Rimfire Rifle Scopes

General features of rimfire riflescopes

These riflescopes are designed for riflescopes chambered in .22 LR and similar calibers. In this category, you can find anything from basic scopes for "plinking" to serious scopes for 50m Benchrest competitions.

There are a couple of features that most rimfire riflescopes share. The first one is a thin reticle in the second focal plane. The second focal plane reticle is important to have as it does not change in size with the increase (or decrease) in magnification power. The reticle thus remains thin at high magnification, providing a minimal obstruction of the target.

Rimfire rifles are compact and small, so it is quite important that rimfire riflescopes feature these same two qualities.

A high magnification combined with an adjustable parallax is incredibly useful to have on such a riflescope. With high magnification power, the user can aim much more precisely. The adjustable parallax allows for a precise focus setting. Certain riflescopes with lower magnification power come with a fixed parallax.

1-inch and 30mm tubes are used, the former being more common in the field of rimfire riflescopes.

Why do rimfire riflescopes need an adjustable parallax?

Shooting with a rimfire riflescope is typically done at a close range up to 70 m. In most competitions of this type, great accuracy is needed. For this reason, rimfire rifles are designed to be accurate, and only an accurate riflescope can do them justice. To achieve the desired accuracy, the target must be properly focused on high magnification power, which is achieved with adjustable parallax.

There are two types of adjustable parallax:

adjustable objective ring
side focus turret

Riflescopes with an adjustable objective ring are generally less expensive since fewer parts are needed to manufacture this system. They are also lighter. The downside of such riflescopes is the difficulty to reach the ring while in the shooting position. Side focus riflescopes are heavier and more expensive, but the parallax knob can be easily accessed while in the shooting position.