Trying Small Bore Rifle

[MrBorland]

The round hole front apertures would probably help a lot.

It does. I have a CZ452 UltraLux with BRNO front & rear apertures. The front insert set looks much like what @243winxb posted. A properly-sized front & rear aperture makes a big difference in getting a good and consistent sight picture.

 

[MrBorland]

Anyone know why my groups wander all over, even though I'm not changing the sights

I got out today with my CZ452 American. Since I was planning on shooting prone with a sling today, I shot a couple of smallbore targets to warm up, even though this rifle isn’t a Smallbore rifle.

Anyhow, two consecutive targets. Same ammo, same everything, except a reloading & a re-mounting of the rifle between targets, so I chalk it up to an inconsistency in my position and/or how I shouldered the rifle.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Head position is hugely important. Lighting changes will move groups too. You tend to shoot towards the bright light.

 

[NZ308]

The round hole front apertures would probably help a lot. My biggest issue is the distortion of the target as it gets closer to the top of the front sight. I haven’t heard anyone else talk about that so it might just be me and my eyes.

What you are seeing with the distortion of the target as it starts to approach the top of the post is light reflecting off the top surface of the post. Old .303 saying is 'light up, sight up' as you naturally hold the sight down to stop the distortion - not needed the same with front rings.

The issue with the wondering zero you are having is likely to be a mixture of various faults
- inconsistent body position for approaching the rifle so head position is changing with respect to sight, recoiling differenly.
- forcing the rifle into aim, rather than moving body between targets - try the 10+1 smallbore targets with one shot per aiming mark to see this. You naturally will move to natural point of aim when you fire.
- how the sights are mounted on the rifle - target/match rifles have very repeatable and stable ways of doing this and we all develop ways of ensuring this happens.
- quality of the ammunition used - solid round nose (Lapua/SK/RWS- or the bulk T22/TAC etc, the Elly EPS style is included), no hollow point or plated used. It can be even down to the batch of prefered brand - pray it likes the cheaper end not Red Box Tennex or Midas level.
- sorry to have to say this but 'you' can also be the problem - you think you will have problem X and cause said problem. Get someone else to do some testing of the rifle and ammunition combination to see if it holds true.

Fixes:
- Have a set way you set up the rifle and position before you start - get down the same way each time.
- Change said position when changing which face you are engaging - the rifle has moved alignment so you do too to keep the relationship the same.
- Test the ammunition batches to see which one the rifle likes and bulk buy the best one, better to do indoors and out of a shooting vice if possible. The top guys go to the manufacturer testing center to find this and then get the entire batch.
- If using a standard factory rifle, the barrel may just be well 'average' and shoot anything OK but nothing fantasticly - find a good gunsmith and have them fit a replacement match grade barrel (10/22 have plenty available either factory or custom). Have them also check the action out - you may unfortunately have one that is 'in tolerance' but all over the place with the relationships between vital ones.
- As for you, well fitness helps, not being tired/hungry/rushed helps, being in the right frame of mind - going to have a good shoot, firing good shots, etc helps. Be honest with yourself - that was a good shot fired or whoops it went there/bad release/didn't feel right etc - we learn more from these than telling ourselves porkies.

We all go through this and at some point we find what works for us, then wonder why it didn't happen sooner and we didn't figure it out seeing as it is now so obvious.
So go out, make money into noise and have a blast.

 

[DMW1116]

That all seems like sound advice. With regard to the light reflection and sight set-up, these are Tech Sights and for 10/22, they are firmly mounted at both the front and rear, and I haven't messed with the installation since I put them in place. The top of the front sight is a 0.052" circle, but it is flat on top, so it might reflect enough light to be a bother. The range where I shoot 99% of the time is covered and shooters on the rifle ranges shoot through concrete tunnels to prevent anyone from shooting high enough to clear the berms. There are neighborhoods behind the rifle berms. I say all that to say light conditions on the benches are more consistent than one might expect. However, there is a distortion above the front sight post, and I haven't seen any other explanation for it. You are exactly correct that if I lower my hold on the target a little, things clear up, but now I'm shooting low.

With regard to ammo selection, I tested several types when I got the rifle about 2 years ago. I tried all manner of commonly available 22 (common at the time that is). I have a small quantity of match ammo and was planning to try that today. It's mostly CCI Green Tag and Pistol Match. Of the commonly available ammo types, it shot best with CCI Standard Velocity. Norma Tac Target was a close second. Basically any high velocity ammo shot about 2" groups at 50 yards, while the standard velocity was half that or less. This testing was done with a scope, not the currently installed Tech Sights.

Since I've only really been pursuing this endeavor about 2 months, I'm sure it could be any of the other items listed above. Getting someone else to try the rifle isn't something I'd considered before. I'll see if I can find a victim/volunteer today.

I also use a Henry H001 with the factory sights for this type of shooting. The long front blade was filed down to sight in with the preferred ammo. The top surface slants away from me, but it is still smooth, though it has been cold blued. Should I add some serrations to reduce reflection?

I plan to test some pistol loads from the bench on the rifle range today but was also planning to shoot some more 22. I'll take another scoped rifle in addition to the 10/22 and see how things line up when my eyes aren't a potential weak point.

 

[Russ57]

Better sights are going to help a lot. You are better off having the barrel machined for a 3/8 dovetail (for the front sight). The following package would do. The links aren't going to work.

Williams FP-AG-TK Receiver Sight
Lyman Globe Sights: #17ATC @ .852″ height,”

Williams Aperture 3/8″ Diameter with .050 aperture
Weaver T0-9 top mount base

A shooting jacket and sling is next but I don't know if your 10/22 stock has a way to attach a hand stop. On my 40X I inletted the stock and mounted a rail so maybe that is a possibility.

From there a new barrel and trigger work. Then finding affordable ammo that your gun likes. SK and Wolf are a good place to start.

P.S. Confidence can't be overstated.

 

[DMW1116]

I think for now the best thing is practice. I ran an ammo test today using Aguila SE HV. Historically this rifle prefers standard velocity stuff like the CCI SV in top. However the Aguila did better than I expected. For casual use with iron sights, it’s perfectly acceptable. Should I stretch to 100 yards it might compare even better. For comparison purposes this was shot from a rest, not off my elbows. As others noted, this set up and ammo choice may not be able to stay in the 10 ring.