The trouble with being a novice is that you don't yet know what fits you, your hunting style and your preferences. Neither do we,
but we can give our trial and error conclusions that fit each of us. After 60 years of shooting I prefer low mounted variable scopes with a low end of one power. I just ordered a 1-4x32 Bushnell that will go on my 10/22.
I only hunt grouse with my .22, usually aiming at head/neck with most shots between 5 and 25 yards, a lot about 10 yards. My use is different from squirrel hunting but FWIW: For the past three years I have kept track and most of my misses on grouse are closer than 6 yards and I really had trouble killing grouse inside of 3 yards. Parallax and the distance between bore and line of sight are my problems up close. The parallax problem increases with magnification and closer range, if I understand the experts. My parallax solution is one power. A low mount plus remembering to aim high on close shots counters the bore/sight difference at close range.
I've owned two 50 mm scopes, didn't like either of them due to scope height, and got rid of them. You may love 50mm. I have a one power red dot on my 10/22 that works well. I plan to move the red dot to a shotgun for deer hunting and go back to a 1-4 scope on the .22.
