The Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 Rimfire is the best scope for a Ruger 10/22: a purpose-built rimfire optic rather than a centerfire scope pressed into service, with long eye relief and a forgiving eye box. Spending more rarely helps on a .22, and the Simmons Pro Rimfire does the same job for half as much.
A Ruger 10/22 is shot at 25, 50 and occasionally 100 yards. Almost everything that makes an expensive centerfire scope expensive is irrelevant at those distances, and one thing that nobody advertises matters enormously. That one thing is parallax, and it is the first section below.
Parallax Is the Spec That Actually Separates Rimfire Scopes
A riflescope has its parallax corrected at one fixed distance unless it has an adjustable objective or a side-focus dial. Inside or outside that distance, the reticle appears to shift against the target when your eye moves off the exact centre of the eyepiece — and wherever the reticle appears to be is where the bullet does not go.
Centerfire scopes are almost all corrected at 100 or 150 yards, because that is where a deer rifle is used. A scope designed for rimfire is corrected much closer, typically around 50 yards, because that is where a .22 is used. Shoot squirrels at 25 yards through a 100-yard-parallax scope and you introduce an error you cannot zero out, because it changes every time your cheek position changes slightly.
This is the whole reason the word “Rimfire” in a model name is not marketing. It is also why a $400 centerfire scope can group worse on a 10/22 than a $60 rimfire scope. Check the parallax setting before you check anything else; if the manufacturer does not state it, assume 100 yards.
The exception is a scope with a side-focus or adjustable-objective dial, which lets you set parallax to whatever distance you are shooting. On a precision rimfire rifle shot from 25 to 100 yards that adjustability is worth more than extra magnification, and it is what to look for if you are shooting the NRL22-style competition that has grown up around these rifles.
Comparison
| Scope | Magnification | Reticle | Best for |
| Vortex Crossfire II Rimfire | 2–7×32 | V-Plex | Most 10/22 owners |
| BARSKA Plinker-22 | 3–9×32 | 30/30 | Rings included |
| TRUGLO Compact Rimfire | 4×32 fixed | Diamond | Keeping it light |
| Simmons Pro Rimfire | 3–9×32 | .22 Drop Zone | Spending as little as possible |
Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 Rimfire — Best Overall
Second focal plane, one-inch tube, V-Plex reticle. The V-Plex is a plain duplex — thick posts narrowing to a fine centre — and on a rimfire that is the right choice, because a busy BDC grid covers the small targets a .22 is pointed at.
Two things make it the pick. The eye box is unusually forgiving, meaning you get a full sight picture without having to position your head precisely, which matters on a light rifle shot from improvised positions. And the eye relief is long, so the scope sits far enough forward to be comfortable with a cheek weld that is not perfectly repeatable.
Lenses are fully multi-coated and the reset turrets are capped and finger-adjustable in MOA clicks, so zeroing needs no tools. The fast-focus eyepiece sharpens the reticle in a second.
The real argument, though, is behind the glass: Vortex’s warranty is unconditional and transferable, with no receipt and no registration. On a scope that will sit on a plinking rifle for twenty years, that is worth more than any optical specification.
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Simmons Pro Rimfire 3-9×32 — Best Value
A .22 Drop Zone reticle, fully coated glass, and an IPX7 waterproof, fog-proof, shockproof housing, for roughly half the Vortex.
The Drop Zone reticle is the interesting part. It carries holdover marks worked out for .22 LR trajectories rather than for a centerfire round, which is useful because a .22 drops hard past 50 yards — more than most shooters expect. Being able to hold on a mark instead of guessing is a genuine advantage at 75 and 100 yards.
IPX7 on a scope at this price is unusual and means a measured immersion rating rather than a vague “weatherproof” claim.
What you give up is the warranty and the eye box. This is the scope to buy if the rifle is a plinker and the budget is the constraint, and nobody should feel short-changed by it.
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BARSKA Plinker-22 3-9×32 — Comes With the Rings
3-9×32 with a 30/30 reticle, and — the reason it is on the page — dovetail rings in the box.
That is not a trivial saving. A 10/22 does not arrive with a scope base fitted for rings; it ships with a tip-off adapter for 3/8-inch dovetail mounts, and buying rings separately costs a meaningful fraction of a budget scope’s price. A scope that arrives ready to mount on the rifle as sold removes a decision and a second order.
