Best Scopes For The Ruger 10/22

If you’re looking for the best scopes for the Ruger 10/22, you’ll want to consider the application for your rifle (hunting, plinking, competition, etc), mounting systems you’ll want to use, and price.

In this list of the best 10/22 scopes, we have some tips for choosing the best scope for your needs.

As a Ruger 10/22 owner, you have a few different options when it comes to choosing the best rifle scope as you upgrade from the standard iron sight that you may currently have. You can go with a traditional SFP (second focal plane) scope, or you can opt for an FFP (first focal plane) scope. Both have their own benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to choose the right one based on your needs.

SFP scopes are typically more affordable than FFP scopes, making them a great option for budget-conscious shooters. Generally this makes more sense on a 22, but depending on your use and budget, you may opt for an option in FFP – this would be great if you’re looking more into target shooting, but more on this later.

Best Ruger 10/22 Scopes

Below we have our top picks for the Best Scopes for your Ruger 10/22.

Best Ruger 10/22 Scopes

1. Tasco Rimfire Series		Super Cheap Perfect for Hunting Versatile Magnification Range	Check Price
2. Burris Droptine 3-9X		50 to 150 Yard BDC Drop Reticle Perfect For Long 22LR Use Extremely Clear	Check Price
3. Vortex Spitfire		Prism is Perfect For Astigmatism Robust Close Range Option Etched Reticle	Check Price
4. Bushnells TRS-25		Multiple Height Options Affordable but Durable Red Dot Compact Enclosed Emitter Design	Check Price
5. Vortex Venom 5-25X		FFP Reticle Exposed turrets RevStop Zero System	Check Price

Specifications Comparisons Chart for Ruger 10/22 Scopes

There are literally hundreds of different scopes available for the Ruger 10/22, below we will will overview our list of scopes and look more into their individual shooting specifications.

Best Scopes for the Ruger 10/22

Here are my favorite Ruger 10/22 scopes based on its uses and capabilities:

1. Tasco Rimfire Series 3-9x
2. Burris Droptine 3-9x
3. Vortex Spitfire
4. Bushnells TRS-25
5. Vortex Venom 5-25X56 FFP

Reviews of the Scopes For The Ruger 10/22

The Ruger 10/22 is a popular .22 rifle that’s been around for decades. There are myriad options when it comes to shooting with scopes with a 22 and finding the right one can be tricky. Below we have the individual reviews of our top optic picks for the Ruger 10/22 to simplify this process.

Tasco Rimfire Series Review

I included the Tasco Rimfire Series on the list because it’s inexpensive yet suitable option for a 22LR rifle. It’s a very basic scope with no extra bells or whistles. I love it for it’s waterproof, shockproof, and nitrogen purged to maintain a fog-less picture features. Beyond that, it won’t astonish you.

But, I have used one of these scopes for MANY years and although it’s basic, it’s never let me down when I’ve had my hands on it.

This scope is a 3-9X optic with an objective lens that can keep its position and be accurate. Because I’m using it on a 22LR, the glass quality for the shorter ranges is good enough.

It’s not the most feature-rich scope, but it allows me to zoom in on a small target such as a squirrel or rabbit and fire an accurate humane shot. It’s a light scope, weighing in at only 11.6 ounces for a 3-9X magnifier. While it isn’t very stylish, it does the trick and has no trouble hitting its mark.

Tasco Rimfire Series Pros and Cons

Tasco Rimfire Series Deals

Burris Droptine 3-9x Review

I have a solution for you if you want to upgrade your 22LR rifle’s scope to something more decorative. The Burris Droptine could be one of the nicer scopes for a 22LR gun without breaking the bank.

The 22LR round is the inspiration for the Ballistic Plex reticle in the Droptine series. This means that the reticle features a wide range of drop points that allow you to automatically compensate for distance.

Even if I’m not using them heavily, I do like the adjustable fingertip turrets for convenience and ease of zeroing. I doubt you’ll be dialing in your sights with a 22LR, but you can do it. The glass on the Droptine is great for hunting because it provides a clean sight picture downrange.

The magnification ring is smooth, the adjustments are accurate, and a 1-inch tube makes it easy to find mounts and rings.

Burris considers the Droptine a scope that’s part of their budget line, but for a 22 it’s one of the better options. Burris offers an outstanding warranty and great customer service, so your investment is protected.

Burris Droptine 3-9x Pros and Cons

Burris Droptine Deals

Vortex Spitfire Review

As a prism sight, the Spitfire provides another option that replicates a red dot.

More than that, the Spitfire’s reticle is etched and lighted. The reticle is still visible even if the batteries die or you don’t want illumination.

On a 22LR, the Vortex Spitfire is an adaptable optic that’s as tough as hell. Prisms are optics with few failure points that are highly durable. The Spitfire has a weight disadvantage over a red dot sight, but I find that is is extremely robust. The forgiving eye box and huge eye relief make the Spitfire ideal for tracking moving objects.

