Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Match vs. Hunting Ammo - Ruger 77/22 VBZ

Christmas came early to me here in SW Montana this year.
I helped Santa by picking out a dandy rimfire Rifle to be used specifically for Ground Squirrel Hunting come spring.
The Rifle was purchased last Saturday morning and it is a Ruger K77-VBZ (heavy 24" barreled bolt action laminated stock Rifle in caliber 22 L.R.) then I mounted a brand new Leupold 6.5x20 EFR scope on it on right away.
The wind has been howling here for at least a week and when I woke up this morning to dead calm air I completely canceled previous plans for the day and headed for the range with my new Christmas "present".
My plan was to test for accuracy 5 kinds of hollow-point ammunition and 3 kinds of "target ammo".
The Rifle was quickly "sighted in" and I began testing immediately thereafter, fearing the winds from hell would return at any minute.
It was dead calm and 26 degrees when I fired my first "test group" with Winchester 40 grain Super-X hollowpoints the five shot group at 50 yards measured a pleasing .501".
I then fowled the barrel with some CCI Green Tag solid point target ammo and fired one group with it that measured .354"!
Believe it or not I could see minor heat waves rising up from the barrel then in the dead calm air - and this after only 25 shots or so!
Next I fowled the barrel again and then fired with Winchester 37 grain Super-X ammo - the resulting 5 shot group was the biggest of the day at .695"!
Hmmm... I thought.
Then I tested some Wolf Match ammo and the 5 shot group at 50 yards measured .394".
Pleasing this, with one shot nearly doubling group size!
Then I realized I had forgotten to pack up some Federal bulk pack hollow-point ammo that I really like for Ground Squirrels as this bullet is VERY lethal on them!
Drat I was thinking about this oversight and cursing myself when on the back of my neck I felt the wind starting up.
This spurred me to run the shortened second round of my tests starting over with the ammo I had already shot.
I only made one more group before the wind cancelled the rest of my shooting and that group was with the Winchester 40 grain Super-X hollow-points - it measured .552".
Again pleasing me with this good Hunting bullet.
As I sat there in the blazing sun (freezing though still) waiting for the wind to quit I decided to "re-test" the adjustable objective on the 6.5x20 Leupold scope.
At 50 yards the parallax (with the scopes A/O sat at exactly the 50 yard marking) there was NO parallax!
Dittoes at 100 yards.
Good work Leupold.
I will say this though - with the adjustable objective sat at 100 yards the 50 yard "image" IS somewhat blurry there at full 20 power.
So the adjustable objective will need to be adjusted to near correct range for clearest image and aiming in the field.
If the wind dies down tomorrow morning I will head back out to the range to test some Eley ammo and for sure I will have my Federal hollow-point bulk pack ammo along for thorough and careful testing as this Federal ammo is less than half the price of the Winchester Super-X ammo's I tried today.
I simply can't wait to bonk some 150 yard Gophers with this new Rifle and scope!
I was impressed with the distinct improvement in accuracy of the Match ammos I tried today, as compared to the hollow-point Hunting ammo.
I was also impressed with the accuracy right out of the box with the heavy barreled Ruger - good job Sturm-Ruger on this.
Have you all noticed a similar improvement in accuracy of the target ammo vs top quality hollow-point Hnting ammo?
Roughly, I experienced about .200" better accuracy there at 50 yards with the match ammo.
I have never tried match ammo on the Gophers - I imagine if I tried for head shots instead of chest shots (like I normally go for) the match ammo would humanely render the Ground Squirrels DRT?
Any thoughts or suggestions in this regard would also be appreciated.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Sounds like a shooter. I own a standard weight 77/22 and it's a toss up on whether I use the Ruger or an Anschutz. My Ruger did need a little stoning on the sear and some taken off the trigger spring to really make it a pleasure to shoot. I too get the best performance from competition grade ammo, but go with the best performance off the shelf stuff when squirreling. When one expends between 6000 to 12,000 rds per season in the fields, the cost of target grade ammo is simply prohibitive. I simply can not spend 3 or 4 grand on 22 LR ammo.

My two squirrel rifles fortunately agree that Federal American Eagles, and Winchester Power Points are the best commercial grade cartridges for me. With good optics and an accurate rifle, one may find himself shifting to head shots. Those keep more animals on the surface for the raptors.


Although I'm not in need of a new rifle, would you divulge the price of your Christmas gift? At the rate I've been going, I might be able to convince the wife that I've worn one out.

