Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire .22 LR Shooting

Like most people, I cut my teeth shooting.22s shortly after I learned to walk.
Heck, when I was 8 or 9, I’d save my allowance to get 50 rounds at the local store. Those 50 rounds were usually gone by the afternoon I got them!
Dave had an old Glenfield, made by Marlin that I shot, bolt action, 7 round magazine. I put a lot of miles and a lot of rounds through that rifle. Starlings, Blackbirds, Crows, and Groundhogs.
After while I got myself a Marlin (IIRC) 785 with a tube magazine that held 12 rounds.
Those old Marlins always seemed to shoot good, and when Ben got big enough, I got him a stainless (I think) M725 to start on.
I bought Penny a Ruger American for Christmas years ago. I liked it so much that I bought myself one afterwards.
3 years ago, I was browsing for handloading components, and run across a Ruger American in SS with a thumb hole laminated stock. I swapped that old Marlin and a few hundred bucks for it. (I could hear The Old Man bitching )
By far the best shooting rifle outta the box I ever saw!
I tried a bunch of .22 fodder through it. It seemed to like those federal 40’grn lead bullets best, but I kept on playing with it. I tried everything I could get my hands on, because different.22s are sorta finicky as to what they like to shoot.
Reon

Yup that's the glory of the 22lr.mb

I have more fun with my .22's than my other guns.

Couple weeks ago, I was browsing for components again, and struck up a conversation with a couple guys. We got to gabbing about guns, and I was invited to a “Precision.22 shoot” this Sunday!
You guys that know me, know I was all over that!
I stopped by to get some more of those Federals that that gun likes. A friend who works there suggested I try CCI Green Tags. Competition, 40 grn lead, 1250 fps at get this, $30 bucks a hundred
30 cents apiece for .22 LR shells? But that dang Ruger will spit 10 of them through one ragged hole you can cover with a dime from 40 yards!
I’m a little hard to convince, so I loaded another clip. After the 3rd 10 round clip, I was finally convinced, and went and bought another 100!
So I was just wondering if anyone else has tried these? I can’t believe how good these things shoot!
Reon

From what I can tell CCI green tag is exceptional batches of CCI SV. CCI SV is about 10 cents around. The people at the shoot will likely be using Eley Club, SK Standard+, or Lapua Center-x to name a few. Random flyers are the bane of shooting rim fire.

I’m a 22 rim fire fan as well Reon👍

There’s nothing like .22’s for nostalgia IMO. My first rifle was a Ruger 10/22. I remember everything about that first rifle from holding the magazines in my hand and thinking how cool I thought that they were while loading Winchester Wildcat ammo with the cat on the box.

The smell of gun smoke. Or Walking the woods and trails at my grandparents place and picking off 100’s of chipmunks and a few crows. To how impressed I was with the supersonic crack and what a game changer Remington HV Viper ammo seemed to be on small critters compared to SV.

When I’d visit my grandparents I’d shoot through a brick in about a day. My grandpa liked to pretend to give me a hard time about getting more ammo before taking me to the local gas station/bait and tackle shop for another brick which ran about $10-$12 at the time.

22’s are always fun and not having to pick up brass is a nice bonus.

I went out this morning and played around with three CZ .22 rifles. Good weather for it, and they did make me smile. It was a good morning for it, temps in the 50s, still air. Had a good time. Always do, when I'm shooting those rifles.

Added a 10-22 SS take down to my 22LR stuff

Not sure which I like better the 10-22.....or the M&P 15-22......or Marlin 60 SS Lam

Take down Ruger makes cleaning easy/breazy

Like I said, I’ve been burning up .22 LRs since shortly after I learned to walk without holding onto stuff. I used Dave’s Glenfield while reading Jack O’Conner’s “Rifles and Shotguns”. (Also Dave’s)
Jack’s 7 lesson rifle shooting in particular. I don’t wanna brag, but I’ll say I’m a better shot than most.
When I went into the Army, I bought a stainless Ruger Single Six with a 6&1/2 in pipe. Convertible, had a .22 WMR cylinder with it. It made me a Ruger fan for life.
Me and my buddies and Carol would go through a brick in short order.
When I got home, The Old Man had commandeered my .308, (Remington 788) so I got myself a Ruger 77 in .30/06. Followed by another 77 in 7mm Rem Mag, and another in .257 Bob.
(Im still a sucker for those 788s, and added a .22/250 and a .243 to my battery)
But back to the original subject.
I go through 2 bricks easily in the summer. Maybe more, because I love it, and that SS Ruger is so accurate it’s fun to shoot. Shotgun primers at 30 yards is Childs play.
I also love potting Squirrels with a.22,(head shots only).
I once told our Pastor “shooting squirrels with a shotgun is like shooting deer with a light!
This will be my first competition with a rifle though. I shot a lot of Trap, but it was always for fun.
Im looking forward to it. Wish me luck!
Reon

