Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Ruger 10/22

So what are you guys scoping your 10/22's with nowadays?

meopta 3 x 9 x 40

Leupold 4x33 with M1. Fun to play with at extended ranges. A 6” steel plate at 200 yards is surprisingly easy

On my "everyday, need a .22, grab it and go" 10/22:
Leupold 3-9 x 33 (I think 33) adjustable objective. They are called various things: Compact, Ultralight, Airgun. Sometimes the adjustable objective is called EFR, denoting extended focusing range. They are all about the same. They used to be part of the "2" line: Vari X II, VX 2, whatever.

On my "long range" 10/22:
SWFA 10 power "Mil Q."

I have a couple, one scoped with a VX-2 3-9x40 CDS. You can get the CDS set up for specific bullets, mine the 38 gr. Fed Game Shok with 50 yd zero.

The other an EFR 3-9x33 A/O As one of the Compact series, it has a smaller ocular and a short ER. ER not a big deal with a .22, but I had to drill/tap the receiver to get base set back where I wanted it. With A/O, I can shoot groups in my 50' indoor range.

Once had a vintage 1.5-5x20 on the Volquartsen (Hogue stock, Jard trigger assembly).

DF

I've said all this before, but will repeat:

Some say you don't need much magnification on a .22 because the range is relatively short. I contend that the targets are often small even though the range is short.

High magnification at closer ranges can give you parallax issues, thus the need for adjustable objective.

.22 rifles tend to be small, e.g. the 10/22.
Two good bolt .22 rifles are the Ruger 77/22 and the various CZ offerings. Bolt have ocular (eyepiece) bolt clearance issues.
The small size, small ocular Leupold works well with the size and clearance issues I mention.

My "meat gun" has a 20" Green Mountain fluted sporter barrel, Kidd trigger group, in a Hogue overmolded stock, with a Leupold VX-1 2x7x33 that I adjusted the parallax to 50 yards.

My "good" 10/22 has a 18" Volquartson heavy barrel, Kidd trigger group, in a Hogue overmolded stock, topped with a Leupold VX-II 4-12x40 AO with the Long Range Duplex.

Leupold 4X Rimfire. It’s not the fanciest, but it works. It works quite well!

JG - I just did this. Went with a 2-7x32 Hawke Endurance with Talleys. Had a blast with it this weekend and thrilled with how accurate it was using std velocity cci stuff. My only advice is go easy on mounting as the receiver is softer than the screws.

Good to know. I've had an older Nikon ProStaff 4x Rimfire on mine for several years, and my 58 yr old eyeballs want more magnification.

Yeah, the aluminum receiver is soft; "farmer tight" may strip the threads.

Otherwise, a piece of cake.

DF

I have several. A couple have red dots and I use them for steel challenge shooting. A couple have Weaver V-16's (4-16x). The ones with the V-16's are set up for accuracy with upgraded barrels, triggers etc.

Nikon EFR Rimfire 3-9x40 has been a good one lately.

I just put a Nightforce compact 2.5x10x42 and it is working out just fine.

Depends on the 10/22.

1.5-5x20 on a 16.5" take-down.
2-7x33 on an 18.5" take-down, an 18.5" sporter, a 20" sporter, and a 24" sporter.
3-9x40 on an 18.5" sporter
3.5-10x36AO on a 20" sporter and a 22" sporter.
4-12x40AO on a 20" target/varmint.
4-16x42AO on a 24" target/varmint.

I keep a couple of old Weaver T-15s to use for load work up on CF rifles and for test different brands and styles of rimfire ammo.

^^^^^^^
Are all of those still in the stable? Like 10/22 rifles much?

I have a Simmons 4x32, .22 Mag scope on mine. Works well, under $50. A simple scope, and good optics.

I've some strong suggestions:
Take the rifle apart to the point that you can see inside the receiver (meaning at least remove the bolt.) Take pains to get screws that are as long as possible. Carefully shorten and deburr longer ones if you have to. The more threads engaged, the better. You need to be careful with the most forward screw to make sure it is long as possible without bottoming on the barrel.

