Who doesn’t love a good .22 LR rifle or pistol?
As someone getting into steel challenge, I’ve seen plenty of awesome rigs with interesting scope setups, and it’s got me thinking…what makes a good .22 LR scope or optic?
I’ve always gone simple with my .22LR and mostly use iron sights or the occasional red dot.
It’s not something I’ve given much thought to until recently, and guess what? There’s more to it than I ever realized.
At least there is if you want to do it right. As such, I’ve gathered a little information on the best .22LR scopes on the market, at least in my opinion.
I targeted these optics with a specific set of requirements, and I tried to target optics to fulfill the needs of the versatile .22LR.
THE QUICK LIST
How We Test & Choose the Best Rimfire Optics
To choose the best rimfire optics, we first determined the metric by which we would judge the possible contenders. We ultimately decided that our winners had to have a few things in common:
- Ease of use
- Clarity
- Ability to get on target
We balanced these requirements with features and, of course, price to come up with our top recommendations.
Author Travis Pike is at the helm of this review. He has spent a lifetime shooting, starting in a family that hunted every season they legally could. From there, he joined the United States Marine Corps and spent five years as an infantryman. In the middle of his Marine Corps career, he began writing and never stopped.
Wyatt Sloan, Jr., editor at Pew Pew Tactical, edited this review and lent some additional recommendations based on his own experience and testing. With over 200 firearms in his inventory, Wyatt has extensively tested both guns and gear. As a hunter and USCCA rifle instructor, he also knows what goes into a good optic.
Best Rimfire Red Dots
1. Sig Sauer Romeo5 – Editor’s Pick Rimfire Red Dot
Specs
- Type: Red dot
- Magnification: 1x
- Objective lens: 20mm
- Weight: 5.1 oz
- Reticle: 2 MOA dot
- Illuminated: Yes (NV compatible)
- Battery life: 40,000 hours
Do you want a dedicated long gun red dot that won’t break the bank?
It’s also the best under $200 red dot that we recommend for AR-15s.
Enter the Sig Romeo5 red dot…
40,000 hours (about 4.5 years) of battery life, which means you rarely have to remember to change batteries. Plus, it comes with shake-awake, which makes it easy to pick up and go.
We have multiple units that have survived thousands of rounds, so we can confidently say it will be perfectly ok on your rimfire rifle.
Check out the full review of the Romeo5 to learn more. Otherwise, if you want an AR-15-rated optic on your .22LR, this is the way to go!
2. Holosun 407K – Best .22 LR Low-Profile Red Dot
Specs
- Type: Reflex sight
- Magnification: 1x
- Window size: 0.58″ x 0.77″
- Weight: 1 oz
- Reticle: 6 MOA dot
- Illuminated: Yes (NV compatible)
- Battery life: 50,000 hours
We love our Holosuns here at Pew Pew Tactical. The 407K is no exception and is an outstanding choice for those looking to add an optic to their rimfire pistol or rifle.
The 407K utilizes the Shield RMSc footprint, which is common among many popular rimfire pistols on the current market, such as the Sig P322, FN 502, and Taurus TX22. This optic has a 6 MOA dot and is available in red and green models.
Additionally, the 407K boasts an impressive 50,000 battery life and features a shake-awake function that automatically turns the dot on once it detects movement.
The 407K is an affordable option that’s plenty durable for a red dot. It makes it easy to ding steel, plink cans, and decimate the squirrel population at close ranges.
Best Rimfire Scopes
3. Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire 3-9x – Editor’s Rimfire Scope Pick
Specs
- Type: Scope
- Magnification: 3-9x
- Objective lens: 40mm
- Tube diameter: 1″
- Weight: 12.2 oz
- Reticle: MOA Scale
- Focal plane – Second
- Illuminated: No
- Eye relief – 4.2″
- Field of view (@100 yds) – 33.1 ft
The VX-Freedom Rimfire 3-9x40mm might be the most traditional riflescope on this list. It’s purpose-built from the ground up for rimfire rifles and incorporates a 60-yard focus setting for all your long-range shooting needs.
