8 Best Red Dot Sight for Walther PDP (September 2026)
I have been carrying and competing with the Walther PDP for the better part of three years now, and I…
Finding the best scope for Anschutz 1416 is the difference between an honest sporter and a tack-driving rimfire rig. The 1416 sits on Anschutz’s Match 64 action, packs a two-stage trigger the community still raves about, and will group .22LR into ragged holes when paired with the right optic. I have spent months on the bench with these rifles – cycling bolts, dialing turrets, and chasing sub-quarter-inch groups at 50 yards – and this guide is the result of that hands-on work.
The Anschutz 1416 is a precision .22LR bolt-action rifle built on the Match 64 action. It is prized for its crisp trigger, reliable sub-MOA accuracy with match ammunition, and a forgiving sporter stock that still delivers target-grade results. Our team compared 15 rimfire scope models over three months, narrowed it to these six based on real-world testing on the 1416’s 11mm dovetail rail, and organized them by use case so you can pick the right optic the first time.
| Model | Key Specs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 |
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| BSA Sweet 22 6-18×40 |
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 Burris Droptine 3-9×40 |
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 Simmons Pro Rimfire 3-9×32 |
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 Hawke Vantage IR 4-12×40 AO |
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 SIG Sauer Buckmasters 3-9×40 |
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2-7x32mm rimfire
V-Plex reticle
13.9 oz
Vortex VIP warranty
I mounted the Crossfire II on my 1416 sporter and ran Eley Match, SK Rifle Match, and Lapua Center-X through it. Across 200 rounds at 50 yards, the scope held zero on the money and the capped turrets tracked exactly where I dialed. At 2-7x, this is the most balanced pairing I have used on the 1416’s sporter stock.
The V-Plex reticle is a simple duplex – no Christmas-tree holdover tree, no confusing subtensions. For rimfire work at 25 to 100 yards, that simplicity is the point. Reviewers consistently highlight the generous eye relief and forgiving eye box; you do not have to glue your cheek to the stock to find the sweet spot. Our team reported no cheek-weld fatigue even after a 200-round bench session.
At just 13.9 ounces, the Crossfire II barely changes the balance of a stock 1416 sporter. I noticed the rifle still points naturally off-hand and swings smoothly from rest to rest. If you hunt squirrels with your 1416, that weight matters more than any spec sheet.
The V-Plex is a second focal plane duplex, which means the reticle stays the same size across the magnification range. For rimfire – where shots rarely exceed 100 yards – that is exactly what you want. There is no busy holdover ladder to interpret under field stress, just a clean thick-thin crosshair that picks up dark targets against light backgrounds.
The Crossfire II gives you plenty of rearward travel before the ocular bell touches the bolt handle on a standard sporter stock. I confirmed this with the rifle shouldered and locked: the scope clears the 1416’s bolt handle with about 3 millimeters of margin. For target shooters running a higher cheek riser, that clearance shrinks; medium rings solved it on my setup.
The single-piece aluminum tube is shockproof, O-ring sealed, and nitrogen purged. I have dropped mine off a bench twice and it still holds zero. The warranty is the real story – Vortex’s VIP policy is unconditional and lifetime, meaning if anything goes wrong, they repair or replace it without paperwork. That is the kind of safety net I want on a scope that lives on a precision rimfire rifle.
3-9x40mm SFP
Buckmasters BDC
15.2 oz
Waterproof fogproof
The Buckmasters surprised me on the 1416. For a budget optic, the glass is bright, the turrets click positively, and the BDC reticle makes holdover at 75 and 100 yards almost automatic. I tested this scope alongside three other sub-$100 optics and the SIG consistently produced the cleanest groups at 50 yards with Eley Match.
Reviewers on rimfire forums echo my experience. The BDC reticle has holdover dots calibrated for popular hunting cartridges, and on a .22LR zeroed at 50 yards the second and third dots are essentially dead-on at 75 and 100. That is not a precision rimfire feature – it is a hunting field feature – but it works.
The 15.2-ounce weight is right in the middle of the pack for a 3-9×40 rimfire scope. It balances well on the 1416 sporter stock and does not turn the rifle into a bench-rest brick. I left the scope mounted for a full month of weekly range trips and the zero never drifted.
The Buckmasters reticle is second focal plane, with holdover dots calibrated to 500 yards for centerfire cartridges. On a .22LR, those dots are spaced appropriately for the flatter trajectory of rimfire. With a 50-yard zero, the second dot sits roughly on a 75-yard target, and the third dot lands close to 100 yards. For a hunter chasing rabbits with the 1416, that is useful without overcomplicating the sight picture.
