New Shooter Seeking Feedback on 22lr Groups

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Lastcar

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I am new to shooting and hunting. Have chosen my various rifles - .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .22LR, and a 12 GA. The 7mm Rem Mag was a bit of a newb purchase. At the time I didn't realize how similar it was to the .270 so its not long for collection I suspect.

Anyways, point of this thread is I need some help knowing how much I should be fretting about the groups and accuracy I am getting out of my .22. I'll come back and fret about the others later. ;-)

Bought a Savage MarkII G bolt action 22lr and have placed VX-1 Rimfire 2-7x28mm on it. Plan on hunting some rabbits/hares and squirrels with it.

I bought a bunch of different .22 ammo to try to figure out what my Savage Mark II G likes. Can't say the results were overly conclusive though.

Shot from a lead sled to 50 yards. I was pretty particular about getting the lead sled in place and well aimed each time. I held the rifle in place but it was pretty much spot on the bullseye without any pressure.

Targets are 4 inch, so each ring is 0.5 inch. 2 inches center to outside.

I assume these groups are so so? No one ammo stands out. Although in an earlier shoot the Golden Bullet was will within a half inch at both 25 and 50 yards.

Would you guys fuss about this much more? Would you choose any one ammo based on these results?

Anything I could do to tighten the groups? Are the number of "fliers" pretty standard for non target ammo?

The Velcitor are higher velocity than the others so may explain with they are a bit off as it is sighted for the 1200fps or so ammo. I'd zero it in for these is I was going to be using them.

Any thoughts would be great.

Now to work on shooting without the lead sled, which is coming along nicely. I managed to do not bad sitting and kneeling. I suspect packing a table and lead sled to hunt rabbits kills the fun. ;-)

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How many shots did you take to refoul the barrel with each different ammo you tried? Usually it takes around 20-25 shots for a barrel to "stabilize" after an ammo change. If I am testing for accuracy I usually run a bore snake through and then shoot 25 rnds before I shoot any for accuracy. I have heard many theories as to why you need to do this but the "different lubes" is the one I subscribe to. Also if you can find it try some CCI "Standard Velocity" (#0032), my savages love it:)
 
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Interesting. I'll have to try that next time. I am going to stick with one for awhile and see if that tightens them up.

Makes sense, don't have to tell you I am sure. Some are gummy, some are greasy and some just feel clean.

elimsprint said:
How many shots did you take to refoul the barrel with each different ammo you tried? Usually it takes around 20-25 shots for a barrel to "stabilize" after an ammo change. If I am testing for accuracy I usually run a bore snake through and then shoot 25 rnds before I shoot any for accuracy. I have heard many theories as to why you need to do this but the "different lubes" is the one I subscribe to. Also if you can find it try some CCI "Standard Velocity" (#0032), my savages love it:)
Click to expand...
 
that's about what the little Savage can do out of the box.
here's my Savage FV at 50m (front sandbag, rear shoulder) :)
1" squares, 10 shots at each target, 20 rounds of each ammo

50m.jpg
 
It'll take a while for a barrel to "settle in" on a particular ammo... Not 100% sure of the reason behind that, but it tends to hold true...

Looking at those groups, I would go with an elimination process. The American Eagle ammo is definitely out, just with a passing glance. Super X would be next on the chopping block, looking at those groups. I'd be on the fence about the Golden Bullets. And then test the others a bit more.

Those are actually not bad groups, overall. You'll find that even on a lead sled, you'll be able to tighten them up as you gain a bit more trigger discipline - even slight jerking of the trigger can make a big difference. If you're a new shooter, even using a Sled getting groups that small isn't easy.

My first trip out to the range this year, this was the best I was able to pull off at 75 yards - two other groups about 1.5x this size, and one group about 2x this size - this was off sandbags. A couple more trips out this spring and this will be my "average" for shooting off sandbags at 75 yards. It took me hundreds of rounds of trial and error to find the right ammo for this rifle (and I enjoyed every minute of it last summer). Try spending a day with one of the "non-eliminated" rounds - about 100 rounds. Then clean the rifle and spend a day just shooting one of the others, etc. This will let the barrel season into a given round, and after you've shot a half dozen 5 shot groups, you should be in a nice zone with consistent trigger pull. Then you can really see what you can do with a given chunk of ammo.

grouped.jpg
 
Lastcar
You have a sporting rifle not a target rifle. For the purpose of hunting which you've described, you have to ask yourself how confidence inspiring those groups are. If you're pleased then that's the only person that has to be.
Straight shooting
 
Actually, I want to add, just in case I wasn't clear in my previous post... That's some very good shooting you should be happy with. I know guys who've been shooting a long time who wouldn't be able to pull off groups like that, even benched with a lead sled.

