Realistic accuracy of 22WMR at 100 yards?

.22LRGUY said:
22WMR accuracy issues....Southern Ontario groundhog hunting=right up my alley. :)

Hey wasa-it "SOUNDS" like your barrel might be shot-out, and I don't know enough about the model to comment on whether or not it's worth getting re-barreled. If that's even possible. Re: 22WMR accuracy-I've owned 1 Savage 93FV in that caliber, and have now shot 2 other 22WMR bolt guns. (Marlin and a CZ) I remember having 11 ammo types on hand, a 3-9X AO scope, a steady rest, no wind and a 100 yard range-the day I tried to determine whether or not my Savage was a lemon. Most expensive ammo was the Remington Accutip, but it was #2 in terms of accuracy. What I learned that day (and since) is that a 1" group with 22WMR is an accomplishment, and probably part luck. I shot maybe 20 groups that day, and maybe 2 were SUB MOA. I quickly realized that if it was even touching the outer edge of the 1" ring, that was good. Groups averaged between 1-1/4"-2" the most underwhelming around 4", confirming what I already felt about Winchester rimfire ammo. Anyhow, I decided that the 30gr. Hornady shot the best/most consistently but as decent as that ammo was, you'd get unexplained fliers that turned an otherwise promising group into a 2" affair.

The goal was a heavier-hitting rimfire for groundhogs, after a summer shooting them with 17HMR. My experience with that caliber was that it's lacklustre on a varmint of this size, and even problematic if any wind or distance is involved. I love 17HMR out west on gophers, but a big one of those is a fraction of the size of an adult/mature groundhog. I decided to give the 22WMR a try, but being mindful of it's accuracy...I kept the shots 125 yards or under, and always aimed centre mass. 22WMR always hit hard, and every groundhog I shot with it dropped. My advice-buy a bolt gun with a decent trigger, keep shots in/around 100 yards...and the 22WMR should never disappoint.

You mentioned a 22 centerfires-that's a superb idea. My experience in S. Ontario is that anywhere you can make 22WMR-amounts of noise, a .223 (for example) ought to be fine. I spent several years using a .223, then yo-yoed between that caliber, and .204 Ruger. The last 3 I shot this year were with the 204, but in previous hunts this year and last, I ran my 17 Hornet. I wouldn't recommend 17 Hornet simply because of ammo availability compared to something like .223, but for groundhogs...I've come to really believe that it's the perfect combination of power/reach/low report. Especially for the size of farms we have here.

Anyhow, as my interests changed...I sold off the 22WMR and .223, I'm down to the 17 and 204. If you were going to buy one caliber, I'd suggest .223. Ammo availability is great, but it's also a forgiving caliber to reload for if you're new to it like I was. I believe it's an inherently accurate caliber, and one most people shoot well.

From my second-last hunt, the .17 Hornet
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Ever used 17 HMR? I popped a few with it and it did just fine. I love that round.
 
Hey, like someone else said, their is no match grade projectiles loaded in 22 mag. But you should be getting better accuracy then what you have shot. I have a Savage 93 BRJ in 22 mag'' trigger pull 2.75 lbs.'' that shoots consistently 1''- 1.5'' at 100yds with CCI 40 Grn. Maxi Mags. It does not like any of the 30 grn loads. Your stiff trigger pull affects your accuracy, unfortunately back in the day when your rifle was made they did not worry about moa
 
wasa said:
...Looking down the barrel, the firearm appears to have minimal rifling. It's definitely there, but not well defined. Nothing like my other rifles. However, none of the impacts showed any sign of key-holing - all were nice and round...
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That sounds like the description of a barrel which is heavily copper fouled. You might try cleaning it with a good copper cutting solvent, capable of removing metal fouling.
 
I would suggest trying 3 things. First, I doubt your barrel would be shot out, but it certainly could have bad copper fowling, clean it accordingly. Second, check your crown, it doesn't take much of a "ding" to really mess up accuracy, a re-crown job might help. Third, play with the torque on the action screw/ screws, this also can make a drastic difference in accuracy.
 
