Stretching out the .22lr - is 200yd and over possible

[flylo]

I'm waiting on my form 1 for a can I will make for a 300 blackout bolt action Look at these SUBSONIC bullets expansion! https://discreetballistics.com/shop/300blk-selous-machined-expander-projectiles/

 

[TJ Kackowski]

I'm waiting on my form 1 for a can I will make for a 300 blackout bolt action Look at these SUBSONIC bullets expansion! https://discreetballistics.com/shop/300blk-selous-machined-expander-projectiles/

Not following how this info fits in with .22 LR long range shooting ... maybe I've had a few too many beers tonight.

 

[DadSmith]

I'm waiting on my form 1 for a can I will make for a 300 blackout bolt action Look at these SUBSONIC bullets expansion! https://discreetballistics.com/shop/300blk-selous-machined-expander-projectiles/

 

[johntheplinker]

I have heard that when a .22 hi speed slows down to the sub sonic level at long range,, there can be a bit of wobble ---that is the reason to use standard velocity to begin with

Not true. Its another one of those things that has been accepted as truth but has been disproved and just won't die. The actual problem is that true match grade HV ammo is very rare. IIRC Eley is the only company that makes any, but only fairly recently and in small quantities.

 

[Hohn]

Popped over the HHRP again yesterday. No problem ringing IPSC and other plates at 200-- with THUNDERBOLT. This is the crappiest ammo I will let my CZ eat, and only because it doesn't seem to lead my CZ like it does my Victory. Caldwell bipod, no rear bag.

I wouldn't say a target at generous as an IPSC plate at 200 is noteworthy, but thunderbolt is pretty awful at range.

Better ammo makes smaller plates pretty repeatable.

 

[Hohn]

I'm waiting on my form 1 for a can I will make for a 300 blackout bolt action Look at these SUBSONIC bullets expansion! https://discreetballistics.com/shop/300blk-selous-machined-expander-projectiles/

Unless you see a gel test that says these things still penetrate >12" at only 750fps, I'd stay FAR away from these. I'd be willing to bet things things penetrate like birdshot and are a terrible choice for defensive use. But hey, maybe I'm wrong and they go 15" in calibrated gel and are really awesome.

 

[Hohn]

Ok, went to HHRP today with JRH84 and both of us had no problem hitting IPSC plates at 200y offhand with my CZ455 eating GOLDEN BULLETS. Just bracketed the plate between the 10moa and 20moa holdovers and added a bit of windage as necessary.

Golden might arguably be even worse than T-bolt. I'm just trying to burn off all my Remington rimfire junk to purge it and have a little fun in the process.

Hit rate fell a bit on the smaller torso plate, but still surprisingly easy to get hits at 200 with .22LR (I'm not a great offhand shooter).

And of course, supported on a wedge bag off the bench was easy peasy. 12"-10" plates were not a challenge at 200y.

Super fun. Not as hard as you might think (again, I'm not a particularly good shooter). Indeed, if it was a centerfire at 200, nobody would bat a lash at hitting 10" swingers. Ho Hum. Rimfire is less capable, but it's not like you're dropping down to airsoft.

 

[Triton]

Popped over the HHRP again yesterday. No problem ringing IPSC and other plates at 200-- with THUNDERBOLT.

I wouldn't say a target at generous as an IPSC plate at 200 is noteworthy, but thunderbolt is pretty awful at range.

Better ammo makes smaller plates pretty repeatable.

some questions I’d like to ask if you don’t mind:

• What power scope are you using
• What yardage is your zero
• are you calculating the distance and bullet drop to determine how many clicks to go from your zero to 200
• are you using the scopes crosshairs indicators to figure your drop without adjusting the scope
• What zoom level are you using

I’ve been able to stretch out to 200. Not consistently as I’d like. The last time I did I worked on keeping my 50yd zero and then playing with the zoom power so I could just barely squeeze 200 In the very bottom of the drop indicator (don’t know the term for it).

I’m using a Nikon P-Rimfire 3-9x50. If I keep the zoom at 4x I can go between 50 and 200. I started doing that because I got tired of re-zeroing my scope. I believe to get the crosshairs on center it was in the low 20’s as far as clicks.

 

[Hohn]

some questions I’d like to ask if you don’t mind:

• What power scope are you using
• What yardage is your zero
• are you calculating the distance and bullet drop to determine how many clicks to go from your zero to 200
• are you using the scopes crosshairs indicators to figure your drop without adjusting the scope
• What zoom level are you using

I’ve been able to stretch out to 200. Not consistently as I’d like. The last time I did I worked on keeping my 50yd zero and then playing with the zoom power so I could just barely squeeze 200 In the very bottom of the drop indicator (don’t know the term for it).

I’m using a Nikon P-Rimfire 3-9x50. If I keep the zoom at 4x I can go between 50 and 200. I started doing that because I got tired of re-zeroing my scope. I believe to get the crosshairs on center it was in the low 20’s as far as clicks.

I'm using a fixed magnification 10x42 SWFA SS with the MOA-Quad reticle. I presently have it zeroed for 100y, but normally run 50y. This optic has exposed turrets that track well, so a couple clicks of additional come-up isn't too hard.

The 20 moa of hold-under hashes on the SWFA provides the interesting possibility to zero at a long distance and use hold-unders at ranges less than that if you want to maximize point blank range.

When you have a lot of drop like a .22LR, a high-magnification scope can work against you to a point, because you will lose FOV that is crucial for managing bullet drop. The SWFA is a nearly perfect scope for the application of long range rimfire. The reticle has holdovers to 40 MOA below the center. Second, the turrets have a 140MOA total range (+/- 70 MOA) and track well. So this optic lets you manage up to 110 MOA of drop just in the scope and still hold a repeatable point of aim.

