22lr accuracy at distances beyond 50 yards, and fun shooting

[xphunter]

On another thread about where you should zero a 22lr, there seems to be this mystical belief of what a 22lr is capable of or not capable of at distances much beyond 50 yards.
You should zero your gun for the uses or type(s) of shooting, hunting, competing, and plinking you want to do.
Honestly, I don't care where you zero your rimfire, but the idea that only a few or competitors can shoot accurately at 100 yards or further, is silly in my opinion.
I would like to see what some of you guys are doing at distance with a 22lr whether it is a rifle or a handgun?
Do the conditions need to be good? Yes
Does the 22 need to be accurate? Yes
Does the shooter need to have some fundamentals down? Yes
This was back in 2016 with one of my clone Charger's.
On a good day this is what one of my clone Charger's (I have two of them) can do at 500 yards.


I took Neva (My daughter-in-law to be at that time 2016) out to do some shooting at Chuck McIntosh's/Mac's Gunworks place.
Neva had done a little bit of smallbore shooting when she was younger (4-H) but nothing anything at distance or with centerfire as far as I knew.
I started her out with my other custom clone Charger handgun in 22lr at 100 yards on 10" steel.


She got bored with shooting the center of the target very quickly, and proceeded to start shooting at the bolt heads. Then she wanted to shoot further so she started shooting at the 5 inch piece of steel at 200 yards.
The scope I had on there wasn't really set up to go to 300 yards so we stopped there.




Further back in time, some goofing around shooting pd's with that Clone Charger, just past 350 yards, after filing my buck antelope tag...Obviously not with the Charger!

 

[xphunter]

Forgot to add, that in all of this shooting, we were using a Harris BR bi-pod and a small field bag under the pistol grip.
I have access to very nice shooting rests or bi-pods (SEB Rests: NEO, MINI, and JOY-POD), but this is what I use in the field the majority of the time.

 

[jmr40]

I zero at 50 yards, but use a scope with adjustable turrets to shoot at 100 and 200. I often place clay targets on the hillside behind the 200 yard target stands at my range.

My CZ at 200. I had this scope on a Ruger 10-22 LVT, then the CZ and it is currently on one my new Tikka T1. I've not had an opportunity to shoot the Tikka at ranges beyond 50 yet.

 

[Slamfire]

Honestly, I don't care where you zero your rimfire, but the idea that only a few or competitors can shoot accurately at 100 yards or further, is silly in my opinion.

You need to go to a 200 yard Rimfire match and amaze everyone with your shooting abilities. The amount of elevation going from 100 yards to 200 yards, is almost the same as the amount of elevation I put on a 308 Win going from 600 yards to 1000 yards. One little gust and your 22lr bullet is not even on target.

 

[LiveLife]

Those of you getting small groups at several hundred yards, what ammunition are you using?

 

[someguy2800]

My favorite thing to do with a 22 rifle is to shoot 150 yards or so with sub sonic ammo. With a snowy backround you can watch the bullet arc in the wind on the way to the target. 100 is about my limit for shooting at critters with a 22, mostly because I just haven't played with ranging enough with a 22 to be confident of a kill shot, nor my ability to accurately estimate the range.

 

[xphunter]

SF,
I think I know how much drop it takes to shoot 200 yards and further, since we were dialing to begin with.
Yes, I do grasp how easily a 22lr is moved by wind.
Have I competed in the rimfire game? No
Am I opposed to it? No. There is going to be some distance BR matches next year about an hour plus drive from me and I plan to go and have fun.
Have I competed in both bench and roving field courses at 1K with rifles and handguns? Yes
Have I shot further than 1K with my center-fire specialty pistols? Yes
Amaze people? I am just a guy who likes to play at distance.
I don't buy into the limits, that some people live with when it comes to shooting.

 

[d2wing]

I am impressed.

 

[Varminterror]

You need to go to a 200 yard Rimfire match and amaze everyone with your shooting abilities. The amount of elevation going from 100 yards to 200 yards, is almost the same as the amount of elevation I put on a 308 Win going from 600 yards to 1000 yards. One little gust and your 22lr bullet is not even on target.

There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy - Wild Bill Shakespeare

Here’s a little of my own shooting with a 22LR Charger pistol at 325 yards on 8” and 10” plates. It’s almost boring how reliable it is to hit the 10” plate at this distance.





Here’s some OFFHAND shooting done at 150 yards on a 10” plate, 10 rounds fired in under 2 minutes. Standing with the sling. I did add a couple tenths to my databook after seeing the low impacts.


