Ruger Mark lV 22lr Handgun Competition

[gmcttr]

Nice shooting Whip! Got a photo with the pistol rested?

I think I've given up trying for a tighter group.

 

[Whip_McCord]

Nice shooting Whip! Got a photo with the pistol rested?

I think I've given up trying for a tighter group.

I'm done trying too. Didn't think of getting a pic of the pistol on the rest, but I just took one at home with the pistol on the rest I used. My dad made that for me years ago out of an old office chair. The first group I entered was shot with a rest that was not very good.

Before I shot that group, I was shooting outside wanting to see how it groups at 50 yards. It was very windy though and the best were a little over an inch. I may try again when it is calm. I know the pistol should group pretty well at 50 yards without wind.

 

[scottka]

I shot some more groups today at my range. The indoor range is 50 feet without any way to move the target or bench. I bested my previous group, so I thought I would post that group. I shot 5 groups and the first one was the best.


Black Mamba
6-18X40 scope
50 feet
CCI SV 40 grain bullet
Group was .410" measured OTO

That’s some insane shooting! Great work! I really wanna stretch out to 50’ now and try some shooting. May have to find me a well-suited scope to try that out.
What magnification do you shoot at?

 

[Whip_McCord]

That’s some insane shooting! Great work! I really wanna stretch out to 50’ now and try some shooting. May have to find me a well-suited scope to try that out.
What magnification do you shoot at?

I was shooting that at 18X. Normally that pistol has a red dot for action sports, but you guys were shooting so well, I needed all the help I could get at 50'. Since that pistol normally holds a red dot, I originally tested loads at 22 yards (max distance at Blythe's range) with a red dot. But adding higher magnification helps when trying to wring out a little bit more accuracy.

It's weird to hear stretching out to 50'. That's the closest I ever test groups. My airguns were always tested at 10 meters (~ 33 feet), except for one used for silhouette shooting. Tested that one at 18 tards. For my bullseye 22 (Pardini), I tested ammo at 50 yards, since that's the furthest distance we shoot (one-handed). I used a red dot and the pistol was on a Ransom Rest. I found the best ammo for that gun was Aguila Pistol Match, followed closely by Aguila SE standard velocity. It's best to test ammo at the furthest distance you will be shooting. Testing really close will not normally be indicative of the gun's performance at longer distances.

 

[doddg]

That’s some insane shooting! Great work! I really wanna stretch out to 50’ now and try some shooting. May have to find me a well-suited scope to try that out.
What magnification do you shoot at?

What he said!

 

[scottka]

Haha. Yeah, I meant stretch out in respect to having been shooting at 25’. Having said that, normally I don’t do much pistol shooting for groups outside of 30’ or so. Past that, we normally shoot pistol at 4-12” steel anywhere from 50-250 yards (mostly for kicks) so it’s not much of a precision thing until you get out further. Mostly into rifle for precision.

 

[Whip_McCord]

Haha. Yeah, I meant stretch out in respect to having been shooting at 25’. Having said that, normally I don’t do much pistol shooting for groups outside of 30’ or so. Past that, we normally shoot pistol at 4-12” steel anywhere from 50-250 yards (mostly for kicks) so it’s not much of a precision thing until you get out further. Mostly into rifle for precision.

I guess we are opposites in the shooting world. When handgun silhouette was big, I shot a lot of pistols from 50 to 200 meters. Precision and accuracy were needed. The shootoffs were chicken-sized steel targets at 200 meters. Not much of that now, though.

I never did much rifle shooting. Usually hunting or varmint rifles out to 200 meters. Now most of my rifle shooting is at 40 to 70 feet during cowboy action matches. Now that's TOO CLOSE for rifle, but that's the game. There are long-range side matches after the main match. Lever guns like 30-30 at 100 meters. Single shots like the Sharps or my 1885 High Wall (40-65) out to 200 meters. Those are all offhand. That's a lot of fun.

 

[scottka]

I guess we are opposites in the shooting world. When handgun silhouette was big, I shot a lot of pistols from 50 to 200 meters. Precision and accuracy were needed. The shootoffs were chicken-sized steel targets at 200 meters. Not much of that now, though.

I never did much rifle shooting. Usually hunting or varmint rifles out to 200 meters. Now most of my rifle shooting is at 40 to 70 feet during cowboy action matches. Now that's TOO CLOSE for rifle, but that's the game. There are long-range side matches after the main match. Lever guns like 30-30 at 100 meters. Single shots like the Sharps or my 1885 High Wall (40-65) out to 200 meters. Those are all offhand. That's a lot of fun.

haha. Guess that’s what makes the world go round. The shooting world can be whatever you want it to be, I suppose. In the last couple years is when I have really gotten into longer range shooting. I’m fortunate enough to have a buddy with enough farmland to stretch our steel range out to 973 yards. That’s been a lot of fun and a big challenge for us lately.

 

[Whip_McCord]

haha. Guess that’s what makes the world go round. The shooting world can be whatever you want it to be, I suppose. In the last couple years is when I have really gotten into longer range shooting. I’m fortunate enough to have a buddy with enough farmland to stretch our steel range out to 973 yards. That’s been a lot of fun and a big challenge for us lately.

