Is there really any good reason to scope a .22? Other than a shooter maybe having eye sight problems, is there an advantage? And at what distance do you sight your 22 in at?

Yes, yes, 50..

Especially if you are shooting small game there is a big advantage.

Yes, especially since it's kind of hard to see small varmints at 50 yards even with good eyes.

I'd advise sighting in at 75 yards. That way you're on at 25 and 75, and an inch or so high at 50, depending on other factors.

The more accuracy potential the rifle has, the higher quality the optics should be. My Winchester 52 will usually shoot well under a half- inch at 50. I scoped it with a VX-III 4.5-14 with AO. A straight 4x is often plenty good for a rimfire hunting, but I like to shoot groups and the high magnification can be helpful. If and when I hunt with the rifle I'll turn it down all the way.

There's nothing better to practice with than a .22 rifle. The cost of ammo is a fraction of what you'll pay for center fire ammo, and a lighter rifle is more difficult to hold steady. I equate practicing with a .22 to swinging a leaded bat. If you can drive tacks with a .22, it's that much easier to hit the target with the heavier and improved trigger on your center fire. Just be sure to use good ammo so that you can get tight groups. Not all .22 ammo is the same. I've found the large boxes of Remington ammo to be very good at creating tight groups. IMO, the cheap, 50 round boxes of various brands will scatter shots all over the paper.

And not to be overlooked, a flinching problem while shooting a center fire will be quickly noticed by the shooter with a .22. Without the recoil, reactive movement will be quickly noticed.

Yes and yes! As for the range I'd say 50yds unless you expect to be shooting it out to 75 or so.

I put Leupold 2-7 variables (extra scopes that I had) on both of my primary 22 rifles (39A and 9422). Both are sighted in for 50 yards, and both are very accurate. Most of my critter shots are at 50 yards or less, except for the occasional coon on my wife's side yard corn feeder. That's 80 yards. If my data is correct, if sighted in at 50 yards, the drop at 75 is 1.8 inches. I can 'correct' for that quite easily.

50yds...I've got a vx3 3-9x40 on one and a fixed 4x leupy on my browning. Scopes make it a breeze to shoot glowing eyes in trees.

Rifle scoped pistol open sites, got near and far covered

A str8 4x scope should be more than enough for a 22. I site mine in at 50 yards as most of my shooting is at that distance

Going back to the leaded bat principle I mentioned earlier, I would suggest using a relative inexpensive scope for a .22 that will be a practice gun. As with taking swings with a leaded bat, the idea is practice with a rifle that makes the shooter work harder in the basic mechanics.

My heavy practice gun is a Remington 597 with a Bushnell scope that I couldn't have paid more than $80 bucks. And even though I added an upgraded trigger, it's far from the crispness that comes with even my worst center fire. Just like swinging a leaded bat in the on deck circle, a good 15-minute workout with a scoped .22 provides a good warmup right before heading out for big game.

You might even consider adding a little more lead by focusing more time on free hand shots.

I sight my Remington 597 in at 100 yards. You can take a pig down with a .22 if hit in the right spot in head. Putting a scope on my .22s are a must!

I sight in at 50yards then get the dope out to 200. I like ringing steel at 200 with a silent rifle
I think I run a mueller AVP or some sort. Its a way over kill scope for a .22

My eyes aren't what they once were. In my youger years no need for a scope. Now I use a scope.

Back when I shot competitively we shot .22s with a 4 power scope sighted in at 75 yds. This allowed for a close shot at 25 yds to be on target and it was usually a little high at 50. A scope on a .22 is a great training tool and can be a lot of fun too. Nothing like some cheap plinking!

Also, if you want the experience of both iron sights and a scope look into a see through scope mount. I have one on one of me 10/22s and I enjoy it. Best of both worlds. Only trouble is that you have to sit your cheek too high to use the scope but again, a good plinking gun.

Sight the 22 in for the range/distance you will be shooting. If you are sitting at the pond shooting turtles at 30 yds sight it in there and if you are shooting headshots at squirrels at 75 yds set it there. Take a little time to learn where your bullet will be at different ranges.