The best rimfire scopes for 2026, for .22 LR to .17 HMR

By the OpticVerdict Editorial Team.
Research-based roundup · Updated 2026-08-18

A rimfire scope earns its place with a close parallax setting, a forgiving eye box and clear glass at .22 prices. Below are our ranked picks across overall value, budget and glass value, plus the .17 HMR option, with honest pros and cons and how to choose.

How these picks were made: a research-based roundup comparing published specifications, independent hands-on reviews and verified owner feedback on OpticsPlanet. Scores are our editorial opinion, not a hands-on test of every model, and owner ratings are shown attributed to the retailer. Confirm current price on the retailer page. See how we evaluate.

Quick comparison

Best overall: Vortex Diamondback Rimfire 2-7x35

4.6/5 our editorial score

4.9/5 from 56 verified reviews on OpticsPlanet

Rimfire · 2-7x35 · V-Plex · 50 yd parallax · SFP

around $240 exact price on OpticsPlanet

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This is the rimfire scope to beat, because it puts centerfire-grade hardware on a .22. Vortex built it around a solid aircraft-grade aluminum chassis and a magnum-rated erector that shrugs off recoil, added XD (extra-low dispersion) glass that owners say rivals scopes twice the price, and tuned the parallax to a fixed 50 yards for rimfire ranges. The field of view is huge (64.3 feet at 2x) for tracking small game in brush, and the whole thing carries the unconditional Vortex VIP lifetime warranty. It is the default answer for a serious .22 LR or 10/22.

Pros

• XD glass with fully multi-coated lenses, noticeably clearer than budget rimfire scopes in its price range
• Huge 64.3-foot field of view at 2x (versus about 42 ft on the Crossfire II) for fast small-game tracking
• 50-yard fixed parallax tuned to rimfire distances, so close shots stay optically flat
• Magnum-rated, argon-purged build that holds zero and even survives springer airgun recoil
• Unconditional, transferable Vortex VIP lifetime warranty

Cons

• Short 3.1-inch eye relief: fine for rimfire, but do not move it to a hard-recoiling centerfire or shotgun
• Oversized ocular bell often forces medium or high rings, which can raise your cheek weld
• The eye box tightens at 7x, so head position gets fussy at full magnification

Best for: the all-round .22 LR, .22 WMR or 10/22 shooter who wants the best glass and warranty in the class. Skip it if you need long eye relief for a centerfire, or a lit reticle and higher magnification for .17 HMR at distance (see the Hawke).

Key specifications

Type	Rimfire riflescope (SFP)
Magnification	2-7x
Objective	35 mm
Reticle	V-Plex (non-illuminated)
Parallax	Fixed 50 yds
Field of view	64.3 to 19.3 ft at 100 yds
Eye relief	3.1 to 3.5 in
Turrets	1/4 MOA capped
Adjustment range	100 MOA
Glass	XD, fully multi-coated
Gas	Argon
Weight	14.2 oz
Warranty	Vortex VIP unlimited lifetime

“Love this scope on my 10/22. Really clear glass at the price point, and the Vortex warranty is great peace of mind. Also able to mount very low profile on the 10/22.”

Drew, owner (IL) via OpticsPlanet

Best budget: Barska 3-9x32 Plinker-22

3.9/5 our editorial score

4.1/5 from 23 verified reviews on OpticsPlanet

Rimfire · 3-9x32 · 30/30 · 50 yd parallax · rings included

around $75 exact price on OpticsPlanet

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If you just want to put decent glass on a plinking .22 without spending much, the Barska Plinker-22 is the honest budget pick. It is purpose-built for .22 rifles and rimfires, parallax-free at 50 yards, waterproof and fogproof, and it ships with 3/8-inch dovetail rings and scope caps in the box, so there is nothing else to buy. The 3-9x range gives a bit more reach than most starter scopes. It is not premium glass, but for a starter rifle, a youth .22, or a knock-around plinker, owners consistently say it does the job for the price.

Pros

• Very low price, and it includes 3/8-inch dovetail rings and scope caps in the box
• Purpose-built for rimfire with a 50-yard parallax and 3.5-inch eye relief
• Waterproof, fogproof and shockproof, with a lifetime warranty
• The 3-9x range adds a little reach over typical 4x starter scopes

Cons

• Entry-tier glass: fully coated (not fully multi-coated), so clarity and low-light trail the Vortex clearly
• Basic 30/30 reticle and capped turrets with a smaller 60 MOA adjustment range
• The 3/8-inch dovetail mount fits rimfire grooved receivers but limits ring options versus a Weaver base

Best for: budget and beginning shooters, youth .22 rifles and knock-around plinkers who want a complete, mounted setup cheaply. Step up to the Diamondback Rimfire for glass, field of view and the Vortex warranty.