With an ACCURATE torque wrench (I like the old fashion beam style), torque to 12 inch pounds. That is INCH pounds, not foot pounds! Ruger says 12-15 in a 2018 manual I have.

Thread locker is your friend here.

Currently have 17 of them on the books.

Many on here will laugh, but I have a couple older , Made in Japan, Tasco 3x9x32 that is bullet proof. They are small enough for the 10-22, or any .22, and work really well. I don't know about the newer Chinese made ones, but the Jap made ones were good little scopes. .Another good thing is they are cheap to buy used!

I'd choose a scope suitable for the rifle's purpose and accuracy potential. I've killed several pickup loads of jackrabbits using a run-of-the-mill rimfire rifle with a cheap 3-9x on it, and I've shot ragged hole groups at 50 yards with my 52 repro wearing a VX-3 4.5-14x40 with AO. I think AO is well worth having on an accurate .22 rifle, at least for shooting paper.

I'm thinking AO or side focus as well, and something in the 3-12x range probably. It's a bone stock 10/22 that I just shoot targets, rabbits, etc, no competitions.

Agree.

DF

2-7 viper and 2-7 vx1

I've got an old Tasco 2-7x32, a WA27X32, that came to me on an old Remington 512. It has been a reliable scope for the 15 years that I've owned it, even though I don't shoot it much. It was my FIL's barn gun that he used for shooting pigeons and rats.

I'd choose a scope suitable for the rifle's purpose and accuracy potential.......... I'm with River Rider on this one. It just depends on your plans. My unmodified 10/22 is just a small game & plinking gun so a high dollar scope isn't really necessary. Put on a cheap BSA 2-7x 32mm back in 1997 as a "temporary" type deal. But it's still on there because the gun & scope combo is accurate enough for my usage and I got to liking it. When this scope quits I'll start looking at others. I like the 2-7x range for my general all around use and a couple years ago wound up putting a 2-7x Vortex on a CZ-455 in 22lr and I could see one on my 10/22 if that BSA ever dies.

Have a Nikon Prostaff 2-7x32 on mine. Perfect size imo

Don't snicker, JG but I have a Simmons 22 MAG 3-9x32 AO on my 10/22. It has withstood bricks and bricks of ammo thru use at Hunter Safety courses and a KAMO program, plus the plinking and dispatching varmints around the place.

Hey, if it works...

DF

Wow! I have a couple regular 10/22s and a couple Chargers and thought I might have been over-doing it a little.......thanks for making me feel so conservative!!

Not an expensive scope, but the Bushnell A17, 3.5-10x36AO, that I've bought from CDNN for $50 have worked well.

Not really bright enough for late dusk or early dawn hunting, but fine for most daylight casual shooting/hunting situations.

Here's another EFR 3-9x33 A/O on a loooong CZ 2500, a rather unusual rifle with 29" barrel. This one has a Timney trigger, is really accurate and quiet with that long tube.

DF

I'm in no position to laugh at someone like yourself who continually kills quality animals. I wouldn't anyway because I have a coonass buddy that hunts whitetails with me up in the TX Panhandle with his old Sako 30/06 topped with a Simmons 44Mag scope. He kills the crap out of nice bucks and hogs. It works.

I’ve got Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40’s on both of mine. No complaints here. If I was to buy another I’d probably put a VX-Freedom on it.

JG, just the other day, I killed one of those "quality" animals you mentioned.

Niiiiiice.........WTH is it? We don't have those here....... I'm a desert rat.

It is a immature ground hog.

Demo Tract Turion/Tekoa

Mine has a Weaver classic K4, I like it.

Aimpoint.

]

SWFA fixed 6...

Aimpoint T1.... but it’s not a Ruger...

Cheater.....grin...

Leupold VX1 2-7x33.

That 10/22 looks great with that T1 on it.Im thinking about getting an H2 micro for 1 of my 10/22 rifles.From the looks of that 100yd group your T1 is working out good for you.Ya got to love those mini mags they work really well in all of my rimfires.

