Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22 Rimfire BS?

At the end of the day only you can decide if it matters enough for you to be concerned in regards to how much the slight destabilization effects you and yours. Get out to the range and start experimenting - oh darn, there's shooting to be done!

Good video, Montana Marine, thanks for posting.

Always amazes how solid many are in their beliefs, when they
have no solid reason. Ballistic discussions with casual shooters
brings this out quickly.


Secondly,
the more I learn about the factors that effect accuracy and ballistics,
The more it becomes amazing that it is so easy to hit even basketball
size targets at 200 yards.
With anything.

Mechanically. Not considering human operator screw ups.


The thing is, so many of these factors are insignificant for the vast
majority of shooters. Even most serious hunters and recreational shooters.
Tolerance stacking may be causing them misses when they try to
stretch out. But for many, they didn't expect 100% hits. So some
misses are figured to be shooter error. Some hits, may actually be
the shooter zigging when the shot was zagging.


20+ years ago a friend and I started on a longer range 22 mission.
We were soon frustrated by misses, that we didn't think were
shooter error.

Using decent to high quality sporters we then gathered up a bunch of ammo
and tried two guns with on a calm morning.

It soon became apparent that we were pissing in the wind with our
setups and needed to upgrade to get the mechanical accuracy we
wanted. Its no fun not knowing if your hits or misses were
equipment or you.

Pretty much gave up there. No desire to dump the necessary
cash into it. Now, I believe the equipment is readily.

Big difference between 95+% of 22 use and stretching one way out
there and expecting consistent results.

Ammunition quality has more affect on the accuracy. Ammo companies don't load match grade high velocity that I'm aware of, no market demand for it.

The transition from supersonic to subsonic flight causes increased wind drift, by effectively decreasing the bullet's ballistic coefficient. As the shockwave switches positions on the bullet during the transition from supersonic to subsonic speed the bullet's flight path yaws, or takes a minute spiral around the axis of its flight path. This exposes a larger "frontal area" to the air, increasing the drag. So you're really looking at two issues, ammo quality and increased wind drift with high velocity .22 long rifle.

There is a problem with the boat tailed .17M2 bullets tumbling at longer distances as the velocity falls off, approximately 200 yards; the HMR has more speed and avoids that until quite a bit further out. Nothing to do with the .22 LR.

saying 'hmmmmm' as I grab a handful of mixed .22 LR from a jug before going out to shoot..................

Drag has many variables, but in general terms Mach 1 represents the realm where most drag is found. The transonic velocity zone ranges from around Mach .8-1.2
A point many overlook is how bullet form plays into this. Round nose flat base bullets do just dandy in the subsonic velocity range.

Yeah, tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

Did my bit this morning, and confirmed that even with a tilted rail, my Tract 1” hunting scope doesn’t have enough clicks for dialing so I can hold right on at 200. Looks like the SS 10x is going back on.

Don’t tell Stick…………

When I was playing with the Martini @ 200 yards I used a set of the Burris Rings with the inserts when I ran out of MOA - Worked pretty well.

That SWFA SS is a great scope.

Was out yesterday morning working up some '06 cast bullet loads and plinking with a Tikka T1x in between strings. It wears a SS 10x mil/mil sighted dead on at 100 yards.

The range has a 6" disc at 200; I had previously worked up a ballistics chart to 200 yards which showed a 4.3 mil come up at 200. So instead of twisting the dial I just held halfway between the 4 and 4.5 mil hash marks - ping ping ping ping ping, five out of five.

Love those 10x mil/mil scopes, especially when SWFA has them on sale, and have purchased six of them over the last couple of years - two for my "serious" .22 rifles and the other four on various long range centerfire rigs.



Back to the thread topic. I was using CCI AR Tactical ammo which throws a a 40 grain bullet right at 1200 fps (1198 avg on the Oehler 35). The bullets surely go subsonic over 200 yards but apparently transiting the sound barrier didn't disturb them enough to miss a 3 MOA target. Not trying to argue or counter the finer points of ballistic theory here but I guess you gotta match your target to your expectations.

I have a bunch of those and extra inserts, but the Tract is destined for a Howa Mini that won’t need either. The rings it’s in are Warne Mountain Techs, a new favorite.

Was looking at them online yesterday and decided the MOA version could be useful as well for some stuff since the numbers are marked, no counting needed, just holdover.

My MIL/MIL was already in rings spaced for a rail so mounting it was a quick job. Hoping for a still morning soon.

I like those Warnes myself if I’m mounting flat. The Leupold BCs aren’t half bad either.

This is how I set up my Ruger Precision Rimfire for long range play.

The rifle comes with a 30 moa base attached. I added 20 more with the AR-Stoner mount from Midway. With the SWFA 10X MilQuad scope, this gives 36 Mils (120 moa) of useable elevation in the erector, from a 60 yard zero, with supersonic ammo. Plus there is another 10 mils on the reticle.

On paper that is enough for a direct hold out to 600+ yards. I've only played with it out to around 500 yards.




Most of the time I have this little 1.5-5X Leupold on there, for typical 22 tasks/fun. It has 100 moa on tap. Enough to get to 500+ yards, but harder to see splashes.

Yesterday I bottomed out the Tract and then had to hold about another 18”, plus 6” into the wind I couldn’t feel. Had one round of SK left and guesstimated it onto the 4” plate, very satisfying.

Shoulda got the 30moa Area 419 instead of the 15 I guess.

And those posts illustrate so much.



Couple weeks ago a daughter and I were out shooting 22 at clay birds.
25-50 yards with MKIIs or her American Rim fire with some cheap 4x
scope I picked up. She was working on her offhand and trying to get
shots off quicker.

There is a metal swinger at 200 in a lane through the trees,
Just for hits and giggles I sat at a bench, rested my elbows,
took a SWAG that the junction of the duplex hairs was about right
for elevation. DING! First round. Using Golden Bullets from a bucket.
Emma had to try, and after she understood the post as the aiming point,
Was ringing it at will.

One of those things that shouldn't be.
But it is. And way too easy!

To the original poster I hesitate to send you to another forum but you would be interested in a long series of posts by Jala on RF central where he shoots all 50 rounds of a box at 100 yds and another box at 200 yards off of a bench.
His work with a few other guys additions show just how challenging it is to get 22lr ammo that has consistency due to many factors. Almost every brand is represented in the testing.
Learned a lot looking over the different “Groups” that were represented in that very extensive collection of shooting work.
My 22’s are better fed after a bit of scratching around to buy some of the ammo choices that held up better in those shooting groups posted.

Those tests are fascinating. The standard deviation in the velocity of a lot of rimfire ammo is HUGE. Add in a little wind, and you come to realize that what a lot of people say they do at 200 yards with a rimfire is BS.

Big fan of Jala’s work too. Provided me with more realistic expectations.