Here’s another tiny bullet rimfire getting pushed around in Kansas winds, 25 grain 17 WSM’s printing 1.1MOA at 200 yards. 8 rounds in under a minute.

 

[Slamfire]

There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy - Wild Bill Shakespeare

Here’s a little of my own shooting with a 22LR Charger pistol at 325 yards on 8” and 10” plates. It’s almost boring how reliable it is to hit the 10” plate at this distance.

View attachment 868752
View attachment 868751
View attachment 868753

Here’s some OFFHAND shooting done at 150 yards on a 10” plate, 10 rounds fired in under 2 minutes. Standing with the sling. I did add a couple tenths to my databook after seeing the low impacts.
View attachment 868754

Here’s another tiny bullet rimfire getting pushed around in Kansas winds, 25 grain 17 WSM’s printing 1.1MOA at 200 yards. 8 rounds in under a minute.
View attachment 868755

The point is, go do it on demand. Show up at an event where the conditions might not be so perfect. I have been at Smallbore Prone matches where you use eight clips per side, and still worry that the target will be blown out of the frame. We always use stakes to keep the target frame from moving. Then, lets see if you hit the target for each of your 20 shots within your allotted time period. But you champs, no sighting shots!. You hit the target on the first shot, and you hit it each and every shot until the match period is over. Because you are so amazing.

Consistency is hard.

There is no question that a 22lr will hit the earth when fired from 300 yards, 400 yards, even further. But can you keep them within 1 MOA at all distances under all conditions, in sequence?

People claim National Records all the time, except they are not at matches where they don't have control of time and conditions.

 

[jmr40]

Those of you getting small groups at several hundred yards, what ammunition are you using?

I'm using CCI 36 gr HP ammo. At 50 yards I can get smaller groups with target ammo, but not by much. The CCI is right at 1/2" in any of my rifles. The much slower target ammo might run 3/8".

When I get time I want to try some of the better target ammo at long range. But figuring out the drops is a trial and error proposition that takes time and can only be done on days when there is no wind. I started with the faster, flatter shooting CCI ammo and have the drops figured out and can just dial the scope for the ranges I'm shooting. I've played with target loads at 100 and the drop is considerably more with target ammo.

100 yards isn't that hard to figure out. With a scope with multiple aiming points I can make hits at 100 with a 50 yard zero by simply using one of the other aiming points. None of my scopes will allow me to do that at 200. I have to twist dials to make hits out there

I've never tried farther than 200. I'm not sure my current scopes will adjust enough to make hits at 300. I don't know how you're doing it at 500.

 

[xphunter]

Slamfire,
First, no one is claiming any record whatsoever.
Second, this is fun shooting, goofing off, and being with family and friends.
Third, I did cherry pick the conditions...Why? Because I am doing it for fun and to see what could be done in good conditions.
Fourth, I have shot at 1K Nationals and at World comps, just not in rimfire of any kind.
Fifth, Get over the fact that some people don't want to go to comps (for a variety of reasons), but they still like to play.
Sixth, I would appreciate you not making claims, that I have not made.
Neva's were all hits from cold bore, but my 500 yard shooting I did sighter shots at first. Why? First of all I had never shot it that far before that day. I didn't have confirmed drops.
The prairie dogs were for fun and Steve Hugel and I killed from short range out to 350+. Were they all first shot kills? Obviously Not!

 

[Varminterror]

The point is, go do it on demand.

The entire post following this was just silly, but to this - I was holding 15-20mph full value on that day with the Charger at 102 degrees still that evening. I went to the range for that reason - it was hotter than hell and the mirage was blowing all over.

I’ve shot a handful of NRL22 matches the last couple seasons, show up and shoot, no sighters. Shot Appleseed matches, smallbore matches in years past too. Never had control of the weather when I went crow calling either. One or two weekends each month, my string of fire starts with “shooter ready, time starts now,” and by golly, I sure haven’t figured out which knob on my scope shuts off the wind for those “perfect conditions” you always seem to throw out there. The first round I fired Saturday morning was in a called 9mph wind, no sighters at 997 yards, “Impact.” And I wasn’t even close to a top finisher - if I can do it, most can do it better.

I’ve never understood why so many competition shooters have to try to build up this mystique to convince others the skills are unattainable.

 

[LoonWulf]

we used to have a couple bowling pins hung at about 200yds at one of the "ranges" I used to visit. After figuring out the drop getting 50% hits was pretty reasonable, with higher percentages not in common, that's with my 10" buckmark and old tube red dot.

I should get a decent pistol scope and see how it does....