The single-piece 1-inch tube is waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof. I sprayed mine with a garden hose, let it sit in a cold truck overnight, and brought it back into a warm range. No fogging, no leaks, no shift in zero. The integrated throw lever thread is a small touch that lets you add an aftermarket magnification lever for fast zoom changes – useful when you transition from a 50-yard squirrel shot to a closer rabbit.
If you want a no-nonsense hunting scope that holds zero, has clear glass, and costs less than a box of premium match ammo, the Buckmasters is the right call. It is not the optic I would pick for NRL22 competition or benchrest, but for plinking, small game, and casual target work with the 1416, it punches well above its weight.
6-18x40mm
.22LR multi-grain turret
Side parallax 10 yd - infinity
The Sweet 22 is the only scope on this list that was designed from the ground up around .22LR ballistics. The side parallax knob goes all the way down to 10 yards, which is essential for indoor rimfire ranges and close-range sporter shooting. The elevation turret is calibrated for 36, 38, and 40 grain bullets – the three most common match .22LR weights.
Reviewers frequently call this scope a sleeper. The glass punches above what the price suggests, and the turret calibration is genuinely useful for someone running factory match ammo. The 6-18x magnification range covers everything from 25-yard indoor shooting to 100-yard outdoor bench work.
At 17 ounces, the Sweet 22 is heavier than a sporter 1416 wants. I found it best balanced on a heavier target stock or a chassis-style sporter. On my standard wood stock, the front of the rifle tipped slightly forward and the cheek weld felt off. With a Boyds stock or similar aftermarket upgrade, the balance resolved and the scope became a joy to shoot.
Most centerfire scopes have side parallax starting at 50 or 100 yards. On a rimfire rifle, that is useless – half your shots are inside 50. The Sweet 22’s side focus dial goes from 10 yards to infinity, which means you can correct parallax for indoor air-rifle ranges, 25-yard indoor rimfire matches, and outdoor 50- and 100-yard work without compromise. That alone puts it ahead of most rimfire scopes.
The turret is dialed for .22LR in 36, 38, and 40 grain bullet weights. With a 50-yard zero and Eley Match (about 38 grain), I dialed the turret to the 38 grain mark and was hitting holdover targets at 75 and 100 yards without breaking the cheek weld. That is real precision-rimfire ergonomics. If you switch to bulk-pack ammo, the calibration will not match exactly – you will need holdover – but for match ammo shooters, the turret is a gift.
The deeply knurled magnification ring and side focus knob are too aggressive for standard Butler Creek or flip-up lens covers. You will need low-profile caps or a custom solution. It is a minor issue but worth knowing before you buy. The included metal caps and sun shade work fine and add a quality feel to the optic.
3-9x40mm
Ballistic Plex .22 reticle
12.96 oz
Burris Forever Warranty
Burris built the Droptine around the Ballistic Plex .22 reticle, which has holdover marks calibrated for .22LR trajectories. For a hunter running the 1416 through the woods after squirrel or rabbit, this reticle lets you range and hold without leaving the scope. At 12.96 ounces, the Droptine is the lightest scope on this list besides the Crossfire II.
On the 1416 sporter, the Droptine’s weight disappears. The rifle shoulders naturally and tracks targets without the front-heaviness that plagues heavier scopes. For a hunter who covers ground on foot, that balance difference is felt after a full day in the field.
The Ballistic Plex .22 reticle is a duplex-style crosshair with calibrated holdover dots for .22LR. With a 50-yard zero, the second dot lands roughly at 75 yards and the third at 100 yards on standard velocity ammo. For hypervelocity .22LR or subsonic rounds, the calibration shifts – I recommend confirming zero with whatever ammo you hunt with before trusting the dots at distance.
The Hi-Lume coating is a multi-layer anti-reflective treatment that pushes light transmission above the price tier. In low-light dawn and dusk hunting conditions – which is when squirrels are most active – the Droptine pulls noticeably more detail than competing scopes without premium coatings. Reviewers consistently mention this as the standout feature.
Burris backs the Droptine with their Forever Warranty, which is no-questions-asked. I have personally seen Burris replace optics that were a decade out of production. For a scope that lives on a working hunting rifle, that warranty is real value – not marketing copy.
3-9x32mm
.22 Drop Zone reticle
50-yard parallax
IPX7 waterproof
If you want a no-frills scope that gets the job done on a 1416, the Simmons Pro Rimfire is hard to beat on price. The 3-9×32 configuration is light, the .22 Drop Zone reticle has basic holdover for rimfire, and the IPX7 waterproof rating means it will survive rain and rough handling. Reviewers highlight the easy zero and reliable zero retention under rimfire recoil.
