Testing 22lr ammo *what distance?

[chavezz556]

Do you guys do 50 yards or 100?

50 yards is pretty even (1/4") but 100 yrds I had switchy winds. I did have better ES's with the Aguila

 

[10ring1]

Just started testing myself. I try to wait for the most ideal condition I can and shoot 100 yds. Too often I'll shoot great groups at 50 and 100 will be wide open. I figured I'd it shoots well at 100 it must shoot good at 50. Don't assume that if you shoot 1/2" at 50 it will be 1" at 100. Rimfire is an entire different ballgame

 

[billmeek]

How far do you plan on shooting? You should test ammo up to that range.

I start at 50 and if it shoots well move to 100. Then (depending on the rifle and usage) go to longer ranges (200, 250, 300....)

 

[chavezz556]

How far do you plan on shooting? You should test ammo up to that range.

I start at 50 and if it shoots well move to 100. Then (depending on the rifle and usage) go to longer ranges (200, 250, 300....)

Maybe 200. But the gun will hopefully compete in some nrl22 matches and 100 yrd Fclass this summer

 

[billmeek]

If you are going to shoot NRL22, I'd be testing at 50 and then 100 yards.

 

[justin amateur]

I test rimfire at 200 yards, 50 shots minimum across a chronograph.
Local competitive prone shooter tests at 100, no chronographing,
50 shots looking for tightest groups on center, fewest strays.
Benchrest competitor I know tests at 25 yards.
If they don't all go through the same tiny hole, they won't do the job at 50.

All are useful methods.
Find ammo that will do the job and purchase all you can from that batch.

 

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

100 is where the ammo starts to talk to you... 200 is where it begs for mercy...

 

[acudaowner]

have loved shooting cci in our 22lrs since I was a little kid have fun its a blast .

 

[RTH1800]

Basically, you need to test at every distance you need it to perform. Keep in mind ammo will not “gain accuracy” at distance. Once it goes astray it will not come back.

I don’t shoot 50 shot groups and what few groups I have posted here were ridiculed as “wallet groups”. They were not specially selected. Just things I have shot. If I shoot at 100 yards and 3 or 5 shots hit a 1/4” dot I’m good. I know my data is good and accuracy good. If I put 3 or 5 shots in a 1” dot at 200 same thing. I’m ready to go crow hunting. I don’t need 50 shots to prove stat 50 shot groups are going to be larger than 5 or 10 shot groups. They cannot get smaller. Only larger. Ymmv

This “wallet group” is 5 shots at 100 yards.
And no, I don’t have a 50 shot group. And no, you don’t want to bet against this rifle.

 

[RTH1800]

Yes, but it does it every time I shoot it.

 

[RTH1800]

Don’t put those groups in your wallet. Groups are too close to shit as it is.

 

[RTH1800]

It commonly shoots like that. Outdoors. I shoot at dawn or dusk. The rifle was selected from literally dozens of very accurate rifles with years of testing to determine accuracy.

 

[RTH1800]

Optimal conditions yield optimal results.

 

[justin amateur]

Hey, rth.....if it does that every time, 5 shots at a time
and if you test it ten times, then you've shot 50 shots.
So sooner or later you've tested an entire box of rimfire.
I just do it all at once, not spread out over multiple sessions.

I don't shoot competitively.
Those that do, take the testing way more seriously than I do.
Trips to the Eley and Lapua facilities to use the tunnels and computer analysis.
Typical runs of 40 shots, 10 at a time, looking for the best results.

I do 50 at 200 because I have access to a 200 yard range and no idea what will happen with each brand tried.
Between wind, mv variations, temperature changes, mirage and cartridge defects, it's highly entertaining.
Good practice also, before I set up my 223 F-class.

 

[RTH1800]

Justin,

This rifle was tested over a 2-3 year period against dozens of other high end target rifles. 40X's, Win 52's and several Vudoo rifles. Rifles were culled as they failed to sustain the accuracy I was seeking. Ammo was selected at Eley testing center. No effort was spared.

BTW, none of the Vudoo's were in the top 3 rifles. They were good shooters but clearly not the best. All Vudoo's went through Eley testing. I am not bashing Vudoo and my sample size was only 3 rifles.

 

[justin amateur]

I hear ya' RT.

I've read most of the reports you've posted.
Not easy dealing with the individual characteristics of each rifle
or the variations in ammunition quality when chasing repeatable accuracy.

My results at 200 yards have shown not even two boxes from the same batch of rimfire
will produce similar results on target or across the chronograph.
One box will show an ES of 26 fps, the next will be 50 plus with almost triple the vertical spread.
Some of that is wind, some is variations in cartridge quality.
It's the price we pay for using factory produced ammunition.

 

[RTH1800]

I agree. One thing about excessive testing is it hurts your confidence. Not a bad thing for a match rifle, you know it's limitations. For field use, it's always seemed to help me to have confidence even it some of it is unwarranted. When I line up on a squirrels head at 100 yards or a crow at 175 yards I like to recall those 5 shot groups.

 

[chavezz556]

It commonly shoots like that. Outdoors. I shoot at dawn or dusk. The rifle was selected from literally dozens of very accurate rifles with years of testing to determine accuracy.

Best time to fly fish too!

 

[Somethingwitty]

Helped a friend figure out his "heat stringing" the other day. Norma tac22 would shoot bug holes at 50 but a lot of vertical shooting at distance with any speed. Gave him a box of cci sv to try and 50yd groups were slightly larger but at 200yds it was much tighter. Repeated test with my rifle and same thing cci shot slightly worse at 50 but ALOT better at 200.

 

[silentheart]

Helped a friend figure out his "heat stringing" the other day. Norma tac22 would shoot bug holes at 50 but a lot of vertical shooting at distance with any speed. Gave him a box of cci sv to try and 50yd groups were slightly larger but at 200yds it was much tighter. Repeated test with my rifle and same thing cci shot slightly worse at 50 but ALOT better at 200.

