5 Shot Group

RTH1800

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Minuteman
  • Sep 16, 2009
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    @justin amateur

    How is this group? 😂

    Grey, red and black variant squirrels. The red one with black lower parts is very rare here. Only seen 4 in 55 years of looking.
    956DBC92-5F74-4BB1-BAB8-94CC4EDB487D.jpeg
     
    Grey squirrel season here in Florida opens October 8th.
    Hope to be able to get out there, but Hurricane Ian might force a postponement.
    Could be I'll be pulling chainsaw duty instead. So much fun. ;)
     
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    I seem to remember my mom soaking squirrel in salt water before boiling them. And I remember not liking it. But those squirrels on the grill look great!
     
    Where y'er at affects the flavor SPH.
    My preferred area is upland pines, hickory, pecans and oaks. Makes for some good eating.
    Those taken from the bottom lands or swamps can have an odd flavor.
    Gramps blamed it on the water plants that the squirrels eat when no nuts or seeds are available.
    Some of the sedges and tubers they dig up and eat are strong flavored. Affects the meat.
     
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    @justin amateur

    Shot this tonight to check zero.
    Top is 3 shots 50 yards sitting. Tight sling back against tree.
    Bottom is one shot 50 yards after 1/4 min left adj.
    I know it’s not 50 shot group but it tells me what I need to know. And the rifle does it every time. Not a one off.
    I sight “squirrel’s eye high” at 50 Y and dial for range from my data book.
    Getting a custom reticule made with dots to 200 for the Unertl.
    E8A43BD8-59FF-4BA8-9EC2-DC7730BADEE5.jpeg
     
    Looks good to me RT.
    Groups are what I use to adjust my scope to conditions and current brick of cartridges.
    When I'm not trying out different brands of ammo. ;)

    After that it's all about Rule #1...hit what you aim at.
     
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    That's got to be one of the nicest stocks I've ever seen on a 52C. The Unertl Small Game scope looks very classy on it too.
    Out here in western Kansas, there's a lot more squirrels in town than down on the creek bottoms (which is about the only other place we have trees).
     
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    Grey squirrel season here in Florida opens October 8th.
    Hope to be able to get out there, but Hurricane Ian might force a postponement.
    Could be I'll be pulling chainsaw duty instead. So much fun. ;)

    I didn't realize it opened that early.
    I better tune up a couple of rifles so I can get a few for the grill.

    I take it you're further north than the Tampa/Brandon area?
     
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    Was at the range today, and a nice older guy was shooting his custom CZ with a Lilja barrel, and we got to talking about rimfires, and he was trying a bunch of high-end ammo in his to see what it liked. He asked which one my Ranger 22 preferred, and I said, honestly never tried anything higher priced than CCI SV in it, as it shoots good enough to have fun with at 200. He slid me a whole box (50) of SK Match (red & black box) over, and said, mine won’t shoot these, give ‘em a try. So after about 15-20 rounds my barrel settled in with the SK, and I put down this 5-shot group. If the 5th one hadn’t gone wide, it would have been much more impressive. But I’m learning that .22 LR having fliers and dropouts is unpredictable, at best…Even with the high-end ammo. 😂

    72885064-088F-455A-8396-B94ACB315310.jpeg
     
    Was at the range today, and a nice older guy was shooting his custom CZ with a Lilja barrel, and we got to talking about rimfires, and he was trying a bunch of high-end ammo in his to see what it liked. He asked which one my Ranger 22 preferred, and I said, honestly never tried anything higher priced than CCI SV in it, as it shoots good enough to have fun with at 200. He slid me a whole box (50) of SK Match (red & black box) over, and said, mine won’t shoot these, give ‘em a try. So after about 15-20 rounds my barrel settled in with the SK, and I put down this 5-shot group. If the 5th one hadn’t gone wide, it would have been much more impressive. But I’m learning that .22 LR having fliers and dropouts is unpredictable, at best…Even with the high-end ammo. 😂

    View attachment 7997054I Wouldn't be too quick to form opinions on 22lr accuracy based on groups shot with a Ranger and SK match ammo or a custom CZ for that matter. While SK match is good ammo it is not considered High end! The 22lr can be extremely accurate at 50 yds but at a cost. It's all about how serious you are about accuracy. 5K for a custom build, 1k for a custom rest and $15 to $ 24 a box to lot test ammo. Then you'll see those flyers and dropouts " as you call them" go away!
     
