22 Lr. how to get a shooter?
- Thread starter Longshot4
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Blindstitch
New member
I'm not sure about 150 yards since that's a long way for me to shoot squirrels but I have a 581 that easily makes cloverleafs at 25-50 yards with a cheap tasco 4x30 scope.
150 yard bullet drop might be as much as 18 inches.
150 yard bullet drop might be as much as 18 inches.
dakota.potts
New member
There are some .22s that can print half inch groups at 100 yards that could conceivably do 1.5" at 100, but that's more difficult than it sounds. To do it, I think you need a good trigger, a heavy barrel with consistent free floating, a very good scope, good ammunition, a very solid rest, a great shooter behind the gun, and good weather conditions. The best group I've shot was just under 5/8" at 50 yards, so maybe I'm not the person to ask about sub-MOA groups, but I consider myself a decent entry level shooter, and what you're talking about is pretty difficult.
While it may not be impossible, it would be pretty difficult to shoot a 1" group at 150 yds with 22LR. While the action of your rifle is OK (I used a 580 to build a 17HMR a few years ago, but it got a lot of working over), it is not as easy as taking a box-stock rifle and banging away. Several considerations-
* Rifle action- is the action capable of close tolerance work? If you can feel slop in the action, it is not. Many bolt action rimfire rifles may still shoot OK at 50 yds, but not so much at 100, and with a 30-year old 581 you are right out of there at 150 yds.
* Barrel- Factory barrels are lousy. Absolutely no redeeming qualities (as far as accuracy work goes). A good barrel could easily cost you $400-$500, and then there is still the work of installing it, chambering it, and tuning it.
* Triggers- Most factory triggers, like the barrels, suck. You need a trigger that consistently breaks clean. I have felt very few factory triggers on rifles costing under $1000 that feel good enough to take out for competition.
* Sights/optics- While a $68 Tasco may work OK at 50 yds, shooting a 1" group at 150 yds is going to take a bit more. Like several orders of magnitude better.
* Ammunition- and here's the kicker. Even if you have a match rifle that can shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yds, you may not be able to shoot 1" groups at 150 because of trans-sonic turbulence and the velocity of your ammo. Crossing the sound barrier will knock your bullets all over the place. Sure, you can start out with subsonic ammo, but you will have a harder time getting on target at 150 yds because of drop.
But how to do it? I can tell you it can be done. I built a 22LR rifle about 7 years ago that would shoot 10 rounds into 3/8" at 100 yds. It cost me over $750 in parts and took about 30 hours of skilled labor for the build. I am a gunsmith by trade, and my labor is free to me, and I like doing projects like that. I don't know how it would shoot at 150 yds because I never shot it at a target at 150 yds, but I shot at 100 yds quite a bit for about a year. I can tell you that it was a one-holer, and I can also tell you that I will do it again soon. Yes, it is fun.
Good luck with your project!
* Rifle action- is the action capable of close tolerance work? If you can feel slop in the action, it is not. Many bolt action rimfire rifles may still shoot OK at 50 yds, but not so much at 100, and with a 30-year old 581 you are right out of there at 150 yds.
* Barrel- Factory barrels are lousy. Absolutely no redeeming qualities (as far as accuracy work goes). A good barrel could easily cost you $400-$500, and then there is still the work of installing it, chambering it, and tuning it.
* Triggers- Most factory triggers, like the barrels, suck. You need a trigger that consistently breaks clean. I have felt very few factory triggers on rifles costing under $1000 that feel good enough to take out for competition.
* Sights/optics- While a $68 Tasco may work OK at 50 yds, shooting a 1" group at 150 yds is going to take a bit more. Like several orders of magnitude better.
* Ammunition- and here's the kicker. Even if you have a match rifle that can shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yds, you may not be able to shoot 1" groups at 150 because of trans-sonic turbulence and the velocity of your ammo. Crossing the sound barrier will knock your bullets all over the place. Sure, you can start out with subsonic ammo, but you will have a harder time getting on target at 150 yds because of drop.
But how to do it? I can tell you it can be done. I built a 22LR rifle about 7 years ago that would shoot 10 rounds into 3/8" at 100 yds. It cost me over $750 in parts and took about 30 hours of skilled labor for the build. I am a gunsmith by trade, and my labor is free to me, and I like doing projects like that. I don't know how it would shoot at 150 yds because I never shot it at a target at 150 yds, but I shot at 100 yds quite a bit for about a year. I can tell you that it was a one-holer, and I can also tell you that I will do it again soon. Yes, it is fun.
Good luck with your project!
Geezerbiker
New member
The best I could ever do with a .22 LR was 1.5" groups at 100 yards. This was with a lot of practice and finding a brand of ammo my rifle liked. The drop was 12" inches and shooting into a sand back drop didn't deform the bullets at all. By that distance they were pretty low on energy.
