Having been a centerfire guy all my life I don't much on .22's and rimfires.

What is good or acceptable accuracy in a .22 rifle that is not a target rifle. IE a hunting/plinking firearm.

I went out today and shot about 6 different loads at 50 yards to see what grouped the best. What should I be looking for?

It depends on the gun to some extent, you wont look for the same kind of accuract out of a stock 10/22 as you would a Anschutz. That being said if you take a middle of the road bolt gun like a CZ452 I would look for 1/4 inch at 25 and 1/2 inch at 50. Some will be better, some not so good. Testing several types of ammo is the key as is letting the barrel "season" it self to that ammo. I feel it takes 1 shot per inch of barrel to get the best groups when you change ammo. Try Wolf Match Target for best results, I have yet to see a gun that wont shoot them in a tiny little group.

YMMV

What gun/scope are you shooting?

Looks like nobody else wants to stick their neck out here, so I'll take a stab at it. I shoot mainly old Savages and Remingtons made in the pre WWII era. Most have iron sights,a few have been scoped. If they won't produce a 1 1/2" group @ 40-50 yds with good ammo they get swapped off. Most of the old timers in my rack will hold 3/4 to one inch at this range. Occasionally a real keeper shows up thats right on the heels of the Remington 541 and the Cooper sporter I used to own. Currently a model 5 Savage,of all things,is turning in fingernail size groups and is my favorite starling killer.

For a mid priced 22 Rimfire Rifle, I think 5 shots at 50 yards in a 1/2" group is acceptable, using mid priced ammo too, not the bulk ammo.
Moving up the rifle money tree, expect 1/4" five shot groups with high end ammo.
I watched a shooting buddy here shoot a five shot group at 50 yards with a Thompson-Center Classic that measured 1/4", with Wolf Match Target ammo. The rifle was scoped too.

I just got a Marlin 99 (1959-1961 vintage) recently at a local show and took it out to the range yesterday for it's first real trial.

It did 5 4-shot groups that you could cover with a dime, with no scope or bench rest! Needless to say, I'm really pleased!!!

The rifle was one of those "gotta-get-this-before-somebody-else-does" thing... very, very good to excellent condition and cost me about what I'd normally spend for 9mm AMMO only on a regular range day. Took it to the range and it performed like a champ!

Dime size groups with a 50-yr old rifle is plenty good enough for me

Now I have to replace the scope it came with as that one was unable to be adjusted to zero point...probably why the rifle was for sale in the first place, but I do think that off a bench & with a good scope the ol' girl will be able to put rounds in the same hole until the barrel melts down!

BTW, in the Boy Scout merit badge booklet for rifle shooting, one requirement is that you do (I believe) 5 5-shot groups that can be covered by a quarter. ...that should be plenty good enough for playing & plinking, unless you're interested in competition.

COW_54
_______________________

Gotta have some fun while you still can!

Anything that'll consistantly shoot 5 shot 3/4" groups at 50 yards with ammo that it likes, makes me fairly happy. Especially if the rifle and ammo didn't cost an arm and two legs.

My CZ 452 Varmint model will shoot .5" for 5 at 50 w/Remington SubSonic ammo. My Rem 513T will shoot under .5" for 5 at 50 with Eley Club Extra and Wolf Match Target (with an occasional flyer), and my 513Sporter model with open sights will shoot .5" for 5 at 25 yds with Rem High Speed HP ammo (bulk box type).

Best thing to do, as several posters have noted, is to find the ammo the rifle likes, and then stock up on it. I'd start with the bulk stuff (if you can find any) and work up in price until you find the right one. Who knows, your rifle might like the WalMart bulk Federal loads-or Remington, or Winchester.

"Acceptable" accuracy? Under 1 inch @ 50 yards.

"Good" accuracy? Under .75 inches @ 50 yards.

Exceptional accuracy? Under a .5 inch @ 50 yards.

Weigh needs/satisfactions in extrapolation to your needs.

I'd not much fret those of another's.

If I can hit a shotgun shell at 50yrds I'm happy

My CZ 452, with a 6 x 24 scope on it, is good at doing head shots on sage rats and chipmonks out to about 125 yds...

not a normal 22 LR by a long shot...

but you get one with a good barrel and appropriate scope, it will surprise you of what they will do...

I also have a Lever Action 94/22... that rifle will do likewise, but out to 75 yds or so... its only limited by the scope I have on it...a 6 x 24 on a Lever Action 22 would be kind of stupid looking...

My several heavy barrel Ruger 10/22s will also nail sage rats and chipmunks out to about 125 yds pretty consistently...

for ammo I have been using Winchester 36 grain Lead HP from Walmart in the bulk pack... at least before the big ammo shortage came along...

There you go. I wouldn't change one word.

I just shot a sako quad

It changed my opinion of what's acceptable.


However - my old standards

25 yards - anything the size of a quarter was way to sloppy

With a .22, I've always been primarily a hunter so I always thought in terms of "minute of squirrel-head" accuracy. That's not relly the "whole" head, but more like the area between the eye and neck of a cat squirrel. If a rifle would hold that accuracy at 50 yards....it was acceptable. Half that size group was what I really desired.

Took some measurements from a few "volunteers" and found that means about 1" groups at 50 yards is acceptable, while a 1/2" group is really good. The best rifles I've owned would shoot near 1/4" groups at 50 yards.

Kind of got "spoiled" early as the first .22 rifle I shot a lot with at age 6 (an old single-shot Ranger with the pull knob at the end of the bolt) would easily shoot under 1/4" groups at 25 yards with open sights. Used to shoot the heads off kitchen matches and literally drive nails at 20 yards or so just to show off.

