Accuracy Range for .22LR and .22Mag ?

[Cee Zee]

supersonic to subsonic transition for .22lr seems pretty close to catastrophic, and it happens at a much shorter range than you may think.

Very true. Some people think you need supersonic ammo to shoot accurate at distance. That's backwards actually. You want sub-sonic ammo. I shoot it out to 200 yards and more accurately. Supersonic bullets go all over the place when they drop from supersonic speed. I think that may be a reason some think a .22LR is limited at 100 yards.

Again sub-MOA is the norm for several of my .22LR rifles. I don't care if people don't believe me when I say it and post groups to show it. It's their loss. I may not be the best shooter going (I know I'm not even close) but I have won like 13 of the last 15 contests I was in. It's been a while now because of the ammo problems but I still can shoot. I don't think it's that hard to shoot well. I think pretty much everyone can do it if they just learn the basics. It's not like I'm better at this than other people. I've just been doing it a very long time and I learned decades ago how to do it. Actually it's been half a century ago come to think of it. I've had all that time to practice. I taught my kids to shoot when they were 8-9 years old too. Now both of them are about as good as I am. I even taught my wife to shoot not too long ago. I have her shooting very well for no longer than she's been shooting. She can bounce a water bottle around all day at 25 yards with our Buck Mark.

 

[witchhunter]

Ammo is a huge variable for rimfire rifles. Try all you can get your hands on when you get a new 22, that is my advice. Well, kinda bad advice these days, since it is hard to find ANY 22 ammo. Some of them may surprise you. A long time ago I had a Remington 541 with a Weaver 12x that would shoot 3 shots into about 1/2". It was a blast to shoot. My buddy was bragging about how well it shot to our boss one day and he challenged me to a shootout. He brought his new 7mm Weatherby Magnum out to show me how it was done. I watched him shoot his Magnum a few times until he was flinching pretty good after about 20 rounds. Then I shot a 3 shot cloverleaf. I let him bang away until he ran out of ammo. He was certain that his 1500 dollar Weatherby couldn't be outshot by some kid with a 22! Sold it sometime later and have regretted it ever since.

 

[Cee Zee]

Finding the right ammo for a rimfire is a key. It doesn't go that one brand of ammo works well in all rifles. It doesn't work that way at all. Every rifle has ammo it shoots better than other ammo.

 

[tuj]

perspective:



you can really reach out with 22lr if you practice:

 

[DPris]

I have a scoped synthetic-stocked 16.6-inch CZ .22LR that out-shot a scoped CZ .223 at 100 yards.

Have another CZ rimfire with all three barrels.
Scoped, it can hold quite well at 100 yards with .22LR & .22Mag.
By far the best accuracy is with the .17HMR barrel.

That's on the 455FS version, I'd expect better of a target configuration.
Denis

 

[Cee Zee]

Nice shooting tuj. What were you shooting to get those groups?

 

[CB900F]

Tuj;

Could I ask what front rest you're using?

900F

 

[tuj]

The really small group was shot with a custom 40X and Eley Match -- a particular lot that worked really good in my rifle. The front rest was a Sinclair Competition rest and the rear bag was a Protektor with Cordura ears.

The group at 220 yards was shot with a Kimber 82G off a picnic table using a Caldwell cheap front rest using, believe it or not, Eley Sport (the cheap Mexico stuff).

 

[BCRider]

I've also seen more than a few times that adjusting your hold for wind effects with .22 at 200 is a close equivalent to .308 and similar at 500 or so. Long distance practice on a budget!

 

[tuj]

With the Kimber zero'ed at 100 yards, we were holding about 4' over the 220 yard gong to make hits. We have a 300 yard gong, but that sucker is HARD to hit.

 

[teetertotter]

Social Beach Bum, have you decided on a .22 rifle and what application you will be using it for...BR, offhand target, hunting, or just plinking? Ammo testing for best accuracy would be in order from bulk ammo to Target to Match grades. Enjoy your .22 by joining a club near you for competition.

 

[socalbeachbum]

yes, I think I'm going to go with a Savage bolt with 16" threaded barrel and scope it with a Weaver Kaspa 3-12x50mm

this replicates my .22mag setup which I'm very happy with.

ammo, just need to test, test, test to settle on a good type.

my benchresting will be for fun, not formal, and I'll use a Harris bipod. probably will mount a cheekrest fro Carsten.

 

[teetertotter]

Congratulations!!! You probably know that Standard Velocity is the most accurate. I have just the one rifle as that is all I can get involved with at the club. HP and others, just don't interest me. If I had the money, SAS, would be of interest. I do to much volunteer work in the community and try and fit golf in once a week with son.