1minute: I paid $550.00 for this Rifle.
It was previously purchased and a trigger part or two was added but it was not shot.
The rings were still stapled in the seperate ring pack boxes and it came with the box.
The consignment sale/owner started at $720.00 (IIRC) earlier this fall and the tag had been decreased to $625.00.
Yes these Rifles are expensive but cash talks around Christmas time.
Which goes for the scope as well - it was advertised in a small town paper and the owner lived about 40 miles north of me in Melrose, Montana.
He had listed the scope as a Leupold "target" scope and I called and then drove up to Melrose and purchased it for $500.00 cash - he was asking $575.00.
It was new in the box and is a 2,009 model - these 6.5x20 EFR scopes WHOLESALE now for $602.00 not counting shipping and insurance.
So for $1,050.00 (DON'T tell the VarmintWife!) I am in possession of a dandy Gopher Gun.
The Rifle only came with the one magazine and I need to get about 6 or 7 more, so if you see a deal on these let me know.
My Ruger 10/22 custom with Lilja heavy barrel used to LOVE the Federal American Eagle hollow-points but even those got to expensive for me when I was going through 4,000 of them a year!
I switched to the Federal 525 bulk pack hollow-points and they shoot nearly as well and are quite lethal on Ground Squirrels.
And I can often find them on sale at Wally-World.
Thats good advice on the head shots feeding the raptors more reliably - and maybe more humane as well.
I don't like to divulge to many secrets to my Hunting practices but when about 5% of the Ground Squirrels that are chest shot get down their holes then the Badgers WILL come visit that field THAT night - investigating the blood trails and blood smells (I assume)!
I have killed many Badgers with my spotlight at night and coming back to the same field the next day and give it a good looking over with high powered binoculars and spotting scopes before bringing out the bang sticks.
There is a "Gopher Fest" here in Montana and the participants all go for head shots and during cease fires they send forth their grandkids to fetch the Gophers for official body counts.
I only go for headshots myself when the grass gets high and they "squeaks" stick their heads up to see whats going on.
Maybe with this new rig I will give a go to a seasons worth of head shooting?
I can always kick a few dozen dead ones down their holes to keep the Ravens, Hawks, Falcons and Eagles from getting them all.
The Ruger 2,011 catalog lists the MSRP of this model at $877.00 (U.S.) but I have seen them at gunshops new for prices in the mid and high $600.00 range.
I have this same style Rifle in 17 HMR and absolutely LOVE it so I decided to give this model a try.
Best of luck to you next season on the Ground Squirrels!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Nice catch, VG. Even better than advertised.
Hey, you mean that big Leupold actually worked ? Heh, heh (!!!) E

Eremicus: Indeed once I bought that big Leupold I used the "Eremicus method" of focusing the ocular lense.
This scope is incredibly clear of sight picture!
I went all the way out (8 miles) to one of my ranges today when the wind calmed a bit during my morning coffee. And as I was setting up my Rifle rest the wind perked up and began to roll - I took refuge in my car to try to wait out the wind but in three minutes a snow squall had moved in and I simply cursed out loud and packed up my gear and drove home.
Maybe tomorrow?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I finally got some calm air today and even though it was 16 degrees I beat feet to my range.
I had along for testing my Federal bulk pack hollow-point ammo and the average group size for three groups (5 shots at 50 yards) came to .526".
I was somewhat pleased with this as I have MANY cartons of this relatively cheap bulk pack ammunition.
The highlight of the day though was an excellent group I fired with the Winchester Super-X 40 grain Power-Point ammo the 50 yard 5 shot group measured .201"!
The other two groups I made with this ammo though brought the average group size up to over 1/2"!
So I must sermize that my one really good group of the day with the Winchester ammunition had some flukieness to it.
My fingers then turned numb and "burning" due to the cold - this was before I could get at my match ammo for more testing of it.
I did set up six 12 gauge empty cases at 60 yards and "killed" them all with 7 shots as a finale to my range trip.
They really jump when hit near their bases I discovered.
I am just thrilled with my new Ruger 77/22 and can't wait for the first Gophers of spring to poke up their heads.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I don't own a threaded barrel unit, but mine does well with the Win Power Points too. Unfortunately, a case only seems to show up here in Oregon about ever two years. My last switch to a new lot of Win ammo gave me a jump in elevation at 50 yds of about 1/2 inch. Accuracy was still there though, but I had about 20 minutes of frustration with some misses on squirrels at the beginning.

The 77 triggers are also a piece of cake to rework. A little spring grinding and sear stoning and one can make them truly fine. If one takes that on though, be very conservative, reassemble, and try things after just a couple of strokes. One can screw up if he tries a major adjustment in a single step.

Our squirrels should appear in mid to late Feb. Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

Probably the most significant process to make accurate RF ammo is the disperal of the priming compound around the rim, which is a spinning process to disperse the compound by centrifical force.The second being the consisteancy of the rim itself. Several years ago Federal ( I belive it was ) came up with better method of priming compound disperal and supplied the US Olympic team with their match ammo and they did quite well.

Many competition small bore shooters segregate thier ammo by rim thickness. It is not the actual thickness that matters as much as the consistency. There are tools available to do this,but a good experiment would be for the OP to check the rim thickness as he shoots each batch of ammo. This is one reason it is reccomended you try several differnt brands of RF ammo and then go back and buy as much as you can of the lot number of the ammo that shoots the best.Of course primer compound disperal is not under ones control.