The 12x version of the SWFA has the same 40moa of holdover and same turret range. So if you don't intend to use the extra non-hash-marked FOV to do extreme holdovers, the 12x might be the better choice for rimfire. All of these basic models will focus to 10y, so they are great for closer range stuff too. I went with 10x just to gain a bit more FOV for critters. I also have the 12x version of this scope (in MIL vs MOA) that stays on my 223 bolt gun.

I've mounted mY 10X42 to a 30MOA Area 419 rail, giving me a total drop of 140 MOA if I have the turret cranked down and I'm holding over at the 40MOA hash at the bottom of the reticle. This will take me nearly to 500y with HV ammo if you plug it into a ballistic calculator. That's pushing it for 22LR in almost anyone's book.

I've had luck calculating the drop from a zero. Even the rudimentary Nikon Spot On app works fine for that (I have the 2x-7x p-rimfire that I bought initially for this rifle, and the 10x SWFA has been a MASSIVE upgrade considering it's still a <$300 optic.)

But I've been switching ammo so much lately that I've taken to just walking myself onto the the target without using an app. If you can spot your misses with kicked up grass or dirt, you can get yourself on target. As you know, point of impact can move around a great deal when you switch ammo.


Anyway, you'll notice in the Nikon app that as you dial down the magnification of your scope that the holdover hashes in the BDC will correspond to much longer range (as you'd expect for SFP scope). With my 2-7 BDC Nikon, the bottom of the 4 BDC circles goes from 169y at 7x (with Golden bullets) to 309y at 2x magnification.

Kinda hard to see 300y at 2x, but it illustrates the phenomenon of lower mag/wider FOV giving better long range ability.

 

[Triton]

Wonderful reply. Gonna take me a while to look everything up to fully understand. Great forum community here!!!

 

[gmcttr]

Wow so this is what an upgraded 10/22 can do. That's very accurate for 100yds my stock 10/22 slim barrel with Eley force groups at 50 0.673 10 shot group. Your rifle does that at 100yds.

It would be great to see how it does at 200 yards. If you get the chance to hit paper out that far sometime.

Finally got to shoot my Kidd 10/22 at 200 yards today using Eley Force and SK Long Range Match. Both of the following targets are with the SK ammo.

It was not a particularly good day for it with very variable wind...cross wind, head wind and no wind for brief periods. I can't really say I got it zeroed to my satisfaction as I was always being pushed off by the breeze but here are a couple of targets. The rifle has better potential than these.

Two of the 10 shots are in the lower left corner...

Twenty shots with a few scope adjustments mixed in...

I'm hooked and will get calm conditions someday but it was interesting trying to read the wind and hold for it the few times I tried.

 

[Hohn]

That bottom bull is pretty impressive. 5.5” at 200 with a .22lr is not easy.

 

[doddg]

Finally got to shoot my Kidd 10/22 at 200 yards today using Eley Force and SK Long Range Match. Both of the following targets are with the SK ammo.

It was not a particularly good day for it with very variable wind...cross wind, head wind and no wind for brief periods. I can't really say I got it zeroed to my satisfaction as I was always being pushed off by the breeze but here are a couple of targets. The rifle has better potential than these.
Two of the 10 shots are in the lower left corner...
Twenty shots with a few scope adjustments mixed in...

I'm hooked and will get calm conditions someday but it was interesting trying to read the wind and hold for it the few times I tried.

That looks alot like my trying to do that at half your distance last week.
I'm hoping the wind is why I didn't do any better: time will tell.
If I get too depressed about it, I'll just cut back to 75 yds.

 

[gmcttr]

That bottom bull is pretty impressive. 5.5” at 200 with a .22lr is not easy.

Thanks. Started out grouping mostly in the lower right quarter, made a few scope adjustments and it moved to the upper left quarter. Moved it a few more clicks but really couldn't confirm the adjustments with the wind moving around.

 

[churchmouse]

Thanks. Started out grouping mostly in the lower right quarter, made a few scope adjustments and it moved to the upper left quarter. Moved it a few more clicks but really couldn't confirm the adjustments with the wind moving around.

The wind was not steady yesterday.

 

[Katana1]

One day at the range a friend told me that my 10/22, or maybe it was me, couldn’t shoot at the 200yd line. I took it as a challenge and started to practice. That quickly made me learn how to adjust the scope and get a beginners understanding of MOA.

What is the farthest you think a great 22 will shoot consistently? How far have you practiced at and what did you do to improve?

Back in the day, my cousin and I used to shoot a brick of 22LR every weekend. After about 1+years of this we got rather good at this, each one trying to outdo the other. I believe our furthest target was about 1/4 mile. The KY windage required was awsome as I recall.

 

[Hohn]

I personally think that under ideal conditions of calm, 350-400y is possible with 22lr. My rifle has enough holdover to hit 400 and in theory nearly 500 with an actual aimed shot.

A solid 22lr is 2 moa or better. That just over 8” at 400y.

I’d expect a skilled shooter with a sorted combo to ring a 10” plate >50% of the time at 400y on a calm day.

 

[johntheplinker]

Yeah, wind is a big factor. If you can read the wind accurately with a 22, then centerfire will be a breeze. Pun not intended. Another problem is finding ammo that is uber consistent. A 30 fps SD is nothing for a 3000 fps round but is HUGE with a 1100 fps rimfire. That 30 fps means an additional 2" of drop/rise at 200 yards over the average, and only increase exponentially the further you go. And you ain't going to get uber consistency shooting CCI, Federal, or Aguila.