You're off to a great start, keep it up and you'll be match shooting in no time.
 
I and many others have found that CCI Standard Velocity gives very good accuracy in the Savage bolt actions.

You are wise to focus on the .22 RF to start. Its a great way to develop your skills without much cost and no risk of developing a flinch.

As far as technique is concerned, a gentle, controlled trigger pull and follow thru is at least half the battle.

Shooting from a bench is ok to prove your rifle's capabilities and zero but spend a lot of time this summer shooting from field positions like offhand chasing blocks of 2 x 4 etc, sitting, bracing against a tree (or post) and even prone.
 
As others have said, ammo selection is probably the biggest factor. Once you've found the magic ammo, it's time to look at the other variables. Consistent cheek weld, same positioning on the rest with the fore stock, properly torqued action screws, etc. As you whittle away at these things, your groups will tighten up. One thing I've found with my rifle is how tight I hold it into my shoulder. Some rifles seem to like a lighter grip, my seems to tighten up groups when clenched in.

Welcome to the frustrating, yet fun world of rim fire. A good thing to keep in mind is that the consistent "out of the box" sporter .22lr rifle rarely gets consistent 1/2" groupings, in spite of how many times you hear it stated.
 
Some great stuff here! Thanks for this. I think the conclusion I've come to is I need to continue to work on my shooting technique, primarily trigger pull.

Rounds down the barrel seems to be key. Both for the ammo selection but more so for me as the shooter. I'll be sure to stick to one or two for a 100 rounds or so and run a bore snake when I decide to switch it up.

From there, I'll pick one and stick with it. I am sure I don't have to tell you...my fear is I am going to pick one of the hardest to get my mitts on but alas. They all seem to come available often enough that it'll be fine. I am going to track down CCI Mini Mags ASAP. I am down to 300 or so.

Have two bricks of the Fed GameShok so I am hoping with some consistent rounds down the barrel those may tighten up.

Who knew the .22 could be this fussy. I heard it was fussy but dang this is a bit more than I bargained for. :)

But I am enjoying the process. Just wish I could shoot in the back yard. Would speed the process up. :)

Again thanks guys, all kinds of good stuff in here and atta boys are very nice to hear. I was getting a bit turned off by not knowing if I am on the right track. Long ways to go but being on track makes a guy look forward to the journey.
 
You will hone your trigger pull and will get better way faster by dry firing practice than you will sending rounds down range. With dry fire you see any problem with your trigger technique without the recoil, even a .22's, being a distraction. You can also do it in the privacy of your home and do it every day so the skills come quicker. I do have a range in my backyard and I still probably dry fire 100 times plus for every round I actually discharge. Also look for the CCI "Standard Velocity", I have never met a Savage bolt that doesn't love them.
 
elimsprint said:
You will hone your trigger pull and will get better way faster by dry firing practice than you will sending rounds down range. With dry fire you see any problem with your trigger technique without the recoil, even a .22's, being a distraction. You can also do it in the privacy of your home and do it every day so the skills come quicker. I do have a range in my backyard and I still probably dry fire 100 times plus for every round I actually discharge. Also look for the CCI "Standard Velocity", I have never met a Savage bolt that doesn't love them.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'll do that too. Assume the consensus is dry firing is harmless or should I be getting the .22 snap caps or some variation of them? Guess I can do this with all the rifles and shotgun. I've got the snap caps (or Tritons) for them.

I'll keep an eye out for the CCI Standard Velocity but sure seems a guy is stuck taking what he can get these days. I'll certainly keep an eye out for a brick though and worse case sell them to a less picky friend.
 
Regarding Dryfiring…. if your firing pin hits the chamber you don't want to be dry firing. The firing pin does hit the edge of the chamber on most 22's you should most definitely use snap caps.
 
Just FYI, your .22 doesn't need to be cleaned after every outing, I have a suspicion that you are keeping it squeaky clean (many people go overboard in the beginning). Most experienced shooters don't clean unless accuracy/performance begins to suffer. After a day of shooting, I wipe off the crown, and the fingerprints. That's it.

I believe Savage recommends against dry firing. Then again, I haven't hurt my Savages by accidentally dry firing them.
 
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