 

[troy fairweather]

Back when I had a range to shoot at, I would shoot at 100 yards when my other guns were cooling down. I have somewhere a 1/2 moa 10 shot group from my ruger American rimfire. I like to take shots at a small cow pond that was 500~ yards and on a calm day you could hold a good group.

I like that charger, it's been 20 years since I shot one, and they where great fun. Dad had a few xp100s 2 savage strikers and the newer Remington I forget the name but it was from the custom shop.

 

[kidneyboy]

The point is, go do it on demand.

Why? Sort of takes the fun out of casual long distance shooting.
It's not all about competition shooting.

 

[xphunter]

I've never tried farther than 200. I'm not sure my current scopes will adjust enough to make hits at 300. I don't know how you're doing it at 500.

First, You need a scope with enough internal adjustment. The scope I used for 500 yards, has 70 MOA, so centered, it has 35 MOA. Add in a 20 MOA slope base, now you have 20 more if needed. Leupold Mark 4 4.5-14x50mm ER/T with the TS-60X2 MOA (reticle in FFP). The reticle gives me 60 MOA all by itself.
If, I would have used Burris Signature ZEE rings like I did on my pd shooting, you can add more MOA through the ring inserts.
It comes down to drop and drift, so you need to figure out how you can put together a set-up that will give you the MOA you want.

 

[Varminterror]

If, I would have used Burris Signature ZEE rings like I did on my pd shooting, you can add more MOA through the ring inserts.

Yup; 20-30moa rails on top, and Burris Zee rings. Maximize how much of the internal adjustment you’re using. That’s my crying point with that Charger pictures above - it only has 50MOA internal adjustment. It’s a second focal mil-dot (with 1/8IPHY clicks, so all kinds of stupid), so I end up playing the math game between the magnification and holding over a lot.

 

[Plastikosmd]

Freedom arms at 100

40x sporter 100 ,
Couple targets


I will have to look for my targets on my heavy 40x w Olympic, they are similar

 

[Varminterror]

Those of you getting small groups at several hundred yards, what ammunition are you using?

I’m a cheapskate most of the time. Just shooting for fun, I use bigger targets to tolerate crappy ammo. I was shooting Golden Bullets at that 8” plate with the Charger above. In my Mark II, I usually shoot Mini-mags and Eley Club or Black.

 

[LoonWulf]

best cheap ammo I've used so far have been CCI blasers, but my usuals are Minimags. Tried some of the federal "match" option, and so far the Hunter Match has done well in 3 of my .22s.

 

[xphunter]

Freedom arms at 100
View attachment 868763
40x sporter 100 ,
Couple targets
View attachment 868764
View attachment 868765
I will have to look for my targets on my heavy 40x w Olympic, they are similar

Nice shooting!

 

[Plastikosmd]

Thk u
no time for true competition = fun to just push yourself
Hope to make at least an egg shoot sometime, it would be fun to have the FA on the 100y line

 

[fpgt72]

My favorite thing to do with a 22 rifle is to shoot 150 yards or so with sub sonic ammo. With a snowy backround you can watch the bullet arc in the wind on the way to the target. 100 is about my limit for shooting at critters with a 22, mostly because I just haven't played with ranging enough with a 22 to be confident of a kill shot, nor my ability to accurately estimate the range.

And what is more fun to me.....and I shoot this stuff without ears.....hay children do as I say not as I do....is the sound.

Taking a new person out and shooting subsonic from 1-200 yards....it takes that bullet a bit to get there.....wait for it....ding. So many people even gun people that never shoot at real distance that takes them a minute to process.

 

[xphunter]

Thk u
no time for true competition = fun to just push yourself
Hope to make at least an egg shoot sometime, it would be fun to have the FA on the 100y line

True. I used to hunt with a Field Grade 454 with 300 XTP's.
Another part for me, is my vocation keeps me home on Sunday's, and a lot of shoots take place on the weekend.
If, I am going to use vacation time, I would rather be hunting than competing.
Plus, I love pd shooting, and that is like a 45 minute drive for me. The red mist culture is enjoyable. I typically enjoy shooting them more at distance, but have started shooting close ranges again (under 1000 yards with centerfire specialty pistols). I still have a 500+ goal for my 22lr specialty pistols that I need to reach as well.
There are some local F-class matches (600 yards) that are 2-3 hours away that I may shoot the Saturday, and just miss whatever they do on Sunday.
My F-Open Rig. It has a different scope and rings on it now-284 Winchester with 180 Hybrids.

Okay, I am rambling..I enjoy shooting and hunting with handguns of all kinds!