22lr 450yrds....not bad but not happy

[chuddly]

I took my Marlin 795 out yesterday to try it at 450 yards. Yes i know its nutty and all. I was using Federal Champion bulk ammo. I was able to get some hits on it but nothing reliable I found one of the bullets that hit the very edge of the target and tore in half and it looks like (by the scrape marks on the bullet) the bullet hit sideways. I wondered if this could be the problem and the recovered round seems to verify it. I think the ULTRA long distance for that round is destabilizing it. Its one of those times that you go out shooting and come back not feeling the best about your time spent out there. Oh well....ya win some ya loose some.

 

[giovani]

We have a 22lr steel dogs comp at the range I belong to.
Our longest shot is an 8 in plate at 300 yds.
If there is any wind it's a real challenge to hit

 

[42769vette]

There are 2 schools of thought on ultra long range rimfire that im aware of and have tested.

1 is to shoot super sonic ammo, because the sonic boom will throw the bullet into a wobble and depending on the range it will have time to re stabolize and fly true.

2 is to shoot subs. It drops a ton, but it allows the bullet never to get thrown into that wobble.

I tried school 1 and got similar results as you. I found that its nearly impossibable to gauge what the bullet will do durring that wobble and doesnt do the same thing each time.'

I have much better luck with the second school of thought. My advuse would be to shoot subsonics at that range

 

[giovani]

40 grain solid lead subs are what most of us use.

 

[Dead Duck]

I have a short barrel 22 rifle and all accuracy is gone after 250yds.
We call it "Lobbing" the bullet, like shooting a mortar.

Longer barrel makes all the difference but the wind, is always going to be the devil.

 

[chuddly]

There are 2 schools of thought on ultra long range rimfire that im aware of and have tested.

1 is to shoot super sonic ammo, because the sonic boom will throw the bullet into a wobble and depending on the range it will have time to re stabolize and fly true.

2 is to shoot subs. It drops a ton, but it allows the bullet never to get thrown into that wobble.

I tried school 1 and got similar results as you. I found that its nearly impossibable to gauge what the bullet will do durring that wobble and doesnt do the same thing each time.'

I have much better luck with the second school of thought. My advuse would be to shoot subsonics at that range

I might give that a try. Its worth a shot anyway. I know its stupidly long but i just want to keep trying to see if it can be done.

 

[42769vette]

I might give that a try. Its worth a shot anyway. I know its stupidly long but i just want to keep trying to see if it can be done.

It can absolutly be done, Ive had mine out to 500 yards. My goal is 2 moa 10 shot group at 500, but Im pretty much stuck at 3 moa.

Its alot of fun working on it and some of the best pratice you will get. My rimfire at 300 yards is just as dificult as my 260 at 1000

 

[chuddly]

It can absolutly be done, Ive had mine out to 500 yards. My goal is 2 moa 10 shot group at 500, but Im pretty much stuck at 3 moa.

Its alot of fun working on it and some of the best pratice you will get. My rimfire at 300 yards is just as dificult as my 260 at 1000

my problem is 450 is the most distance i have to work with....so even if i get that down i have no more distance to conquer. Also i dont feel too bad (as long as i can get 450 down) because the gun was just $150 gun to start with...so its not like im using $1000 hardware and get get sub moa at that distance. Im gonna shoot ya a pm with some glass questions also.

 

[Leo]

200 yards with a rimfire .22 is pretty touchy. I used to practice wind reading on windy days with a rimfire at 200 yards. The compensations are pretty close to the settings at 1000 yards on a Palma rifle. I never was able to master the .22 past that. I am really impressed with chuddly hitting ANY target at 450 yards with a .22 rimfire. I'll bet that little ball of lead is down to pea shooter speeds, I would think that even thick target paper would stop the bullet at 450 yards! Like I say, I am pretty impressed. Good Marksmanship men!

 

[42769vette]

my problem is 450 is the most distance i have to work with....so even if i get that down i have no more distance to conquer. Also i dont feel too bad (as long as i can get 450 down) because the gun was just $150 gun to start with...so its not like im using $1000 hardware and get get sub moa at that distance. Im gonna shoot ya a pm with some glass questions also.

