Advice for .22 at 100 yds.

[Bob A]

Have an old Stevens .22 had not shot in a long time. Semi autos. Believe at some point it was called a gill gun. Decided to get it out, bought a cheap scope and went to the range. Got to the point I could put 10 shots into the 2” ring at 50 yards. Tried to stretch it to 100 and could not get one on the paper. No doubt it is shooting low. Was getting cold so I packed up. Any advice?How many clicks on the scope. Part of the solution would be me , but how about ammo, rifle, scope. Any advice. Thanks
Bob

[Dick284]

I’m running a CZ 452 American, with a 6-18x scope, and used to shoot it in small bore sillouette.
The rams are set at 100 meters. Had no problem tipping those bad boys when my game was on. I don’t remember how many clicks as I laid that out on the turret with a piece of tape and a pen, taKe the time and play. I tried upwards of 6 or 8 different makes of .22 to find the one the rifle liked, then bought a case(5000 rnds) of that brand.(Federal Game Shock solids)
2” at 50 yards is pretty poor grouping if that’s from a bench and a rest, I’m getting on the order of 1/2” five shot groups at 50 yds.

I set up the kids Z5 Zastava for him. 6-18 scope, and his rifle will do this at 50 yds.

Note: how many different brands of shells I tried in his rifle, those are 10 shot groups, and Winchester Dyna Points rule in his rifle.

His 100 yd group with that same load look like this (5 shots)


Here’s the set up.

[Big Sky]

Biggest factor will be your ammo.

Assuming 50yd zero.
Target ammo in the 1050fps range, you're looking at about 7.5 minutes of drop. Thirty clicks for most scopes.
Typical gopher ammo in the 1250fps range, you'll have about 5.5 minutes. Twenty-two clicks for most scopes.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

Biggest factor will be your ammo.

Assuming 50yd zero.
Target ammo in the 1050fps range, you're looking at about 7.5 minutes of drop. Thirty clicks for most scopes.
Typical gopher ammo in the 1250fps range, you'll have about 5.5 minutes. Twenty-two clicks for most scopes.

I was going to say somewhere around 21 MOA as well but it has been a while since I looked at my log books .
Cat

[glen moa]

For me 100 y is a little to far for 22. The groups are just to big. 3” and. Then the wind. 75y would be my max.
Try at 50y or 25y and work out from there.
I like 1” group at 50y or 1/2” even better. I use cheap ammo and guns
I switch scopes around and you can see a difference some are more accurate.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by glen moa

For me 100 y is a little to far for 22. The groups are just to big. 3” and. Then the wind. 75y would be my max.
Try at 50y or 25y and work out from there.
I like 1” group at 50y or 1/2” even better. I use cheap ammo and guns
I switch scopes around and you can see a difference some are more accurate.

Understood but some of us here compete in or at least shoot smallbore in silhouette completion out to 100 yards and some of us shoot smallbore match tuflescat 60,100, and even 200 yards with both peep target sights and optical sighting systems .
Depending on the set up they can be surprisingly accurate even offhand on the 200 meters offhand on the center fire chicken silhouettes !
Cat

[duceman]

if only there was a belted magnum rimfire for those hundred yard shots........

[Groundhogger]

Lots of factors...as stated already. Not sure what scope you're using, but most rimfire enthusiasts pushing the boundaries (distance) are often using relatively high magnification scopes with their 22s. I'd say a minimum of 4-12, but if shooting @ 100 yards is what you looking to do most...a top end of 14-18X is probably better. I'm familiar with that gun, but have never owned/shot one. Most semis have less than desirable triggers (lighter=better) for target work. Worse yet, being a blow-back ..part of the energy of the shot going off is directed to cycling the action. Seems to be a commonly held belief that the amount of energy isn't exactly the same each time=accuracy variations. A small variation @ 20 yards becomes a big one @ 100 yards, etc. One of the many reasons bolt guns rule the accuracy game.

Another thing is wind. When combined with a relatively chunky, truncated, slow-moving bullet...even the smallest imperfection with your set-up gets amplified quick. Things like a heavy trigger pull, possible parallax issues with the scope, an imperfect rest, etc. Bottom line~if you're trying to push 22 to it's limits..it can be a ton of fun..but frustrating if you're not sort of set-up right.

