Thread: Testing light 22's

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Tent - just a thought. You may be better to adjust your accuracy challenge. This american 5 groups of 5 shots challenge needs half a box of ammo. As such the challenge is a test of ammunition consistency as much as it is a test of rifle accuracy - which you're actually after.

Comps long finished for me, but as a rimfire hobbyist have still benched 80-100 sporter 22s in recent years. And I'm confident I get a very good picture of rifle performance with three or four consecutive 5 shot groups at 50, and perhaps three or four 3 or 5 shot groups at 100m. This focuses test back more onto rifle - and you - and less on ammo quality.

Some of the very sharp standard barrel everyday hunter rimfires:
A Marlin 60 DL semiauto: four 5 shot groups at 50m - average 0.29"
A Marlin 60DLX semiauto: four 5 shot groups at 50m - average 0.39"
A Weihrauch HW60J in 22 WMR: three groups at 50m - average 0.35"

At 100m - a Norinco Em332 with four 3 shot consecutive groups - average 0.6"

I am very satisfied I got a clear picture of rifle accuracy with just 3-4 groups. More rounds means greater chance of ammo error - the dreaded bang bang pop!

I've long been curious as to some of the claims made on the interweb regards .22 rf accuracy. The three or four consecutive five shot groups you mention are a valid test rather than a lot of the cherry picked results one see's mentioned, however a challenge is a challenge and the fact that over 100 rifle/shooter/ammo combinations have achieved the challenge attests to its validity. The wee Annie I am currently shooting follows a very long line of 22's I've shot over the years a that I felt were pretty accurate, and it has produced "some" very good groups. There is no doubt that by the 3 or 4 consecutive groups test it is an accurate rifle - 0.37" by that measure (0.14, 0.73, 0.26) .

However when Eley themselves say that their finest "Tenex" ammo (one particular batch) shot across 4 machine test barrels produces a best 10 shot group of 0.45 and an average of 0.62 (from that barrel, measured to the outside rather than centre to centre in the US benchrest manner) then one realizes there are rifles "claimed" as accurate then there is measured accuracy - and that should be repeatable!

Originally Posted by Tentman

I've long been curious as to some of the claims made on the interweb regards .22 rf accuracy. The three or four consecutive five shot groups you mention are a valid test rather than a lot of the cherry picked results one see's mentioned, however a challenge is a challenge and the fact that over 100 rifle/shooter/ammo combinations have achieved the challenge attests to its validity. The wee Annie I am currently shooting follows a very long line of 22's I've shot over the years a that I felt were pretty accurate, and it has produced "some" very good groups. There is no doubt that by the 3 or 4 consecutive groups test it is an accurate rifle - 0.37" by that measure (0.14, 0.73, 0.26) .

However when Eley themselves say that their finest "Tenex" ammo (one particular batch) shot across 4 machine test barrels produces a best 10 shot group of 0.45 and an average of 0.62 (from that barrel, measured to the outside rather than centre to centre in the US benchrest manner) then one realizes there are rifles "claimed" as accurate then there is measured accuracy - and that should be repeatable!

You have to shoot inside to get consistent accuracy (tiny groups) from any 22LR.

If you can achieve that outside, they would have been even smaller inside no mater how calm it was outside.

Ask any centrefire benchrest shooter if they like shooting in clam (no wind) there is only one answer to that "I would rather not" or words to that effect ......