Inch group at 50 yards. Good or substandard?

Orion8472 said:

1 inch group at 50 yards

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Normal for bulk ammo or CCI std vel.

When i get a new case of 5000 rounds in, i test rife in both bolt actions rifles. If groups are 1/2" or almost, the lot gets put aside for rifles only.

When testing- 1.Use wind flags.
2.High power scopes with Parallax adjustment.
3. Clean when changing ammo lots or type. Not all lubes work with each other.
4. After cleaning, fire at least 5 fouling shots. 10 is better.

This sounds like work, but its just an excuse to shoot more to me.

Definitely try some different ammo. And don't over look high velocity stuff either.

With my Savage MkII with heavy barrel, I get 3/4" groups at 50 yards with CCI standard and get 1/2" groups with CCI Mini Mags. I bet it would do even better if I would buy some good match grade ammo.

Tried every type of 22LR available -- multiple match types as well as El Cheapo Grande.
It liked CCI Std Velocity by a dramtic margin.

Re: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...rds-good-or-substandard.899582/#post-12160492

You do not want a floated 10/22 barrel. It has no "locked-in" connection to the receiver.
-- it needs that 2nd-point/stabilizing tip pressure

You do not want an over-torqued action screw.
-- It warps the aluminum receiver.

Is the objective to have sniper-like skills, or have fun?

If you shoot such a group to have fun, it seems alright.

A small, empty Tylenol bottle (etc) might be available?
Make it bounce on the berm, during which those other shooters in their transcendental meditation positions won't even notice.

How many shots in the group?

I learned a lot about .22 lr and Ruger 10/22 rifles in general over at rimfire central. There are A LOT of tuning tips that don't cost much, or sometimes, anything that can make a big difference in a 10/22.

With a good barrel and a good trigger, I wouldn't be happy with a 1" 5-shot group at 50 yards. I WOULD have fun experimenting with pressure pads ahead of the action screw, torque specs on the actual action screw and other tips. First thing to do is make sure nothing is wiggling.

Frostbite said:

It is not always the price of the ammunition which makes the difference. Try as many as you can in order to find which ones your rifle prefers. Twenty-two rifles are ammo selective and it is also part of the fun.

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This is very accurate. After I saw how well my Charger shot with CCI SV I wanted to see how much better match grade ammo like Eley and SK would shoot from it and... the groups were the same size, if not a tiny bit bigger. At the price the CCI SV cost compared to Eley and SK, I decided not to buy that stuff anymore and stick with CCI.

You should be getting tighter groups. One inch at 50 is good for a stock gun but with a target barrel you should be getting one hole groups.

Do you have a tuner on your new barrel? They make a big difference and are not hard to make.

What trigger are you using. Get it down to 2 pounds and see how much better your groups are.

Good luck. That gun is a dream to play with.

Hesa Hard1 said:

1-inch is sub-standard ... if you're talking about out-of-da-box factory .22 rifles.

One of my CZ 452 bolts (untuned) put a 5-shot group into .333" @ 50-yds, and that was with standard Winchester Power-Pts, not the uber-Match ammo.

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I have a CZ 452 that really likes Wolf Match Target. I found this by trying different types of ammunition until I found one that particular gun seemed to like the best. Trying different types 22lr was mentioned several times in the above posts. Walkalong has targets in his post that show what premium 22lr ammunition is capable of when you find a brand your gun really likes. That is the reason premium ammunition is more expensive.

Sounds about like what my factory 1987 10/22 carbine gets for accuracy. Still minute of squirrel all day long at any reasonable distance.

The next question is, "Are you better than 1" at 50 yards?"

The 10-22 really has no solid tie into the receiver (unlike conventional
designs where the barrel is screwed tightly in for a considerable length)
The 10-22 barrel is more like a soup can nailed through the bottom to a
fence rail -- with one nail.

When both rear & front sight are on that barrel, not as big a problem.
But when rear sight is on the receiver, and barrel/muzzle unsupported.. . . .

You really need that 2nd pressure-point to secure the barrel/receiver relationship.

.

Based upon the “complete” description of the rifle by the OP, it seems like 1” at 50 yards is pretty darn good.