Suggestion~close your distance to 50 yards, buy as many varieties of 22 ammo as you can (leaving aside the super slow, "Quiet" stuff)...get on a steady rest, and get to know what the gun really likes to eat first. Also, make sure the scope has a parallax setting that isn't working against you. Most inexpensive (for instance) 3-9 variable scopes have a parallax setting of 100 yards+. Shooting that at 50 yards will probably cause some issues. A target @ 100 yards with a scope set to 9X (or less) looks very small, so that in an of itself could be the issue.

If getting into the longer-range 22 is something you want to pursue, there are lots of guns you can mount optics rails to that are canted. 10MOA/20MOA+ etc. These will make it possible to use a scope with less elevation adjustment at the very least, but will also let you use any scope further out. Not exotic rifles either, here is a 20MOA for a Savage Mark II series rifle, but EGW makes lots of them; http://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts-...-ambidextrous/

My gopher approach~I use a CZ452 Varmint, bolt-action with a 4-12X adjustable objective scope (=no parallax issues) that has a BDC reticle, zeroed @ 50 yards. The reticle has additional hash marks giving you holdover reference points. I've forgotten what they are since I last used it (2016 trip) but it doesn't take long to get to know what distance you're shooting at using those..without any elevation adjustments on the scope itself.

[glen moa]

The post started with.
Have an old Stevens .22

Is that a long range sniper 22.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by glen moa

The post started with.
Have an old Stevens .22

Is that a long range sniper 22.

The question was answered quite a few posts back- depending on the sighting system and the ammo, between 20 and 22 MOA from 50 to 100 yards.
I don't know any snipers who use a 22LR BTW......
Cat

[Big Sky]

Wolf Match 1050fps 50yd zero

It's not what I shoot, but it is really close. It will give a good starting point for anyone shooting similar ammo at distance.

[Nyksta]

Cci minimags zeroed at 50m will give you 7 inches drop at 100m. Hold at the top edge of your target page at 100m and you should see where you are hitting. Or get a legal size 17 inch long peice of paper and mark the target near the top. 100m is not a problem for 22LR. Bushnell rimfire 22 3-9×32 scope duplex reticle actually goes from thin to thick lines exactly at 7 inches of drop at 100m (approx 7moa). So 50m crosshair and a 100m hold over point with cci minimags at least. Pretty good.

[58thecat]

100 yards with a 50 yard zero 8" drop or so...send it to the gopher standing up...watch for impact, if target drops find another, if not adjust and send another or a short burst...10/22 style gopher rules of engagement

[elkhunter11]

With a 50m zero, I dial in about 30 clicks to zero at 100m using match ammunition. My Anschutz Fortner shoots around 3/4" at 100m with the RWS Championship Edition load.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by Bob A

Have an old Stevens .22 had not shot in a long time. Semi autos. Believe at some point it was called a gill gun. Decided to get it out, bought a cheap scope and went to the range. Got to the point I could put 10 shots into the 2” ring at 50 yards. Tried to stretch it to 100 and could not get one on the paper. No doubt it is shooting low. Was getting cold so I packed up. Any advice?How many clicks on the scope. Part of the solution would be me , but how about ammo, rifle, scope. Any advice. Thanks
Bob

To get best 22LR results start by testing several different brands of ammo @50m. Suggest 5 consecutive 5 shot groups of each brand. Shoot at least 10 shots with the “next to be tested” ammo before shooting the series of groups to be tested. That will “condition” the bore to the type of lube on the bullet. Assuming you can hold steady on the bags, the proof of what the barrel likes best will be apparent on paper.
Few semi-autos will group as tight as a bolt action so be realistic regarding expectations.
I prefer to zero my 22LR gopher rig to hit 1/2” high at 50M so I am only holding about 4” elevation on a gopher at 100M. About 1” low @ 25M. I do not mess with clicking elevation.

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Bob A

Have an old Stevens .22 had not shot in a long time. Semi autos. Believe at some point it was called a gill gun. Decided to get it out, bought a cheap scope and went to the range. Got to the point I could put 10 shots into the 2” ring at 50 yards. Tried to stretch it to 100 and could not get one on the paper. No doubt it is shooting low. Was getting cold so I packed up. Any advice?How many clicks on the scope. Part of the solution would be me , but how about ammo, rifle, scope. Any advice. Thanks
Bob

Many good suggestions listed for sighting the .22 for 100 yards but if you want a good consistent 100+ yard gopher gun I would consider picking up a .17hmr. Shooting gophers with a .17 out to 150yrds is just to much fun.

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by bobalong

Many good suggestions listed for sighting the .22 for 100 yards but if you want a good consistent 100+ yard gopher gun I would consider picking up a .17hmr. Shooting gophers with a .17 out to 150yrds is just to much fun.

