are 4 types of reticles common to all scopes:
Crosshairs
These are the plain crossed lines and are often a great choice for a .22. They are simple and fast with no additional information clogging up your view. Sure, they have no way of measuring bullet drop but for most shooters that will never matter. A modified crosshair called a Duplex reticle has thicker lines for easier visibility.
Holdover
There are many varieties of holdover reticles but all share the trait of having a small set of markings to account for bullet drop. These are my preferred option as they maintain almost all of the simplicity of a crosshair but allow you to judge bullet drop to some degree.
Shaped
Shaped reticles will often have a circle or chevron shape that marks the bullet impact. Their main strength is speed but they are less precise. One of these scopes can improve your shooting speed but is best used at very short ranges.
Mil or MOA
Fully measured Mil or MOA reticles have measurements as a part of the reticle to help you judge distance and bullet drop to a great degree. For a .22 these are often overly complicated and unnecessary.
The only time one of these makes sense is for practice in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with them but you are unlikely to ever use them to their full advantage.
Adjustments
When you adjust a scope, there are two types that are common. For the .22 the less complicated capped adjustments are the most popular, affordable, and simple option. For these, you zero the scope and that’s it. Any adjustments are made by holdover and Kentucky windage.
For high-powered precision rifles, most people use a turret adjustment system that allows you to dial in for range. If you want a scoped .22 to practice for a precision rifle, get one of these. Otherwise, they are just one more thing to deal with and won’t do much to improve your shooting or hunting experience.
Focus and Field of View
Though these are unrelated, we are going to cover them together as they both apply to how you plan to use your scope.
Focus, in this case, parallax focus, will determine how close a target can be and still be in focus for the scope. Scopes with excessive power may have very long parallax focus ranges which will limit their usefulness for many distances that are commonly shot at with a .22. Anything that prevents you from shooting at targets closer than 20 yards is not a good choice for a .22.
If you are a target shooter that needs precision, just make sure the focus distance is less than the range you commonly shoot at or you will end up with a useless optic.
Field of view is the measurement of how much area you can see through your scope at a specific range. Usually, this will be measured in a number of feet at 100 yards. This is what makes a very high-powered scope a bad choice for hunters with a .22.
The field of view may only be a few feet at ranges you plan on hunting. This makes following the target or finding it in the first place very difficult. This is fine for target shooting and can help you focus on your bullseye.
For a hunter, you want the highest field of view you can get. For a target shooter, smaller is often better.
Durability
Most scopes are made to be quite durable and are far more than what you would ever need for a .22. The only time durability will be a strong consideration is if you hunt at times when the weather may be very poor or when there is a lot of dust in the air.
Since the .22 rifle has such a low recoil, having a shockproof scope hardly matters. It’s still nice in case you drop or bang your rifle into something but most scopes will be more shockproof than you will ever need.
You do want your scope to be weatherproof. I strongly recommend scopes that are sealed and atmospherically purged so they do not collect moisture. This will also prevent dust from getting into your scope which can cause severe damage over time.
There are a ton of other durability features such as scratch-resistant lenses and coatings. All of these are good to have and should be treated as extras. Get them if you can but if they add too much cost, leave them be.
Best .22 Rifle Scopes On the market
1 Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7×32 Rimfire Riflescope
The Vortex Optics Crossfire II is a great scope at an affordable price. This scope is usually around $179, but sometimes you can catch it on a deal around $129, and when you do, you better snag it.
The Crossfire II is a great .22 scope for many reasons. One reason is the V-Plex reticle that provides near-perfect accuracy when shooting your .22. The reticle combined with the anti-reflective lens provides you with a crystal clear image when looking through the optic lens.
It has a maximum magnification of 7x with knurled windage and elevation turrets that adjust ¼ MOA per click. You can easily reset the turrets to zero after each shot with just one click.
Even though you don’t need a heavy-duty scope for a .22, the Vortex Crossfire II is lightweight and durable to withstand moisture, shock, and fog as it is used.
2 Vortex Viper HS
Right now there is a revolution in the optics world for scopes that are highly affordable but still have the utmost in quality. This revolution is being led by Vortex. Their optics are state of the art, top notch, have an amazing warranty, and come in far below what we are used to paying for this level of quality. They are not alone in the revolution but they are the best by far.
The 2.5 to 10x power of the Viper is perfectly suited for a .22 when matched with a reticle that will give you some estimation of holdover. This is all built into finely crafted Japanese lenses that are ultra-crisp. The extra low light dispersion makes everything bright and sharp for any shooting at any time of day. These scopes are phenomenal!
Not only are they optically amazing but they are built like a tank. Purged and O-ring sealed, they are shockproof to almost any weapon you would want to put them on.
They are also 100% waterproof and dustproof. No issues with fogging or anything else. This is a part of the Vortex guarantee and is covered by the best warranty in the optics world.
3 Simmons 3-9×32 Riflescope for .22
The Simmons 3-9x 32mm .22 riflescope is one of the most affordable options you can buy without sacrificing quality or features. It’s a basic scope that will get the job done at an affordable price.
The scope’s construction is a single, one-piece tube that is waterproof, recoil-proof, and fogproof. Many times, affordability means sacrifice, but that’s not the case with the Simmons .22 riflescope.
