2damnold4this
New member
+1 on finding the ammo that groups the best and buying a large amount of it. Assuming you don't live in California.
Thanks. I do use carbon fiber rod and nylon brush to clean and also think adding a bore guide to further protect.I would suggest you clean your rifle with solvent and a bore brush. And not a bore snake. I have a Ruger 77/22 that will put 10 shots in 5/8" at 50 yards. I fired 400 shots and it started spreading the groups out badly. I ran a brush down the barrel from the rear and just in front of the chamber it felt like I pushed a wad of wax or powder or something out the barrel. A few more passes and it was shooting the same excellent groups.
And its normal for different loads to shoot different points of impact just like the others have already stated. Find an ammo your gun likes and shoots well and buy a bunch of it with the same lot number.
I live in Ontario, Canada. There are not many kinds of 22LR available but CCI HV/SV always have good supply, running from 0.06 to 0.08 per round in USD.+1 on finding the ammo that groups the best and buying a large amount of it. Assuming you don't live in California.
I shot a lot of competition for many years with both rifle and handgun. Over that time I've tested every brand of ammo available. I can tell you for a fact that CCI SV will shoot 95% as well as the best Eley, RWS, and other premium ammo at half the cost. I shot the premium stuff at big shoots, but I practiced with the CCI and I got really good results with it in every gun I owned. It was never the best stuff, but it was always very good. You're not handicapped if that's all that's available.I live in Ontario, Canada. There are not many kinds of 22LR available but CCI HV/SV always have good supply, running from 0.06 to 0.08 per round in USD
I shoot in an indoor range, 25yd, sitting in front of a small table with a bipod. It's mainly bullseye.What do you want to do with your rifle, just shoot from the bench, use it for plinking, offhand shooting, hunting? I've shot a lot of .22s from the bench, both testing ammo and in competition, but have shot a lot more offhand and hunting. Offhand shooting with a good sporter, either hunting or target practice on metal silhouettes, etc. is much more fun and great practice for turkey shoots and hunting.
At 50 yards, I can usually keep all my offhand shots under 2", at 50 feet, I've made groups under 1/2 and regularly shoot at postal stickers, which are about 5/8", though I'm getting worse instead of better at my age.
To make the most out of the .22LR when hunting and plinking, I zero at about 50 yards and anything shot within that range is in deep do-do. I don't usually see small game beyond 50 yards in the woods and the killing power drops off considerably at 100, not to mention scary wind deflection.
Thanks and really appreciate it. The closest outdoor range is about one hour drive and I will wait for Summer to give it a try (so I can stay for a whole day to make it worthwhile). I find I really enjoy target shooting so I will keep practicing!I hope you find a place to shoot farther than 25 yards. That gets boring after a while.
Also, shooting with a bipod and no rear bag is a limiting factor, since shoulder pressure, right hand pressure, and varied bipod stance can all affect consistency. You should get a solid front rest and rear bag, then learn how to be more consistent in your holds.
Perhaps your rifle could be improved to be more consistent, once you find the ammo it likes best. Half-inch at 25 yards would be only a bit larger than 1/2" at 50 yards, which isn't bad for an unimproved sporter, but really good-shooting rifle, should shoot closer to 1/4" groups at 50 yards...outdoors, dealing with wind/mirage, etc.
Also, there are some good benchrest shooting guides available on the Internet and reading them would help you to be a better shooter.
Regarding .22 target ammo: I found inconsistencies in the same high-priced match ammo from lot-to-lot. Some $20/box ammo had flyers that cost points in competition, so your chances of finding $5 a box ammo to shoot consistent 1/4" groups at 50 yards is maybe 1 in 100 tries, but at 25 yards, 1/4" is quite possible with CCI SV or other similarly-priced ammo. Fiocchi Biathlon shot well in my rifles.
Good luck and keep experimenting in all aspects of accuracy endeavors.