1/2" at what range

[M-Tecs]

Man, I am not nearly as good as most of you. Shooting a consistent .278" 5 shot group at 50 yards+ with a stock .22 rifle is excellent.

That may change a bit if a $100 bet per group was on the line. I've never done it with groups like this but I have made $300 on 1,000 yard bets on hitting a deer target.

[chsparkman]

My old Ruger 77/22 stainless with Zytel stock was terrible until I shimmed the bolt a few years ago. Now it will shoot within .5" at 50 yards, using Remington Subsonic, and is therefore my most accurate rimfire for squirrels. Headshots are no problem when I can rest the forearm against a tree.

[dave roelle]

interesting, Whats the New Game

[Hick]

Out of the box my CZ-527 shot 0.49" at 50 yards (5 shots) with a Lyman 225646 bullet and 5.8 grains HP-38-- got me a first at NCBS in 2018.

[Thundarstick]

At what range will your, more or less out of the box gun, shoot into a 1/2" circle? Not a 1/2" group, but all of the shots, (at least 5 consecutive) INSIDE a 1/2" circle. A few minor modifications, such as trigger adjustment/change, bedding, etc. are acceptable for this conversation but I'm really not interested in full blown custom built guns. Stock target rifles and "high end" rifles are included in my "box" gun definition as long as they are that, stock.

I have found a new to me, game, that is a great deal of fun to shoot and am curious as what you folks have for rifle/ammo combinations that will meet the 1/2" criteria.

Well, firstly this was posted in the RIMFIRE section, soooooooo I took it to exclude center fire guns and cartridges. Secondly, you can NOT compare .22lr with .22WMR, 17HMR, or 17HM2 or it's a grape to grapefruit comparison! For clarification, are you asking for that cherry picked, one out of fifty group, or do you really mean "consistently" shoots .250, or .500 groups.

I've got an old tube feed Marlin that shot a 5 shoot .245 with Winchester Wildcats, ONCE.

I'll also add, brig your non target.22lr, and your bulk pack ammo out to the range. Well shoot 5 shoot groups at 50 yards for $10 each best group. I'll bring my wind flags, T- Bolt, and target ammo and see who goes home with the most $10 bills. Shooting a .22lr for real accuracy and precision will make you feel like a genius reloading and shooting your center fire! The .22lr has to be one of the most frustrating exercises in the shooting sports. From what I've gathered over the years you can realistically expect .600- 1.000 at 50 yards with most non target sloppy chambered guns shooting good factory ammo it likes (this is MOSH btw). Switch to target ammo in a target chambered gun and your ability to read the wind and adjust for it becomes the deciding factor on benchrest target, or group size!

[LAH]

My most shot .22 is a Marlin 780. I use a 4X Weaver on that rifle. It will do the 1/2 inch thing at 25 with the right ammo & most importantly if held correctly. Sporter rifles under $500.00 with bulk ammo that will stay under a true inch for 5/5 shot groups at 50 aren't seen every day where I shoot. If you can get them in the stock correctly, feed them good ammo & most importantly SHOOT them you might get those rifles to 1/2 inch but more likely it will be 3/4. Just my ramblings.

[Tripplebeards]

Well I can tell you the CCI stingers I posted the above group on absolutely suck on squirrels. I’ve read years of review and all the hype of how they literally blow the heads right off of a squirrel. I shot two yesterday and both ran like they weren’t hit. It took three shots with the last one in the head to put it down. The headshot you couldn’t even see where the bullet entered. It exited in the same area but the other two shots went through from Texas heart shots all the way from the rectum to the front neck. Those two Texas heart shot that squirrel still ran and I had to chase it down and shoot it in the head ...completely ridiculous. I’ll go back to my cheap Winchester 33 threes that shoot just as good at 50 yards as the stingers deal and they put squirrels down where they stand or they crawl 6 to 12 feet and die... And cost about 2/3 less. The second squirrel I shot yesterday I aimed right at its neck at 55 yards. I blew it off the stump and hit the ground and ran 15 yards and up into a hollow tree with a nasty blood trail going all the way to it. My stinger HP bullets behaved just like a FMJ and do not expand. I’ll have to try some of the segmented versions and see if they shoot with the darn. I’m not a big fan of how the stingers cases are so long that you have to force the bolts handle down to chamber them anyways. I would assume that probably helps with accuracy when jamming the bullet into the lands.

[Thundarstick]

My "go to" squirrel gun is a suppressed T- Bolt shooting ELEY SSHP and head shots just about fling them off the limb, DRT!

[tazman]

Well I can tell you the CCI stingers I posted the above group on absolutely suck on squirrels. I’ve read years of review and all the hype of how they literally blow the heads right off of a squirrel. I shot two yesterday and both ran like they weren’t hit. It took three shots with the last one in the head to put it down. The headshot you couldn’t even see where the bullet entered. It exited in the same area but the other two shots went through from Texas heart shots all the way from the rectum to the front neck. Those two Texas heart shot that squirrel still ran and I had to chase it down and shoot it in the head ...completely ridiculous. I’ll go back to my cheap Winchester 33 threes that shoot just as good at 50 yards as the stingers deal and they put squirrels down where they stand or they crawl 6 to 12 feet and die... And cost about 2/3 less. The second squirrel I shot yesterday I aimed right at its neck at 55 yards. I blew it off the stump and hit the ground and ran 15 yards and up into a hollow tree with a nasty blood trail going all the way to it. My stinger HP bullets behaved just like a FMJ and do not expand. I’ll have to try some of the segmented versions and see if they shoot with the darn. I’m not a big fan of how the stingers cases are so long that you have to force the bolts handle down to chamber them anyways. I would assume that probably helps with accuracy when jamming the bullet into the lands.

