22lr long range accuracy

[No i deer]

So what sort size 5 shot groups will the best 22lr rifles,trainers and CZ 457 LRP's be capable of at 200,250,300 and 350yds with the best ammo..??

Cheers NID

[fourtyvoats]

I am really looking forward to the answers here. Would  anyone with experience at these ranges illustrate their answers with target photos please? Also a description or photos of the rifles used would be great for sharing the knowledge.

[Dellboy]

Baldie will confirm his mate shot 457 lrp at 400 (not sure if it was just over that at 427)  hitting a tennis ball with Eley Outlaw i think ..

[One on top of two]

3 hours ago, No i deer said:

So what sort size 5 shot groups will the best 22lr rifles,trainers and CZ 457 LRP's be capable of at 200,250,300 and 350yds with the best ammo..??

Cheers NID

Not as good as a slug gun ..

[No i deer]

11 hours ago, Dellboy said:

Baldie will confirm his mate shot 457 lrp at 400 (not sure if it was just over that at 427)  hitting a tennis ball with Eley Outlaw i think ..

5 shots on the trot..??

[No i deer]

This was my attempt at 200yds with my CZ452 using eley match and a 9 mag scope.

Got online on the steel then 3 shots at the target..

The group is about 1 inch..

[One on top of two]

Beautiful .

[No i deer]

F class John has a new video on YouTube showing his recent benchrest match with his 22lr Rimex at 50yds practicing and then at 100yds in the comp..

Looks too be an inch or less groups at 100yds..

I guess he's using the ammo his rifle likes best.

[1066]

1 hour ago, No i deer said:

F class John has a new video on YouTube showing his recent 22br match with his Rimex at 50yds practicing and then at 100yds in the comp..

Looks too be an inch or less groups at 100yds..

I guess he's using the ammo his rifle likes best.

I was certainly impressed with the steadiness of his bench and rest set-up. - it's a street away from NSRA benchrest with no rear bag and a flat front rest.

I believe the 10 ring on those US 100yd targets are 2" diameter so with a group size of 1.6" only about average I would have thought.

[No i deer]

I'm well happy with my just over 1 inch group at 200yds then 😛.

He was shooting from a rock steady posistion 😄

[1066]

32 minutes ago, No i deer said:

I'm well happy with my just over 1 inch group at 200yds then.

He was shooting from a rock steady bench 😄

An inch at 200 is excellent - always my problem is that it's not consistently repeatable.

Testing some ammunition at 50 yds last week I thought I was shaping up for a good group - only for the last of 5 to be a flyer.

These are the rest of the groups on the card - Top four groups Midas+, lower four Centre-x. Not much in it really. 50 yds - 2c,  Annie 54, wobbly table, Bisley, Melville range. no rear bag.
 

And these were same place, set-up using R50 which seem to perform as well or better.

[No i deer]

Some nice groups there 👌 

I'll respray my AR500 target and try some more 200yds groups over xmas

[No i deer]

🎅

[terryh]

Have found being constant with a 22rf to be more difficult than with a CF 🤷🏼‍♂️

Sorting the ammo your rifle likes makes a big difference. 1” 100 yard groups should be achievable .

 These are 100 yard comp cards , 5 x 10 round targets shot sequentially in fixed a time which includes unlimited sighters.

Only 200 yard ‘target’ I have is a 20 round gong short at Orion with unsorted ammo.

Do not have example targets for longer distances but you can work out the capabilities if you wish working back from target sizes and these scores as a indicator. But to me 500 yards is more ‘area aim’, trying to chase your last shot is a hiding to nowhere 🤦🏼‍♂️
 

 

 

[1066]

That's a nice set of 100yd cards Terry. True, shooting consistently with the .22lr does bring extra challenges but it does seem as if we are reaching the limits of it's capabilities.  As far as I can see, there has been very little increase in accuracy in the last 50 years.
We are probably all more aware of the need for careful selection of ammunition now, tuners of various sorts play their part too, but given the array of associated equipment available to use now, scopes, chronographs, joy-stick rests etc.  we don't really seem to have come far, especially when compared with centrefire over the same period.