The 3-9x magnification setting provides you plenty of magnification to reach out and touch a target, and it’s long been a popular magnification choice for hunters and shooters.
Reticle-wise, we have what appears to be a very simplistic duplex until you look a little closer. The reticle is a duplex with a simple MOA ladder to compensate for ballistic drop.
The VX-Freedom Rimfire is an SFP scope, but you likely won’t utilize the drop ladder unless you are at the highest magnification setting anyway. It’s quite clear and would make it easy to turn some tree rats into squirrely stew. (I have a great recipe if you need it.)
4. Hawke Vantage 4×32 – Best Fixed Magnifer Rimfire Scope
Specs
- Type: Scope
- Magnification: 4x
- Objective lens: 32mm
- Tube diameter: 1″
- Weight: 13.1 oz
- Reticle: Mil Dot
- Focal plane – Second
- Illuminated: No
- Eye relief – 3.5″
- Field of view (@100 yds) – 28.5 ft
The Hawke Vantage 4×32 is a little fixed power optic that’s an absolute darling on a .22LR scope. It might be a little light in the magnification for 100 yards, but for most tasks, it’s a real doll.
This optic provides a lightweight optic made by a company mostly known for airguns.
Our Vantage is primed with a parallax setting of 10 yards to infinity, making it perfect for your Ruger, Marlin, Mossberg, or whatever other .22LR rifles you might have. Plus, the big eye box and the 28.5-foot field of view make it easy to track small, sometimes fast-moving targets.
Precise ¼ MOA adjustments make it easy to zero the optics for those tiny little groups at ranges from 50 to 100 yards.
Plus, the optic is light at 13.1 ounces but sturdy and clear. With 11 layers of multicoating, you are getting some very clear lenses and a bright, vivid HD picture.
5. Vortex 2-7x Crossfire Rimfire – Best Value Rimfire Scope
Specs
- Type: Scope
- Magnification: 2-7x
- Objective lens: 32mm
- Tube diameter: 1″
- Weight: 12.2 oz
- Reticle: V-Plex
- Focal plane – Second
- Illuminated: No
- Eye relief – 3.9″
- Field of view (@100 yds) – 42 ft
Remember when I said the 3-9x might be the most classic magnification on the list? I might have lied. Before the 3-9X became popular, the 2-7x ruled.
For a .22LR, the 2-7x magnification settings ensure things stay light but versatile. The Crossfire offers plenty of adjustment room to ensure you are dead on with your chosen .22LR.
The V-Plex MOA reticle is very precise and unobstructed and remains the same size throughout the magnification settings. That tiny little dot makes it easy to squeeze out that headshot on a squirrel, rabbit, or soda can…poor Coke cans don’t stand a chance.
Also, the Crossfire packs a massive eyebox with a long eye relief that makes it quick and easy to get behind the optic and on target.
You can snap to your target and send that little .22LR pill downrange with superior accuracy. With a 50-yard parallax setting, the optic takes advantage of the Crossfire’s magnification.
What do you think of the Vortex Crossfire? Rate it below!
6. Bushnell Match Pro 6-24×50 – Best Budget NRL22 Optic
Specs
- Type: Scope
- Magnification: 6-24x
- Objective lens: 50mm
- Tube diameter: 30mm
- Weight: 29.8 oz
- Reticle: Deploy MIL
- Focal plane – First
- Illuminated: Yes
- Eye relief – 3.74″
- Field of view (@100 yds) – 18 ft
The Bushnell Match Pro 6-24×50 might seem like a crazy choice. Who needs that much magnification with a .22LR?
Well, I want to introduce you to NRL22, NRL22X, and 22ELR. These shooting sports are all about precision and accuracy, and in these contests, optics range wildly in size, accuracy, and price.
