If he wants any magnicification, try a Monstrum prism sight.
They have an eye box, like a regular scope, but they are "like" a red dot, but with some magnification. Most name brands run $300 or so, but Monstrum sells them at what I think is .22 plinking acceptable quality for under $100.
They make various magnifications and styles, I have the Marksman 3X
Marksman

If he just wants a plain red dot with no eye box requirements, there are a LOT of options under $150.

Vortex sells the SPARC, the Crossfore Gen II, and Strikfire II all at about $150 on Amazon.

Sig has the MSR at about $110, or the Romeo 5 for about $130, or the Romeo 7S for about $150.

The Olight Osight is a neat option. It has a cover that is a charger, the system is rechargeable via a magnetic charger. I have two, they've been great.
About $140
Osight

 

For more mainstream scopes, i have a slight preference for Athlon over Vortex. Borth have nice scopes in your upper price range.
For low buck,good value Amazon scopes, I have a CV Life scope that has impressed me , much better than I expected.

 

I use magnification on my 10/22 (Hawke Vantage 4X32mm AO) because I want more precision at 50 yards and in (1" groups or less is my consistent goal). I tried red dots on it in the past, but they just didn't yield the precision I wanted.

But my AR-15 wears a red dot. After messing around with a couple of super budget red dots (e.g., Feyachi for around $40), I finally went with the good stuff: a Sig Sauer Romeo 5, gen 2. MSRP is $159, which is only $10 more than your max, but they can be had for a bit less from reputable dealers.

And if I wanted one on my 10/22, it'd be that one.

The dot has 8 different brightness settings and is very crisp (even with my mild astigmatism, that causes "star burst" patterns with cheap red dots). It's also "shake awake", so it turns on automatically when you touch it (although it can be turned off entirely for transportation or long term storage), but automatically turns off after 2 minutes. Uses a common battery and yields somewhere around 50,000 hours.

It comes with two mounts: one high (for the AR platform) and one low (which you'll want for a 10/22).

My biggest recommendation -- especially with the Romeo 5 (gen 1 or 2) -- is to buy directly from Sig Sauer OR a very well known and reputable dealer (e.g., Palmetto State Armory) because the counterfeits are now plentiful. (Ask me how I know; I fell prey to one on my first try.) Forget about buying one on Amazon (even if they claim to be the "Sig Sauer Store") or ebay. You may get lucky, and a "good deal", but it's just as likely you won't.

 

Bushnell TRS 25 , or 26.

 

I agree with the Bushnell suggestion also, especially that TRS 26. (I hadn't seen that upgrade; looks very nice.) Fewer bells and whistles (no "shake awake", I think), but still a very good optic.

 

best of luck on his great rifle choice! Here are 3 suggestions:

1) Sig Romeo 5- a great red dot, long battery life. Great reviews.
2) Bushnell TRS25 or the Feyachi version of the Bushnell off Amazon. The Bushnell, if you can find it is around $75, or the Feyachi on Amazon is around $40. I have both and they both work great.
3) for a traditional rimfire scope, if he decided to go that route, Vortex makes a nice one in Rimfire version 2-7x for around $125.

Any of these would be a great setup, providing lots of fun and enjoyment. Best of luck!

PS- if yours doesn’t already come with a scope base already installed, may I offer a word to the wise- don’t over torque the scope base. The receiver is aluminum and the screw holes can be stripped far too easily. About 12 inch pounds is all you need, and no more than 15 inch pounds under any circumstance. I go with 12 or so now after stripping more than one myself.

 

My go to red dot used to be the Sig Romeo 5. Last count I had over 2 dozen of them. I have since started using a clone made by CVLIFE called the JackalHowl. I buy them off Amazon when they’re on sale and are usually under $50. I’ve used them on 45-70 to 22’s w/o any issues. Just ordered my 16th one a couple days ago for my next build. My only complaint on them is the rubber covers don’t fit as great as the Romeo 5’s.

 

My go to red dot used to be the Sig Romeo 5. Last count I had over 2 dozen of them. I have since started using a clone made by CVLIFE called the JackalHowl. I buy them off Amazon when they’re on sale and are usually under $50. I’ve used them on 45-70 to 22’s w/o any issues. Just ordered my 16th one a couple days ago for my next build. My only complaint on them is the rubber covers don’t fit as great as the Romeo 5’s.

I have a CVLIFE 3-9X scope that was $40. It's terrible, the AO says its at infinity when I'm focused at 25 yards, and the clarity is far worse than any other $40 scope I own.

That said...a red dot is a simpler thing to build, with less precision involved, so I'd be willing to give it a try.

 

If he wants a 1x RDS I'd suggest any sub $50 no-name brand that comes with a pictanny mount. He won't shoot any better or worse with an $800 Aimpoint. When he grows weary of using an 1x RDS on a standard 10/22 rifle then a more quality 4x or 2-7x magnified optic would be worthy of consideration.

Good luck.

 

I second the Romeo 5, I like it alot for a non magnified optic. I have a monstrum, 3x or 4x dot, and I hate it. The eye relief is horrible. I took it right back off and it just collects dust in a drawer.

 

That is a problem with cheaper prisms.

Let them learn to use iron sights first - up to and including peeps! They'll never regret it...
AQBill

The "son" in question ordered his own 22 rifle, and has $150 in his pocket for an optic.

I'm guessing he is WAY past learning to shoot with irons.

 

Wow thanks folks! I passed this on to my son and he’s now got some good options to start researching.
Thanks again,
Ron

 

Geez I just looked at that JackalHowl on amazon. Bold red letters state that it cannot be shipped to my location due to state laws or amazon policy. For 50 points, can you guess what state I live in? LOL.

 

For 50 points, can you guess what state I live in? LOL.

A state of frustration?

 

Bingo!

 

Let them learn to use iron sights first - up to and including peeps! They'll never regret it...

AQBill

 

Another less expensive option are the rimfire scopes by Simmons. I have two of the variable 22 mag scopes on my 22s.

 

Droptine™ Riflescope 3-9x40mm | Burris Optics

www.burrisoptics.com

 

I probably should have mentioned that my son is 26 years old, was one of the top three shooter on his high school trap team, and out shoots me with pretty much anything he picks up. LOL. He’s very good with open irons and peeps, but just wants a red dot on this rifle to play with at the range.

 

I just got the monstrum ghost red dot and it’s not bad for $60 off of Amazon.