I have my Dad's Marlin 25 MN 22WMR, it was his farm gun, it road on the tractor, on the ATV, behind the truck seat, pretty much followed him every where when he went out past the barn. It has claimed many pesky beaver, woodchuck, coyote and foxes over the years and to be honest I didn't hold out much hope for it in the accuracy department. To my surprise it easily shoots under 2" at 100 with Winchester Super X and about half those groups are right at or under 1". It has a basic 3-9X40 on it and it is one of my most favouritest of rifles!
 
Sorry about your frustration. I’ll share my experience, as others have far more knowledge I’m sure.
I tried several makes, and actions, in .22 wmr. Was just about to give up on the cartridge all together. LGS had a great deal on a CZ455 Canadian edition. Figured one more try as I liked the patriotic feel. The dam thing shoots 30-50 grains equally stellar.
I now have three CZ455 Canadians. A .22,.17, and 22 wmr.
All 3 of them shoot very, very well. I’m not a fanboy of anything, but these things do shoot.
Just another 2 cents for you to ponder. It ended my frustration altogether.
 
brybenn said:
Try some lead out cleaner and let it really soak in then reaplly and patch until the patches are clean coming out. Check the torque on the action screws and on the scope mount and rings as well. Also see if theres a pressure point on the barrel or if its free floating.
When bench shooting are you resting the forearm on the rest or the barrel?
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Thanks for the advice. I normally use Hoppes #9 but I do have "Wipe Out Patch Out" liquid https://www.brownells.com/gun-clean...re-solvents/wipe-out-patch-out-prod24849.aspx (not the spray) I can also use. I have taken the firearm apart to clean it and never thought to adjust the action screws. Will try that. And I had the wooden fore end resting on the Caldwell Matrix shooting rest https://www.caldwellshooting.com/rests/shooting-rests/matrix/101600.html#start=1
 
jes said:
I would suggest trying 3 things. First, I doubt your barrel would be shot out, but it certainly could have bad copper fowling, clean it accordingly. Second, check your crown, it doesn't take much of a "ding" to really mess up accuracy, a re-crown job might help. Third, play with the torque on the action screw/ screws, this also can make a drastic difference in accuracy.
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All great advice. Thank you!
 
Canadiankeeper said:
Ever used 17 HMR? I popped a few with it and it did just fine. I love that round.
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Hey CK-yeah, spent a summer using it. It will kill them (I shot a bunch with it), but not with the same degree of authority as the 22WMR...and certainly not as well as any light centerfire. For groundhogs, I've used 22LR, 17HMR, 22WMR, 17 Hornet, 223, 204R, 243, 270, 20 and 12ga shotguns....and maybe a couple I don't remember. lol As mentioned, I think 17 Hornet is probably the best all-around caliber if you want plenty of stopping power, flat trajectory to the distances you're likely to encounter in S. Ontario, and very modest report. The groundhogs I've shot with it did nothing but drop on the spot. I've described 17 Hornet as the caliber that performs the way people say 17HMR does. :) I own a 17HMR (Marlin 917 heavy barrel) but only for the purpose I've mentioned already, shooting gophers when I'm lucky enough to get out west.

If for any reason I stopped using centerfire for them, I'd go right back to 22WMR, and bypass 17HMR altogether. It's far more accurate, but inside of 125 yards...the 22WMR is accurate enough. Anything past 125 yards, I've grown to not really trust what the wind does to those really light bullets. I have nothing against light bullets, the 17H shoots 20gr. Hornady. :)
 
Not sure if anyone will see this, but instead of making a new thread I thought I'd give an update.

So, I bought a Marlin XT-22M bolt action 22WMR and Weaver Kaspa 4-16X44 scope. Took it to the range and shot it at 25 and 100 yards with three different 22 WMR brand cartridges. At 25 yards the CCI Maximag were dead on dime size groups (ok, maybe a nickel). But at 100 yards the CCI, Armscor, and Federal all showed large groups.