Key specifications

Type	Rimfire riflescope (SFP)
Magnification	3-9x
Objective	32 mm
Reticle	30/30
Parallax	Fixed 50 yds
Field of view	39 to 13 ft at 100 yds
Eye relief	3.5 in
Turrets	1/4 MOA capped
Adjustment range	60 MOA
Glass	Fully coated
Mount	3/8 in dovetail rings included
Weight	11.46 oz
Warranty	Barska limited lifetime

“This scope is just what I wanted for my semi-auto 22lr. I sighted my rifle in at about 10 to 12 yards, and the first group of ten shots could be covered with a nickel.”

bearsherk, owner (PA) via OpticsPlanet

Best glass value: Sightron SI 3-9x32 Rimfire

4.4/5 our editorial score

4.6/5 from 8 verified reviews on OpticsPlanet

Rimfire · 3-9x32 · Duplex · 50 yd parallax · SFP

around $180 exact price on OpticsPlanet

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If your priority is clean glass and comfortable handling on a .22 without going to the Vortex, the Sightron SI is the pick. It is a purpose-built rimfire scope (50-yard parallax, fully multi-coated glass) from a brand with a strong optical reputation, and owners repeatedly say it is in "an entirely different league" from old Tasco and Bushnell budget scopes. It also fixes the Diamondback's one ergonomic flaw with a forgiving 3.6 to 4-inch eye relief, and at 11.6 ounces it sits low and light on a slim .22. One owner even shoots it in IR 50/50 benchrest matches. The trade-off is a small review sample and a simple crosshair with no holdover marks.

Pros

• Fully multi-coated glass owners rank well above budget names like Tasco and Bushnell
• Forgiving 3.6 to 4-inch eye relief, more comfortable than the Diamondback Rimfire
• Light (11.6 oz) and low-profile, a natural fit on slim .22 sporters
• 50-yard parallax and a lifetime warranty, and it is proven in rimfire benchrest

Cons

• Small review sample so far (8), versus dozens on the Vortex and Barska
• Simple fine crosshair with capped hunting turrets: no BDC holdovers or field dialing
• No rings included, and the 32mm objective is modest for the lowest light

Best for: shooters who want nicer-than-budget glass and comfortable eye relief on a purpose-built .22 scope. Skip it if you want a calibrated or illuminated reticle (see the Hawkes) or the widest field of view (the Vortex).

Key specifications

Type	Rimfire riflescope (SFP)
Magnification	3-9x
Objective	32 mm
Reticle	Fine Duplex crosshair
Parallax	Fixed 50 yds
Field of view	33.1 to 12.2 ft at 100 yds
Eye relief	3.6 to 4 in
Turrets	1/4 MOA capped
Adjustment range	70 MOA
Glass	Fully multi-coated
Weight	11.6 oz
Warranty	Sightron lifetime

“The glass is crystal clear, and the quality of construction is exactly what I expected. I grew up with 4x32 and 3-9x32 Tasco and Bushnell scopes, and these Sightron scopes are in an entirely different league.”

SDG, verified owner (NC) via OpticsPlanet

Best first upgrade: Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 Rimfire

4.2/5 our editorial score

4.8/5 from 257 ratings on OpticsPlanet, a figure the listing shares with its centerfire sibling

Rimfire · 2-7x32 · V-Plex · 50 yd parallax · SFP

around $120 exact price on OpticsPlanet

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This is the rung most people actually start on, and it is the same idea as our top pick built to a lower price. It carries the rimfire specification that matters, a parallax fixed at 50 yards, so targets at .22 distances stay optically flat instead of shimmering the way a 100-yard centerfire scope makes them. It carries the same unconditional, transferable Vortex VIP lifetime warranty as the Diamondback above it, on a nitrogen-purged, o-ring-sealed one-piece aluminum tube with capped resettable MOA turrets. What it gives up is glass and view. Vortex publishes 42.0 feet of field at 2x against 64.3 on the Diamondback, and there is no XD extra-low-dispersion element, so this is the scope that gets a bundled rimfire shooting properly rather than the one that ends the search. Buy it if the gap to the Diamondback is the difference between buying now and not buying.

Pros

• Fixed 50-yard parallax, the specification that makes a scope a rimfire scope rather than a centerfire scope sold to rimfire shooters
• The same unconditional, transferable Vortex VIP lifetime warranty our overall pick carries, on a scope at roughly half the price
• Capped, resettable 1/4 MOA turrets with 60 MOA of travel in both axes, so a zero survives being carried and knocked
• Nitrogen-purged, o-ring-sealed one-piece aircraft-grade aluminum tube, fully multi-coated, waterproof and fogproof
• At 13.9 oz it is lighter than our top pick, which matters on a light .22 where a heavy scope changes how the rifle hangs

Cons

• The view is much narrower than the top pick: Vortex publishes 42.0 feet at 2x against 64.3 on the Diamondback Rimfire, which is the single biggest reason it is not our overall choice
• No extra-low-dispersion glass, so colour fringing on high-contrast edges is visible where the Diamondback is clean
• The owner record’s one real technical theme is the turrets: one owner measured half an inch per click against the stated quarter MOA, and another found the L-R and U-D markings on the wrong turrets
• The 4.8 from 257 ratings belongs to the retailer listing, which sells this scope and a centerfire Dead-Hold BDC model under one page, so it is not this variant’s own record and we do not present it as one
• The retailer’s own specification table on that shared listing prints a 100-yard parallax, which is the centerfire model’s figure; Vortex publishes 50 yards for this one, so compare on the maker’s numbers

Best for: the shooter putting a first real optic on a 10/22 or a bolt .22 who wants the Vortex warranty and the correct rimfire parallax without spending Diamondback money. Skip it if you shoot small game in brush, where the wider Diamondback view earns its price, or if you want lit reticles and reach for .17 HMR.

