.357 more accurate than .22?

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philpost

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Tonight in a back-to-back test, I shot more accurately at 15 yards with my S&W 686P (shooting Fiocchi .357's) than with my Walther P22. I assumed the bigger gun would be less accurate because of the kick, but no.
Any ideas for tightening up my .22 shooting?
 
The Walther P22 has a very short barrel, and the grade of ammo in .22LR you were shooting was probably much less than the .357 you were shooting. Making for different velocities in every shot.

The recoil from a large caliber really shouldn't affect you accuracy unless you're shooting rapidly. Whether you're shooting .50AE, or .22LR. What it comes down to is the quality of firearm, grade of ammo, and shooters capabilities/confidence. The bullet has long since left the barrel before it recoils.

To answer your question, buy something more accurate, and practice.
 
However...

...a good .22 pistol and target ammo are amazingly inherently accurate at close ranges. Generally, higher velocity .22 and smaller callibers are more accurate and larger calibers are less accurate the faster they are.

Alden
 
I cannot stress the fact enough that when it comes to .22 rimfire accuracy, there's a big difference between cheap ammo & quality ammo. This doesn't mean that quality .22 ammo needs to be high priced to be accurate, because the ammo I shoot runs about $23.50 a brick of 500 and it will shoot as accurate as the really expensive stuff costing 3X as much. Its reliable too, as I have shot several bricks and as of yet, I have not had a round fail to fire. The best thing I would suggest anyone to do is buy several brands and do your own testing to find out what your own gun likes the best. LM
 
I have both the 686 and the P22 in my stable...the 686's trigger is infinitely better than the P22's as well, especially if you were shooting single action.
 
I've had the same thing happen shooting golf balls at 25 yards. Shooting a single six, and a Colt Match Target. I picked up my .357 blackhawk and could hit the golf balls with greater regularity.

I chalk it up to the price of ammo. .357 is much more expensive, so you want to make sure you hit something with each round....
 
Many "experts" tout the .22LR as the most accurate commercially loaded cartridge.

I've given this a bit of thought and wonder if it lies with barrel harmonics.
 
A Walther P22 is a fun toy, not an accuracy-oriented .22LR.

I've given this a bit of thought and wonder if it lies with barrel harmonics.
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Barrel harmonics, and the behavior of the gun under recoil. Shoot really heavy loads in a plowhandle single action .44, and you'll see how much the motion of the gun changes POI!

But, assuming you can hang on to each gun equally well, I think it's got a lot to do with the barrel. A .357 barrel that was as heavy as my .22LR target pistol barrels are would probably be more than 3" in diameter -- I mean, "as heavy" in terms of bore size and the impact of harmonics on the barrel. You could build the gun, but you might not want to shoot it.:)
 
I was thinking that the small charge would have less of a "disruptive" effect. Your 3" diameter makes we think we're on the same train track. ???
 
Yes, I think we're thinking the same way.

Consider a Ruger bull barrel .22 pistol. It's sometimes available for under $250, new, if you look around. I have one (a more expensive version, but still cheaper than a new 686 by a long shot) with a scope on it. It puts bullets wherever I have the crosshair when I pull the trigger at 25 yards. It doesn't need to be expensive. Basically, it's a big hunk of steel with a bore down the middle.:)
 
"How is your .357 accuracy when fired double action ?"

I was firing double action.

Thanks for the good feedback, obviously I'm comparing apples to oranges; the S&W is much more finely crafted, and I was using inexpensive Federal ammo.
For those who suggested practice - like learning, that never stops.
 
S&W 686P and a Walther P22?

Apples and Oranges.
And it has nothing to do with ammo quality or barrel harmonics.

The S&W is a more accurate gun then the P22, with better sights, a longer sight radius, and sights that are firmly attached to the gun, not floating around on the loose slide.

Compare the S&W 686 to a S&W Model 41 .22 Match pistol and your results will be much different.

rc
 
sights that are firmly attached to the gun
Click to expand...

ROTFLMAO

Yeah, that does help. I like my 686; I just never realized it was because of the firmly-attached-sight feature.:D

Compare the S&W 686 to a S&W Model 41 .22 Match pistol and your results will be much different.
Click to expand...

My Ruger keeps beating Model 41s in competition. That's why I haven't bought a 41 yet -- the accuracy is no different. Weight, balance, feel and neat-o factor are, but like I said, a cheap .22 can still be accurate, since a heavy bull barrel keeps groups nice and tight without having to be anything exotic.

(Okay, it's a fairly-thoroughly-worked Ruger with a scope on it, but the barrel is still stock...:D)
 
...but like I said, a cheap .22 can still be accurate, since a heavy bull barrel keeps groups nice and tight without having to be anything exotic.
Click to expand...

My Marvel conversion on a Kimber frame will shoot sub one inch at 25 with cheap ammo; almost as good as my semi-custom .45s. I've shot some spectacular groups with Contenders and a Dan Wesson Silhouette model.

I don't know if harmonics have anything to do with it or not, just a theory...one of those difficult to be proven or disproven.
 
Another ammunition related suggestion. Some guns are sensitive to the ammunition they are fed. One brand & type it can put into one ragged hole, another can't stay on a pie pan, and another it may choke on completely. Experiment with different brands & types to see what the Walther likes. I have to shoot plated .22 in my Marlin 60 (rifle) and my Ruger 22/45 because they both have a habit of catching on the all lead bullets and jamming instead of feeding smoothly. The S&W 48 revolver and my bolt rifles all shoot lead with no trouble.
 
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higher velocity .22 and smaller callibers are more accurate and larger calibers are less accurate the faster they are.
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Where on god's green earth did you come up with this bovine feces?

Fact:

All else being equal, a faster bullet will be more accurate because there is less time for external variable to act on it.

Fact:

The reason that .45 ACP and .38 Special are noted for better accuracy than 9mm, .357 and .40 is not because they are slower. It's because they do not trancend the sonic barrier, which disrupts the stability of projectiles in flight. Basically, for optimum accuracy, the bullet needs to either start out subsonic or stay supersonic until it reaches the target. That's why the .408 Chey-tac has better long-range accuracy than the .50; it simply stays supersonic further out.
 
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