I agree on the Norma USA 22lr ammo. Best I have ever shot @50 yd. I can’t comment at 100 or 200 yds since I have not shot any 22lr pass 50 yds.

 

[spife7980]

I test at 100. Ill shoot 10 shot groups and then I shoot another 10 of the ones that look best to increase my confidence.

The not great test lots go to the iron sight/off hand guns

 

[Nik H]

I do all my characterization at both 50 and 100 yards. I find that what works best at 50 does not work best at 100 yards

 

[chavezz556]

I agree on the Norma USA 22lr ammo. Best I have ever shot @50 yd. I can’t comment at 100 or 200 yds since I have not shot any 22lr pass 50 yds.

I personally choose not support Norma. If I could find a brick of Prime... maybe but wouldn't go out of my way to buy Norma

 

[RTH1800]

What is wrong with Norma?

 

[Precisiondada]

What is wrong with Norma?

Raug fucked Prime and ran them out of business, in a nutshell.

 

[Victor Co Heather]

Start testing your ammo at 50, there are less variables. Then work you way to longer distances. I find Lapua (Wolf, Center X, Midas, SK etc) to be very consistent for NRL22 needs. You should be able to shoot a reliable 0.5 inch group at 50 with your rifle.

 

[Near miss]

From my testing done on 110yds I could say that the wind is always a factor. Even the lightest breeze moves it too much.

You can count it out by just reading the vertical spread but it will only be comparable with other groups at same range, same wind conditions.
Because wind affects vertical spread too.

Shoot at 50 and the groups at 100 are around x2.7 to x3 the size of that.

 

[Pond skipper]

This is actually a really good question because I’ve run across some interesting things here recently, I start at 50, if it’s roughly 1/2” I move it to 300 and test again, if it’s good there I stretch it out to 600. I have had some ammo shoot great at 50 yds and I’m talking sub .100” groups but not be worth a damn at 300, and some that were marginal at best at 50 that I could hit golf balls at 300 and coke cans at 600. Actually got the can this past weekend in 4 shots at 600. I was using Midas+ at the time then Xact showed up on Tuesday and it’s proving to be twice as consistent out to 600. Eley target is also fantastic at ELR and only 6.99 a box which is nice. Vertical stringing will tell you everything you need to know, and it becomes blatantly obvious at 300 and 600

 

[chavezz556]

This is actually a really good question because I’ve run across some interesting things here recently, I start at 50, if it’s roughly 1/2” I move it to 300 and test again, if it’s good there I stretch it out to 600. I have had some ammo shoot great at 50 yds and I’m talking sub .100” groups but not be worth a damn at 300, and some that were marginal at best at 50 that I could hit golf balls at 300 and coke cans at 600. Actually got the can this past weekend in 4 shots at 600. I was using Midas+ at the time then Xact showed up on Tuesday and it’s proving to be twice as consistent out to 600. Eley target is also fantastic at ELR and only 6.99 a box which is nice. Vertical stringing will tell you everything you need to know, and it becomes blatantly obvious at 300 and 600

Damn what was your dope? Also where do you find eley target for 6.99?

 

[Pond skipper]

Damn what was your dope? Also where do you find eley target for 6.99?

Midway for eley target and dope was 40.1 mils

 

[beetroot]

I've typically done 50m, but will likely do 100m for my new rifle.
The problem with testing at long distance (70m+) is the wind starts too effect the bullet so much that trying to test differences in ammo becomes worthless.

Unless you can shoot on a 100% windless day, you will drive yourself crazy with long distance groups.

 

[Boxerglocker]

Midway for eley target and dope was 40.1 mils

Damn what was your dope? Also where do you find eley target for 6.99?

If your gun likes Eley target, try the Wolf Match Target, made by Eley. You can get it for $47.99 a brick of 500 from ammunitionstore.com even factoring in shipping for 2 bricks it's less than $57 a brick. I'm getting the same awesome results in my ER Shaw barreled RPRimfire as I did with Eley Club.

 

[justin amateur]

you will drive yourself crazy with long distance groups.


Ya' know....that explains so much...considering that's about all the shooting I've done over the past year.

 

[Pond skipper]

I've typically done 50m, but will likely do 100m for my new rifle.
The problem with testing at long distance (70m+) is the wind starts too effect the bullet so much that trying to test differences in ammo becomes worthless.

Unless you can shoot on a 100% windless day, you will drive yourself crazy with long distance groups.

Not so much, the main thing you are looking for is vertical dispersion, and anything with a high Es in velocity will show up fast at ranges of 300yds. Learning drift at that range is another thing all in it’s self but it becomes pretty easy to tell which ones are studs and which are duds out that far.

 

[beetroot]

Not so much, the main thing you are looking for is vertical dispersion, and anything with a high Es in velocity will show up fast at ranges of 300yds. Learning drift at that range is another thing all in it’s self but it becomes pretty easy to tell which ones are studs and which are duds out that far.

Yes, but wind at those kind of ranges can have a huge impact on group sizes which makes assessing vertical spread rather difficult.

Ive seen my groups POI change inches between wind gust, and them grow from 1moa to 3moa.
A consistent wind/breeze from 3 or 9 o'clock may not be an issue, but changing winds or gusts from behind or infront can have a huge effect.

 

[squirrelsniper]

I begin testing at 50yds. This is just to find out what the rifle doesn't like. I take the promising loads to 100yds and shoot. This will whittle down the field of potentials pretty quickly . At 100yds, I'm looking as much at vertical stringing as I am overall group size. I take the few really good loads to 200yds and shoot several groups of each to determine the winner that I will use in that particular rifle.