If you want to get better than 1" groups at 50 yards, the rifle probably needs more epoxy bedding in the receiver area, front and rear, and if the barrel is a bull, about 8 lbs. of uplift in the forend.

There are other tricks that help accuracy, including freeing-up the operating handle, so it doesn't bind the firing pin...causing first-shot flyers out of a fresh magazine.

Not every barrel is a winner. I've encountered mostly standard factory barrels that didn't shoot better than 2" groups at 50 yards, regardless of ammo. Ruger heavy barrels usually shoot better than standard ones, but most after-market bulls shoot even better.

You have got to try more ammo before you can draw a definitive conclusion about the rifle. The barrel needs to be seasoned too.

Orion8472 said:

Sound like I'm probably getting the most out of the CCI SV. Thanks for the comments!

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You may be, or you may not. Of the .22 rifles I own, I have 1 set of "twins" and one set of siblings. The twins are semi-auto (not Ruger) and niether shoot any SV ammo respectably. One won't even function on it. They both shoot HV ammo better, Federal HV of any type really well. One shoots Eley bulk from the CMP best, one shoots Federal Lightning that's been out of production for 20 years best.

2 of 3 Savage bolt actions are the MKII (FV I think) I ordered for my dad and I. Consecutive serial numbers. Mine shoots Federal bulk from CMP, CCI Quiets and SV really well. The other shoots Quiets ok, but shoots Aguila SV and HV best.

Another Savage bolt I have shoots Federal Auto Match as well as anything I've ever used in it. All 5 of the rifles I mentioned have routinely shot 1/2" at 50 with their preferred ammo. You may be able to find a reasonably priced option that shoots reasonably well. If you try 8 or 10 different kinds with no improvement, then possibly look for mechanical issues.

In all honesty many shooters would not be able to hold that rested off a bench.
CCI target is a standard ammo. Try some of the high dollar stuff match stuff. You’ll notice a difference.

Ah jeez, what exactly are you trying to accomplish here? 2 MOA is very cool in the world of 22 RF, especially with relatively cheap ammo like CCI SV and a 10/22. You need a bolt rifle to get jiggy with it.

I have a CZ 455 and 5K of CCI SV in my basement. If 'in I'm going to be an Olympic shooter I might have some concerns. If it comes to shootin squirrels and rabbits I'm good ya'll.

I'm seeing alot of folks compare this to a CZ452 - a bolt rifle - comparing it to a self loader. That is a touch off-kilter in my opinion.

Honestly, I think try different ammo. You've said you have a very large quantity of 22 ammo...go through a few different flavors. My Buckmark slab side pistol shoots horribly with CCI standard velocity. You put some CCI velociter or Wolf Match through it and you'd think you were Daniel Boone. My old Remington Nylon 66 loves velociter but chokes all day with federal Auto "match". My Ruger 22/45 will throw down with Federal Auto Match, but doesn't like anything Remington. It goes on and on.

You did mention this is a used barrel I think? I don't think I saw you mention this but has it been thoroughly cleaned of all possible lead/powder fouling?

Check that and then start playing with lead vs plated, hv vs std vel, etc etc.
I'm sure you will find something that shines the light.

D

db_tanker said:

I'm seeing alot of folks compare this to a CZ452 - a bolt rifle - comparing it to a self loader. That is a touch off-kilter in my opinion

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Accuracy is accuracy.

This thread simply points out whenever there is a thread about .22’s. Nearly every response is “my _______ is really accurate”. Uhhhh......no.

As for the “yeah, but it’s a self loader”. OK. It’s like saying “I’m good at basketball, for a short, fat, uncoordinated white kid”.

But I still stink.

1" is what I expect from a factory carbine barrel. Any good aftermarket barrel should do half that, even with bulk ammo. Problem is that Clerke is generally under $100 and I wouldn't expect much from one. Good barrels typically cost about twice that.

redneck2 said:

Accuracy is accuracy.

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It's a matter of expectations. Anyone who expects a $400 semi-auto to shoot like a $400 boltgun is deluding themselves. Generally speaking, it costs more to get the same accuracy out of a semi-auto.