10/22 Accuracy

[Chromaflage]

I spend time on several hunting and fishing forums. I chuckle every time someone claims to have some .22 rifle that is more accurate than a 10/22. I'm not necessarily saying their claims are wrong, but sometimes the results don't match the claims. My 18 year old daughter shot 10 rounds with my off-the-shelf 10/22 with a cheap 4x Tasco scope on it at 50 yards. These results would be very hard to beat with another .22 rifle. her marksmanship ain't to shabby either.

 

[9x19]

Very nice... and welcome!

 

[blume357]

What kind of ammo? Obviously your daughter is an expert shot but I suspect the type of ammo is key too. Most 10/22s like a certain type of ammo better than most others.

 

[leon670]

I have found that many off the shelf, inexpensive .22s tend to group in in the 1" to 2" range at 50 yards with cheap promo ammo. My current 10-22 keeps them in about an inch and I'm pretty happy with that. My 77-22 can cut that in half with the right ammo. Shooting a 1/2" group with a .22 at 50 yards, sounds commonplace on the internet but quite a bit of concentration and precision is required to do it consistently. I'm not sure that anyone on a Shooting Forum would admit that they are incapable of shooting a sub minute of angle group at 100 yards with their trusty 30-06 but I'd venture to guess that many cannot. It's not that easy without regular practice and who has the time?
To me, making one shot within 2" in any direction from where I aim at fifty yards, while shooting offhand at an alerted buck is vastly more important than vaporizing thumbtacks at 100.

 

[blume357]

I have shot a 1/2" group with one of my 10/22's at fifty yards with a target barrel and the right ammo from a bench rest... once or twice.... when conditions are right and I'm in the groove.... Leon670 is on target.... it ain't easy. The most difficult shooting I've done recently was scoring rifleman at a Appleseed project. Not exactly easy for an old fat guy, in fact... really really hard.

 

[dlidster]

.... it ain't easy....

I'm loving the honesty behind a few of these posts. I get so tired of statements from gun forum groupies saying, "I wouldn't buy a rifle that wouldn't shoot half inch groups with factory ammo" or "My rifle is shooting quarter-size groups at 300 yards. How can I get more accuracy out of it?" or similar baloney.

I have, among my rifles, one that has delivered several sub-one-inch groups since I made it when I was 16. It did it more frequently 40 or 50 years ago than it does now. I believe that might have more do do with my being 70 than the barrel wearing out. I have a No.1V in .223 that has delivered several 3/8" groups and many, many more much bigger than this. I don't think this has anything to do with inconsistent handloads, barrel bedding, barrel harmonics, or anything other than limitations of my capabilities.

Using a good bench rest, good sandbags, and a good attitude, it's still very difficult to shoot less than one MOA groups. At least it is for me.

 

[mattsbox99]

Is this good enough? 77/22 CCI Velocitor, 10 shots 100 yards.

 

[jimd441]

For general offhand plinking, my scoped otherwise stock 1022 DSP shoots much better than I. For shooting from a bench I honestly don't know if the limiting factor is my gun or me.

Jim

 

[GasGuzzler]

I can't do that nor can any machine I have right now.

 

[Chromaflage]

The purpose of my post was merely to illustrate that a stock 10/22 can perform pretty well with cheap Remington bulk ammo and a novice shooter at the helm. My 18 year old daughter isn't really an avid shooter and she shoots maybe a half dozen times a year at most. I've seen claims that other .22 LR rifles are way more accurate than any 10/22. I just thing it's silly to make such claims when the right combination of firearm, ammo and shooter are really the major factors of accuracy. I shoot a lot and I'm not sure I can even shoot my own 10/22 like that.

 

[blume357]

I'm reluctant to call a man a liar... even on the internet... but I'm the same way skeptical of some folks claims... but then that is usually on other sites than here.... some folks are just naturals with trigger pull and their sighting is better....

My old marine father shot a perfect score at Paris Island back in about 1947 with an M1 garand and iron sites... on the 1400 yard range. And here is the real interesting part of the story... the rifle he had been issued he could not hit anything with and so he complained to the DI who would not listen and so he took it to the officer in charge of the rifle qualification that day who shot his rifle and had the same problem and told the DI to issue him another to qualify with... the DI being pissed off for this handed my father his rifle and three rounds to sight it in and then start shooting to qualify. Perfect score.... then again when he got to Korea he was carrying a BAR which he really liked... until they gave him an '03 springfield with a scope.... but that is a different war story....

my only point is some folks are naturals and can shoot really good.... then there are the rest of us.

Oh and the interesting part of all this is my father never hunted.... ever... he did when he was a boy but never ever as I was growing up... when I asked him about it his only answer as I recall was there was no 'sport' in it for him. I've seen him shoot.... a few times..... he was right.