The eyepiece is a quick-target action (QTA) eyepiece and the lens of the eyepiece has a hydroshield coating that makes an incredibly clear image when looking through the eyepiece.
There are two ⅜” Rimfire dovetail rings included with the scope for you to easily mount the Simmons riflescope to your .22 rifle.
4 Leupold VX-Freedom
I’ve got to throw a Leupold into the mix that is more suited to the hunters. Those who need a little better-aiming speed but don’t need all the power of a range scope. For this, you want something with a little less magnification and better weight.
The Freedom is the perfect choice for the hunter. It has everything you are likely to need and nothing to get in the way.
The Freedom tops out at only 4x magnification. This may seem light on power but target acquisition and field of view are greatly increased. For the hunter, this is what matters most and with a touch of skill, you can still pull off shots out to 50 yards. For a .22 you wouldn’t want much further range than that to ensure a clean kill.
This has all of the same legendary features you are used to in a Leupold. The glass is perfect with no faults and ultimate clarity. This is a tough as nails scope that will last for generations of hard use.
While most people may want more power, if you can go with less, this is absolutely the scope to have! You can’t break them and they will always perform, no matter the weather or conditions you find yourself hunting in.
5 Athlon Optics Neos 3-9×40 BDC22 Rimfire Riflescope
Another affordable option for your .22 is the Athlon Optics Neos BDC22 riflescope.
There are many key features of this riflescope. First, it includes fully multi-coated lenses that reduce light reflection and increase light transmission to give you a clear and bright image when looking through the lens.
It includes a BDC22 rimfire reticle that is designed specifically for .22 rifles. Using this reticle allows you to zero in your target at 50 yards, ideal for .22 rimfire rifles.
The tube of the scope is aircraft-grade aluminum and nitrogen-purged, making it lightweight and shockproof, fogproof, and waterproof. Unfortunately, mounts are not included with this scope, so you’ll need to buy a mount separately but that’s not a big deal.
6 Monstrum G2 1-4x Riflescope
The Monstrum G2 1-4x riflescope is a great .22 scope if you are looking to spend a little extra money, especially if you want to use this scope for more than one application. It’s durable enough to mount to an AR, making it a versatile scope for more than one application.
It has a substantial eye relief between 4 and 4 ½ inches, which is more than enough for both .22s and ARs. It has a maximum magnification of 4x, which is plenty for a .22. Plus, it has a BDC reticle which is designed specifically for a .22 rifle.
When you need to adjust for windage and elevation, simply turn the knurled turrets on the side and top of the scope. Each turret click will adjust ½ MOA with a simple one-click reset to zero when you need to reset the windage and elevation adjustments.
It has an etched black reticle with the option to illuminate red or green if you prefer. The etched black reticle can be seen easily in bright light. In low light conditions, you can illuminate the reticle red or green.
Like many comparable models, it is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and is nitrogen charged to make it lightweight, shockproof, fogproof, and waterproof.
Finally, it can be mounted using a Picatinny or Weaver mount. Just keep in mind that if you choose to mount this to your AR, you’ll need a riser for it to mount correctly.
7 Konus 3-10×44 Pro275 Rifle Scope
Another riflescope that can be used for multiple applications is the Konus Pro275. Not only is it great for .22s, but it can also be used with muzzleloaders.
The Pro275 has magnification between 3x and 10x with a large 44mm objective lens. As a result, it has a large field of view of 35 feet at 100 yards at 3x magnification and 10.8 feet at 100 yards when at 10x magnification. The second focal plane has an etched reticle with an illuminated red dot.
The eye relief is slightly less than comparable models, which is the only downside to this scope. It has an eye relief of 3 inches rather than the common 4” eye relief in many comparable models. If you’re using it on a .22 that’s not an issue.
However, what it may lack in eye relief, the Konus Pro275 makes up for in quality. It is a nitrogen-filled tube that is shockproof, fogproof, and waterproof.
You can mount this scope on your rifle using a rail mount. Then, when you need to adjust for windage and elevation after you have mounted your scope, just turn the windage and elevation turret one click to adjust for ¼ MOA.
8 Bushnell Banner
The Banner series by Bushnell is one of the leading scopes on the market today. It does come last on our list but this is a list of the best and you definitely won’t find anything to beat this scope in its price range.
There isn’t even anything close to this for a comparable price. Especially when you factor in customer service and warranty.
Power on this scope is perfect at a max of 9x for most .22 applications. It works for hunting, sport shooting, and range time.
The Multi-X reticle is a simple but effective choice that doesn’t overcomplicate matters. Despite the price, the glass is the same high-quality stuff you find on any Bushnell scope.
While the scope is not the most rock-solid out there, it is definitely enough for a .22 rifle. While it may not have high shock resistance, it is waterproof and dustproof.
This is a field-ready scope with a scratch resistant finish and good overall durability. If money is a little tight and you are on a budget, this is a great choice that will serve you well!
Final Thoughts
There is more fun to be had with a .22 rifle than most people ever realize. Ammo is cheap and guns are readily available. Adding a scope to your .22 rifle is a natural next step to take in your shooting.
There are many options out there, more than you could ever hope to fit into a single article. I selected those above because they have been tested and proven many times over for the avid small-caliber rifleman. They are very dependable options that work well and will never do you wrong.