22lr is fine for 100m gophers. Even out to 140m if you learn where your hits are. Its more about practice than it is about what caliber someone shoots. 22lr is one third the price of 17hmr and 22lr is available everywhere = more practice

[stob]

x2 for an 8" drop with a 50yd zero .. i have an old cil anshultz and it will punch a box of 50 into a twoonie sized hole at 100yds with rem yellow jackets of all things ... a little smaller with match ammo

[6.5 shooter]

Years ago I went down to the local hunting store and I bought 1 box of every rim fire ammo they had on the shelf.
Took my trusty old model 600 Cooey to the range set up a bunch of targets and started shooting at 25, 50, 75, 100yds. Most ammo did OK out to 50 yards or so then the groups would start to open up...Some did OK out to 75 yards but most hyper velocity rounds really started to come unglued at that range. And only 2 or 3 would hold in that 1.5 inch range at 100 yards.(10 shot groups)

I run this test on ALL my rim fire rifles now but I only fire at 100 yards and have found that there are only a few brands of rim fire ammo that seem to reliably work at 100. NONE of it is the expensive "target" ammo and any hyper ammo fails miserably in my tests. Most ammo that seems to work at that range is the 1200-1350fps range and my best results are with CCI mini mag Hp or cheap Winchester bulk "Target" ammo in the black box but it is a semi solid bullet and not for the gopher fields

Hope it helps.
P.S. all my rifles (12) in these tests are bolt guns

[Groundhogger]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

22lr is fine for 100m gophers. Even out to 140m if you learn where your hits are. Its more about practice than it is about what caliber someone shoots. 22lr is one third the price of 17hmr and 22lr is available everywhere = more practice

I managed to get 6 of them at just over 170 yards back in 2016 (ranged/witnessed) but if you saw all the misses leading up to the first hit~you wouldn't be impressed. lol After that, a shot or two per to connect with the next 5. Fortunately, they're cooperative targets. Funny to watch though, the time the bullet takes...rounds landing so close the gophers were wiping the resulting dust off of their heads. Considering how many we got that week, those 6 were the most memorable. My nephew connected with them (17HMR) at pretty ridiculous distances too, only he mostly hit the long range ones..I mostly missed.

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

The question was answered quite a few posts back- depending on the sighting system and the ammo, between 20 and 22 MOA from 50 to 100 yards.
I don't know any snipers who use a 22LR BTW......
Cat

Lmao

[TUFFBUFF]

The first time I shot at 100 I had 4.1/2" drop with a cci hv round, and it shot under inch average.

I have since shot a couple more times at 100 and have been humbled, wind is a big factor at 100 and temperature plays a part as well besides the normal rest/optics/form etc.
I have shot quite a few well under an inch, but not all the time.

grab a 2 or 3ft square piece of cardboard and put a 2in dot near the top and have at 'er. I would guess your set up might hold 5-6" group at that distance.

[qwert]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

snip
I don't know any snipers who use a 22LR BTW......
Cat

actually,
all snipers, (and long range shooters) spend a LOT of time and $$ in practice.
(military do it with your $$),
those of us spending our own $$ for training prefer the cost of 22LR (complete cartridge ~= a bare primer), and much longer life of most 22 barrels.
Less recoil = more practice /day. Few people can tolerate the number of 'sniper' caliber shots /day that a typical 22LR shooter handles easily (and MUCH cheaper).

IMHO, pushing a 22LR WELL OVER 100 yds is great affordable practice for both shooting and wind reading skills.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...iner-get-best/
https://finnaccuracy.com/blogs/fa-ne...best-out-of-it

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/MARKIITR
plus a 20 moa P-rail
http://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts-...-ambidextrous/
or
https://ruger.com/products/precisionRimfire/models.html
c/w standard 30 moa P-rail.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...re!!-Order-Now!
(also listed elsewhere in CA for MUCH more $$)

Just like a GSG 1911 22, the gun is free with ammo cost savings after not many range days,
but, you will need a MUCH better scope than typically used on a 22RF, (I plan to use a NF NXS 3.5-15, or more).

Good Luck, YMMV.