    In terms of a useful rifle, and using it to learn 'some real shooting skills', the ease of finding a place to shoot a 22RF is far & away easier for most shooters than finding somewhere safe to shoot ELR. And the number of rounds per/dollar ratio between a 22RF & any of the big boomers used in ELR shooting is astronomical in favor of the 22. And learning to hold for wind with a 22RF bench rifle can be a true learning experience, even at 50yds. As you stated, that's your opinion - mine is different. I spent an hour or so talking with a guy at a small gun show last Saturday that had a couple of rifles he was using in King of 2 Mile matches; it was the 1st time I've met someone doing that ELR stuff. I enjoyed our conversation a good deal, but came away mentally comparing the expense & hassles associated with that type of shooting to that of grabbing one of my Vudoo V22s and driving less than a quarter mile to my 100yd smallbore range on the spur of the moment as I so often do when I finish up some farm work and have the little bit of spare time it takes to go enjoy putting 50rds on paper or steel. I also enjoy the heck out of taking one of my CF rifles down to my 1000yd range over in our pasture down on the creek bottoms and shooting anything from a 223AI to 6 Dasher to 6.5x55AI to a straight 284 on steel at 1000, But there's no comparison in how fast & easy it is to get some quality trigger time with a 22, not have to reload the brass, and how quick & easy it is to wipe the 22's bore out afterwards.
     
    In terms of a useful rifle, and using it to learn 'some real shooting skills', the ease of finding a place to shoot a 22RF is far & away easier for most shooters than finding somewhere safe to shoot ELR. And the number of rounds per/dollar ratio between a 22RF & any of the big boomers used in ELR shooting is astronomical in favor of the 22. And learning to hold for wind with a 22RF bench rifle can be a true learning experience, even at 50yds. As you stated, that's your opinion - mine is different. I spent an hour or so talking with a guy at a small gun show last Saturday that had a couple of rifles he was using in King of 2 Mile matches; it was the 1st time I've met someone doing that ELR stuff. I enjoyed our conversation a good deal, but came away mentally comparing the expense & hassles associated with that type of shooting to that of grabbing one of my Vudoo V22s and driving less than a quarter mile to my 100yd smallbore range on the spur of the moment as I so often do when I finish up some farm work and have the little bit of spare time it takes to go enjoy putting 50rds on paper or steel. I also enjoy the heck out of taking one of my CF rifles down to my 1000yd range over in our pasture down on the creek bottoms and shooting anything from a 223AI to 6 Dasher to 6.5x55AI to a straight 284 on steel at 1000, But there's no comparison in how fast & easy it is to get some quality trigger time with a 22, not have to reload the brass, and how quick & easy it is to wipe the 22's bore out afterwards.
    You don't have to tell me about how much fun shooting a .22LR is... I've been doing so since I was like 5 when dad would hold the gun on the bench, and let me aim and pull the trigger... One of my favorite guns is my Ranger 22 w/ my Dead Air Mask HD on it. My point was, the dude talking shit about my opinion, was only shooting groups at 50 yards... Give me a fucking break. Anyone can shoot a group at 50 yards. And I'd certainly hope just about any modern .22LR rifle on the market can shoot a decent group at 50 yards with decent ammo, and a half-competent shooter behind it.

    What I was talking about, is spending $6,000+ (like he mentioned) on a badass heavy bench rig just to shoot groups at 50 yards. That's stupid, IMO. You can spend 1/4 of that and have a decent rifle that will kill squirrels at 100 with no problem...And 8/10 shots capable at 200 (minus the dropouts). It's a free country, folks can spend their own money how they see fit, but don't try to chastise me about my 100 yard groups, when they don't even shoot groups beyond 50 yards. It's laughable for him to get so butthurt and talk shit about a $800 factory .22 rifle with a mid-priced optic, shooting sub-MOA 5-shot groups at 100...Compared to an unlimited class $6000 rig that's only shooting groups at 50 yards, and probably strapped into a vise and has a little air puffer ball to squeeze the trigger to remove any and all human error from the equation... 🙄 I'm not trying to shoot BR comps, and this isn't a competition rifle... I'm just having fun.

    And I agree completely with your assessment...Shooting a .22LR at 200+ yards is a VERY cheap way to learn windage and dialing skills, that are directly transferrable to centerfire long range. It also teaches you a lot about how barometric pressures and temp swings and wind affect subsonic ammo at distance. I sit and watch the dropouts happen at 200 yards, holding the same POA and nothing has changed, and the bullet hits dirt a foot low... That's the ammo, not the gun. Especially when the next 5+ shots are all right where I aimed hitting the steel.
     
    Funny how reactionary things can get when someone knows a lot more then they do...

    Lookin at them pictures makes me think me its about time i do something about this being to busy all the time....