I've still got the Remington tube feed bolt action Dad bought for my grandfather in 1948. No telling how many thousands of rounds it's digested, with only an occasional cleanup. It will still dot a squirrel's eye at 40 yards, but I will admit I can't do it with iron sights any more. It's got a 3X9X40 centerfire rifle scope on it these days.

I just closed out an afternoon with a 6 and 7 year old pair of brothers. Rimfire spinner and a bowling pin at 30 yards. Both boys were constantly on the spinner with the .22 so we went all out on the bowling pin with an AR .223. They did great. Made my day.

If a Ruger American is the best shooting .22lr you’ve ever had your hands on, you really need to live a little.

A quality .22lr with ammo it likes and a KYL rack is a fun time. A 6” steel target at 300 is a ball.

Ruger American is probably the lowest grade pos rifle ive ever had my hands on and never purchased any of them.

.

My favorite .22 was a 1970’s era Sako with a high comb. I never should have sold it.

My most accurate .22 off of the bench is this restocked Kidd .22 It’s a great shooting rifle but .22’s to me are all about plinking, targets of opportunity and shooting from field positions.

I set up a 1958 Brno model 5 the way I set up my work rifles when I was shooting rabbits for a dollar...with the nice upgrade of a Zeiss C series 10x36...something I desperately wanted at the time but couldn't afford.

It shoots very well and is a pleasure to use, which is useful as I am pretty sure my Daughter has claimed it.

The precision competition.22 matches have really taken off. Rimx , cz, Bergara, are most often.
Monthly field matches with year end regional tourney. We just opened a range bay dedicated to precision long range .22.
Suppressed, chassis .22 that can be shot year round, I am surprised at how fast it has grown.

Pretty good looking rifle J Stuart..mb

My first 22 was an old Mossberg 46b that my father bought at a farm sale in Minnesota for five bucks before I was even born. They had kept it in the barn to shoot birds with birdshot so nothing was left of the rifling. He hauled it out here and finally gave it for me to use when old enough.
I did what I could with it (which wasn't much) but I did refinish the stock and black matte the barrel.
I finally gave it to a nephew for a wedding present who was just tickled to get granpaw's gun.
Believe it or not, I missed that old gun so much that I bought another 46b from Gunbroker.
After cleaning it up I was more than surprised to get half inch groups at fifty yds with minimags of all things.

My 10-22 is the only 22 I got that will out shoot it.

Winner of the dumbest statement read so far today on the 'fire

You haven't live enough with a .22LR in your hand

The only .22 I'll ever need.

Dad bought it new in '69, handed it to me a few years ago.

No matter what I'm shooting I always have a couple 22s at the range. I have way more than anyone needs and my favorites tend to vary but recently a Remington 572 and 581 , couple different 10/22s , Smith 17-2 , 10" Ruger mark 2 and a Smith and wesson 15-22 get the nod. It's not unusual to go through 500-800 rounds a range trip.


Couple favorites I happened to have pictures of

Have had several.over the years.
Current is a Savage TR w 6-18Freedom VX.
Was gonna try the NRL22 on the low end.

May dump it and just order an Anschutz 1710.

Not into target shooting, just hunt
My knees are problematic and I am not gonna do NRL22.

The Savage is ugly. But it shot Fiocchi HV under a half inch at 50 yards, and was new. Got some SK standard plus to try.

I like my Buckmark Target 5.5 w reflex quite a bit

Suppressed Left Hand Rem 581 with Leupold 4x RF scope on top. My "go to" rimfire rifle for the past 20 years. Everyone who shoots it gets a grin on their face...