That long range rifle shooting sounds fun. Out west they do some buffalo matches at distances like that with cowboy single shot rifles and lead bullets. The targets are life sized buffalo steel silhouettes. The usually shoot off of crossed sticks. If you are not familiar some of those old single shot rifles, check out the Creedmore matches they shot here, starting in 1874 (800, 900, and 1000 yards). The first match against the Irish team was pretty cool. The American team used Sharps and Rolling Block rifles and we won. The Sharps rifles were similar to what was used in Quigley Down Under. Pretty cool history.

 

[Whip_McCord]

haha. Guess that’s what makes the world go round. The shooting world can be whatever you want it to be, I suppose. In the last couple years is when I have really gotten into longer range shooting. I’m fortunate enough to have a buddy with enough farmland to stretch our steel range out to 973 yards. That’s been a lot of fun and a big challenge for us lately.

Yes there are a lot of things to shoot, that's what makes it fun. I never got into IDPA and only shot USPSA occasionally (with a 45ACP revolver), but I try to shoot a lot of different types of matches. While handgun silhouette is pretty much dead (too bad), we still shoot long range rimfire rifle/pistol out to 150 meters at my other club. I shoot Steel Challenge, Rimfire Challenge, cowboy action (basically 3-gun with old-timey guns), ICORE (basically USPSA w/ revolvers), bullseye (Camp Perry), and Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup). With shotgun I do a lot of skeet, trap, and sporting clays on Wednesdays during Daylight Saving Time. I run a pistol league (PPC) at Blythe's in Valpo from Sept thru May. When they start up this year, I want to try out Rimfire Falling Steel and NRL22 matches at Wildcat Valley. I just like to shoot a lot and I like variety.

 

[Dean C.]

I know I am not even close but still a fun challenge none the less. Using a bone stock Ruger MKIV 22/45 Tactical with Anguilla 40gr lead bulk ammo. I am sure if I had some higher end ammo and a Volquartsen trigger job the group could be cleaned up even more. Still not bad standing (I am weird don't like bench shooting with a handgun)

 

[doddg]

I know I am not even close but still a fun challenge none the less. Using a bone stock Ruger MKIV 22/45 Tactical with Anguilla 40gr lead bulk ammo. I am sure if I had some higher end ammo and a Volquartsen trigger job the group could be cleaned up even more. Still not bad standing (I am weird don't like bench shooting with a handgun)

Looks great for free-hand standing to me.
I would have to use a hand rest on a bench to that well.

 

[Dean C.]

^^^^

I shoot an borderline excessive amount however , burned through 2,200 rounds of 9mm and about 1,000 of 22lr in the last two months.

 

[bcannon]

Thanks for the effort, nice try though. Keep trying, theres 10 days left.

 

[gmcttr]

Good to see another participant. An excuse to shoot is what it's all about.

Nice shooting Dean.

 

[Whip_McCord]

Nice shooting Dean. Aguila SE standard velocity (not sure what Aguila you are shooting) is pretty accurate in some of my 22 pistols and not great in others. It shoots the best (tested in a Ransom Rest at 50 yards) in my Pardini for bulleye shooting. Of course, all pistols are different and rimfire ammo should be tested for each firearm to determine what shoots best for that gun.

I know you don't like shooting pistols from a rest, but give it a try. That's the game here. Also, you cannot know what ammo shoots best from a certain pistol unless you shoot from a rest and compare groups with different ammo. This is especially true with 22 LR ammo.

 

[DadSmith]

You got a nice competition going on here i may dig around see what else i have laying around and not being used to start another one. To see things not being used that someone else could be using seems like a waste to me.

 

[Dean C.]

Good to see another participant. An excuse to shoot is what it's all about.

Nice shooting Dean.

My thoughts exactly , thanks!

Nice shooting Dean. Aguila SE standard velocity (not sure what Aguila you are shooting) is pretty accurate in some of my 22 pistols and not great in others. It shoots the best (tested in a Ransom Rest at 50 yards) in my Pardini for bulleye shooting. Of course, all pistols are different and rimfire ammo should be tested for each firearm to determine what shoots best for that gun.

I know you don't like shooting pistols from a rest, but give it a try. That's the game here. Also, you cannot know what ammo shoots best from a certain pistol unless you shoot from a rest and compare groups with different ammo. This is especially true with 22 LR ammo.

Yeah , I am trying to find different ammo and a pistol rest now. Waiting to find one of these on sale

https://volquartsen.com/inventory_configurations/1523

Plus a Gemtech .22 can and some sort of RDS , honestly might just throw a DPP on my 22/45 to keep things consistent with my STI

 

[scottka]

I know I am not even close but still a fun challenge none the less. Using a bone stock Ruger MKIV 22/45 Tactical with Anguilla 40gr lead bulk ammo. I am sure if I had some higher end ammo and a Volquartsen trigger job the group could be cleaned up even more. Still not bad standing (I am weird don't like bench shooting with a handgun)

That is for sure respectable for standing at that distance. Good work!

 

[gmcttr]

...Yeah , I am trying to find different ammo and a pistol rest now...

My experience says sandbags can provide a more stable rest than the "pistol rests".