The Bushnell Match Pro 6-24×50 is the best budget optic on the market for NRL22.
It was built for the Base class, which packs a restrictive MSRP requirement of $1,050 for the optic and gun. At around $500, the Match Pro Delivers all you need.
This optic packs a punch with magnification, as well as a first focal plane design. On top of that, we get a 10-yard adjustable parallax with turrets and an elevation designed explicitly for NRL22.
The Match Pro is built from the ground up for precision .22LR rifles and delivers unbeatable quality for the price tag.
7. Zeiss LRP S3 4-25×50 – Best High-End Rimfire Scope
Specs
- Type: Scope
- Magnification: 4-25x
- Objective lens: 50mm
- Tube diameter: 34mm
- Weight: 36.7 oz
- Reticle: ZF-MRi
- Focal plane – First
- Illuminated: Yes
- Eye relief – 3.5″
- Field of view (@100 yds) – 28.5 ft
If you are looking to shoot NRL22 matches and want the absolute best, look no further than the Zeiss LRP S3 4-25×50.
What sets this scope apart is its insane 160 MOA of elevation travel — the most of any scope in its class.
In addition to the extreme elevation you can dial in, the T-Star six-layer glass with LotuTec coating offers an ultra-crisp sight picture with 90% light transmission. Add in the large 34mm main tube, and you have absolutely top-shelf optical clarity.
Ballistic stop and external locking windage turrets make for easy and accurate adjustments on the fly. The illuminated ZF-MRi reticle on this scope was designed with input from active competitors and instructors, and was built specifically with PRS and NRL matches in mind.
All of this comes with a hefty street price of around $2,300, but it may very well be the best long-range .22LR on the market.
Special Concerns for a .22LR
.22LR can be used in a rifle or pistol and can be used to plink, hunt, for competitive use of all types, and whatever else you could use a .22LR for.
Parallax
.22LR isn’t exactly a round used for shooting at long ranges. If you toss on your average rifle scope that’s adapted to parallax at 100 or 150 yards, you might experience parallax. This makes it tough to shoot straight, or at least mildly annoying.
If you go with a magnified scope, then you’ll need to scope (pun intended) out the parallax setting. Getting a parallax set to 10 to 60 yards is perfect and makes it easy to be accurate with a .22LR.
Even better, check out an adjustable parallax option with a low initial setting.
Reticle
Reticles for .22LR rifles can be quite simple. Most hunters and plinkers will be satisfied with a simple duplex reticle, nothing fancy. You don’t often need to compensate for ballistic drop at the ranges you hunt at.
For action shooting, like steel challenge, you’ll want a red dot. Something rapid, easy to see, and perfect for hitting steel plates rapidly. That little dot makes it easy to transition rapidly.
Finally, for precision competition, you might want the fancy reticle. .22LR drops quickly and bounces around like a plastic bag in the wind. You might want a reticle with a ladder-style system to compensate for ballistic drop and windage.
Focal Plane
Scopes come in two focal planes, first and second. With a first focal plane scope, the reticles changes in size alongside the magnification. With a second focal plane scope, the reticle remains the same size regardless of magnification.
FFP scopes are great for precision competition because the reticle’s drop and windage compensation tools are accurate at every magnification setting.
An SFP scope works better at close ranges and with lower magnification settings and is likely the better choice for hunters.
For more on FFP vs. SFP, check out our guide here.
Final Thoughts
The .22LR round creates more shooters per year than any other, and more .22LR is sold than any other cartridge in the states.
A good rimfire rifle or pistol will serve you well, and an optically enhanced variant will serve you even better.
There are a ton of them on the market, so I can’t possibly cover them all. So what’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Got a 10/22 and need some more upgrades? Check out our list of the Best Accessories for the 10/22!
Latest Updates
July 2024: Replaced Athlon Midas TAC HD 5-25x with Zeiss LRP S3 4-25×50.