 

[Snake45]

I have found that many off the shelf, inexpensive .22s tend to group in in the 1" to 2" range at 50 yards with cheap promo ammo.

That's my experience exactly, too. :wink:

My current 10-22 keeps them in about an inch and I'm pretty happy with that. My 77-22 can cut that in half with the right ammo.

My 10/22 will go just over an inch. My 77/22 will consistenly shoot 5/8" with its favorite ammo (not that well with anything else) but has yet to bust 1/2". My CZ452 American will go inside 1/2" at 50 all day long, as long as you want to sit there and do it, with Federal 510s, and has even turned in a few legitimate 1" groups at 100 (thought I don't claim it will do it EVERY time).

Shooting a 1/2" group with a .22 at 50 yards, sounds commonplace on the internet but quite a bit of concentration and precision is required to do it consistently.

It's not at all uncommon with target-grade rifles, target-barrelled 10/22s, and even with many other rifles that happen to like one particular type of ammo. But generally speaking you're right, you can't just grab any random mill-run field-grade .22 rifle and random .22 ammo and expect to shoot 1/2" at 50 yards. One inch is more like it and anything under that is gravy. :wink:

 

[Snake45]

That is a DAMN fine group for a stock 10/22 at 50 yards! :shock: :shock: :shock: :?

If it can do it every time, you have a real gem on your hands. :?

 

[ChiefMuzz]

Not a bad group, except for that flier. I hope she called it.


In all honesty, pat her on the back for me.

 

[5of7]

The purpose of my post was merely to illustrate that a stock 10/22 can perform pretty well with cheap Remington bulk ammo and a novice shooter at the helm. My 18 year old daughter isn't really an avid shooter and she shoots maybe a half dozen times a year at most. I've seen claims that other .22 LR rifles are way more accurate than any 10/22. I just thing it's silly to make such claims when the right combination of firearm, ammo and shooter are really the major factors of accuracy. I shoot a lot and I'm not sure I can even shoot my own 10/22 like that.

I am assuming that your daughter shot the posted group from bench rest...right? If so, it is within the realm of possibility that the yardage was indeed 50 yds and genuine.

Now, one group does not tell the story. Shoot 10 groups and measure them all and take the average group size and you will know what is what regarding accuracy with this rifle/ammo combination.

I happen to have a 10/22 that would group about 1-1/2" at 50 yds. which is about typical for a 10/22. So I replaced the barrel with a heavy weight match grade barrel, put on a Hogue stock and replaced the trigger with a 2 lb. Timney trigger. Now it shoots 1/2" on an average at 50 yds using Eley Rifle Match ammo and about 3/4" with everything else......EXCEPT, THAT IS, Federal Match ammo. That stuff goes no better than 1" on average at the same 50 yds.

So you see, selection of ammo is very important if you are going for top accuracy. 8)

 

[Snake45]

I happen to have a 10/22 that would group about 1-1/2" at 50 yds. which is about typical for a 10/22. So I replaced the barrel with a heavy weight match grade barrel, put on a Hogue stock and replaced the trigger with a 2 lb. Timney trigger. Now it shoots 1/2" on an average at 50 yds using Eley Rifle Match ammo and about 3/4" with everything else....

Very typical story, very believable. "There is iron in your words of fire." :wink:

 

[ArmedinAZ]

You have an exceptional 10/22 if it shoots groups like this one regularly. And your daughter is a natural shooter if she can do this more than once with a 10/22 with the stock 8 lb trigger. Congratulations!

So, can she shoot 2 or 3 targets like this in a row?

 

[Chromaflage]

We're going to find out within a couple weeks. But what few times she's been shooting, she does extremely well...

 

[Black Fly]

Nice job by your daughter and Ruger manufacturing. I am amazed at the level of accuracy that the average 22LR delivers. My son in law was a non believer in 10/22's until I talked him into one. Now, like many others, he brags about how accurate it is. Mine is pure stock and shoots 1 to 1 1/2 inches at fifty yards with almost anything from bulk packs. It will do around an inch at fifty with Federal ammo, consistently. My 77/22 squirrel rifle, that has been seriously tweaked delivers groups half that size with several kinds of ammo and amazing groups (ten shots) with certain lots of target ammo. While that says a lot about the rifles, think what that says about the quality of ammo these days. Now, if I could only find some more ammo.
The other thing that surprises me is that we're talking about ten shot groups, not three like most centerfire groups discussed.
I was at the range on Saturday and shot a bunch of one hole groups with my 77/22. The fellow beside me couldn't hit a 12x12 target at fifteen yards with either of his handguns, and then commented that it was no big deal to shoot groups one hole groups with a 22 off a bench. Kinda makes a person wonder about expectations.
Bfly