Hey all, jus thought I'd ask some opinions on a cheap plinking scope. I have an old .22 that needs a new scope and I'm just looking for something that is cheap, will keep its zero (shouldn't be a problem with a .22 anyhow, but ya never know), and reasonably good optics for the money. The ranges I have around home aren't longer than 150 yads so I don't need a telescope on top of the gun either. Any thoughts, comments, etc. are more than welcome. Thanks in advance!

Price range would help?

I have a Simmons 22 mag on mine its a 3x9 32mm its clear and works great.

Make sure it's a real .22 scope, not a ML scope, shotgun scope, or a rifle scope.....

Laffin'.........

Cheap, lol. In all honesty, I'm looking for something not too much higher than WalMart quality and price, simply because I don't think its necessary for this gun and its purpose.

Got it for $40 with mounts.

All right! Now that is a price range I like!

BSA 2-7X32 with adjustable objective. They are a pretty decent rimfire scope. Or a bushnell banner dusk to dawn scope in 2-7 or 3-9.

Both are fairly cheap scopes though so don't expect the best glass or be shocked if they are not right out of the box. Cheap scopes are normally cheap for two reasons, cheap glass and poor quality control. I have owned plenty of cheap scopes though and they worked just fine as long as you didn't expect too much from them. They don't always track that accurately, but I have never had an issue with one losing zero once it was set. Just don't put one on a gun that you will be adjusting the scope for range or windage all the time.

And if you go too cheap some of them tend to fog up in nasty weather as well.

The two I mentioned are ones I have personally owned and was perfectly satisfied with the purchase.

A good rule of thumb is if it comes in a plastic see through bubble package at walmart or K-mart its probably a piece of crap.

Paul

I was looking at BSA scopes earlier today on Cabelas, they seemed to have real good reviews overall. They are a bit more than I wanted to spend for more plinking rifle though (I have mine and my father's "big guns" still to outfit). The Simmons scope that Ruger suggested also reviewed well and is in the price range I was looking at, so that may be the direction I go. But first, has anyone had any experience with Barska optics? I've seen their stuff all over the 'net, but haven't heard too much about them first hand from people, only a couple reviews online. So any experiences?

A few of their more expensive models are not too bad, like the $200 tactical models, but the cheaper ones are crap in my opinion. I had one and it was horrible. In my opinion if you are going cheap BSA and Bushnell are about the best two for the money. The Simmons and Tascos are ok, but a bit less impressive in my opinion.

Cabela's pine ridge models are not bad either, and you get the cabela's warranty. As far as scopes go though you can get better prices than what Cabela's offers if you are looking to buy online.

Something to keep in mind is you don't need a big ole high powered scope for a .22. So don't think you need to get a 3-9x40 or something just to plink with a .22. A good fixed 4X will work fine or a 1.5-4 or 2-7x32, all of those are plenty of magnification for a .22. And a scope with less power for the same money is usually a bit better scope.

Paul