.22 for longer ranges

[winchester '97]

I have started playing with the .22 long rifle at longer ranges, 200+ yards or so, and have been looking for better ammo. Im hitting pop cans at 200 yards with federal bulk pack, but what i really want is heavier bullets because wind is a real factor at that distance, as is lethality on small game. The 2 loads that Im seriously looking at right now are are the CCI velocitor and stinger.

So THR, what are the heaviest bullets out there for .22 long rifle?
And im not talking about the 60 grainers that aguila makes for suppressed weapons.
And what the heck, if you know of some really neat but fairly obscure loading, or just one people dont use alot like the fragmenting bullet designs, feel free to post it, this can be an oddball .22 round thread too .

 

[NOLAEMT]

I think you have it, there are 40 grain regular round nose, and then the 60 grain subsonics. you might want to give them a try though, they are just barly subsonic, and should have a better BC than the 40 grainers. either way though your pushing it at 200 yards. it might be time to step up to a centerfire cartage.

 

[josh...just josh]

step up to a .17 hummer!
If you go any heavier than the standard 40 grain fair you will be just increasing the rainbow effect of the trajectory at that range.

 

[Quoheleth]

I've done plenty of shooting .22s at the 200 yard berm and I don't think they are viable "small game" rounds at that distance. For fun on inatimate targets, let 'er rip. For hunting, I think you need to step up either to the .22 Mag (marginally better) or the .17 HMR.

My 2 cents...

Q

 

[jpwilly]

Plinking at 200yrds with a 22lr is fun and having a fun time figuring out the wind etc is part of it. If that's NOT what you want to be doing than get a 204 or 223.

 

[buttrap]

best bet is stick to a HV load that the gun likes and invest in sights. You think the fed pack stuff has wind issues at 200yds go to a more heavy slug. The key with a .22 and wind is speed and more speed. I would not drop under a 35 grain slug for any distance in a LR gun unless you like to really really have to deal with drift and drop.

 

[bhk]

If you are sighted in at 200 yards and not worried about trajectory, you will shoot much more accurately at long range with standard velocity (slightly subsonic) ammo than the high velocity stuff. All target .22 ammo is subsonic because of the disruptive influence of a high velocity bullet breaking through the sound barrier as it slows down. And, believe it or not, the subsonic target ammo is less effected by crosswinds than the high velocity stuff for the same reason. These are characteristics unique to .22s and not shared by high velocity centerfire rounds (unless you are doing the 1000 yard thing).

Good economically standard velocity stuff would be CCI Standard, followed by slightly more expensive Wolf Match and Match Extra, and the REAL target stuff by Lapua, Ely, RWS, etc. The Lapua, Ely, and RWS can get pretty expensive in the higher grades, but it is fun to see what a .22 can really do. Good target ammo generally runs about 1050 fps and has proprietory lubes that aid in accuracy. Ely's lubes are bees wax based, for example.

From Jim Carmmichel's Excellent Book of the Rifle:

An interesting phenomenon peculiar to the .22 Rimfire is that, unlike high-velocity center-fire bullets, which suffer less wind effect as velocity is increased, standard-velocity .22 Rimfire bullets are less blown off course by the wind than are high-velocity loads. This unique trait is due to a sharp increase in air resistance which occurs at velocities near the speed of sound. A much-simplified explanation is that the 1,150 fps, or less, standard-velocity level is on the "safe" side of the barrier, while velocities in the 1,300-1,500 fps range are caught in the middle, so to speak. Thus, low-velocity loads are affected about a third less by the wind than high-velocty .22's. This is why .22 match-grade ammo is always loaded to low velocity levels.

The same info is available from a variety of other sources.

 

[bannockburn]

winchester '97

From my own long range .22LR shooting experience, I have found Wolf Match Target and Match Extra to be consistently the most accurate in my rifle. Very reliable and clean shooting, this ammo continues to amaze me at how well it performs.

 

[David Sours]

For serious plinking I like the CCI Standard Velocity and the CCI Precision Select. But the one that is the most accurate in my gun at all distances up to 200 are the Federal Ultra Match. My Father-In-Law and his buddies shoot the Fed Bulk packs for their good ole boy Sunday afternoon competitions. They get a big charge out of shooting a 14" gong at 200 yds standing with no support. The longest consecutive string wins! I my self have not stepped up to the plate yet, I need a little more practice.

Have Fun,
David

 

[desidog]

I have a bunch of coffee cans strung up from 25-200 yds for my backyard .22lr action - I went to the subsonics to be less intrusive to the neighbors. Stayed there based on results.

I've found that the passage through the sound barrier effects the accuracy the most...so keeping it subsonic makes for more accuracy overall. If you keep to the same brand of ammo, you'll learn the trajectory well. I like a mil-dot scope, since the dots work out well for ballistic drop compensation.

I've found that the Remington subsonics (rem ammo is despised by some here) are the most accurate; the downside being that some batches have a lot of duds (like 5/50). That depends on the lot and the storage and handling thereof, i'm sure. It also runs pretty clean, as far as residue gunk.

The Winchester subs come in close second - less duds, but more gunk in the action.

The CCI subsonics i got were only half subsonic - the other half were just supersonic, and that half wasn't very accurate.

The Aquila 38 or 40 grain subsonic (i've forgotten which, but a yellow box) were decently accurate, but didn't have the oomph to cycle a 10/22 action, and i got a lot of failures to eject or load...i say "or" cause sometimes they'd eject, but there'd be an empty chamber.

I've heard tell that the 60gr Aguilas keyhole quickly unless you've got a fast twist barrel, like an AR .22 conversion setup, so i haven't tried them...also the price lately has been off-putting.

Well, enough on subsonics....which i wouldn't shoot at game past 120 yds or so; but Boddington cans are OK as far as you can see em!

I think the best accuracy i've had with fast .22lr rounds is CCI Velocitors. They weigh enough that wind is not the issue it is with Stingers; and the weigh of the projectile makes it much better for stomping a coyote with a headshot at 150yds or so....now, don't scoff - maybe not the first shot, but with a 10/22 with a 20" bull barrel, a scope, and a bipod, you can bracket the target very quickly, and the gun doesn't jump much so a follow up shot can happen as quick as your brain can make it.

I'd say the best thing about .22lrs is that you can get a box of everything on the shelf, and see what works for you. Since each gun handles the same flavors differently, you gotta try them yourself. Enjoy the process.

 

[Ky Larry]

I just got a CZ-542 Ultra Lux (28.6" barrel).I've tried 8 different type of low end ammo in it. (Win Wildcats,Rem Golden bullets, PMC Sidewinders, etc). Haven't tried any target ammo yet. The most accurate ammo so far has been CCI MiniMags, Fed Lightning 40gr, and CCI Green Tags. At 50yrds, from sand bags, I'm gettin groups of about .40". Scope is an old Tasco 3-9X44 World Class. I need to work a little overtime and upgrade my glass. Aguila Sub Sonic ammo is so quiet in this rifle, I've had people ask me if it was an air rifle. I live in town but my lot backs up to several hundred acres of woods. This combo might be just the ticket for skunk control.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have heard from some of the BPCR .22 shooters that high velocity loads are better at 200 yards than the subsonic match ammo that is superior at 100.

But the only way to know is to shoot some different ammo. I'd try the Velocitor versus something like Midas L.

 

[winchester '97]

Really should have included in my post i dont want a .17, im having fun compensating for wind and range. Ill try to get ahold of some standard velocity ammo to try. If anybody is still watching this thread.