Best Scopes for the Ruger 10/22 (Review & Buying Guide)

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most popular .22 rifles on the market. 

It’s particularly popular among shooters looking to do a custom build because there’s tons of aftermarket availability for Ruger 10/22 accessories. 

Unfortunately, that means the options can be overwhelming and Ruger 10/22 scopes are no exception.

Fortunately, you have us. 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to choose a great Ruger 10/22 scope. We’ll start with some basics about these types of scopes, then move on to how to choose not only a high-quality 10/22 scope, but the right one for you. Then, to help you get started on your search, we’ll review a bunch of our picks for the best scopes for Ruger 10/22.

Sound good? 

Great, then let’s dive right in.

What Makes a Good Scope for the Ruger 10/22?

The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in .22LR. It’s a great rifle for close range target shooting and small game hunting. There are several 10/22 models, with the most popular being the Ruger 10/22 Carbine and the Ruger 10/22 Takedown.

But what does all of this actually mean for Ruger 10/22 scopes?

You can also look for best red dots for Ruger Mark IV.

Well, for starters, when choosing a scope for your Ruger 10/22 rifles, it’s good to choose a scope for rimfire specific cartridges as well. Rimfire scopes tend to have different features from your standard centerfire scopes, like a shorter parallax setting and lower magnification. Rimfire scopes tend to have parallax set to 50 or 60 yards and don’t usually allow for parallax adjustment.

The biggest difference, however, is that rimfire scopes are not designed for the same distances and recoil strength as centerfire scopes are. But that’s just fine. After all, the Ruger 10/22 isn’t for long range shooting, so your scope doesn’t need to be either, and your Ruger 10/22 scope doesn’t need to stand up to recoil stronger than that of .22LR. 

That means that rimfire scopes tend to be more affordable than centerfire scopes. By choosing a rimfire scope, you get the extra features that make these scopes better suited for rimfire rounds. And at the same time, you also aren’t paying for distance and recoil resistance that you don’t need.

How Do You Choose the Best Scope for Ruger 10/22?

Of course, you don’t want to just choose a high-quality scope. You want to choose the Ruger 10/22 scope that’s best for you.

So let’s talk about some things you need to consider.

Magnification

First is magnification. 3-9x is about the highest you’d want to go for a 10/22 scope, but you can also do very well with scopes of lower magnification. We think 2-7x is probably the sweet spot for variable magnification optics.

For fixed magnification scopes, you definitely want no more than 4x magnification. In fact, you could even get away with a red dot optic without any magnification at all if you plan on keeping your shooting close range.

It’s definitely better to err to the side of less powerful magnification. Using magnification that’s too strong will limit your field of view, making it harder to acquire your target and, in the case of moving targets, track it as it moves. It also amplifies the effect of every move you make, making it easy to lose your target.

Reticle 

You also want to consider your reticle. You don’t need a super complicated ballistic reticle like a mil-dot. A crosshair or duplex reticle are solid options, or you can go with a simple BDC (bullet drop compensation) reticle for longer ranges. 

Quality Construction

Regardless of purpose, you want quality optics. That means high-quality glass with multiple layers of anti-reflective coatings over the entire surface of the lens. Multiple layers of lens coating means better light transmission for a clearer, more high definition image and better light transmission.

Best Scopes for Ruger 10/22: Reviewed

With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at the best scopes we’ve found for the Ruger 10/22. These are the ones we use on our own rifles for everything from plinking to NRL22 practice. 

1. Simmons .22 MAG Riflescope

Our first pick, the Simmons .22 MAG Riflescope, is a great option if you’re in the market for a budget scope, especially since it comes with scope rings.

It’s designed specifically for .22 rimfire with a 50 yard parallax setting and a Truplex reticle, which is Simmons’ take on the duplex reticle. The 3-9x magnification is at the high end, so it’s good for extending your Ruger 10/22’s range or shooting smaller targets.

The quality of the optical glass is great, especially for the price, and the lenses are fully coated. That includes a HydroShield lens coating that helps keep the lenses clear of water in wet weather. Speaking of which, the scope is also waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof, so it’s plenty durable.

The TrueZero Flex Erector System provides crisp, audible ¼ MOA clicks and helps the scope maintain a consistent zero. The capped turrets prevent accidental adjustments. The turrets and power rings have SureGrip rubber surfaces for easy manipulation, even when wearing gloves.