I just purchased a Ruger Target Lite 10/22 last week, and installed a Nikko Stirling 4-12x44 LRX Game King that I had sitting around. It came on a Howa rifle a few years ago. It has a parallax adjustment down to 10 yards, and I plan on leaving it at 25 yds, and adjusting when necessary. It is actually a pretty decent scope for being priced at about $150 new. I did have to go with high rings because it is 44mm, and it is a pretty heavy scope, but I think it will work out well.

Swaro 3-9x36 & S&B Summit

Hard not to like 10/22s...

I put a Leupold Alaskan on mine.....

Had vari x II. 4-12AO. On my heavy bbl. Switched to 3-9x EFR. Fingergroove has VX1. 2-7x

I have an old Redfield 3x9 Accutrac. I have the amount of clicks figured out to 200 yards.

I have a Leupold Alaskan on a Miroku Winchester 52 Sporter. The 7/8" tube doesn't overwhelm the small action like a bigger scope does. To me it is in sync with the rifle, not too big, not too small, just right.

JG- not sure how much you want to spend for a scope on your plinker. I am super happy with my Hawke, I wasn't looking for a Leupold - and the snob in me didn't want a Simmons( though just like others here I have a buddy who has been deadly with his for years).

Thought I would throw this out there for consideration as it seems to be just about what you said you were looking for.

4-12x40 AO


ps- glad you read my ocomment abut the soft receive. I ended up using epoxy in one screw hole- didn't want it to happen to others.

Big scopes tend to "look big" on 10/22 rifles, especially those with conventionally shaped stocks and thinner barrels.
That's why I like the smaller 3-9 x 33 AO Leupold.
But those bigger ones do work very well as far as magnification and adjustable objective.
Also, with a 10/22, you don't have any ocular/bolt clearance issues.

Hawke make a nice scope with calibrations in it for a .22. I have one on my 10/22 and it is a great scope for the gun. Mine is a 3-9x40 sport HD IR. It is illuminated with markings in it out to 200 yards. I think this model is discontinued but they replaced it with a similar model.

I have the same scope on my 452 (which also has a Timney:).......best scope I've had on a rimfire.



Went old school with a Leupold 4X Rimfire and those ugly old Weaver rings on my 10/22.....it seemed like the thing to do on a FS rifle. It works fine for plinking which is all I use this rifle for.

My best scope on my best rifle is a Kahles 2-7x36 rimfire on a Cooper Classic .22LR.

DF

I had a Cooper Classic in 17AH.......great rifle but the distance from the grip to the trigger was to far for me and my short hands to shoot it well.

GeeDub now owns it.

If you strip a 10/22 scope base hole, Brownells sells a kit............about 40 bucks, for the tap and screws.

Do not need to mod your 6-48 screw scope base.

Can get w fillister or Weaver type screws.

Screws are long and need to be ground to length.

I bought an old 10/22 ('67) with a boogered up hole and got the kit.

Haven't sold my heavy bbl yet, think I might keep it and slap a Burris Droptine 4.5-14X on it.
It only goes down to 50 yards, but I can dial it down to lower power for 25.
That'd be hunting anyway, tend to shoot most of my .22 target stuff at 50yards.

I just went all-in on Simmons! Bought five 3-9x50s for under $22 a piece, shipped! LOL

I got one and was like damn, that's like a $25 scope!

I’ve got a Redfield Tac 22. It shouldn’t work because it’s a Redfield....but it sure as does. Pretty sweet

My stock 10/22 wears a Mueller APV 4.5-14×40 AO in Leupold Rifleman rings on the factory rail. A no frills plinker I put together just 'cause.

Old Vari X II 4-12XAO.
Now wears a Freedom VX 3-9X EFR



Picked up a used VX3 2.5-8X. Old 67 standard is gone, so is scope.
Liked the scope but had ring marks. Will get a new one for next centerfire rifle.

VX1 2-7X I've had on several rifles and a Redfield Rev.
Liked the Redfield fine except for logo on bell and turret.
Damn I hate that red chit.
Think I got the R on the bell off w acetone and gave the scope to my dad for his Rem 572.

I HAVE A BAUSCH & LOMB 3000, 2-7X32MM, DUPLEX, MATTE ON MY HB.