Key specifications

Type	Rimfire riflescope (SFP)
Magnification	2-7x
Objective	32 mm
Reticle	V-Plex (non-illuminated)
Parallax	Fixed 50 yds
Field of view	42.0 to 12.6 ft at 100 yds
Eye relief	3.9 in
Turrets	1/4 MOA capped, resettable
Travel per rotation	15 MOA
Adjustment range	60 MOA windage and elevation
Tube	1 in
Length	11.5 in
Weight	13.9 oz
Warranty	Vortex VIP unlimited lifetime

The .17 HMR pick, and why it is not ranked right now

The scope we would put on a .17 HMR or a serious rimfire target rifle is the Hawke Vantage 4-16x50 AO, and nothing about the scope has changed: adjustable objective parallax from close range out to infinity, an illuminated glass-etched reticle with a .17 HMR drop scale, and enough magnification to see your own holes in paper. Owners on CZ 457 and Ruger American rifles report the subtensions tracking honestly past 200 yards.

What has changed is that you cannot have one today. The retailer has it on backorder with stock expected back at the start of September, so it comes out of the ranked picks above, which are scopes you can order now. We are not quietly dropping it, because for this job it is still the right answer and a two-week wait is a reasonable thing to choose. If you want it, place the backorder; if you do not, one of the three ranked picks above will serve a .22 well, and none of them is a true .17 HMR precision optic.

One warning if you go looking for a substitute in the same family. The retailer's category grid lists a Vantage 6-24x50 AO and a Vantage 4-16x44 SF with prices next to them, which makes them look available. They are not: open either product page and there is nothing orderable on it. The figure in the grid is a list price on a page that cannot sell you anything, which is a trap worth knowing about generally, not just here.

How to choose a rimfire scope

A few things matter more than the spec sheet on a .22:

• Parallax setting. A rimfire scope is set parallax-free at 50 yards, right where you shoot a .22; a 100-yard centerfire scope shows reticle drift up close. This is the single biggest reason to buy rimfire-specific glass.
• Magnification. 2-7x is ideal for plinking and small game inside 100 yards; 4-16x with an adjustable objective suits .17 HMR and target shooting at distance.
• Eye relief and eye box. Rimfire recoil is negligible, so short eye relief is safe, but a forgiving eye box makes fast shots easier. Do not repurpose a short-eye-relief rimfire scope onto a hard-kicking centerfire.
• Mount type. Many .22 rifles use a 3/8-inch dovetail (grooved receiver); some use a Weaver or Picatinny base. Check what your rifle and rings need, or buy a scope that includes rings like the Barska.
• Glass and warranty. Fully multi-coated XD-type glass (the Vortex) clearly beats fully coated budget glass in low light, and the Vortex VIP lifetime warranty is a long-term value on a scope that may outlast the rifle.

One thing the scope cannot do for you: the distance you zero at. Fifty yards is the answer for a .22 LR, and it is not the same 50 as the parallax setting above. Zero at 100 the way you would a centerfire and published CCI trajectory data puts the bullet about 3 inches high at 50 yards, which is where you will take nearly every shot.

Thinking about the Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 Rimfire?

It is one of the most-searched rimfire scopes, and it is a fair one, so we card it above as our first-upgrade pick rather than talking about it and leaving you nowhere. The short version: it is the same idea as our overall pick built to a lower price. The reason we still card the Diamondback Rimfire 2-7x35 above it comes down to glass and field of view. Vortex publishes 64.3 feet of view at 2x on the Diamondback against 42.0 feet on the Crossfire II, and only the Diamondback has XD extra-low-dispersion glass, which is what you are paying the difference for when you track small game in brush. Both carry the same unconditional VIP lifetime warranty and both are built on the 50-yard parallax that makes a scope a rimfire scope, so you are choosing tier, not brand.

One thing to get right before you compare it anywhere else. The retailer sells this scope and a centerfire Dead-Hold BDC model under a single listing whose title just says Rifle Scope, and the specification table on that page belongs to the listing rather than to either model. It prints a 100-yard parallax. Vortex publishes 50 yards for the rimfire, and a 50-yard parallax is the entire reason this version exists. The listing understates the length and overstates the weight in the same way. Every figure on our card is Vortex's own, which is also why our numbers will not match the retailer's line for line.

FAQ

Related: best scope for a Ruger 10/22 · what distance to zero a .22 · rimfire vs centerfire scopes · best rifle scopes overall.