How to Choose the Best Sight for your Ruger 10/22?

Table of Contents

1. Why is a Scope Important?
2. Shooting Application[+]
   1. General Use
   2. Precision Shooting
3. Magnification[+]
   1. 3-9x Hunting Scopes
   2. 2-7x Scopes
4. BDC Reticles
5. Field of View
6. Lenses
7. Durability
8. Brightness
9. Budget

The Ruger 10/22 is a widely used rifle, particularly popular in America. This versatile firearm provides the perfect blend of features for hunting small game, engaging in target shooting, or self-defense. Additionally, its lightweight design and minimal recoil make the Ruger 10/22 easy to handle, making it an excellent choice for novice shooters. Explore the perfect Sight for your Ruger 10/22 to enhance your shooting experience.

With millions of Ruger 10/22 sold, it is safe to say that this is one of the best semi-automatic weapons that almost every gun enthusiast enjoys. As a Ruger 10/22 owner, you may be looking for a sight to take your weapon’s performance to the next level. Whether you’re using the rifle for hunting, target shooting, or self-defense purposes, it’s always a good idea to add a quality sight to improve shooting accuracy.

Why is a Scope Important?

The main reason why anyone would add a scope to their Ruger 10/22 is to increase accuracy and shooting efficiency with every shot they take. A quality scope will not only allow you to see your target clearer, but it aid in better shooting accuracy. However, there are different kinds of sights/scopes available in the market offering different benefits. As a rifle owner, you need to make the best choice for your application. As mentioned earlier, there are many kinds of sights and scopes available to suit a wide range of applications. So, here are a few things that you need to look into to make the best choice for you.

Shooting Application

Different shooting applications require different kinds of sight. The Ruger 10/22 is a versatile piece of weapon that can be used for a wide range of purposes. Determining what you plan to accomplish with the weapon will help you narrow down the best sights.

General Use

If you’re planning to use the Ruger 10/22 for general use such as shooting at the range or keeping it in case of a break-in, then you would most likely go for a Takedown or Carbine model. In this case, you should opt for lightweight and compact sights that won’t weigh you down in a moment’s time, especially when you need to rely on them for self-defense purposes.

Precision Shooting

Precision shooting involves shooting with the intent of hitting a defined target such as hunting and shooting small targets. For such applications, you should opt for high-quality optics created for precision shooting. You may also want to get one with fully multi-coated glasses and lenses for improved light transmission to illuminate your view at dusk or dawn.

Magnification

Fixed magnification scopes used to be the most common choice and come highly recommended for Ruger 10/22. But since the invention of variable magnification scopes, you now have the option to go with a wider range of power magnification to suit different purposes.

Choosing the right magnification will, once again, depend on how you plan to use the rifle. A variable scope with a magnification power of 1x to 9x will work well for typical uses with the 10/22 Ruger.

3-9x Hunting Scopes

3-9x magnification scopes are a popular choice among hunters who use the 10/22 Ruger. 3x magnification helps you make pinpoint shots at close range, while the 9x offers good magnification for shooting at targets 100 yards and beyond. In fact, the 9x magnification should offer accuracy for up to 500 yards which far exceeds the average range for small game hunting, target practice, or training.

2-7x Scopes

If you use the Ruger 10/22 for mid-range shooting, then you can look for scopes with 2-7x magnification power. But if you only plan to use the rifle for close-range shooting, a simple 1-4x power scope will offer enough zoom for increased accuracy for targets less than 50 yards away.

BDC Reticles

The BDC reticle of sight offers you the advantage of bullet trajectory to determine the exact aiming point at a given distance. There are two main BDC styles with incremental measurements in milliradians (MRAD) or Minutes of Angle (MOA.

Field of View

Generally, the wider the field of view, the better. But this will still depend on the game size and your personal preference. You need to pick a sight that does not negatively impact your situational awareness. Also, the field of view plays a role in your accuracy levels.

Lenses

It’s important to get a high-quality glass lens and this involves coating. Different types of lens coatings offer different performances. The main four types are: coated (C), Fully Coated (FC), Multi-Coated (MC), and Fully Multi-Coated (FMC).

Coated lenses only have one layer of coating on at least one of their surfaces. Fully coated will have an anti-reflecting coating on both sides of the lens surfaces. Multi-coated means that there are multiple layers of coating on one side or both sides of the surfaces. Fully multi-coated lenses have multiple coatings on all the lens surfaces.

Durability

Other than lens quality, you also need to know what the scope’s body is constructed from. Make sure to get scopes made from durable steel or polymer that won’t break after a couple of uses. It’s also worth considering getting scopes that are waterproof or scratch-proof if you often use the rifle for hunting outdoors.

Brightness

Another important factor to consider when shopping for the best sight for your Ruger 10/22 is the brightness modes available. Higher range scopes usually come with multiple brightness modes for gun owners to adjust according to their surrounding light conditions. You need to pick a scope that offers you suitable brightness to help you hunt or shoot with ease at any time of the day you plan to shoot.

Budget

The price of a scope or sight is certainly one of the most important aspects to consider when looking for a sight. This is especially true for gun owners shopping with a tight budget. However, you should never settle for the cheapest option right off the shelf. You should aim to get the best quality sight that you can afford. You may need to be prepared to fork out a little bit more money to get a higher-quality scope.

Thank you for reading!