Shooting a good group ?

R

rebs

New member
Shooting a 22 or cal what is considered a good group at 50 yds with open sights on a lever action rifle ?
 
To give a frame of reference we used to shoot match .22.
12 individual small targets, one shot on each.
2 sighters 10 "for record".
Why 10 small individual targets?
because when 6 of them go through the same hole its hard to work score.:D
 
It all varies with ammo and gun type. I can consistently probably get .5" to 1" with my Remington 514 and Match ammo from a bench. With my 10/22 I can get 1-1.5" groups just about every time with the ammo it likes. Both of these rifles in stock configuration.
 
With me shooting irons, 1" would be a lucky day. More than likely 1.5-2". With a good rifle, good optics and ammo 1/2" is the norm.
 
I would say under 2 inches is good, but it depends on if your shooting from a rest or standing up, etc. I've seen .22 levers get under 1.5 inches with irons, but normally I'm around 1.5 to 2 inches.

Also, it depends on if your a new or experienced shooter. Set goals that make sense for you and not some champion shooter.

John
 
Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it.
I am getting groups of 1/2 and under with my 541 with a scope and about 2 with my lever 22 and iron sights. I would really like to scope my lever 22 but just don't think it would look right. It would loose its western look, right ?
 
You see, the thing with scopes is.... They are not permanent. Scope it, see how you like it, if you don't like it, take it off and repurpose the scope to something or someone else. :)

Personally, I like scopes or optics (magnified or red dot) of some kind. I only have 1 "rifle" without some kind of optic on it. And that's because I'm waiting for my Form1 to be approved so I can attach a stock and decide what kind of optic I want to run. Leaning towards a Vortex Spitfire 1x optic. I like them because they have etched glass reticles which can be seen without turning on the illumination. So if battery fails the optic is still usable unlike many other red dot optics.
 
I am getting groups of 1/2 and under with my 541 with a scope and about 2 with my lever 22 and iron sights.
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The single most important factor effecting accuracy in a .22 Rimfire is the ammo. All .22's seem to "prefer" one brand of ammo over others. It was easier when I was in my misspent youth, inasmuch as standard velocity in one of the common brands usully proved to be most accurate and it was, in those days, cheaper than high velocity ammo. Not so now...they charge a premium for standard velocity nowadays...if you can find it.
 
All .22's seem to "prefer" one brand of ammo over others.
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Very true.
The best thing you can do is get a box of several different brands & loads & see which your individual rifles like.
Don't rule out the "economy brands" either. I have a 10/22 that loves the cheapest, nastiest, dirtiest crud ever made.
 
never really shot paper with my 10/22, but i can hit empty shotshells easily at 50 yards. i can hit a 12x18 plate at 200 yards on a good day
 
I have old used 22 rifles I have collected.
I could hit the bullseye with open sights when i was 35, but by 40 I needed a scope.
If the rifle is old enough I drill and tap. Most have tip off ring dovetails. I put a scope on and see what ammo the rifle likes.
Half the good old beater rifles can average 1" 5 shot groups at 50 yards.
The occasional tiny group will show up and the occasional big group shows up, but they average at, and are usually close to 1".
That is doing everything right, with 6 targets on a page, shooting 30 shots, and average all 6 groups.

A new Shilen select match bull barrel with tight chamber and target ammo will shoot 1/2" 5 shots at 50y. Better go at dawn when the wind is low.

I read on the internet about guys getting good groups with 22 rifles at 100 yards. My group fly apart at ~ 75 yards when the bullet goes sub sonic.

YMMV
 
Depends on the gun or ammo.

But think about this. Take a gander at the ISU English Match. Its shot at 50 meters prone.

The 10 ring is about the size of a 22 round if I remember right (been a while since I shot ISU).

You have to clean the target, Meaning all round have to hit the 10 ring. Winners are determined by X count, that being the round has to be centered in the 10 ring.

I have two rifles capable of this. Shot many cleans with irons. But besides the rifle it takes good ammo.

I used my H&R 5200 (Winchester M52 Clone) and Anschutz 1807. I used Ely 10X but it changes lot to lot, so you had to buy several rounds of the same lot number and then zero that rifle to that lot. You change ammo in a match, you're out of the game.
 
The problem is my older eyes and line less bifocals. I let my son shoot it and he has no problem getting 1" groups at 50 yds with the open sights on it. We have shot CCI green tag, Norma match 22 lr, aguila, CCI sv and a few others and they all will shoot 1" with my son's younger eyes. That is why I think I need a peep sight or a scope on it for me.
 
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