My experience with stingers is decades old. Back then, they were both expensive and explosive on performance. I stopped buying them due to the expense.
The standard Winchester/Remington hollow point work perfectly well and don't cost what the Stingers do.
I get nearly the same groups with Winchester/Remington/Federal hollow points as I do the target ammunition. More than good enough for squirrels.
What might be surprising is just how well shorts shoot in many rifles.
I think I will try some in my model 17 and see how they perform.

[Tripplebeards]

I tell ya, when I sighted it in the other day with the Winchester 333's I had fun at 100 yards and figured out that to use the 2nd mil dot down and I hit dead center! Once I figured out where to aim I rolled 11 for 11 stones in a row smaller than the size of a squirrels head so if I had my range finder and a squirrel that would sit long enough I'm in business! I know tha Cz ultralux open sights are set up for 300 yards so I'm going to see how far out I can connect till I run out of mil dots. The only issue I had yesterday was my optic got wet and looked foggy when the wet snow came down so I'm going to have to try some of the scope dope I bought probably 30 plus years ago and see if it works.

[roysha]

[QUOTE=Thundarstick;4800902]Well, firstly this was posted in the RIMFIRE section, soooooooo I took it to exclude center fire guns and cartridges. Secondly, you can NOT compare .22lr with .22WMR, 17HMR, or 17HM2 or it's a grape to grapefruit comparison! For clarification, are you asking for that cherry picked, one out of fifty group, or do you really mean "consistently" shoots .250, or .500 groups.

So where in my post does it say to compare any of your listed cartridges? Although my main interest is 22 LR, it is, as you stated, the RIMFIRE section so, logically, any rimfire would be included in the conversation.
Taking the post in context, as a whole, I believe it can be assumed that the groups would need to be able to be consistently reproduced. Reread the last sentence.

I've got an old tube feed Marlin that shot a 5 shoot .245 with Winchester Wildcats, ONCE.

Accidents happen.

I'll also add, brig your non target.22lr, and your bulk pack ammo out to the range. Well shoot 5 shoot groups at 50 yards for $10 each best group. I'll bring my wind flags, T- Bolt, and target ammo and see who goes home with the most $10 bills. Shooting a .22lr for real accuracy and precision will make you feel like a genius reloading and shooting your center fire! The .22lr has to be one of the most frustrating exercises in the shooting sports. From what I've gathered over the years you can realistically expect .600- 1.000 at 50 yards with most non target sloppy chambered guns shooting good factory ammo it likes (this is MOSH btw). Switch to target ammo in a target chambered gun and your ability to read the wind and adjust for it becomes the deciding factor on benchrest target, or group size!

What exactly, in the context of my post, does your 50 yard, or any other range for that matter, contest have to do with anything? I asked, AT WHAT RANGE WILL YOUR OUT OF THE BOX GUN SHOOT 5 SHOTS INSIDE A 1/2" CIRCLE? I don't care if it is 5,10,15,25 or whatever range.

[rking22]

I read the op as you just stated, but did assume you were talking 22lr only. If I were interested in playing a game of “longest distance to keep all 5 inside, not touching the line” I would chose the 17hrm. Automatic advantage of needing a .323 ctc group instead of .278 not to mention a better projectile design. Suspect the game will class by bullet dia for fairness??
I can only state with certainty the capability at 25 yards, from playing around with the .25 at 25 game. At 50 meters from competition but never measured groups, just needed to break the x ring.
In between distances are rarely shot and measured, I just know that the 52sporter is so close to doing it at 50 yards that I “assume” it can at 35 or so.
Interesting game concept, from a practical standpoint I still consider 1/2 for 5 at 50 to be a valid standard. I squirrel hunt, I want the bullet to break into the brain, dosent matter if it is completely inside. Head shots only, if I can’t get a head shot, squirrel wins today. Sub Sonics are quieter and leave the woods more undesturbed, kill just fine in the brain.

[dverna]

Try Rimfire Central so get some other opinions.

Neither my ancient Anschutz sporter or Winchester M52 sporter will consistently meet you standard at 50 yards...at least with me at the trigger. I do not do any testing at shorter ranges.

[MT Gianni]

To quote the late BruceB "when did a group get to be less than 10 shots?"
My CZ452 does it at 50 yards with ten shots.

[M-Tecs]

To quote the late BruceB "when did a group get to be less than 10 shots?"
My CZ452 does it at 50 yards with ten shots.

Are you stating it shoots 1/2" group are 50 or what the OP is asking? The OP is asking at what distance you can put all shots INSIDE a 1/2" circle. To do that you need to shoot a sub .278 group.

[tazman]

Back in the late 1970s, Weatherby was sending a confirmation target with the new rifles they sold as a guarantee of accuracy. Those targets were 3(three) shots.
I believe Cooper rifles does something similar, only they test at 50 yards.

[M-Tecs]

Back in the late 1970s, Weatherby was sending a confirmation target with the new rifles they sold as a guarantee of accuracy. Those targets were 3(three) shots.
I believe Cooper rifles does something similar, only they test at 50 yards.

Weatherby was 3 shots in 1 MOA. Cooper has been doing the same for years with 1/2" group at a 100 yards. That is for centerfires.

[Larry Gibson]

Okay, five 22LR consecutive shots INSIDE a 1/2" circle; at what range?

All my 22s will do that easily at 3' (one yard) just to keep the minimal muzzle blast from tearing up the target...….an absurd answer? Certainly, but not fixating on a specific range left it open to just that...…..

[uscra112]

Heh....to paraphrase Jerry Lee Lewis: "whole lotta braggin' goin' on".

[rking22]

I took the question to be “what is the max range you can keep all 5 shots (any rimfire) in a group less than .5-caliber, consistently?” And with a pretty much stock rifle.