BTW, the cheap Blazer ammo available back then had a 36" drop at 100 yards. I had a couple bricks of PMC .22 LR that shot really well but that was 25 years ago. These days most of my .22 LR shooting is done at 50 yards or less.
Tony
BTW, the cheap Blazer ammo available back then had a 36" drop at 100 yards. I had a couple bricks of PMC .22 LR that shot really well but that was 25 years ago. These days most of my .22 LR shooting is done at 50 yards or less.
Tony
Working with a CZ 455 yesterday, shot four loads at 100 yards, scoped, off a good rest.
Best 5-shot group suppressed was 1 3/16 inches.
Best 5-shot group non-suppressed was 1 1/8 inches.
I thought both were pretty good for a .22, most are not really intended for accuracy at that distance.
A target rifle could do better, but one inch at 150 yards is pushing it for the caliber. I'd think you'd be putting a lotta money into such a goal.
Denis
Best 5-shot group suppressed was 1 3/16 inches.
Best 5-shot group non-suppressed was 1 1/8 inches.
I thought both were pretty good for a .22, most are not really intended for accuracy at that distance.
A target rifle could do better, but one inch at 150 yards is pushing it for the caliber. I'd think you'd be putting a lotta money into such a goal.
Denis
Cooper and Anschultz brand 22 RF rifles are known for there out of the box accuracy. Expect to pay over $ 1000 for one . A leupold scope around $ 500-600. Target ammo $10 plus per box. One can get lucky at time with cheep rifles but most are not. Then there is a skill level required to shoot small groups off a bench rest and know how to dope the wind shifts. Good luck...
50-yard squirrels should be perfectly do-able, with an accurate .22.
The CZ 455 variant I shot is a threaded version for suppressor use, in a black synthetic stock, using a Redfield Battlezone TAC 22 scope.
The set-up is not Anschutz quality or Anschutz pricing, and the glass isn't Leupold-branded (although made by Leupold), but it's not entirely a cheap combo, either.
It does somewhat show what you can expect from decent hardware, in a loose response to your original question about making a cheap gun (which the CZ is not) into a 150-yard shooter.
The caliber has its limitations that even quality rifles have to deal with.
I have no experience with the Remington 581, but I wouldn't sink any serious money into one.
Denis
The CZ 455 variant I shot is a threaded version for suppressor use, in a black synthetic stock, using a Redfield Battlezone TAC 22 scope.
The set-up is not Anschutz quality or Anschutz pricing, and the glass isn't Leupold-branded (although made by Leupold), but it's not entirely a cheap combo, either.
It does somewhat show what you can expect from decent hardware, in a loose response to your original question about making a cheap gun (which the CZ is not) into a 150-yard shooter.
The caliber has its limitations that even quality rifles have to deal with.
I have no experience with the Remington 581, but I wouldn't sink any serious money into one.
Denis
My CZ 452 MRT will to all X shots with the right ammo at 50 yds.
I don't have true scope for 100 let alone the wind conditions to permit it.
A much heavier gun as well for stability .
Drawback is its a light gun, any further and its not solid though a fine 50 yd and less.
While the CZ is decent with all ammo it does have its preferences.
Bulk Federal actually not too bad. I would not hesitate to hunt with it sub 50 yds. I haven't tired the bulk current era Remington yet.
The best was some RWS but costly and rare to find.
dakota.potts
New member
Dpris, my CZ 452 shoots great groups with those too. It just hates feeding and ejecting them
I've had 22's that would do 1/2" at 100 yds. Off of a rock solid
rest, with more scope than rifle, more money in the trigger than the basic rifle
cost, a barrel that also cost more than the basic rifle, with ammo that it REALLY liked, on a dead calm day and before I had a cup of coffee. Going out to 150 is a different universe. Bullet drop and wind drift start to be serious factors. 1" can be done at 150, but it ain't easy.
I've also rang a 12" 450 yd gong with a 22----not that hard on a calm day if you can walk the shots in.
And there is a Jerry Miculek video of him whacking a balloon at 1000 with
a 22 revolver------I think he said his holdover was 180 ft?
rest, with more scope than rifle, more money in the trigger than the basic rifle
cost, a barrel that also cost more than the basic rifle, with ammo that it REALLY liked, on a dead calm day and before I had a cup of coffee. Going out to 150 is a different universe. Bullet drop and wind drift start to be serious factors. 1" can be done at 150, but it ain't easy.
I've also rang a 12" 450 yd gong with a 22----not that hard on a calm day if you can walk the shots in.
And there is a Jerry Miculek video of him whacking a balloon at 1000 with
a 22 revolver------I think he said his holdover was 180 ft?