Monthly Rimfire Challenge Discussion Thread

[MR2Aaron]

Got a couple more somewhat related questions: If I do get my rifle and have it cleaned and ready to go to the range on Friday, do I risk any kind of damage to the new bore by shooting "plinking" grade Remington or Winchester ammo instead of Wolf match grade? And is there a barrel "break-in" process I should follow? I might be making more of this than I need to... just would hate to damage the bore.

You should consult the owner's manual about that. My 10/22 did not specify any sort of break in period, that I recall. I just bought several boxes of a few different types of ammunition, and went to town. Some "match grade" barrels may have different instructions.

Consensus seems to be that you need to shoot a few mags worth of any given brand of ammunition before you start to see consistently precise results. The hypothesis being that you need a consistent coating of the lubricant from the rounds on the surface of the bore, which takes a few rounds to get deposited.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

You should consult the owner's manual about that.

Good point. I always try to sidestep that.
After your post, I dug up a PDF of the Kimber manual and took your advice. No help from them, though. Just told to use long rifle ammo that meets SAAMI standards.
Listening to some of the precision shooters on this and other forums, it sounds like barrel "break in" can be a critical part of ensuring a good grouping rifle. Certainly makes sense for high power, just didn't know if rimfire barrels need the same care.

 

[Blind Sniper]

The only 'damage' you'll risk (far as I know, that is) is needing to 'change lube' between brands of ammo. Think its 10-20 shots for a lube-to-lube change, half that with a clean bore.

I've noticed that my groups tighten up after a mag or two of Remington subsonics after a few boxes of CCI Minimags, and the lube/oil/whatever on the bullets is the only change I can think of thatd do it.

 

[robertc1024]

Did a run at it today.
Open sights, 25yd, 96 degrees wind about 8 mph rear left to front right.
View attachment 23821

65 if I count right.
Hate the bottom right flyer!

That ain't bad with open sights. What rifle?

 

[navyguy]

shooting commercial .22, no matter bulk or target grade, should not harm a new barrel. Just don't shoot Stingers or such that have longer cases in target sized chambers. That could possibly cause issues. Of course read what the manufacturer has to say and follow that. As pointed out, when you start shooting some match grade ammo, shoot at least one 10 round mag before you get too concerned on how it groups.

 

[Vaquero]

That ain't bad with open sights. What rifle?

Remington pump action.
Federal bulk ammo.
The target did blur a bit at times. I'm considering some glass now.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

This makes me wanna go shooting tomorrow.

 

[TexMex247]

I'd like to chime in with my 2 cents. You risk no damage to any barrel using cheap ammo. 22 LR ammo is simply not hot enough to start to erode a throat all that soon. What you will find is that accuracy may suffer slightly from the fouling the cheaper jacketed ammo leaves behind. Golden bullet is brass plated, federal bulk is copper washed and most other bulk ammo is not truly jacketed. All of them will leave some hard metallic fouling in the grooves of your barrel. That may effect the accuracy of the rounds that follow. When doing precision target shooting, it is ideal to use only one type of ammo(brand and projectile) and "season" the barrel with at least 20 rounds. Typically well-lubed softer lead bullets offer greater accuracy in the 22. My best results to date have been with Wolf ammo. Recently I used the Wolf Match Extra and I am now a firm believer in it's quality. I will post my monthly scorer in the appropriate thread but I basically shot a 98 with 5 bulls eyes and only fell short of a 100 because of my own impatience. Most people think lead ammo is dirtier. In a caliber that keeps velocity under 1100 fps, like the 22 or 45 acp, you will typically get the most accuracy out of solid lead projectiles. My worst practice target this month was still a 93 w/2x bulls and the others were 97s and up also with several bulls eyes. If it's in your budget, there is no substitute for Wolf ammo.

 

[Major Kong]

Just did a deep clean of my Savage Mk II F. Gonna give it a go later this week and see if that improves my groupings and accuracy at 50 yard line.

If not, I might throw it on the for sale board and up grade to a bull barrel.

