Best Scopes for .22LR Target Shooting in 2026

Choosing the best scope for a .22LR rifle in the UK has never been more nuanced. Whether you shoot Hunter Field Target competitions, 50-metre benchrest cards, or simply enjoy plinking steel at your local range, the right rimfire scope can transform your accuracy and enjoyment. Yet the market is crowded: dozens of models from budget imports to premium European glass all claim to be perfect for rimfire. This guide cuts through the noise with honest, UK-focused advice rooted in real-world rimfire shooting conditions.

Rimfire .22LR ballistics create optical challenges that centrefire shooters rarely think about. The relatively slow, rainbow-like trajectory of a 40-grain round means holdover at 100 yards can exceed 10 MOA, so generous elevation travel and fine, readable turrets matter enormously. At the same time, the minimal recoil of a .22LR bolt-action or semi-auto is actually kind to optics – you do not need the bomb-proof internals demanded by a .308 – which is why purpose-built rimfire scopes exist at attractive price points.

Parallax is arguably the single most important specification for any 22LR target shooting scope. Most standard centrefire scopes ship with parallax set at 100 yards or beyond, creating visible parallax error at the 25-to-50-yard distances where rimfire shooters spend much of their time. A side-focus or adjustable objective that reaches down to 10 yards (or lower) is therefore essential for competition use and highly desirable for serious plinking. We will explain exactly what this means and how to use it later in the guide.

UK shooters also face some unique considerations. Our temperate, often overcast light demands good optical coatings and generous eye-boxes. Availability can vary – not every international model is stocked by UK dealers – so we have filtered our recommendations to products you can actually buy from British retailers. We also touch on crossover with air-rifle optics (many HFT and FT competitors share glass between a sub-12 ft/lb springer and a .22LR) and cover the legal and practical context of rimfire ownership under Section 1 FAC.

Buying Advice

When evaluating a rimfire scope, start with the three numbers that define its optical character: magnification range, objective lens diameter, and parallax adjustment range. For most .22LR target shooting at 25–100 yards, a variable scope between 4-16× and 6-24× is ideal – enough top-end power for benchrest precision but low enough at the bottom for comfortable field-of-view during HFT walk-and-shoot stages. Objective lenses of 40–50 mm strike the best balance between light-gathering ability and mounting height. Most importantly, confirm the parallax adjustment goes below 25 yards; many rimfire-specific models adjust down to 10 yards or even 9 metres, which is critical for eliminating parallax error at close range.

Budget tiers in UK rimfire optics fall into three broad bands. Under £100 you will find basic fixed-magnification or low-range variable scopes with simpler coatings – perfectly adequate for casual plinking, but often lacking fine parallax control or truly repeatable turrets. Between £100 and £300 sits the sweet spot for club-level competitors: fully multi-coated lenses, side-focus parallax, exposed or capped turrets with MOA or MRAD adjustments, and noticeably sharper edge-to-edge clarity. Above £300 you enter premium territory – scopes with first focal plane reticles, zero-stop turrets, ED or fluorite glass elements, illuminated reticles, and the kind of tracking precision that benchrest shooters demand. Consider what discipline you shoot and how often; overspending on glass you do not need is as wasteful as underspending on glass that holds you back.

One of the most common mistakes UK buyers make is fitting a centrefire scope to a rimfire rifle without checking the parallax setting. A scope factory-set at 100 or 150 yards will introduce significant aiming error at 25 or 50 yards because the target image and the reticle are not on the same focal plane. Another frequent error is ignoring the difference between first focal plane (FFP) and second focal plane (SFP) reticles. In an FFP scope the reticle scales with magnification, so subtension-based holdovers are accurate at any power – useful for field courses. In an SFP scope the reticle appears the same size at every magnification, so holdover marks are only accurate at one stated power (usually maximum). Both have merits for .22LR; just know which you have.

The UK rimfire landscape has its own rhythm. Section 1 FAC holders typically own bolt-action .22LR rifles from CZ, Tikka, Ruger or Anschütz, used on Home Office–approved land or at club ranges affiliated to the NRA or NSRA. HFT competitions, governed by the UKAHFT, allow both air rifles and rimfire in separate classes, and many competitors share scope preferences across platforms. If you also shoot a sub-12 ft/lb air rifle, bear in mind that springers and gas-rams generate a unique bi-directional recoil that not every scope can withstand – a scope rated only for rimfire recoil may fail on a spring-piston air rifle. Always check the manufacturer's stated recoil rating. UK retailers such as Uttings, John Rothery, Sportsmanguncentre and specialist online dealers stock the major rimfire optic brands and can offer advice on mounts and rail compatibility.

Matching a scope to your use case is straightforward once you define your priorities. For benchrest at 50 or 100 yards, maximise magnification (20–24× or higher), choose fine target-dot or crosshair reticles, and insist on precise, repeatable turret tracking – ideally verified with a tall-target test. For HFT walk-and-shoot stages at varied distances from 8 to 45 yards, a mid-range zoom (4-16× or 6-18×) with a holdover-friendly reticle and smooth side-focus parallax is more practical than raw power. For general plinking and informal steel-plate shooting, almost any well-coated variable scope with parallax adjustment down to 25 yards will serve well; spend less on the optic and more on ammunition testing to find the load your barrel prefers.

The brand landscape for rimfire scopes in the UK is broad. Established optics houses such as Hawke, MTC Optics, Nikko Stirling and Bushnell dominate the entry and mid-tier market with well-proven rimfire-specific lines. At the higher end, Vortex, Athlon, Leupold and PARD offer scopes with advanced reticle designs, superior glass coatings and robust tracking. PARD in particular has gained mindshare among UK shooters for integrating digital night-vision and thermal technology into traditional scope form factors, though for daytime rimfire target work their conventional optics lines are the more relevant choice. Japanese-made glass from brands like March and Sightron sits at the pinnacle for serious benchrest competitors willing to invest. Whichever brand you lean towards, prioritise UK warranty support and dealer availability – a scope is only as good as the service behind it.