I can see the time when airguns will regularly outperform the .22lr in benchrest competitions, they have been steadily improving for many years now and the gap is closing fast.

Here's a clipping from 1960 - remember, these rifles were only ever used with 2.5lb trigger, aperture sights and a sling. I don't think the 100 yd NSRA target size has changed since then.

[terryh]

Concur re the 22 and limits - to a degree. We’ve been ‘stuck’ with 1:16 twist since the horse and buggy / black powder origins of the 22rf. Think this is changing with folks trying faster twists etc. RWS coming out with a LR projectile and on the extreme home loading components with monolith bullets.

The BSA International’s are nice rifles as are things like the 52D (&E) Winchester’s.

On a different note I’ve a 22rf sub cal adapter for my 45-70 Sharps which with period iron sights shoots , must try it at longer distances . This is a 50m 10 shot.

 

 

[1066]

Very impressive with the Sharps. That seems an excellent result with an adapter tube (Have to think about a tube for my Greener GP shotgun )

[terryh]

4 minutes ago, 1066 said:

Very impressive with the Sharps. That seems an excellent result with an adapter tube (Have to think about a tube for my Greener GP shotgun )

It is a full length match barrel offset into a 45-70 case so the CF firing pin hits the RF rim. Made by Lee Shaver in the US where there are specific comps for BPCR’s in 22rf. Extraction is by the technical use of a small screwdriver 🤔😂

that target was obviously using rests front and back but none the less very please with its accuracy- that was with SK flat nose match ammo, again unsorted straight from the box.

[1066]

I'm really interested in that, not quite the same as the old Morris tubes for the Martini-Henry rifles. It looks to be not full length so not supported at the muzzle. Is it just a good sliding fit in the barrel or are there rubber bands of some sort around it?
It's a great pity our laws make it so difficult to experiment with things like this - This would be a fairly easy home shop project to bring and old wall hanger back from the dead.

[No i deer]

Hi Terry.

Thanks for your input..

I know some of the names on the scorecards..

I know of Paul Russel I see him at gbfca league matches as I do Chris Hazelhurst who I know much better. Had a pint or 2 in London middlesex with him and a mate..

My next thing is a higher mag scope for better precision..

I've been threatening this for about a year again because I use my 22 more in the winter and I'm using it again most weekends..

Too shoot 200yds I was holding over I think about 25 mins..

Used every hash on the leupold fx freedom 22lr moa reticle if my memory serves me right..

[terryh]

Alan, the inserts rifled barrel is 23” from breach to muzzle, as you say not supported at the muzzles of the rifle it is used in ( that’s a 32” ish barrel to give a 36” sight radius).

There are supports spaced along the barrel that are a snug fit into the rifling, bit of effort to install. Thunk they are a foam but whole item is covered in glued heat shrink

You have to note where the extractor knot h is as the whole assembly follows the rifling and rotates when put in.

NiD, yes bit more magnification will help and you are looking at over 100 moa to get to 500 yards from a 50m zero. I put an adjustable base on my rifle that gives a repeatable   Extra 70moa of elevation on top of the 20mm a rail. Scope is a 10-60 as my 22rf was built as a clone for my 6mm Dasher CF rifle.

 

 

[No i deer]

Thanks 😊

Looks nice 🤩

[1066]

4 hours ago, terryh said:

Alan, the inserts rifled barrel is 23” from breach to muzzle, as you say not supported at the muzzles of the rifle it is used in ( that’s a 32” ish barrel to give a 36” sight radius).

 

Ahh - It must be the 9" internal Bloop tube that accounts for the accuracy.

[terryh]

….. never though of that 🤔😂

[OSOK]

I've not found any subs that will shoot consistently under 20 ft/sec ES's ... The occasional Five will but just that . Mine shoots Eley Match very well but 440 yards turned out to be an eye opener with vertical dispersion of 16 inches . I feel your always likely to get better than that but it will only ever be as good as the ES's dictate .

I seem to remember working the wind out at 440 yards being the same value as a 180g Berger 7mm at 2,600 yards  !

OSOK