.22 Grouping

[swamp snorkler]

Realistically how close should I be able to group 5 shots from a .22 with off the shelf ammunition @ 100 yards?


Also, what's a good bullet in .22 that will give be a better groping?

[wtretrievers]

Depends on the gun & ammo, some guns will group better than others no matter the ammo & some will group only with certain ammo & some guns won't group worth a flip with any ammo. 100 yards is stretching it especially to get a good group.
A 2" group is gonna be real respectable @ 100 yds.
CCI stingers & CCI Mini Mags are very hot .22's & very accurate.

[Lake Chuck Duck]

Originally Posted by wtretrievers

Depends on the gun & ammo, some guns will group better than others no matter the ammo & some will group only with certain ammo & some guns won't group worth a flip with any ammo. 100 yards is stretching it especially to get a good group.
A 2" group is gonna be real respectable @ 100 yds.
CCI stingers & CCI Mini Mags are very hot .22's & very accurate.

x2

I can pile them up on a dot all day at 50 yds with my 10/22. I just shoot the box of bulk ammo in the 550rd box. CCI is the brand I say is the most well made.

[swamp snorkler]

I was trying to plank an 8" target at 100 yrds..... i hit it a few times but nothing consitent. It was dead on at 25yrds though. I was also shooting some Remington Thunderbolts from wal-mart.

[Lake Chuck Duck]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

I was trying to plank an 8" target at 100 yrds..... i hit it a few times but nothing consitent. It was dead on at 25yrds though. I was also shooting some Remington Thunderbolts from wal-mart.

Open sites? Cuz I was talking with a scope.

[swamp snorkler]

The gun is a Marlin Model 70 that my dad gave to my son and I put a Simmons scope on it nothing major. We went shoot in my buddies pasture. I had it pretty dead on at 25 yrds then we backed up to 100 yrds and it was off. I'm cool with it being GTG at 50 yrds. I don't intend on shooting it much beyond that.

[Lake Chuck Duck]

I would site it in for 50 yds, then just remember to aim a few inches high for a 100 yard shot. I forget the ratio of distance to how high up.

[Gerald]

IMO.... a 22 long rifle bullet shoots good out to 25 yards. Beyond that it usually will not group very well. But this depends a lot on the gun and ammo you are shooting.

My experience when shooting an old Marlin 60 @ 100 yards [with gun sighted in @ 25 yards with a 4 power scope] is that you have to aim 6 to 8" high using cheep bullets. My grouping are all over the place with a 5 mph wind. If I had to guess, I would say maybe a 8" grouping at 100 yards using a rest.

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

Realistically how close should I be able to group 5 shots from a .22 with off the shelf ammunition @ 100 yards?


Also, what's a good bullet in .22 that will give be a better groping?

My daughters and I routinely shoot scores in the 190's (out of 200) on an NRA 50 yard smallbore target at 50 yards with an imported bolt action (Izhmash) and a TC Contender Carbine. On a really still day, we usually score 195 or above. The 10 ring is a bit under 0.9" in diameter and the 9 ring is a bit under 1.9" in diameter. A 190 score is usually 10 shots in the 10 ring and 10 shots in the 9 ring. A 195 is 15/20 shots in the 10 ring and 5/20 in the 9 ring. We've found the Federal American Eagle 38 grain hollow point to be inexpensive, readily available, and accurate in both of these rifles and a pistol also.

At 100 yards the scope needs to be adjusted 2-3 MOA up relative to 50 yards. Groups open up proportionately if the wind isn't blowing, but the wind will open up your groups a lot more at 100 yards than at 50 yards. Last weekend, my sons (not as accurate as my daughters) were keeping most of their shots in the 7 ring (a 3.9" circle) at 100 yards with a mild breeze. On a still day my daughters can keep almost all their shots inside the 8 ring at 100 yards (a 2.9 inch circle).

I've owned a couple of other 22LR rifles which were nowhere near this level of accuracy, a Ruger 10-22 and a Winchester semi-auto with a tube magazine. If I ever buy another 22LR rifle, it will be another Izhmash. The model I have is reviewed here: http://www.6mmbr.com/izhmashbasic.html .

[yellow mouth]

Get a BSA sweet 22 scope. You can put the cap on top for the grain bullet you shoot. Zero in at 50 yards, then simply dial it up for further distances. Find one bullet and grain you like and stick with it. I prefer the bulk federal 36 grain. My friends and I consistently hit 10 iron plates out to 190 yards and 3 inch plates at 100.

[Gerald]

An other thing that can effect the accuracy of any cal. rifle is how dirty is the barrel?

A clean barrel shoots a little different than a dirty barrel. Also a rifle shoots a little differnent depending on the temperature of the barrel. The barrel of larger cal. rifles get hot after a few shots are fired and this changes the groupings.

[swamp snorkler]

Thanks for the input, My main goal is the get my son comfortable with a rifle.

He's 7 y.o. and about 70 pounds. I plan on getting him a .223 or a .243 and I want him to be able to use a scope relativley well with cheap ammo before I buy him a larger gun.