99.99% of shooters will never push their rimfire that hard so absolutly dont feel bad. Just for referance from a 50 yard zero I have 72 moa of drop @ 400 yards.

Even with the best equipment in the world this is a difficult task to say the least. It requires a exact wind call, if you miss a 1 mph wind call you miss by a good bit. It also requires alot of luck. The wind can change drastically in the amount of time it takes a rimfire bullet to make it that far.

Not to mention that Im yet to find a rimfire ammo that is consistant (deviation) enough to be 100% reliable.

Are you dialing for range or holding for range?

 

[chuddly]

99.99% of shooters will never push their rimfire that hard so absolutly dont feel bad. Just for referance from a 50 yard zero I have 72 moa of drop @ 400 yards.

Even with the best equipment in the world this is a difficult task to say the least. It requires a exact wind call, if you miss a 1 mph wind call you miss by a good bit. It also requires alot of luck. The wind can change drastically in the amount of time it takes a rimfire bullet to make it that far.

Not to mention that Im yet to find a rimfire ammo that is consistant (deviation) enough to be 100% reliable.

Are you dialing for range or holding for range?

both.....maxed out what my scope would dial for and still holding about 10'-12' high to get it done.

 

[42769vette]

With my scope I can dial out to about 450. Im thinking of upgrading my scope to somthing I can dial all the way with, but thats a BIG upgrade and I dont think my wallet is ready to swallow that pill

 

[chezuki]

Just for referance from a 50 yard zero I have 72 moa of drop @ 400 yards.

That is A LOT of clicks!

Im thinking of upgrading my scope to somthing I can dial all the way with, but thats a BIG upgrade and I dont think my wallet is ready to swallow that pill

And this from the guy that actually sells them.

I would love to stretch out the savage like that. I get pretty excited ringing 6" steel at 150 yards. That's the farthest I've tried and I definitely don't hit it every time, though I'm sure the reason is me not the rifle.

 

[giovani]

It can absolutly be done, Ive had mine out to 500 yards. My goal is 2 moa 10 shot group at 500, but Im pretty much stuck at 3 moa.

Its alot of fun working on it and some of the best pratice you will get. My rimfire at 300 yards is just as dificult as my 260 at 1000

I feel the same way, I learn more from our 22lr steel dogs, than our high power steel dogs.

 

[giovani]

As far as running out of elevation get a 15 or 20 moa base

 

[42769vette]

As far as running out of elevation get a 15 or 20 moa base

At these ranges your still probably going to run out. I have a 25 moa base on my rifle. I can dial out to 430 yards. After that I still have to hold for range. I really wish somone would make a 30moa base that would allow me to dial out to 490ish, but i would not be able to have a 50 yard zero anymore wich is not a huge issue with the rifle I run with

 

[giovani]

At these ranges your still probably going to run out. I have a 25 moa base on my rifle. I can dial out to 430 yards. After that I still have to hold for range. I really wish somone would make a 30moa base that would allow me to dial out to 490ish, but i would not be able to have a 50 yard zero anymore wich is not a huge issue with the rifle I run with

If you put a 20 or 25 moa base on a rifle chances are you don't bother shooting 50 yds anymore

 

[42769vette]

If you put a 20 or 25 moa base on a rifle chances are you don't bother shooting 50 yds anymore

I have a 25 moa base now, and I can maintain a 50 yard zero. What I was saying is If i found a 30 moa base I would lose my 50 yard zero (I would still have a 100 yard zero) but I would be able to dial out further

 

[chuddly]

the problem is that when new shooters come to my place to shoot that is the rifle i let them use so its often dialed back to shoot 50-100 yards and with those rings i wouldnt be able to do that.

 

[42769vette]

the problem is that when new shooters come to my place to shoot that is the rifle i let them use so its often dialed back to shoot 50-100 yards and with those rings i wouldnt be able to do that.

With a 15-20 moa base you should still be able to dial back to a 50 yard zero. On my setup I have a 25 moa base and I can still dial back to 50 yards just fine.