So, my conclusion is I am not capable of getting good groups at 100 yards with 22 WMR, at least with these 2 firearm / scope / ammo combinations. YMMV. Wish this range (ATS in Amherstburg) made it easier to shoot at 50 or 75 yards (but it doesn't).

Time to sell the H&R semi 22 WMR since the Marlin has an awesome trigger and is much better at 25 yards for grouping.
 
My Magnum Research .22WMR with carbon fibre barrel is a tack driver for what it is. I also put a VQ TG2000 trigger group (2lb pull), VQ ejector & firing pin, radiused the bolt, & a tuff buffer. She loves the CCI maxi mag 40g hollow points. The Federal 50g does well too.

If I ever had a .22 mag shooting 6” groups at 100 I would be some upset.

I see u bought the Marlin XT. I had one & loved it, but could never get the accuracy I expected from it, so I sold it. They are beauty rifles though. I had the MVSR.
 
Hi Wasa - You never said if you tried a "dedicated" lead solvent. Several people have suggested the prob may be fouling - lead or copper. I have a couple .22s and a .223 that accuracy went south - I got a $69 CDN borescope from amazon .ca and found all these had significant fouling that didn't come clean with #9 and brushes. I bought Boretech C-4 Carbon solvent, and Pro-shot Copper solvent, Hoppes #9 Copper solvent and Hoppes Black label Copper solvent. I don't recommend the Hoppes tho it just may have been me - neither seemed to do much. The Pro-shot seemed to take off the most copper and the Bore-tech took off lots of the Carbon. I didn't find lead remaining (I think) after all the other attempts. The bores now are pretty shiny - just a bit more of the Carbon to get off the .223. I needed to adjust zero after these cleanings since there had been hundreds of rounds thru each gun.
At 25 yards you should have one large hole and you should try to get a 'true zero' at 50 yds - within 1/2" or so; if that doesn't work for either gun, maybe ask someone else to try. You could have an un-recognized flinch or something?? Or it could be your heavy trigger pull ??
 
Buy once, cry once, a budget 22mag, I'd take a pass, all your time, ammo and money wasted,
Most of us have learned this the hard way,,
Only 22mag I shot was a tbolt, and it was impressive, someone mentioned cz, and just because I shoot a rim fire doesn't mean I need cheap glass.
Save your pennies and buy a rifle your going to love, at least until you grow tired of it, then someone else will buy it and love it, and you won't feel bad about selling an inaccurate rifle.
25yd groups, I wouldn't consider groups unless I was rock throwing.
I'll never forget the time I looked through my first alpha glass or owned my first tack driving rifle, I'd keep looking until your happy with what you have. You don't have to settle, it's not a marriage, lol
Good luck
 
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I will second "lwing" - I have owned several bolt action 22 Mags by Savage with Bushnell and similar scopes. Now I have a Ruger 77/22 Mag with Leupold Rimfire 3-9 scope - some can convince themselves that lesser dollars buy "just as good", but really need to have used both to know that is not the case. Same, in my opinion with 22's - a world of difference between the CZ's that I have and "all the others" that I have had. Many folks not prepared to lay out $1,200 or more for a rimfire and a suitable scope - can buy two or even three good used center-fire rifles for that, but what you get is very nice and performs the way the discussion above describes.
 
Potashminer said:
I will second "lwing" - I have owned several bolt action 22 Mags by Savage with Bushnell and similar scopes. Now I have a Ruger 77/22 Mag with Leupold Rimfire 3-9 scope - some can convince themselves that lesser dollars buy "just as good", but really need to have used both to know that is not the case. Same, in my opinion with 22's - a world of difference between the CZ's that I have and "all the others" that I have had. Many folks not prepared to lay out $1,200 or more for a rimfire and a suitable scope - can buy two or even three good used center-fire rifles for that, but what you get is very nice and performs the way the discussion above describes.
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Great advice. I also have a 77/22 Mag I got new a couple years ago. I loved it so much I just bought myself another nearly new 77/22 LR. I know that money management is always an issue in this sport, but it’s well worth it.
 
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