The reticle also offers a simple means for quick sight picture. A 3 MOA center dot with a 44 MOA outside ring is visible in crisp and clear high definition due to the etched finish. The etched aspect makes it easy to spot both in sharp and distinct high definition.

Vortex Spitfire Pros and Cons

Vortex Spitfire Deals

Bushnells TRS-25 Review

Bushnell’s TRS 25 is a low-cost but highly durable and versatile optic. A red dot on a 22LR makes perfect sense for fast, close-range shooting.

The TRS 25 offers a 3 MOA dot for a 22LR optic, making it ideal. It’s simple to see and works well within the effective range of a 22LR. The TRS 25 is nice sized optic choice, with lots of mounting choices available. Depending on what your rifle demands, you can go AR height or insanely low.

Bushnell’s TRS 25 is an outstanding optic for a 22LR. Like some of our other options above, it’s waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof, which makes it ideal for hunting or plinking. The optic is more than adequate for hunting, pest control or everyday training. This little red dot isn’t afraid to work hard and can even be used with a low-cost magnifier to create an option to be used with a centerfire.

This is one of the best kids’ optics available – especially because of the durability of this optic. It’s simple to install and zero, and the simplicity of a red dot sight makes it very easy to be precise.

Bushnells TRS-25 Pros and Cons

Bushnells TRS-25 Deals

Vortex Venom 5-25X Review

Vortex Optics has a long track record of offering high-quality, low-cost optics. When you can trust a company and know you’re not risking quality, it takes the anxiety out of your purchase decisions.

Why did I include the Venom 5-25×56 FFP? This is an option for individuals who don’t care about price as much as they do about additional features that go with a scope for their bigger rifles. This scope sits between the Vortex Diamondback and Strike Eagle lines, and it isn’t cheap at all, especially for a 22LR rimfire scope, but the functionality is exceptional – this scope could even be considered if you’re wanting an entry level option for long range shooting.

The EBR-7C reticle is good for holdovers and ranging your target. The turrets are excellent and help you get the perfect shot. You can also adjust the parallax on the scope to bring your target into focus as close as 15 yards. This makes the scope good for both long distance rifles and 22’s.

The Vortex Venom has a RevStop system that makes it easy to go back to zero after you dial in the elevation, and on a 22LR you’ll be dialing up a lot more than you would with a 6.5CM or 308. This system takes the guesswork out of returning back to zero.

A scope like the Venom is a fantastic choice for functionality if you’re interested in participating in more tactical or practical shooting sports, such as NRL22.

Vortex Venom 5-25X Pros and Cons

Vortex Venom 5-25X Deals

Best Scope for Ruger 10/22 – Buyers Guide

If you’re looking for a Ruger 10/22 scope, you’ve come to the right place. Above we listed the best scopes for the Ruger 10/22, below we’ll be going into considerations when buying an optic and what you should look for so that you can take this knowledge and apply it in your decision making process when choosing your next optic.

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most popular rifles on the market, and for good reason. It’s a great gun for plinking and small game hunting, and it’s also relatively inexpensive. But in order to get the most out of your Ruger 10/22, you need to choose the right scope.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a Ruger 10/22 scope, such as application, magnification, mounting options, and price. Below we’ll be discussing these points and more.

Application

The first, and most important, factor is what the rifle will be used for. Are you hunting small game? Is this a training rifle for your centerfire? Will this be your go-to survival rifle? Each of these applications has different requirements for an optic.

Hunting – For hunters shooting small game, magnification is king. As little as 2x or 4x is enough power to get the job done, but serious squirrel and rabbit hunters could be well served by 3-9X optics.

Training – A 22LR rifle can serve as a stand-in training option for a centerfire rifle. There are a number of 22 rifles such as the Ruger RPR that are dressed up to look like tactical centerfire rifles. Even if your 22LR isn’t your main goto firearm, or even if you’re not looking to hunt or compete with it, you may still use it for training purposes. It’d be ideal to match the optic on your rifle as closely as possible in this situation, for example, the Vortex Venom mentioned above would be perfect for this situation.

Survival – I don’t think anyone would debate having a 22LR on hand is a negative when it comes to survival. Lightweight, effective, cheap ammo which won’t take up a lot of room when you’re on the move. Having an effective scope option is a serious consideration, generally, something that’s not overpowered and has a large field of view, in this case, a red dot might be a great solution.

Plinking – I think we can all agree that most of our 22LR fired rounds are used when plinking. Especially if you’ve got kids, setting up some soda cans for them to shoot at can be an afternoon well spent teaching fundamentals of shooting and firearm safety. A red dot, a low-powered fixed optic, or an LVPO (low-powered variable optical), might be a good choice in this scenario. A red dot makes things simple; all you have to do is place the dot on the target and pull the trigger.