The QTA (Quick Target Acquisition) eyepiece offers 3.75 inch of eye relief.

The scope is available in matte black and silver finishes. 

2. Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7X32 Rimfire Riflescope 

Some member of the Crossfire II family seems to show up on just about every riflescope recommendation list. And while part of that is because of the diversity of scopes on the line, it’s also because of the consistent quality that Vortex offers across the Crossfire II line.

That’s certainly why the Vortex Optics Crossfire II 2-7X32 Rimfire Riflescope made it on this list.  It’s perfect for any .22LR rifle, but it does especially well on semi-auto models of all types.

In a lot of ways, it’s similar to the Simmons scope we just talked about, but with a step up in optical quality and construction.

It has a V-Plex reticle, Vortex’s duplex article, and a 50 yard parallax setting. The fast focus eyepiece provides 3.9 inch eye relief.

The zero-reset turrets are capped and have ¼ MOA adjustment intervals. Zeroing is easy with no special tool required. 

The 1” diameter single piece tube is made out of aircraft-grade aluminum and has a hard coat anodized finish. The scope is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. The lenses are fully multicoated for enhanced image quality and have ArmorTek scratch resistant lens coatings to protect them from scratches, oil, and debris.

The scope also comes with the Vortex Optics Lifetime Warranty so you’re covered if something happens anyway.

3. Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire 2-7x33 Riflescope 

The Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire scope has several great features ideal for .22 rifles like the Ruger 10/22.

One of these is the rimfire MOA reticle, which is a proprietary Leupold BDC reticle design. It has  hash marks below the center of the reticle marking 1 MOA intervals for a total of 25 MOA of measurement. 

There are wider hash marks at 5 MOA intervals for easier measurement, but all of the hash marks are thinner than you’d typically see on a BDC reticle, which is ideal for sighting rimfire targets.

If that doesn’t sound good to you, there’s also a Duplex reticle version.

The 60 yard parallax setting is another great feature for rimfire rifles.

The VX-Freedom Rimfire also has several features that are great to see on both rimfire and centerfire scopes.

These include the easy to grip power selector finger adjustable turrets with ¼ MOA intervals, the 3.7 to 4.17 eye relief, and lightweight construction. The durability is also great: the scope is waterproof, fogproof, and recoil-proof.

The Twilight Max Light Management System is another handy feature. This system of lens coatings improves light transmission for 10 extra minutes of light. The lenses themselves use high quality glass with excellent clarity and military standard scratch resistance.

4. Tasco Rimfire Series 3-9x32mm Riflescope 

The Tasco Rimfire Series 3-9x32mm Riflescope is another basic, budget friendly 10/22 riflescope. It’s easy to set up and easy to use, so it’s also great for beginners.

One of this scopes main bragging points is the magenta tinted lens coatings. While this doesn’t impact the colors in your sight picture, the purple tint helps the lenses with light transmission, especially of green light. This allows the scope to perform particularly well in areas with lots of flora. The lenses themselves have excellent clarity, especially for the price range. 

The scope also boasts a 30/30 reticle, which is a duplex-style reticle in which the thin inner section spans 30 MOA.

The 3 inch eye relief is a little short, but the 50 yard parallax setting is perfect for a rimfire rifle. 

The scope comes with mounting rings.

5. BARSKA 3-9×32mm Plinker-22 Rifle Scope 

Our next pick is yet another budget pick. 

As the name suggests, the BARSKA Plinker-22 Rifle Scope is designed for plinking, as well as hunting. 

It has 3-9x magnification, so it’s good for small targets. The optics are fully coated and the scope has a 30/30 reticle. The parallax setting is 100 yards, which is longer than most rimfire scopes. If you’re planning on shooting at extended ranges for .22, however, that’s an advantage. 

The windage and elevation turrets are capped and feature ¼ MOA click values.

The scope is waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof, so it should have a nice, long lifetime. It’s also covered by Barska's Limited Lifetime Warranty.

It comes with ⅜ inch dovetail scope mounts, so it’s ready for zeroing as soon as you pull it out of the box.

6. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight 

This next pick is a red dot sight rather than a scope, but it’s still a great option for the Ruger 10/22. As we’ve established, the 10/22 isn’t a long range rifle, so you don’t necessarily need magnification, especially if you’re shooting larger or close range targets.

A red dot gives you the benefits of scope optics without the magnification. The illuminated optic is handy as well.

The Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 has 11 brightness settings to help with reticle visibility in virtually all light conditions, including low light conditions where it can be tricky to see the unilluminated reticles of the scopes on this list. 

The 3 MOA dot reticle is fast and straightforward to use for quick target acquisition. The sight uses a single CR2032 battery to operate. 

The lenses themselves are fully multicoated. The Amber-Bright lens coating improves contrast between browns, so the TRS-25 is a great hunting optic. 

Like all red dots, the TRS-25 has unlimited eye relief and virtually nonexistent parallax. It’s also very compact and lightweight compared to a magnified scope, just 2.48 inches long and 4 ounces.

Despite the petite size, it’s still quite durable. It’s nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed to make it fogproof and waterproof, and it’s well constructed to make it shockproof. 

This sight is super easy to use and the integrated low rise mount makes it easy to mount as well.

7. Leupold FX-I Rimfire 4x28mm Riflescope 

The FX-I Rimfire riflescope is another great rimfire scope from Leupold, but this one has fixed 4x magnification. 

This allows the scope to be more compact than the others on this list, though it of course can’t compete with the red dots. It weighs just 7.5 ounces and is 9.2” long.

The objective lens is a little small, but the scope makes up for it in other ways.

It boasts a fine duplex reticle and Leupold’s Multi-coat 4 lens system for excellent contrast, light transmission, and clarity. The reticle can be easily focused using the low profile ring found on the eyepiece. Parallax is set to 60 yards.

The scope is also well constructed and is nitrogen sealed, so it’s waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. The scope housing is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum.

8. Vortex Optics Diamondback 2-7X35 Rimfire Riflescope

Next is another Vortex scope.

The Vortex Optics Diamondback Rimfire Riflescope is a step up in quality from the Crossfire II. 

It offers the same magnification range as the Crossfire II, but has a Precision-Glide Erector System for smooth transition between magnification settings. It also has a slightly larger objective lens to allow more light to enter the scope.

The capped reset turrets offer ¼ MOA intervals and metal on metal precision. They offer a 100 MOA maximum windage and elevation adjustment range.

The Diamondback also has fully multicoated lenses and a V-Plex reticle. Parallax is set to 50 yards. 

The scope is durably constructed, argon purged, and o-ring sealed, so it’s waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. The housing is made from aircraft-grade aluminum with a hard coat anodized finish. Like the Crossfire II, the Diamondback is protected by Vortex’s lifetime warranty.

There are a couple downsides, though. At 14.2 ounces, the Diamondback is one of the heavier optics on this list. Eye relief is also a bit short at 3.1 inches. 

9. Tasco ProPoint .22 Rimfire 1x30mm Red Dot Riflescope

Finishing up our list is another red dot sight, this time one designed specifically for .22 rimfire.

The Tasco ProPoint .22 Rimfire Red Dot is built on a 38 mm tube and has a 30 mm objective lens.

It has a larger dot than the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 at 5 MOA. Like the TRS-25, the Tasco ProPoint .22 Rimfire offers 11 brightness settings to give you options in a huge array of lighting conditions and utilizes a single CR2032 battery.

At 6 ounces, this optic is a little heavier than the Trophy TRS-25.

The lenses are fully multicoated and the optic has a built in Weaver mount for fast, easy mounting.

Parting Shots

That just about brings us to a close on the best scopes for the Ruger 10/22 rifle. By now, you should know everything you need to know about choosing the right scope for your 10/22 set up. 

Just think about what type of shooting you’ll be doing and at what range, then narrow your options down further by considering your budget and what other features you’d like to get from your Ruger 10/22 optic. And if you have best ruger 10/22 trigger then there is nothing that can beat your gun.

Of course, all of the optics that we’ve included on this list are excellent choices, so all you really have to do is pick the one that sounds best for your particular budget and purposes, whether those are plinking, competition shooting, or hunting for small game or varmints.

Now let’s hear from you. Have any of these optics caught your eye? If so, which one? Do you think it will find a home on your Ruger 10/22? Let me know in the comment section below.

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