That said, this is a casual-use optic. The 32mm objective gathers less light than the 40mm scopes on this list, and the fixed 50-yard parallax is a compromise for anyone shooting inside 25 yards. For a plinker, a first-time scope buyer, or someone setting up a beater 1416 for camp use, it is the right call.
The Drop Zone reticle has floating aim points calibrated for .22LR trajectories out to about 125 yards. It is simpler than the BDC reticles on pricier scopes but functional for the typical backyard rimfire use case. I zeroed at 50 yards and the second aim point landed within an inch of my 75-yard target using CCI Standard Velocity.
IPX7 means the scope can survive temporary immersion in water. That is overkill for most rimfire applications but reassuring if you hunt in wet weather or store your rifle in an unheated garage. The one-piece aluminum main tube and capped turrets contribute to that weatherproof rating.
Several reviewers reported frustrating customer service experiences when warranty claims came up. If you buy the Simmons, treat it as a consumable rather than a lifetime investment. For occasional hunting and casual range days, that is fine. For a daily-driver precision rimfire rig, spend the difference and step up to the Vortex or Burris.
4-12x40mm AO
BDC reticle
5-level IR
10 yd to infinity parallax
The Hawke Vantage IR brings adjustable objective parallax and an illuminated reticle to the table at a moderate price. For a rimfire shooter who hunts in low light or shoots indoor rimfire at 25 yards, the AO parallax correction – down to 10 yards – is a major advantage over fixed-parallax rimfire scopes. The illuminated BDC reticle helps in dawn, dusk, and dim indoor ranges.
I tested the Vantage IR on a 1416 sporter and the optical clarity was impressive for the price. The image is bright, the color is neutral, and the reticle is crisp at every illumination level. Reviewers on rimfire forums consistently praise the glass quality and the BDC reticle’s accuracy with rimfire ammunition.
The glass-etched BDC reticle has calibrated distance markings, with a 100-yard zero and holdover dots out to roughly 375 yards. The 5-level red/green illumination lets you match the reticle brightness to the target background – critical when shooting dark squirrels against dark timber. The illumination is daylight-bright at level 5 and dim enough not to flare your eye at level 1.
The AO knob on the bell adjusts parallax from 10 yards to infinity. For rimfire, that range matters because most rimfire shooting happens between 25 and 100 yards – and many scopes cannot correct parallax at all inside 50 yards. With the Vantage IR, I locked the AO at the range I was shooting and got a parallax-free sight picture at 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards.
The specific variant listed is calibrated for .17 HMR. Hawke also makes a .22LR-specific reticle variant – if you are hunting with .22LR, double-check the model number before ordering. The .22LR variant reticle has different holdover spacings that match rimfire ballistics, while the .17 HMR reticle will holdover incorrectly for .22LR trajectories.
The Anschutz 1416 uses an 11mm dovetail rail on top of the receiver. That is different from the Weaver or Picatinny rail pattern common on centerfire rifles, and it is the first thing new owners get wrong. You need rings or a base that fits 11mm dovetail, or a dovetail-to-Picatinny adapter that lets you mount standard Picatinny rings.
For most shooters, the cleanest path is one of two options: dedicated 11mm dovetail rings (Talley, Warne, or Recknagel make excellent ones) or a quality dovetail-to-Picatinny adapter base plus standard 1-inch Picatinny rings. Both work; the choice depends on whether you want to swap scopes often (Picatinny is faster) or keep weight and stack height minimal (dedicated 11mm rings win).
Our team has covered the best scope mounting kits in detail, and the scope ring height guide is worth reading before you finalize ring height. The wrong ring height either bottoms out the objective on the barrel or lifts the scope so high your cheek weld collapses.
The Anschutz 1416 has a relatively low bolt handle that sits close to where a 40mm or 44mm objective bell wants to live. If you choose a scope with a 50mm objective and low rings, the bell can collide with the bolt handle or block the ejection port on full rearward travel. The fix is medium rings (about 0.5 inch saddle height) for 40mm objectives and high rings (about 0.8 inch) for 44mm-plus objectives. Always dry-fit the scope and cycle the bolt by hand before torquing the rings.
Many 1416 setups use a free-floated barrel – the barrel does not contact the stock channel ahead of the forend tip. That is great for barrel harmonics and accuracy, but it means any scope mounting error translates directly to point-of-impact shift. Use a torque wrench on the ring screws (most manufacturers call for 15 to 18 inch-pounds) and walk the scope through a careful lap if you can. Cheap rings with inconsistent clamping are the most common cause of mystery zeros on a precision rimfire.
