Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires What is considered good 100 yard accuracy for a 22 rimfire?

I am finding out that 22 rimfire ammo varies greatly in it's ability to shoot tight groups at 100 yards. What should I expect?

Rick, you should expect just that. The velocity extreme spread in most rimfire ammo is a limiting factor. There's a very good thread over on Rimfire Central that has piles of data. You'll have to spend top dollar on 22 rimfire ammo if you want it to behave well at 100 yards.

I just tested 6 different 22 rimfire loads including a couple of match styles and it appears that 1 moa is not that easy to get though one round did come pretty close. Seems there is a flyer in every 15 shot group (or two). However for rimfire silhouette 1 1/2 inch groups will knock the pigs over.

Take a read here: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1129343

I think that will explain the flyers.

I couldn't shoot 1" or under 5 shot groups consistently with my tikka or CZ until I started shooting ELEY Match or club or Tenex, or Lapua Center- X and found out what they liked and even then lot to lot variability can be huge. I don't have any CCI green tag but I heard that stuff is great. The difference in 50 yds to 100 yds is huge for a 22lr. But, with the good stuff I can shoot 2.5 " groups at 200 yds if its not windy at all. Lots of variables in accurate 22lr shooting beyond 50 yds, the biggest 2 are ammo consistency and the wind.

The barrel I am breaking in is a 23" TC Contender barrel. One thing for sure even at 100 yards the wind has an effect!

Wow I am getting excellent accuracy after reading that thread, not all of it of course but enough that I am no longer going to snivel about the groups I am getting.

Depends on a few factors other than just using premo ammo. Is the gun itself up to it? How's your shooting/bench technique? Shooting aids? Optics? And probably most of all: wind doping- 100 yards is a long way for a little old .22 bullet to fly while being buffeted by air movement.

I've competed this summer in 100 yard bench matches, falling block single shots only, and the winning 10-shot groups hovered in the sub-1/2" range. My performance was .6"-.7" and that only bought me 3rd and 4th places. And that was with a Ballard-Stevens, scoped with a Lyman 20x Supertargetspot, that consistently groups in the 1/4" neighborhood and often a bit less at 50 yards, with its favorite lot of Eley Tenex.

I have a Remington 37 set up with a 30x Lyman Super Target Spot scope that will shoot consistent MOA groups at 100 yards with multiple brands of high grade ammo if there isn't any wind. I can shoot an MOA 5-shot group with Eley Tenex and then shoot a 4-MOA group with the lowest priced plinking ammo. If I want to plink, I shoot cheap ammo. If I want to test myself in a rifle with demonstrated accuracy, I shoot mid-grade or better ammo. I've decided that for me mid-grade starts at the level of Eley Team and RWS Target Rifle.

I have a couple of inexpensive Marlin "target rifles", a Marlin 2000 and an XT-22VR that is bedded in a Boyds Pro Varmint stock and has a Weaver KT-15 installed. Both rifles shoot good groups, but neither is as consistent as the higher grade rifles or the tuned 10/22s.

What are you shooting?

