I guess it comes down to use ...

On my 10/22 I have a Leupold 3-9x30 mm

 

"Best" is a subjective term.
As mentioned, it comes down to use and sometimes budget.

 

I am going to use it in amateur target shooting, I am not great shooter but I visit shooting range quite often and train accuracy. My budget is about $500

 

4 out of 5 of my 10/22s wear Leupold rimfire scopes, but I primarily hunt and plink with mine. I prefer my scopes to be lightweight and proportionate to the rifle. That said, it sounds as though your primary use will be target shooting at the range. I'd recommend buying a quality scope with an adjustable objective that will allow setting your parallax at the exact range distance of your target. You should be able to that for well under $500. Perhaps you could spend the remainder on a trigger upgrade. You might also check and see what your fellow target shooters are using before you select your scope.

 

Vortex makes excellent scopes that won't break the bank. $180

Crossfire II 2-7x32 Rimfire

V-Plex (MOA) Reticle | 1 inch Tube

vortexoptics.com

For around $300, the Leupold VX Freedom is probably a better scope.

Amazon.com : Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm Riflescope, Duplex CDS (174182) (174182) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm Riflescope, Duplex CDS (174182) (174182) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

The Leupold VX Freedom is a real cheap and nasty scope.

 

Lots of good scopes to choose from. Like others I've had good performance from Leupold, Burris and I have a forty-year-old Redfield mounted on a hard kicking bolt action 30.06 that is still rock solid and dead on the money.

But when I was building up my 10/22 Range Toy, I came across this Bushnell AR Rimfire. It's 40mm 6X18 and is parallax adjustable. Built for rimfire rounds and can be set-up for either .22 or .17. It won't break the bank and I think it looks really nice. It's clear, sharp and easy to sight in and adjust. I would mark it as "Highly Recommended".

 

on my 10/22 Takedown Backpacker model I have the UTG Bug Buster 3x9x32
I also have it on my Ruger PC Carbine in 9mm

Amazon Link Here

Has red and green illumination, and holds on target very well.

 

The Viridian EON 3-9x40 that came stock on mine seems to work just fine to me. I don't feel like it needs any improvement. Ask me in a couple of years.

 

There must be a million scopes out there, I hope you live in an area with some good stores/shops where you can check some out. Just looking through them will show some differences.

I own two Leopold Rimfires, their 2-7x and 3-9x and they are great but not really target scopes. I recently got a Vortex Viper 4-12x with side focus that I love, on sale for about $230. For my .22s around 12x is the highest I usually want, I have 25x target scopes on some and that is more than you need for short (.22LR) ranges.

I don't buy the really cheap scopes but you don't need to spend $500 either. I've owned about a dozen brands but lately buy Vortex, they give excellent performance for midrange money. Vet discount too.

Make sure that whatever you buy has the parallax set for rimfire ranges or is adjustable.

 

There's a lot more to "which scope is best" than the brand name or magnification. Most people judge scopes by what they can see and feel yet don't consider internal construction or other important things such as eye relief, zoom range, adjustable objective lens or side focus dial. Even some of the simple things such as eyepiece focus, the type of reticule, objective lens diameter, length, and weight can be important factors. There's no such thing as a perfect rifle scope so you choose the one best suited for your intended use.

There are so many things to consider, especially for a rimfire scope .... so, I wrote an article about 10 years ago and posted it in the Forum E-Library, titled "Scope Dope". Here's a link: Scope Dope | Ruger Forum I think you need at least 25 posts to access the Forum Library.

 

Thanks! That is really comprehensive article, very useful

 

Just recently put a Hawke Vantage IR 3-9x40 on a 10/22 sporter. At this time, I am very well pleased with the results. The tick marks are very close to being spot on, at least for Remington Thunderbolt out to 100 yds. Able to hit a 4" dinger fairly regularly.

 

Here's the deal. If bench rest shooting is the game then why do you need a variable scope? Most folks with variable magnification never dial it down from the max setting. Get a high mag fixed scope like a Sightron 36x42. It has a really fine reticle for precise aiming but if your eye sight is poor then you may not want this it. 1/8 MOA adjustability. $369.00 shipped from certain dealers.

SII Target36x42 BRD

Built for target shooting applications. Sightron's SII 36x42 BRD Target rifle scope delivers superior optics and accuracy when it counts.

sightron.com

 

Nothing against the higher dollar scopes and optics but for general plinking the one I have for under 100 dollars works well. I can hold a 1 inch group at 50 yards with my eyesight without the use of my glasses is not bad. If I put a higher power scope like a 20-24 x on it I will try 100 yards.

 

Believe it or not but a $369 scope is not high dollar. For the money it's all you could need for .22 benchrest at any distance you wish to shoot.

 

I was suggested to check these Vortex Strike Eagle vs. Primary Arms 1-6 Review - Best Comparison in 2022 April! when I came to the local gunshop, does anyone have recommendations about it? I tried both and didn't see the big difference but I can say that I even liked Vortex more. The price of the optics shouldn't be more than the price of the rifle, should it?