Remington 581's are the best bang for the buck in my opinion as far as accuracy. CZ's a close 2nd.

Was sighting in a couple of rifles a few weeks ago and just for the heck of it I threw my Remington 552 in the truck. I had forgotten how much fun it was to shoot a .22.

Your loss , your missing an excellent shooter
Kenneth

Center fire , never shot the rimfire

I always thought the 552s were one of the best looking 22 semi's made . Still have one nib from 93

It's like any other shooting sport except the 22 LR is ammunition dependent. People expect different things out of their platforms. You can drop as much as you want and get exceptional accuracy if your budget will allow it. The Ruger American Target is decent but is made to a price point and comparing say a Rem-X at $1200+ to it's less than $600 isn't really fair. The Savage is decent for a cheaper 22 and there are others. The Tikka T1-X is decent. They can be made to shoot around a minute at 50 yds. but it's not going to be competitive against a bench rig or a custom. There are some exceptional 22 actions offered today and a good barrel chambered right will get you fine accuracy but you are still dependent on good ammo. long range 22 is a growing sport as is Remfire Benchrest. The sky's the limit as is in any other shooting sport.

Stated off with dads Remington speed master
For a semi auto that thing would flat shoot
Used to write myself a note to get bullets at the local garage
He would always look at me and ask , your moma write this
Wasn’t a good liar snd could feel face reddden when I would answer , yes sir
He’d always lecture me about being careful were I was shooting and take my 45 cents
Lunch money for a couple days
I would run hard as I could across my uncles 160 acre farm toward the adjoining property that joined the national forest
A kids play ground and lots of critters
Kenneth

Guessing you were talking to Trevor in the Truvalue?

Where is the shoot? Don't know if I can make it, but I've been wanting to go to one and see what's up. Is it a Benchrest or a long range type shoot.

Yes sir , ammo choice can make the difference big time
But you got dig a little deeper
Wolf and SK is a good compromise , but if you really want to drill them then be prepared to dig deep for the eley or lapua
Choice of rifles , the CZ 452 super exclusive was a butt ugly gun but would come close to shooting with the Anshutz and Cooper’s
I used to shoot 248’s on a IR50/50 target with the CZ
Saw a lot of 250’s shot with Annie’s and Coopers
Then there’s the custom guns , sky is the limit there
Kenneth

I shot a Winchester heavy barrel M52 in competition when I was with the USAAMU and truly loved that rifle! We shot 4 position indoor and 100 yard outdoor and on occasion 200 yard outdoor! Some would be amazed at what the .22 LR cartridge can do from 200 yards!

Speaking of shooting 22lr. My girlfriend loves shooting her new 9mm pistols, but it gets spendy feeding them. I told her the other day that we need to start shooting some 22lr pistols. I cleaned up my dad's old 1984 Browning Buckmark and grabbed one of my Ruger mk2's and we went to the range. She's starting to get hooked on shooting the 22lr pistols now. I told her, we still get in the practice and trigger time, but don't spend nearly as much on ammo. We burned up a 325 round box of federal automatch yesterday, which only cost me $19 a couple years ago.

Like many here, I grew up shooting 22lr's. From single shots when I was about 8 years old up to Ruger 10-22's and marlin 60's. Killed many a jackrabbit with the 22lr. You use one enough and you realize how effective they truly are.

I love my Annie, and esp now that 22 ammo has now come down out of the clouds. Took me forever to find this one which has a sporter contour barrel instead of the heavy. In general, Euro made 22 rifles fit like they were made for adults while US made ones feel like were made for kids. At least to me.

Very nice rifle. 👌

Agreed
I bought my two boys and their sister each one.

My Brother's Stevens.

37% less windage

Here is something to read for at least half of the people who love to shoot .22lr:

https://i.postimg.cc/637cbv8J/EF367-E73-7-E26-4-C9-C-AADA-1-B7-CCB9-AF74-B-1-201-a.jpg

I have gone months of shooting a .22 nearly every day, pistol and / or rifle.
Now it's down to just several times a week.
Haven't done it for a while, but a brick a week was not uncommon.

I prefer the 510, 511, 512 and 513 guns that Remington built in the 1930s and 40s. These are some of my 511 clip fed guns.