The 30/30 reticle is a plain duplex with no holdover marks, so you are learning your own drops. For a rifle used mostly at one known distance that is fine.
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TRUGLO 4×32 Compact Rimfire — Fixed Power, Least Weight
Fixed 4x, compact body, diamond reticle, Realtree Xtra finish. A fixed-power scope has fewer lenses and no zoom mechanism, which means less to go out of alignment and less weight on a rifle that weighs about five pounds.
Four power is also, honestly, enough for most of what a 10/22 does. The variable scopes above spend most of their lives set somewhere near 4x anyway, and the ones set to 9x are usually being used to look at things rather than shoot them.
Buy it if you want the lightest, simplest option and you are shooting inside 75 yards. Do not buy it if you want to shrink groups at 100.
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How Much Magnification Do You Actually Need
Less than the box art suggests. At 50 yards, 4x puts a squirrel-sized target comfortably in view. At 100 yards, 7x to 9x is plenty. Past that a .22 LR is being pushed beyond its useful range by wind drift, not by your ability to see.
High magnification costs you in three ways people do not anticipate: the field of view narrows so you lose the target when it moves, the exit pupil shrinks so the picture darkens at dawn and dusk when small game is active, and every tremor in your hold is magnified along with the target.
The practical answer for a 10/22 is a 2-7x or 3-9x variable, left near the bottom of its range for anything moving and wound up only for deliberate shots at known distance.
Mounting It: the Part That Goes Wrong
A Ruger 10/22 has a grooved receiver and ships with a tip-off adapter, which gives you a 3/8-inch dovetail. Scope rings for that dovetail are not the same as Weaver or Picatinny rings, and this is where most first-time orders go wrong.
Weaver bases use slots of a particular width at non-standardised spacing. Picatinny is a military specification with wider slots at fixed 0.394-inch spacing. Picatinny rings generally will not fit a Weaver base; Weaver rings will usually fit Picatinny, loosely. If you want a Picatinny rail on a 10/22 you buy a receiver rail that bolts into the grooved receiver, and then any modern ring or red dot mounts without drama.
Two further points worth knowing. Use medium or low rings — a 32mm objective does not need the height, and a lower scope means a more natural cheek weld. And use a thread locker on the base screws, because rimfire recoil is mild but the vibration from a semi-automatic action walks screws loose over a few hundred rounds.
Questions Owners Actually Ask
How accurate is a Ruger 10/22?
A stock rifle with decent ammunition will hold around one to two inches at 50 yards. The barrel and the ammunition are the limits long before the scope is, and 10/22s are notoriously particular about which brand of .22 they like — it is worth buying four or five different boxes and shooting groups before blaming the optic.
Can you kill a deer with a Ruger 10/22?
Do not. A .22 LR is prohibited for deer in the overwhelming majority of US states, and where any rimfire is permitted at all the rules are narrow and specific. Beyond the legality, the cartridge does not carry the energy for a reliable, humane kill on an animal that size. Check your own state regulations for what is legal where you hunt; for deer, use a deer cartridge.
What is the best scope for a 10/22 Charger?
The Charger is a pistol built on the 10/22 action, and a conventional riflescope’s eye relief is far too short for it. You want either a red dot sight or a dedicated long-eye-relief pistol scope. Our guide to red dot sights covers the first option.
Is a more expensive scope worth it on a .22?
Up to a point. Below about $50 you get genuinely poor glass and turrets that will not hold a zero. From roughly $60 to $150 the money buys real improvements in coatings, eye box and warranty. Above that, on a rimfire shot inside 100 yards, you are paying for capability the rifle and the cartridge cannot use.
Our Pick
The Vortex Crossfire II Rimfire for almost everyone: the right magnification range, a forgiving eye box, and a warranty that outlives the rifle. The Simmons Pro Rimfire if the budget is tight, and its .22-calibrated holdover marks make it the better choice specifically at 75 to 100 yards. The BARSKA if you want rings in the same box. The TRUGLO if light and simple beats adjustable. And whichever you choose, spend the difference on several brands of ammunition rather than on more magnification — that is where the groups actually come from. For longer-range optics, see our guides to rimfire scopes and rifle scopes under $200.