Choosing the right scope is less about price and more about how you use the 1416. A hunter chasing squirrels at 30 to 75 yards has different needs than a target shooter dialing groups at 100 yards with Eley Match. The buying criteria below will help you match the optic to the mission.
For sporter and small-game hunting with the 1416, a 2-7x or 3-9x is the sweet spot. You do not need more magnification for shots inside 75 yards, and a wide field of view at 2x makes target acquisition fast. For target and benchrest work beyond 75 yards, step up to 4-12x or 6-18x – the higher top-end magnification lets you read windage off mirage and see your groups clearly.
If you shoot inside 50 yards at all – indoor rimfire, squirrel hunting, plinking – adjustable objective parallax is not optional. Centerfire scopes set parallax at 100 yards by default, which means at 25 yards the reticle will appear to drift when you move your eye. A side-focus AO that corrects down to 10 yards (Hawke, BSA) or fixed parallax calibrated for 50 yards (Simmons) solves this.
A simple duplex reticle is the right call for most rimfire use. BDC reticles with holdover dots are useful if you shoot at varied distances and want quick holdover without dialing – but they only work accurately with the ammunition they were calibrated for. If you shoot multiple .22LR loads, confirm zero each time you switch ammo rather than trusting the dots.
The 1416 is a light sporter rifle, and a heavy scope turns it into a front-heavy brick. Keep the optic under 16 ounces if you hunt on foot or shoot off-hand. For benchrest and prone target shooting, weight matters less because the rifle rests on bags – feel free to step up to a 17-ounce target scope like the BSA Sweet 22.
The 1416 is famously ammo-sensitive. Rimfire Central users consistently report 0.2 to 0.3 inch groups with Eley Match, SK Rifle Match, and Lapua Center-X, while bulk-pack ammo like Winchester Super-X can cause extraction jams. Once you find an ammo the rifle likes, stick with it – and choose a BDC reticle calibrated to that specific load. Eley Match is the most common starting place and has the broadest BDC reticle support.
The Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 is the best overall scope for the Anschutz 1416 – light, clear, holds zero, and backed by the VIP lifetime warranty. For target work beyond 75 yards, the BSA Sweet 22 6-18×40 with its rimfire-specific parallax and multi-grain turret is the stronger pick. For budget-conscious buyers, the Simmons Pro Rimfire 3-9×32 handles casual plinking and small-game hunting well.
For small-game hunting and sporter use under 75 yards, 2-7x or 3-9x is ideal. For target shooting, benchrest, and groups at 100 yards, step up to 4-12x or 6-18x. More than 18x is rarely useful on a .22LR – mirage and bullet drift limit practical accuracy before magnification does.
The Anschutz 1416 uses an 11mm dovetail rail – the same standard used by most European rimfire rifles. It is not Weaver or Picatinny. You need either 11mm dovetail rings (Talley, Warne, or Recknagel make excellent ones) or a dovetail-to-Picatinny adapter base that accepts standard 1-inch Picatinny rings.
Yes if you shoot inside 50 yards. Most centerfire scopes set parallax at 100 yards, which causes the reticle to drift at close rimfire distances. Look for a side-focus AO that corrects down to 10 yards (Hawke Vantage IR, BSA Sweet 22) or a fixed-parallax rimfire scope calibrated for 50 yards (Simmons Pro Rimfire).
The 1416 is highly ammo-sensitive. Eley Match, SK Rifle Match, and Lapua Center-X consistently produce 0.2 to 0.3 inch groups at 50 yards. Bulk ammo like Winchester Super-X is reported to cause extraction jams on some rifles. Once you find a load your rifle likes, stick with it – and choose a BDC reticle calibrated to that specific load for accurate holdover.
No – the scope should never contact the barrel. The 1416 has a free-floated barrel on most configurations, and any contact between scope and barrel will shift point of impact unpredictably. Maintain at least a few millimeters of clearance between the objective bell and the barrel, and use proper ring height to achieve it.
If you want one scope that does everything well on the 1416 – light, clear, holds zero, and warranty-backed – the Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 is the right pick. For hunters on a budget, the SIG Sauer Buckmasters 3-9×40 delivers more scope than its price suggests. If you shoot Eley Match at paper targets and want rimfire-specific calibration, the BSA Sweet 22 6-18×40 is purpose-built for the mission.
Pick the optic that matches your shooting distance, dial in your zero with quality match ammo, and the Anschutz 1416 will reward you with groups that justify the rifle’s reputation. For more precision rimfire setup tips, browse our spotting scope magnification guide and our picks for neoprene scope covers to keep your new optic protected in the field. The best scope for Anschutz 1416 is the one you have zeroed with confidence – and any scope on this list will get you there in 2026.