[catnthehat]

The links posted above are not used by the military.
The cadets sometimes learn and train with air rifles and 22's but certainly not for combat and I have no idea where you got the rediculous notion that regular armed Forces Snipers train or shoot 22's as part of their job.
Any long range smallbore competition is Civilian not military even though some CAF members do compete
Cat

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

22lr is fine for 100m gophers. Even out to 140m if you learn where your hits are. Its more about practice than it is about what caliber someone shoots. 22lr is one third the price of 17hmr and 22lr is available everywhere = more practice

Possibly but that has not been my experience, if I sight a .22 for 50 or even 75 yards, it is still way off at 140. I am not about to start moving my scope 20-30 clicks for a gopher, but that it is not to say it can't be done.

No doubt a .22 is much cheaper than a .17 but I do more gopher and rimfire target shooting than all other shooting combined so for me it is a worthwhile cost. I am lucky enough to be able to shoot almost daily and have a few fields where we can set up a table/shooting chair and shoot for an hour or more without having to move. I will have the 10/22 the BL22 and the .17 ready. I rarely shoot the .17 at anything under 80 yards.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by qwert

actually,
all snipers, (and long range shooters) spend a LOT of time and $$ in practice.
(military do it with your $$),
those of us spending our own $$ for training prefer the cost of 22LR (complete cartridge ~= a bare primer), and much longer life of most 22 barrels.
Less recoil = more practice /day. Few people can tolerate the number of 'sniper' caliber shots /day that a typical 22LR shooter handles easily (and MUCH cheaper).

IMHO, pushing a 22LR WELL OVER 100 yds is great affordable practice for both shooting and wind reading skills.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...iner-get-best/
https://finnaccuracy.com/blogs/fa-ne...best-out-of-it

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/MARKIITR
plus a 20 moa P-rail
http://www.egwguns.com/scope-mounts-...-ambidextrous/
or
https://ruger.com/products/precisionRimfire/models.html
c/w standard 30 moa P-rail.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...re!!-Order-Now!
(also listed elsewhere in CA for MUCH more $$)

Just like a GSG 1911 22, the gun is free with ammo cost savings after not many range days,
but, you will need a MUCH better scope than typically used on a 22RF, (I plan to use a NF NXS 3.5-15, or more).

Good Luck, YMMV.

LMAO.

Me thinks you took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by bobalong

Possibly but that has not been my experience, if I sight a .22 for 50 or even 75 yards, it is still way off at 140. I am not about to start moving my scope 20-30 clicks for a gopher, but that it is not to say it can't be done.

No doubt a .22 is much cheaper than a .17 but I do more gopher and rimfire target shooting than all other shooting combined so for me it is a worthwhile cost. I am lucky enough to be able to shoot almost daily and have a few fields where we can set up a table/shooting chair and shoot for an hour or more without having to move. I will have the 10/22 the BL22 and the .17 ready. I rarely shoot the .17 at anything under 80 yards.

You dont have to click your scope. Just holdover. At the same magnification, the holdover will always be the same for the distances You just have to remember how far down the retical line you have to hold. Just like a bdc reticle scope works

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Nyksta

You dont have to click your scope. Just holdover. At the same magnification, the holdover will always be the same for the distances You just have to remember how far down the retical line you have to hold. Just like a bdc reticle scope works

There can be 20 or 30 or more different ranges to try and remember, to big of a guessing game for me, I prefer the .17.

[EZM]

If you are consistently getting groups under 2"-3" with a semi-auto 22LR you are a sniper. Had many semi's and few would approach these groups - so keep your expectations realistic.

My son has a Cabela's 22LR scope on a 10/22 which, when sighted at 50, gives you "relatively" accurate hash marks for 75 and 100 yards as well.

Normally you are not going to range a gopher anyways, so your best estimate of the range and let her go, watch for the puff of smoke as the round hits the dirt and let the little bugger pop his head back to have a look ..... becuase those dumb bugger will duck and then look again ..... lol - that's what makes shooting gophers so much fun.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by EZM

If you are consistently getting groups under 2"-3" with a semi-auto 22LR you are a sniper. Had many semi's and few would approach these groups - so keep your expectations realistic.

My son has a Cabela's 22LR scope on a 10/22 which, when sighted at 50, gives you "relatively" accurate hash marks for 75 and 100 yards as well.

Normally you are not going to range a gopher anyways, so your best estimate of the range and let her go, watch for the puff of smoke as the round hits the dirt and let the little bugger pop his head back to have a look ..... becuase those dumb bugger will duck and then look again ..... lol - that's what makes shooting gophers so much fun.

Better quality semi autos will do much better than that. My Volquartsen would consistently shoot sub moa at 100 yards with decent ammunition.