How would you spend your money?

Lavishly.

Don't think that because its just 22lr that you don't need a good scope. The targets are small, the drop at distance is huge, and wind that doesn't affect a 6.5 mm bullet at 2700 fps blows that little 22 cal bullet starting out at 1080 fps all over the place. I have a vortex viper PTS on my match 22, but if my razor wasn't sitting on my match bolt gun, I'd put that scope on my 22. And, if my leupold mark5 wasn't sitting on another rifle I'm building out for matches, I'd be using that scope on my 22. What I'm getting at is put the best scope you can reasonably afford on your 22, you'll be happier in the long run.

I'd rather have the new Strike Eagle over the Diamondback, according to the reviews I've read on each.

I put a Athlon Cronus on mine, seeing the trace at 29x as they drop in at 100 yards makes me giggle like a school girl.

Got a LRTSi on mine and can watch trace when shooting 168 yards. Started with a LRHSi but wanted exposed windage for the deuce deuce.

Of those two I would go with the Strike Eagle because of the greater range of elevation adjustment.

I have a NF NX8 2.5-20 on my 22.

Buy the best you can afford that have the features you need. I’m just replace the scope on my Vudoo for the third time. I finally bought the optic that has worked out great.
NF 7-35x56 ATACR

Yep, get as good as you can, but between those two, pony up and get the Strike Eagle.

I put a Leupold VX-III and VX-II on my better .22lr rifles. Both have an adjustable objective lens.

You will probably shoot ammo worth thousands of dollars with the scope.

I have owned my 22LR for 2 years soon and shot ammo worth almost $6K. I am glad I bought Cronus right away because it is a small bill compared to its usage and the benefits.

By using good equipment you maximize the accuracy potential of the shots you take and save a lot of your time wondering about POI shifting, changing zeros, elevation running out, blurriness at high/low elevation and such problems that sometimes come with lower tier scopes.

If you are only starting out with 22LR, by all means get the Strike Eagle or similar - upgrade it few months later when you're hooked for life.

I'm in a similar position, wondering if I should get a dimondback soon when I can afford it, or wait for something better down the line. I have a pst 2 5-25 that's currently jumping around between my rifles, and if I could afford it, every rifle I owned would have something from that line up. It's hard to know without shooting them if borderline scopes are "good enough", or a waste of money, particularly when the review are typically in the camps of:

1) honestly dont know what they are doing, or seriosuly tested it, and the dimondback (or whatever) still is a huge leap over grand pappies 2-7 redfield from '62,

Or

2) very experienced people with high expectations, and the wallets to back that up. Yeah, the razor etc are way better, but a lot of "workable" gets swept up as "trash" when comparing a Camry to a Bentley.

I have been debating the same question for about a month for my .22LR and just this afternoon I placed my order for the Strike Eagle 5-25x.

KML7201 said:

Of those two I would go with the Strike Eagle because of the greater range of elevation adjustment.

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...And this was exactly my reasoning as well. I was fortunate enough to have the money saved for the Strike Eagle and wanted both the greater range of elevation adjustment and the wider FOV from the 34mm tube.

I had an old weaver 3.5-10x44 mil/mil on my .22, swapped it over to a rifle that had a vortex viper pst 4-16x50. Dial a lot more elevation on the deuce deuce than the other gun, so it was a good decision. Definitely want a good optic on your .22, especially if you shoot it more than the rest combined.

I've run a DB Tac on my NRL22 rifle for the last 2 years. No issues with it out to 100 yards. The FIRST time you take it out to 200 and forget to dial it back to zero (because 200 yards just happens to be one full rev of the elevation turret) you will kick yourself. There isn't a zero stop on the DB Tac, but there is on the Strike Eagle. That one feature alone makes the extra cost worth it. In my opinion, everything else is offers is just icing on the cake. Get the Strike Eagle

I have two 4-16 Diamondback tactical, two 5-25 PST Gen II and a 5-25 Strike Eagle.
Get the Strike Eagle! Glass is close to the PST, fov is terrific, focuses down to just under 15 yards and has a decent eye box. I have the Strike Eagle on my Bergara 22 trainer and couldn't be happier.
Well, couldn't be happier at that price point.
If you qualify for expertvoice pricing, it's a steal. I think a couple vendors on here come pretty close to expertvoice's mil pricing.

Based on the 1 example of a DB Tactical I had, I would go with the SE or save my pennies for a bit longer and go 1 more step up the ladder.

If you're going to buy a chinese scope, I'd get the Athlon Midas tac before the SE.

Buy the best glass you can find. You won't ever regret having too nice of a scope.

Don't overlook Sightron.

weeds said:

I've run a DB Tac on my NRL22 rifle for the last 2 years. No issues with it out to 100 yards. The FIRST time you take it out to 200 and forget to dial it back to zero (because 200 yards just happens to be one full rev of the elevation turret) you will kick yourself. There isn't a zero stop on the DB Tac, but there is on the Strike Eagle. That one feature alone makes the extra cost worth it. In my opinion, everything else is offers is just icing on the cake. Get the Strike Eagle

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The lack of zero stop is a good point. I took my 22 with the DB Tac out to 250yds with the CCI quiet ammo to get some dope on it, and kept getting lost in the turrets. Definitely workable scope, but kept wishing I was looking through a better scope with a zero stop.

Memberberries said:

Buy the best glass you can find. You won't ever regret having too nice of a scope.

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I feel like this is some of the best advice ever. I also think its a rabbit hole that has no bottom. Which is exactly why I like to jump in with both feet ....

Seconding the PST II. I have the lower mag range, would have preferred to go 5-25 just so I can see the paper better. Nice glass is worth it just to watch the trace drop.