Choosing a rimfire scope for the 457
The short answer
For matches: first-focal-plane, mil (or MOA) grid reticle, locking/zero-stop turrets and side-focus parallax that focuses close (25 yd or nearer; 10–15 yd ideal) Ultimate Reloader: NRL22 scopes. For hunting/plinking a simpler second-focal-plane scope is fine.
What matters on a rimfire scope
- Parallax down to short range. Rimfire targets sit at 25–100+ yd; fixed 50-yd parallax (common on cheap rimfire scopes) causes aiming error at other distances Ultimate Reloader: NRL22 scopes.
- Magnification: about 4–16x covers most NRL22 stages; 5–25x/6–24x helps spotting at distance.
- Reticle & turrets: match the reticle and turret units (mil/mil or MOA/MOA); a zero stop helps under time pressure.
- Elevation travel: .22 LR drops a lot past 100 yd (see zeroing & drop data); a 20 MOA rail or enough internal travel is useful for long-range rimfire.
- Mounting: 11 mm rings or a clamp-on Picatinny — see the scope mount guide; use a torque driver and a level.
Our approach to scope recommendations
We don't yet list specific scopes with prices — optics change often and we only list what we can verify. Use the checklist above; the build recipes exclude the optic from totals for the same reason.
Ready to buy? See our scope picks with prices.