22lr at 900 yards
- Thread starter KDX
- Start date
Think again.
It is theoretically possible, but not in practice. The problem is the ammo velocity consistency. Match grade ammo, which is standard velocity (SV) has the most consistent MV (muzzle velocity) and lowest ES (extreme spread). Furthermore unlike high velocity (HV) ammo, it never crosses the speed of sound threshold. Match ammo always remains sub sonic, below the speed of sound. When HV .22LR ammo is used it slows down quickly enough to experience transonic turbulence, which adversely affects its accuracy. Even .22LR HV ammo made by manufacturers such as Eley, RWS, and Lapua is less accurate than SV ammo. That's why .22LR target shooters use standard velocity ammo.
Now for the practical part. At 200 yards a one fps difference in muzzle velocity causes 1/10" of vertical spread. The best match ammo invariably has an ES of at least 20 fps, a figure which allows for superb accuracy at 50 yards and very good accuracy out to 100. A 20 fps ES will cause 2" of vertical spread even for a rifle and shooter who can shoot perfectly. The further out the target the greater the difficulty of maintaining MOA accuracy. It is not a simple a geometric increase as the distance increases. What this means is that if you can shoot 1/2" at 50 yards, that doesn't translate to 1" at 100 yards, which is double the distance. In practice the group size will more than double with a doubling of the target distance. In short, if you can shoot 1" groups at 100, that doesn't mean you will get 2" groups at twice the distance.
To sum up, shooting long distance with .22LR has the challenge that MV inconsistency translates into a significant difference in POI. Even if you were fortunate enough to find ammo that was very consistent, which means it has an ES of only 20 fps, that would cause at least 2" groups. That kind of ammo is uncommon. Furthermore, the .22LR is relatively easily affected by wind, which is why serious target shooters use wind flags and must know how to read them.
It can happen, random acts of accuracy do occur, but "all day" is physically impossible due to the (lack of) consistency in factory made rimfire ammunition. A peruse of the following thread on RFC demonstrates this very clearly, where 50 shots are taken at a single target at 200 yards and MV data is recorded with a chronograph. Results in the 4inch range are from the top performers. 2" "all day" just isn't happening. h ttps://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1129343 The following target is an example.
I've seen 4 targets handed in from 200 yards that all hovered right around the 2 inch mark while running a local shoot that was shot with mostly centerfire rifles, my best words of advice to anyone is to get a set of windflags and learn to trust them, the rifle used that day was a remingon 40x shot prone with a sinclair bipod and rear bag, Eley match ammo, S&B scope. there is one time I remember him clearly doing it and I know for fact this isn't the only time he did it. He's a member on these forums and a lot of people could have learnt a lot from him, however these blanket statements with no facts or failed attempts to back peoples claims is what keeps him away from the computer shooting his rifles rather than on the computer shooting his lips.........
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
without the use of my windflags, shooting out to 300 yards with a good spotter I can hold between 1.5 and 6 inches quite easily with a CZ 452 and sorted SK rifle match ammo, I have not tried it at 200 because 300 is the max length of the range and the higher level of challenge for me. the day will come, that we've been practicing for, to set up the long range camera and get it all on film.......learn your gun, learn to shoot....tell us about what you've done, not what you think you know
I too was under the impression that 1050 FPS 40 grain at 300 was the equivalent of .308 155 grain bullets at 1000 in a palma rifle......if we're wrong please correct us, pretty sure that's what I read and hence the reduced rimfire F-class shoots at 1-2-300 meters on appropriately scaled targets
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
As far as I know it's always been 300?
Nice!
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
Actually, when you look at the flow dynamics, a subsonic round experiences supersonic turbulence along it's surface. As the air accelerates around the nose, these turbulent areas do affect the stability of the projectile.
This was discovered on airplane wings long ago.
I'm not saying 1 moa at 200 is an all day thing, I am not a shooter that is even capable of shooting moa all day. But I do enjoy sitting down at the 200 yard bench and lobbing a couple of boxes of 22 downrange at a small dot, just to see how many times I can hit it. To be brutally honest if I take 50 shots at the same target and get outside 1.5 it would annoy me to no end. If someone wants to make a challenge of it I would gladly waste a pile of ammo to do it over and over again.
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
Shooting well is as much mental as it is equipment. If you want it bad enough, and practice, much can be realized. Stretching the legs of a .22 is a very satisfying past time. Ringing a 9" gong at 300 is not beyond most shooters, and can be very satisfying. Keep the youngsters occupied while making the elusive 1 hole 50m groups.