The rifle is a Contender Carbine and the barrel is a new 23 inch TC 22 LR so called match chambered edition. The ammo is all pretty old as I stopped fooling with rimfire silhouette almost ten years ago and this is left over from that. Wish I had not sold the barrel I used then. This barrel is shooting pretty good considering the ammo. Federal standard velocity, Federal Gold Medal Match, Aquilla Pistol Match, Federal AutoMatch, Winchester Expert HP, Winchester HV HP and Remington "Target". The early Contender frame has an excellent trigger and it has a Revolution stock set on it to add weight and make it better for offhand shooting. The scope is my 10x42 SWFA. Reading the link Paul provided I see that none of my ammo is especially accurate though I don't think his extrapolation of what to expect for groups at 100 yards works for me as I got better than what he expected with all the rounds I had on hand. The crappiest ammo was the Aquilla pistol match with Remington Target second to worst runner up. Both offered extraordinary fliers. My testing was to fire 15 shots at a 50 small bore rifle target and change ammo. I expected a flier or two in the first few shots as the ammo "seasoned the barrel" to it's liking. During this part of my testing I made no effort to read the wind, just let it tell me how it effected POI. Wind being a 3-5 mile variable wind fro the right to almost frontal still a bit from the right. All groups not counting the worst two were spread out horizontally around 2 inches and vertically ranged from 3/4 inch to 1 3/4 inch. Best shooting ammo was the Winchester Expert HP that years ago I had greased with yellow Crisco. Testing it and doping the wind it was easy to keep this ammo inside a 1.5" circle. Second best was the Winchester HV HP. These were the newest of the bunch. I wonder if the poor showing of the Federal standard velocity and Federal Gold Medal Match was because it appeared they had no wax or any lubricant on them. Will test that theory today. Looking around for some new "match" grade ammo most is out of stock and I really don't want to pay more than $10. a box.

The wind is the problem. Or my ability to shoot in the wind. I judge my 22’s accuracy at 50 yards. Better optics are a help at any distance. Hasbeen

Rule of thumb seems to be 1" at 100 yards is very good with good ammo the rifle likes.. I have seen some competition shoots shoot groups at 100 you could cover with a nickel - with aperture sights..... so the shooter has a lot to do with it..

I have a couple rifles that are capable of this accuracy, if I have a perfect day and the conditions are right... but I probably couldn't do it group after group- possibly one out of every three or four groups. But that is on me, not the rifles..

Bob

Read somewhere doubling distance results in 3-4x avg grouping. Seems about right. In pretty calm conditions my 64 sporters avg about 1.25" - 1.5" at 100 yds for 5, about 4.5" - 5.5" at 200 yds. That's with CCI SV.

Rifle and/or ammo shrink those figures. The 1712 and 52C bull can put 10 CCI SV into 1" at 100 in calm. Better with the pricey stuff.

I've always been happy with MOA, wind can sometimes make that difficult at 100yds with a 22. One competition I used to shoot down here (called "Field Rifle") would need at least a 1.5MOA rifle to make "A" grade but slightly better than that for Master grade. The distances for the competition are 25m and 50m - same targets so the MOA requirements are based around the 50m target. Of course that's assuming that the bullets are being fired at the correct position on the target

This mirrors my experience.

Rick300: Slow, chubby, non-pointy bullets are best tested for accuracy at more modest ranges!
I test my 22 rimfire Rifles for accuracy at 50 yards and then ONLY on dead calm air days.
I learned this lesson over and over and over again in the several decades past.
I do have a friend with an open ended tunnel 107 yards long and on rare occasion I use it to test my 22 rimfires at 100 yards.
I set up my portable but very solid shooting bench 8 yards into the tunnel and set my target stantion one yard out the far end of the tunnel.
I have shot a few very pleasing groups thusly - secret is NO winds and no side winds and no buffeting winds.
Depending on the quality of your Rifle and your ammunition obtaining 1 M.O.A. at 100 yards is rather hard to do (5 shot groups at 100 yards measuring one inch or under)!
I have some rather pricey 22 rimfire Rifles and can count on the fingers of my hands the groups I have made at 100 yards measuring UNDER 1.000".
Again I recommend shooting at 50 yards on dead calm condition days and assessing your Rifle and your ammunitions compatibility with it there.
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
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If a fella can’t find sub MOA at 100 with a .22 RF he’s doing it wrong.

My Ruger 10-22T with barrel chopped to 16+” shoots CCI Velocitors well enough to hit my 3” steel gong consistently. My son could do it consistently when he was about 10. That’s plenty good for me

I fall into that category - the Anschutz tries going sub but then I like to throw one out to make MOA

This must be a TIC comment, as my experience has been 180-degrees opposite, both from a hardware and shooter's skill perspective.