Magnification

The most common scope for long-range shooting is 4x to 6x. Scopes with a lower magnification, such as 3-9X or 2-7X, are often preferred by huntings because they provide better target acquisition than scopes with higher magnifications. The two digits that you generally see, 3-9X in the examples above, indicate the magnification range of the scope. In this example the magnification range of the target is between 3 times closer, and 9 times closer.

Lower magnifications are definitely not a bad thing, as the lower the magnification the more you see through your optic. There is such a thing as having too much magnification, too much magnification can result in not being able to find your target. Most hunting is done at 10x or less, and in this case if you’re using a 22LR you’re unlikely to be shooting at a distance where a high magnification matters.

FFP or SFP

You may see some scopes mention FFP (First Focal Plane) or SFP (Second Focal Plane). Simply the “focal plane” is basically where in the scope the reticle is placed, is it placed in the first focal plane or second.

Most of your lower end or hunting scopes will be a second focal plane. A simplistic overview is that In a SFP scope your reticle will not change size as you adjust magnification. It will always be the same size, no matter what. This is great for having a nice large reticle you can see at lower magnification, but if you’re wanting to use the reticle markings to measure the distance to your target or to hold for elevation as you shoot further, your reticle marking will only be accurate at a certain magnification, generally at full zoom.

First focal plane is basically the opposite, scopes that are in FFP are also at a higher price point. In a FFP scope the reticle changes size as you move through magnification range, so when you zoom in, the target and the reticle will increase in size. One of the advantages of this is, if you’re using the reticle markings to measure distance, you can regardless of what magnification setting you’re currently on.

First Focal Plane is a great option for sports like the NRL22 series as your reticle mil dot marking will stay accurate regardless of your zoom which is invaluable when you’re involved in a fast paced sport like NRL22.

For a more in-depth look into FFP vs SFP, check out our article here.

Mounting Options

In a world of shooting, there’s no one-size fits all when it comes to mounting systems.

With the Ruger 10/22 you could have multiple options when it comes to mounting systems. The Ruger 10/22 competition for example comes with a Picatinny Rail, whereas the Ruger 10/22 carbine comes with iron sights and a weaver base included.

With many options when it comes to mounting an optic to a 22LR it’s good to take note of what you currently have, or if it’s a new rifle, look at the rifle spec sheet to see what it comes with. For more information on mounting systems and help in identifying what is scope mount you may already have on your rifle, we have an article dedicated to the Type of Mounting Systems topic which you can find that HERE!

Once you determine what type of base or interface you currently have, you’ll need to find mounting rings to suit your chosen scope – and we have the tool for you! Whether you’re looking for tactical scope rings for target shooting or just a basic scope mount for your rimfire rifle, be sure to bookmark our Scope Ring Finder Tool.

Price Point

When looking for a rimfire scope for your Ruger 10/22 rifle, it’s important to keep in mind that you don’t need to spend a lot of money. In fact, there are many great scopes available for under $100. Also it’s important to remember when buying a scope, you need a scope ring mounting system as well, so factor that in when considering your budget.

That said, it’s still important to choose a quality optic that will meet your needs. Whether you’re looking for your first scope or are just looking to upgrade an old one, remember that you don’t have to break the bank to get a good one. There are plenty of great options available at reasonable prices to get you setup and to the range shooting.

What Now?

Now that you know what the best scope for Ruger 10/22 is, let’s look at the next steps. A 22LR rifle is a must-have for any gun collection, and they provide an inexpensive, lightweight, and low-recoiling rifle that’s lots of fun. Admittedly, they’re great for small game hunting and pest removal, but target shooting and plinking with your rimfire rifle is where the real joy lies. A decent optic only adds to the pleasure when it comes to accuracy improvement, range extension, and speed.

Getting a new rimfire scope is fantastic, but it won’t help you if you don’t install it on the gun correctly. While a gunsmith may mount and calibrate your scope, it may not be setup to suit you! Mounting a scope correctly is quite simple, so don’t be concerned! To make mounting the scope super easy, take a look at our How To Mount A Scope: 7 Steps To Installing A Riflescope The Right Way! Whether you’re setting up your rimfire rifle, or something for long range, the process is the same and it’s an important step not to be overlooked.

After that, you’ll need to zero it. Getting your point of aim, your “zero” to correspond with the bullet’s point of impact at a specific distance is known as zeroing.

This is another simple but crucial step that you must be aware of when shooting. I suggest beginning at a close range and working your way back. I will always start at 25yards. and then move out to 50 yards where my 22 will be ‘zeroed’. For larger caliber rifles, it’s more common to zero to 100 yards.

For a Step-by-Step guide and videos on how to do this well, head over to our article on How To Adjust A Rifle Scope and How To Sight In A Rifle Scope: Zeroing Made Easy!