 

Chengui, I made a statement in my Scope Dope article that is really true .... "The best scope in the world cannot deliver better accuracy than the gun is capable of." 10/22s are one of those rifles that are not known for precision accuracy unless you spend a lot of money on a match grade barrel, stock, and internal parts. They shoot pretty decent plinker grade groups out to 50 yards. which is what they are designed to do. Point being .... a $100 scope will serve your needs just fine and will probably be more precision than the rifle. I favor a 2~7X rimfire scope on a 10/22 ... Vortex or similar brand.

 

The Ruger 10/22 Tactical is made with a bit tighter tolerances and can be accurate out to 100 yards with the proper scope. The Ruger 10/22 can be accurized with very little money I have proven this with my own 1994 purchased 10/22. It may not win any competitions but with my Sightron 36x42 target scope I can shoot MOA at 50 yards and beyond. A 2x7x scope is fine for plinking but if getting the best out of the shooter and gun is the goal then scope selection is more critical and in my opinion a higher magnification scope can make shooting a lot more fun and engaging. But if casual burning through ammo at tin cans is the game then by all means 2x7 is sufficient. BTW born and raised in NE Iowa.

 

yrunvs, I guess we all have our own definition of accuracy for a 22LR rifle. 1 MOA is pretty good at 100 yards but MOA (1/2" groups) at 50 yards, not so much. I have an older CZ 452-2E bolt action rifle (I paid $200 at the time) and have a Nikon 3~9x EFR scope on it. The scope was about $100. This gun pretty much defines accuracy and is the least ammo fussy rifle I have ever seen. At 50 yards with most any ammo, it will print 1/4" groups .... even better with match grade ammo .... basically one tiny tattered hole. At 100 yards, it will print well under an inch with normal 22 LR ammo or about 1/2 MOA with match grade 22 LRs. , providing the winds are calm.

I built a 10/22 using a 20" match grade Green Mountain barrel with a Bentz chamber. It has a Fajen target stock, a bolt that has been machined for minimal headspace, 2 lb trigger pull, and a Niko Sterling Night Eater 3~10X50 scope. The scope has a side dial for parallax correction. With match grade ammo, I can squeeze about 1 MOA at 100 yards or under 1/2" at 50 yards. Pretty good but not in the same ball park as my CZ. I got about a grand invested in my build versus about $300 for my CZ.

My point is .... both of these rifles have decent scopes but neither are very expensive and neither are anywhere close to your 36X.

 

You are a much better shot than I. 1 inch groups at 100 yards and I go home happy. The OP purchased a Ruger 10/22 not a CZ so maybe a better scope might help hitting the target better. I wonder how many of us purchased a Simmons 3x9 or equivalent and shortly thereafter wished we'd spent a $150 more? BTW comparing a rifle/scope purchase from "at the time" to todays prices is not apples to apples.

 

yrunvs, I guess I didn't make my point very well. If you want really good accuracy, you need to start with a better rifle than a factory 10/22. As I noted above, "The best scope in the world cannot deliver better accuracy than the gun is capable of."

I really enjoy 10/22s .... got 4 of them but I didn't buy them for benchrest accuracy, except for my above build. They are plinkers and do a very good job of it. It's hard to beat a day at the farm with the grandkids, a brick of 22s, and a couple 10/22s.

My first 10/22 Carbine was made in 1974. I still have it and it still shoots great.

The next one is my favorite ... a Mannlicher stainless. I've had several different scopes on this gun to include a $700 4.5~14X Leupold VX III and it wouldn't group any better than with a $100 Nikon 2~7x at 50 yards. My granddaughter has laid claim to this gun and prefers iron sights.

Last is my TD stainless, still a fun gun. It has a Ruger 4x32mm scope and kills bean cans @ 50 yards every time:

 

No I did get your point but you missed mine. Not everybody wants or needs to have pin point accuracy. Their are many many more accurate 22's than a CZ so if you really want to be a precise shooter a CZ is not the gun either. The point is that whatever gun you do shoot there is nothing wrong trying to squeeze the best out of it with better scopes, barrel bedding etc. even a lowly 10/22. Without my Sightron 36x42 I'd never be able to shoot MOA especially with a 3x9 or whatever on it. Nice guns above I really woud like a Mannlicher stock someday

 

Looks like our discussion is starting to resemble an argument so I will bow out.

 

Scope quality for rimfire rifles means something entirely different compared to large centerfire rifles where recoil and distance have major impacts on repeatability. You can put a $2200 VX6HD 4-24x52 on a 10/22 and it won't print better groups neither will it necessarily make you a better shot. Like Iowegan, my CZ452 will outshoot me and any 10/22 every day of the week.

A better question might be, "what is your favorite scope for a 10/22?". "Favorite" carries a great deal more meaning than "best" IMO. For me that's a no-brainer. Nikon's out-of-production P-Rimfire with exposed turrets sits atop a Midwest Industries rail on my TacSol barreled, Magpul hunter stocked, BX trigger "10/22". The bullet pretty much goes wherever the cross-hairs say it will, plus or minus.

 

 

I have a UTG 3-9X32 AO Mil Dot on mine. The only original items left is the receiver and charging handle.
Mine has a Houge over molded stock, BX trigger group, E.R. Shaw heavy target barrel and 6-9" bipod.
Shoots very well with me behind the trigger so should shoot smaller groups with someone good on the trigger.

 

If I had saw this post earlier, I would have predicted there would be more answers & different opinions than Carter has liver pills. I would have been right.

 

Mueller for me. Cheap and very clear optics.