I now have 4 rifles that will shoot less than 1/4" at 25 yards....a Ruger 10/22, Ruger 77/22, Winchester 490 and that old Ranger. The real value of tight accuracy in a .22 isn't so much at 50 yards, but occurs when a squirrel peeks at you with one eye around a limb at 25 yards and you think, "That's the last mistake you'll ever make".

100yd Squirrel Rifles abound.

+2

That's the best response to the question.
I have an old Rem 510 that is a sometimes 3/4" at 50 yards for 5 shots that is probably my favorite 22; most times it's an inch shooter.

Well this is what I came up with after a day at the range. This is the only .22 I've ever owned outside of a beater 10/22. I haven't measured the group but it's 5 shots and coverable by a dime and was shot at 50 yards with federal champion bulk cheap ammo. I have around 100 rounds down the tube so far.

I was curious because many of the pics I see from .22's are 1 hole shots.

I really didn't know if this gun would shoot becuase while I'm a huge mannlicher stock nut it's been my experience in the past they are not the best shooters. I stuck a weaver 4x shotgun scope that was on closeout on it and so far it seems a good fit on this gun.

Good shootin Nathan, Im sure that gun will do anything you need it to do.

If within a fifty round box of ammo, I can put all fifty rounds inside a quarter size dia @ 50 yards. I know the rifle and ammo is giving me everything I need for my small game hunting.

Everybody situation might be different. I need to be able to hit head neck to the top of the breast on ptarmigan or suffer grief when I get home with the evidence. I try to keep my shots at or under 75 yards and with my combination, of a Marlin 39 with a Leupold 2X7, .22Lr scope and Winchester Super X ammo, I'm there.

Mainly got it to plink as I've been doing a ton of shooting lately and my shoulder already hurts all the time from using a digitizer on the computer all day so I thought a .22 might work better.

Out of a modern factory rifle I think 1" @ 50 yds is good. That being said, .22 rimfires are very ammo dependent, so you may have to try a number of different brands to acheive that goal. Once you have found a good ammo for your rifle, stick with it.

Of course some factory rifles may do better than this, if so also stick with it!

Nathan .... nice rifle ... Whilst a nice match, IMHO, loose the socpe!

BTW ... I'd say that's more than acceptable with bulk ammo!

Nathan, I have a scoped Marlin model 60 that does 3/4" five-shot groups at 50yds with at least one brand of bulk ammo. I call that good for that grade of rifle.

My CZ452, also scoped, does 3/8" 5-shot groups at 50yds - with at least one brand of bulk ammo. I also call that very good for that grade of rifle.

It all depends on your needs, but those are the best two examples I can give in regards to "bang for your buck" accuracy. IMO, if you have to go to target-grade ammo to approach that kind of accuracy in similarly-priced rifles, you aren't getting your money's worth.

I take quality of the rifle and purpose it was made for into consideration. In my Winchester 52's, I expect them to cloverleaf at 50 yards with the right ammo and shooting conditions. With a 10/22, I expect that group to open up to at least 1 1/2 to 2". I am not saying that the Ruger is a piece of garbage, it is not made with match grade components with extreme accuracy in mind. It is made to be a plinker, that is the reason there is such a plethora of aftermarket parts and accessories, most made to accurize the rifle. With today's mass production manufacturing, accuracy of most rimfires is acceptable, but not match grade.

Mr Marklin, you are right on the money concerning the differences in ammo as it affects .22 accuracy. Although centerfires vary in their ammo preferences, they pale in comparison to .22's. I've had rifles go from inch and a half shooters to half inch shooters at 50 yards, then go back to over an inch and a half, as the ammo varieties change. Some rifles like one brand, while others give the best accuracy with another kind. The only way to wring out each gun's accuracy potential is to try a bunch of kinds.

with my remington 597 i can get 1/4 - 1/2" groups at 50 all day long with cci mini mags and that was before i added a b- square scope base. have yet to shoot it since due to wet and windy conditions. im thinking on a good day with wind less than 5 mph i can get 5 shots in one hole at 25 yrds and touchers at 50

That's good shooting Sgtdeath.

If a 22 rifle (and scope) won't do 1" edge to edge groups at 50 yds with moderate priced target/standard veloctiy ammo, I'm pretty dissatisfied. However, I rarely can do that well with open sights at 50 yds and rarely shoot paper with them beyond 25 yds.

NathanL: I have owned many dozens of 22 rimfire Rifles in the last 50 years, and ONLY 2 (two) of them have made groups (5 shots at 100 yards) that measured under 1.00"!
Those two Rifles are my Remington 40X and my Kimber M-22 H/S (Hunter/Silhouette).
I judge a 22 rimfires accuracy at 100 yards and only on occassion do I test them at 50 yards - these two very accurate Rifles don't make "one hole" groups at 50 yards. Close but not one hole!
Your 22 is not only a really cool looking rig it is a really good shooter with that 4X scope!
Keep up the good work.
Also this - my accuracy examples were all shot with "Varmint" type hollowpoint ammunition not "target" type ammunition.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

1/2 inch, 5 shot groups at 50 yards with decent ammo. Bulk ammo will usually shoot pretty good but will throw flyers due to inconsistencies in how it is made.
As others have said before me, each rifle is a law onto itself in reguards to what ammo it likes best.
My CZ 452 Lefty will shoot 1/2 inch or under with Rem/Eley ammo. Would love to try some Wolf target as I hear good things about it as well.

Thanks for all the replies. I haven't had a chance to go out and shoot it again much. It rains here everyday lately and when it doesn't I've been working up loads on a new .300 win mag. Suffice to say it's time to give the shoulder a break and get back to the .22 real soon.