Saddlesore: Interesting!
I had heard of people checking rim thickness before but assumed that was for "chambering consistency" purposes in going for top flight accuracy.
Does the Federal company use the "better method of dispersing priming compound" for all their rimfire ammo OR is that only done for their target ammo?
My local, small, sportshop has about 30 bricks of Winchester Super-X Power-Points in stock and I may just use my "Christmas
money" to buy 10 bricks of this ($310.00 worth!).
When the weather starts warming up this spring I have access to a 107 yard long tunnel (NO wind!) and I will do my final sight-in and ammo testing then for the Gopher season.
I had some Christmas Cheer (presents) to deliver here in SW Montana today, the destination was 51 miles away, so I threw my new rimfire Varminter in with me and took some back roads to get there.
I killt three Varmints with the new Ruger 77/22 V/T.
All were feathered nest robbers and one was a full 110 or 120 yards distant!
I did miss another couple of feathered Varmints that were at 140 yards or so.
Got to get my drop chart figured out and my Leica Laser Rangefinder out of the gun vault before my next excursion.
Thanks again for your info on rimfire accurate ammo.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have never heard of Federal doing anything other than thier match ammo.Fact is, it has been few years and I have gotten out of the loop.At that time,that match ammo was about $11/box.

Figure if the rim thickness varies, the round goes in deeper or not so deep into the chamber. The firing pin strike is then not consistent.

Since the rim is the headspace, the firing pin will drive the thinner rim in deeper.Just as if you size a center fire cartridge too short and the shoulder has to go forward into the chamber until it contacts.

Unles the Winchester stuff is the same lot number as what you tested,it could vary and not help much. Be sure to check that.

My friends and I have shot a lot of prairie dogs with .22 LRs, and hollowpoints definitely anchor them much better. There have been a lot of them shot with solid bullets that make it to their hole, so it is unknown if they die quickly, linger or even eventually recover. Most of the ones we shoot with .22 LRs are targets of opportunity up to 100 yards, so we don't often have time to use a rangefinder or make precise head shots where the distance is a critical factor with a 22. Our usual spots do not hold huge numbers of dogs in one spot, so we move, shoot a while and then move to another set-up. We are most often shooting off bags on the hood with the centerfires.

I too find the hollow points better at anchoring rodents. They also seem to generate a more audible hit than solids.

1minute: Indeed the audible "whop" is a good indicator of a mid body hit!
Can't "wing'em" and get a whop.
By the way would you happen to know the price of a nonresident Oregon license to Hunt Varmints.
I got an invitation to Hunt central Oregon next spring for Ground Squirrels and I hear a "license" is required for non-residents to partake of this type Hunting.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy:

Here's a link to the Oregon fees. I see no mention of ground squirrels.
Oregon Lic fees...

There may be a couple outs for ground squirrels, since they are an unregulated pest. First, the serious populations are all in irrigated alfalfa fields, and those are deeded lands. Typically a landowner (or his agent) are exempt from many of the typical license and tag requirements. Folks who are in the business of eliminating squirrels via poisoning, propane irrigation of burrows and ignition, trapping, etc do not need hunting licenses. Our local paper (this is obviously a small town and we're in need of entertainment) lists all traffic, game, sheriff, fire, and 911 calls weekly. While big game hunters are often pinched for lack of license or tags, I have never heard or seen a squirrel shooter listed in 30+ years here.

The only issue I've heard of was a (believe it or not) local squirrel guide ($250 day per gun) got a talking to for shooting from motorized vehicles. Unless one is disabled, we are only allowed to shoot from motorized boats not under power. The guide had racks and seats built into pickups and large hay wagons. The pickups were a no no and are no longer used. If the wagon is unhitched before the shooting starts, one is fine. I suspect none of this would have been a problem had it not been a commercial venture.

I see small parties shooting from rigs all the time, and they are never bothered. It's not something I practice though, because I do a much better job of doping the wind if I'm not sheltered. Also, I don't want to trench someones manicured alfalfa field with a 1-ton pickup. A shorty lawn chair, Stony bi or tripod, and coffee can full of ammo are my primary tools.

My advice: Stay on deeded land, don't shoot across or from a public road, and one should be fine. For a little extra insurance, ask the landowner if he'd like an agent to help rid the property of squirrels.

If one were to venture on to public land after jack rabbits or other critters, then he better have a license. Next time I can catch one of our moose and goose guys, I'll get an official answer. I see him fueling his rig about every third day as I'm heading to the office in the mornings.

Stay in touch as your trip gets closer. Unfortunately, the fields I habitually shoot have been shifted to oats this fall. I'm cultivating some new opportunities, and feel confident I'll find more squirrels than I can shoot. If your bud has some well stocked fields available, bring about three times more ammo than one thinks he will need.

My best,