The only rifle I've bought a scope for so far was for my 10/22 rifle, which is just a .22, so I figured it wouldn't need anything fancy. I had found a cheap Tasco scope that was just $10 at Gander Mountain, and it looked like all I needed. I think it was this one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tasco-Rimfire-4X15-Scope/16767721
I say, "I think" because I don't have it anymore. I'll get to that in a second. First, I'd like to point out that it worked fine for me. I was able to hit within an inch at 50 yards, and then my shots dropped a few inches at 75 yards, but the shots were still in a nice group, meaning I could still see well enough with it to hit at that range. So what more would I need? It seemed like plenty for my purposes. But then it suddenly started losing its zero in a big way, shooting about a foot too low even at 25 yards. I never bumped it or anything, so I have no idea why this happened. Trying to correct it accomplished nothing. Turning the adjustment screws no longer made any difference. I ended up tossing it. Now I'm scopeless.
I've asked about scopes as a result of this on other boards and was told that a decent scope would cost around $150 at minimum. That may sound right if recoil is a concern, but that's not the case when using it on a .22 rifle. But from my experience, it seems that a scope can not only lose its zero, but it simply can become nonfunctional for no reason at all.
So now I'd like to get me another scope. I could see spending $30 or $40 for one. Those who say I need to spend at least $150 might laugh at that, but do scopes that cost only $30 or $40 lose their zero and their ability to be adjusted when used on a .22 rifle even if they're never bumped? Are they really that delicate?
I say, "I think" because I don't have it anymore. I'll get to that in a second. First, I'd like to point out that it worked fine for me. I was able to hit within an inch at 50 yards, and then my shots dropped a few inches at 75 yards, but the shots were still in a nice group, meaning I could still see well enough with it to hit at that range. So what more would I need? It seemed like plenty for my purposes. But then it suddenly started losing its zero in a big way, shooting about a foot too low even at 25 yards. I never bumped it or anything, so I have no idea why this happened. Trying to correct it accomplished nothing. Turning the adjustment screws no longer made any difference. I ended up tossing it. Now I'm scopeless.
I've asked about scopes as a result of this on other boards and was told that a decent scope would cost around $150 at minimum. That may sound right if recoil is a concern, but that's not the case when using it on a .22 rifle. But from my experience, it seems that a scope can not only lose its zero, but it simply can become nonfunctional for no reason at all.
So now I'd like to get me another scope. I could see spending $30 or $40 for one. Those who say I need to spend at least $150 might laugh at that, but do scopes that cost only $30 or $40 lose their zero and their ability to be adjusted when used on a .22 rifle even if they're never bumped? Are they really that delicate?