ON MY TD I USE A LEUPOLD VXIIC, 2-7X28RF,FINE DUPLEX, I USUALLY TAKE THE HB FOR SAGE RATS BUT TOOK THE TD THIS YEAR. LOTS OF FUN.

I LIKE THE LEUPOLD A LOT SO i GOT A NEWER ONE I NEED TO PUT ON SOMETHING.

Wifey’s toy....😎

Ruger action, barrel and innards are Volquartsen. Stock is a B&C with an Aimpoint CompM pointer.

Burris Short Mag 4x

Just bought a 10-22 and will need a scope by Fall so am following this thread. Interesting info but my need is too specialized to fit most suggestions. For decades I ran a 3-9x32 Bushnell on a 10-22 I had, and till my eyes went bad, it was excellent.

Now my eyes are wonky due to multiple surgeries, won't focus on close things through a scope, and don't see irons very well. Plus probably 20% of my shots on game with a .22 are 5 yards or less, head shots at grouse.

Here is a flyer in the group: I am seriously considering a cheap UTG Bug Buster air rifle scope because the OA adjusts to within 3 yards. I'd prefer a close focus AO scope in 1-6, or at least down in the 2-7 range but the Bug Busters come in 3-9 and higher variables. 10 yards is NOT close focus in this context!

I tried a low end one power red dot on my last .22 and killed a lot of grouse with it, but missed a lot of shots closer than 18 feet, and my worst hitting percentage was point blank at 6-9 feet. Much of the problem with the red dot was that it sat so high above the bore that I needed nearly a two inch riser on the comb of the stock to get a cheek weld and had to compensate by aiming waaay high on close shots. I was just getting used to how high when I traded it off.

Posted not to hijack but on the outside chance that anyone else has similar eye/optic problems.

10/22 #1 - Leupold 3-9x33 EFR

10/22 #2 - Leupold Vari-X III 3.25-10x40 A/O, Fine Duplex

10/22 #3 - C-More 6MOA Red Dot

10/22 #4 - Kahles 2MOA Red Dot

CZ455 - Leupold Vari-X III 3.25-10x40 A/O, Fine Duplex

All of the Rem 51x-series and 58x-series are plain ole open sights, unless they came with peep sights.

Rem 37 had a EGW 20MAO rail w/SWFA 3-15 MOA-quad on it for a while (aalf made me do it !)

Millett Multi-Dot SP 3,5,8,10 Min dot....

Nice. SPC or the recent Canadian Centennial?

Hard to beat the Weaver 2.5-7X rimfire scope.

Canadian

Thanks hookeye. I 'think' I am good now and trying not to fix something that is working for me- know what I mean? Reminds me.....order replacement stock for ADL !!!! grrrrrrrr

Had lots of fun with the basic 10/22 carbine wearing a Leupold 1.5-5x20 all thru the '80s and' '90s. A killer combination.

Must be something wrong....... scope or rifle IDK!!! 10 shots 20yds...

I will make an attempt to post pictures later. I have a 10/22 stainless/laminated with regular weight barrel. I have a Leupold 4x28 rimfire on it in Burris Zee rings and a Weaver base. Like it a lot - small, compact, scope scaled for rifle. But to be honest, I think the 2-7x28 rimfire is a lot better scope. For me, the perfect set up is Leupold 2-7x28 Rimfire, Burris Rings, Weaver base. That is NOT a heavy barrel.

I just bought the above for $100 from Natchez for my recently acquired 1966 vintage 10-22.

Love that Manlicher stock on your 10-22!

Those old guns are cool. Real walnut, aluminum fire control assembly, not plastic.

DF

I put a Burris 4x Mini on one of mine. The other has a Burris 6x Mini. The scopes were extras and work well on the 10/22.

I now use a Nikon 3-9x30mm EFR on mine. The Clearidge RM and the Weaver RV9 are also worth checking out if you want a good AO rimfire 3-9x in the $200 price range.

4x seems fitting

I have this with the target dot and it's a great scope!

JG- I’m late to this but my favorite 10/22 has what you described > a newer Simmons 44mag 3-12x44 w/ SF. Works really well with very good optics.....yea I know.....