I had an old rem when i was a kid that was bolt with a tube. It had a feed mechanism with two rails that came up nesting the cartridge. Jam proof! Shot a million rounds and never jammed. Had a long barrel and we used to shoot at snuff can lids at 100 yds with peep sight. I think it was a 341 made in the 30's.

Those are some nice lookin .22’s.

Seems the Annie is misssing something…

Is that it a chesbro?

My 552, haven't shot it in 8 yrs, I need to make time.

If you’d stop chasing pussy for five minutes

And stepping on the scale.



Cool rifle though!

LOl, they chase me.

You crack me up. lol

Isn't this the chick (your girlfriend) that posted an ad because she needed help moving and you answered it?

Lol yeah, that was the exception.

My 22s are working guns...

A couple of favorite .22's.

Picked up this Stevens Walnut Hill heavy barreled target rifle from 1932 a few months ago, have shot it quite a bit, fun and accurate.

That's very cool.

My Granddad gave this H&R to me.It was made during that same era as your Stevens.

Real jewel you have there, Sir.

Great picture and great rifle. I have one that’s nearly identical that was manufactured in 72’ awesome rifle to trail walk and plink with.

👍

Thank you Sir.

Right back at you.

Laffin… trigger was broke off during shipping back from a rebarrel,good eye.
And yep it’s a 1407R from Mark.

Only have 5 .22 RF guns. Working tools all and they all shoot quite well. Haven't been shooting them much of late, but they are ready when I am. Time for some pork ribs, see ya!

Anyone shoot the CCI Quiet for Semi Autos lately? A 45gr bullet at 835fps (factory rating) is plenty for the squirrels and coons I hunt. They're exceedingly accurate from my Beyer barreled Ruger 10/22 with a Silencerco Sparrow can.

I have three .22 RF's, rifles include a Springfield 1922 M2 that has been sporterized and an Anschutz M/64 Stutzen mannlicher stocked with DST. Handgun is a Sig Sauer P226 with .22 conversion, all are fun to shoot and very accurate. One of them makes the trip to the range every time I go. CCI Std. Velocity is my ammo of choice.

Not to redirect the thread but I have always loved 22 rimfires and if I could only own one firearm it would be a 22 rifle. I have owned everything from the low dollar beginner rifles through Anschutz, Cooper, 40X, Win 52 etc.
If I could own only one though it would be very difficult to choice. I suppose that it would be sporter of some sort, not a specialized target model though since there are many sporter models whose accuracy is good enough for satisfying paper punching and portable enough for hunting.

drover

Hammerli Xesse and an Anschutz 1710 would be nice.
But am content w a CZ457 and a Buckmark Target 5.5
Since I'm blind..... and cheap LOL

Well organized, looks great but what will you do weekend after next?.mb

Marlin 39a, Ruger 10/22 Deluxe , Ruger 10/22 stainless/laminate Remington Nylon 11, early Chipmunk, H&R 922 and a 22 derringer

Most woods carry is my S&W 63

Beautiful rifle.

Wow, beautiful. Have it's twin but not as new.

He gonna be gettin' mine organized. Won't take more than a day or two.

Gunwizard is going to have your ass for hoarding.

Love me some 22LR

Yup, I like .22's !!

One of my favorite 22 rifles.

Kimber of Oregon Model 82 Cascade.

I won't post any 22LR pic inventory then

pic..........MIL.......shooting my Marlin 60 SS/Laminate (2003 mfg date)

She's 94.5 now......pic was 2009 ish

OMG......................

I first learned to shoot pinging frogs with an old daisy bb gun - I imagine it was similar to shooting an old flintlocke that didn't have rifling in the barrel. You could see the bb coming out of the barrel spiraling out of control

but I really became a precise shooter - at least by every day standards when my grandfather would give me half a box of shorts and a .22 Winchester single shot. He would tell me I had to make it last all weekend. My proudest moment I think was shooting a small water snake with iron sights at about 20 yards. Again, not a big accomplishment by any real shooters standards but to a 12 year old boy that was big deal.

I have fond memories of that gun. I bought one just like as an adult just to have it around to look it and remind me of those Saturdays spent on his little plot of land bordering the creek.

Any interest the grand kids showed in hunting or gun use, he fully supported.

I've put a few bricks through this one...

I was a bit short several years back, ain't gonna happen again....

And then there's this......... if need be!!