MK

Sent from somewhere.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Again I'd like to thank everyone for sharing their experience with me.
Mainly I'm relieved to know I won't be damaging my new rifle by using the plain old Remington/Winchester ammo I have on hand. I will be ordering Wolf Match Extra, but this way I can afford to not have to jump at the first brick that comes my way.

 

[TexMex247]

Hey MK, I would start at 25yds before trying your luck at 50 yds. Not that you can't do it but the wind has a much greater effect beyond 25 yds. I wouldn't want to see anyone sell a quality rifle just because their rifles expected performance was greater than the calibers ability. Good luck in the challenge either way.

 

[Blind Sniper]

Going to get my .22 M4gery zeroed this weekend, then see what kind of groups I can get.

Would it be better to clean the bore between brands of ammo (think a pass with my boresnake and some CLP, nothing in-depth/serious), or should I just re-lube with a few practice shots before going for groups?

 

[navyguy]

Going to get my .22 M4gery zeroed this weekend, then see what kind of groups I can get.

Would it be better to clean the bore between brands of ammo (think a pass with my boresnake and some CLP, nothing in-depth/serious), or should I just re-lube with a few practice shots before going for groups?

IME, you don't need to clean, but Kidd for one recommends running 10 rounds or so of the ammo you are going to use before looking at groups. If you don't do that? meh, you're not going to wreck your barrel, but I do think over cleaning can do more harm than good. I have some bore snakes with the brush removed that I use to "wipe" the bore. It's not cleaning it but I figure it's just like wiping it down with a soft rage, and should do no harm, even if it does little good. It just makes me feel like I'm doing a little something.

 

[Blind Sniper]

OK then. Now to wait 'til the weekend and hope the weather down in Crawford cooperates. And that the 150 rounds of Remington sub-sonics I've got last long enough to get the scope sighted in and go for groups. It's not match-grade or even close to it, but this particular rifle seems to like them, even if they are a bit on the loud side.

 

[Tejano Scott]

I look forward to see what an M4gery can do on this challenge. I warn you, it's humbling for even extreme precision benchrest rigs. If you post a score anywhere near the 80s I will be impressed.

 

[Blind Sniper]

To be honest, I'll be amazed if I can even hit the particular target I'm aiming at (I'm shaky as hell for some reason). Still need to print off a few of the official contest targets, this weekend is mostly gonna be getting the rifle zeroed, maybe seeing if I can punch out the 3/4" bulls-eye on a few of my Shoot-N-C targets.

If anything I'll wait for the weather to cool down a bit(say, 75-80 degree high) . My aim's usually better without sweat in my eyes

ETA: Think a fixed 4x scope is gonna hurt my performance? The two variables I have available are useless at the higher powers (things go blurry around 6x on both of them), however the old Redfield 4x that I have is crystal clear.

 

[Major Kong]

Went out at 50 again today. I am a glutton for punishment.

Right to left wind 5-8 mph. Savage Mk II F, Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 EFR reticle. Best I could muster was 53-0x with Golden Bullets. Next best was 47-0x with same ammo.

MK

Sent from somewhere.

 

[Blind Sniper]

Just for fun, I checked to see how much of the official target the bulls-eye on my 8" Shoot-N-C targets covered (these have a 3/4" bulls-eye). Apparently if I'm able to punch out that bulls-eye, every one of those shots (if taken on an official target) would be inside the 7 ring.

Think that'd be impressive for an M4gery like mine?

 

[Major Kong]

Still not ready for primetime but just shot a 63-0x at 50 yards with American Eagle. Apparently my gun likes that better than the other stuff I had been shooting.

Pleased b/c it is about 10 points higher than my average on recent attempts. Made a couple bulls nervous, but not punched out.

Next time I am going to the 25 yard indoor. The weather was just too nice to be inside today.

MK

Sent from somewhere.

 

[Sugar Land]

It took me quite a while to find the right ammo for my gun. I am gonna sight in a new aimpoint tonight if you want to stop by.