First time out to the range, noob questions (sorry!)

thegrandpoohbah

thegrandpoohbah

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I am the proud owner of a pretty much brand new (thanks DocBurN!) 10/22 in a Boyd's Evo stock with a 16" Green Mountain SS fluted barrel. I went out to the range today and shot mostly at 25 yards and was getting 5 shot groups of around 1" with the exception of a few fly aways (like I said, noob). I managed to squeeze off 70 rounds but the cold got to me and I had to call it a day. I purchased two Butler Creek steel lips magazines last weekend and they seem to work flawlessly so far. At the recommendation of the guy at Backcountry I only loaded 20 rounds at a time in order to break in the springs. Is this really necessary?

My main problems were with the scope. It is a Bushnell Trophy XLT 3-9x40. At 25 yards I had difficulty adjusting it so that both the target and the crosshairs were in sharp focus. Is this just a limitation of the optical properties of the scope?

The other issue was that even at 25 yards I was using the maximum magnification. When I tried shooting at 50 yards I couldn't make out the 1" grid pattern on my target nor could I see where my shots were hitting. I was just shooting blind at the center of the target.

So what am I doing wrong with the scope? Or are my eyes just really that bad?
 
You can focus a rifle scope. The eyepiece should turn (not the magnification adjustment). Stand a few few away from a neutral coloured, well lit, wall. Turn the eyepiece until the reticle is focused.

The point of the neutral couloured wall is that it gives your eye nothing to focus on but the reticle, get the reticle focused and then never touch the eyepiece focus again.


Even doing this you will probably have issues focusing both reticle and target below about 100 yards. The reason being is that your scope sounds like a centerfire scope with a parallax setting of 150 yards. Rimfire scopes have a parallax setting usually around 60 yards. Try shooting your scope at minimum magnification.

As for not making out a grid pattern. Was it just out of focus? I can make out a light target grid pattern at 200 meters just fine with 9 power, something is wrong if you can't at 50.
 
My main problems were with the scope. It is a Bushnell Trophy XLT 3-9x40. At 25 yards I had difficulty adjusting it so that both the target and the crosshairs were in sharp focus. Is this just a limitation of the optical properties of the scope?
Click to expand...

Yes, the eyepiece adjustment is only to get the crosshairs sharp, it isn't meant to focus the target. If you want to shoot at maximum magnification at only 25 yards, you should have a scope with adjustable parallax.
 
I might add, the focus on the eyepiece of most scopes is stiff in warm temps, it might feel positively jammed if you try to do this outside in cold weather. I usually do my best to get the focus set indoors, then make minor adjustments if necessary outside. You might want to consider a scope with an adjustable objective, as stubblejumper suggested, if you're going to be shooting under 100 yards. And most .22lr shooters are.
 
Vortex makes a couple of variable scopes under $200. Look for AO in the product description (adjustable objective). I though I got it from One Shot Tactical but I don't see them listed anymore.
 
Thanks for the input. I had the eyepiece adjusted before I went out but I guess I should start looking at a proper rimfire scope with the adjustable objective. Does anyone know if I can get a 3-9 or 4-12 x 40 AO in silver?

I will go out again tomorrow and test again at 50 yards. I am pretty sure I had it adjusted properly but I could be wrong. I just know I couldn't make out the grid pattern at all even at 9x.
 
Ok, the second outing was much more successful. I ran a hundred rounds of Federal bulk through the two mags without any FTF or FTE issues. I managed to adjust the scope a little better and even got a couple of penny sized 5 shot groups at 25 yards. At this range I was able to pick off spent shotgun shell casings with relative ease. 50 yards was still a little dicey, I can now make out the grid lines but I obviously need a lot more practice. I definitely won't be shooting at 100 yards anytime soon. Still thinking a more powerful scope with AO might be in my future. Or perhaps I will do that for the next build. Kinda been eyeing the Savage Mark II TR...

One last question, I thought I read somewhere that you can't/shouldn't shoot CCI Stingers with a Green Mountain barrel but now I can't find it. Does anyone know if this is OK or not? I recall something about how the Stingers have a longer casing which might cause problems. Would someone please clarify for me?
 
You might shoot better with a scope that has an adjustable objective lens. I had a Bushnell Trophy about 15 years ago IIRC it had parallax set for 100 yds.

Regarding the CCI Stingers, they have an overall length greater than the standard .22 lr cartridge. This is ok in most .22s but a match or Bentz chamber as used in the GM barrel may not function reliably with them. If you must use HV ammunition CCI mini mags would be a better choice.
 
Welcome from Ft St John. As far as the magazine goes, I've never heard to load only 20 rds to break it in. I have the same mag that I bought this summer and loaded it up with 25 right from the start, never any problems. As far as the scope goes, the objective lens can be adjusted, it's just not quite as easy or obvious how to do it as with an AO scope. Here is a thread from a while ago that describes how to do it.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...0-yard-paralax-scope-on-22-bad-news-NEED-help
I can't take credit for the info, I just read it elsewhere and tried it. I now have a cheap Tasco focused to 25 yards and it works great.
Kristian
 
Thanks turbo_bird, the info comes a little too late though. I found a buyer who wanted my scope and rings and offered a very fair price. I also sold the CCI Stingers and actually made a $2 profit! So I am going to put the money towards a scope with AO since I will mostly be shooting at 25 and 50 yards. I'm thinking a Bushnell Banner 4-12x40 AO should suit my needs just fine without breaking the bank.

What about rings? There are so many choices out there. I keep seeing the Burris Signature Zee rings mentioned. Would these be a good choice: http://www.cabelas.ca/index.cfm?pageID=71&&section=1195&section2=1377&ID=27920? Is the 1" high the one I want? The old rings are about 0.5" from the mount to the bottom of the scope. The 1" medium looks like it would fit but may be a bit tight to the barrel.
 
Similiar to a pistol, only one plane is supposed to be in focus. In the case of a rifle scope, it's the cross hairs. The target isn't meant to be in perfect focus, as it's your eyes that can't focus on 2 planes, though scopes make it seem like they do, one will be out of focus. With a pistol, only your front sight is to be in focus, the target is supposed to be blurry.

As for the magazines... I've never been a big fan of any of the Ruger 10/22 mags, plastic metal or jello... I've found they all provide poor performance. There's always a misfeed or other problem. So I switched to a Pietta. Those drum mags consistently dump all 50 with no issues, and the 30 are perfection.... Sorry, know that wasn't what you wanted to hear...
 
Hey grandpoohbah. Im in a similar situation as you, just bought my first .22 rifle, a 10/22 with a Dlask receiver and Green Mountain Barrel. I can definitely attest to people saying not to use cci stingers. I went to the range the first time last week and put 50 rounds of the cci stingers through it. I had a jam or stovepipe every 3-4 shots. Next time I will definitely try match grade ammo, even though its pricier. I'm also looking at scopes and the Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 Rimfire Model has caught my eye. I'm curious as well about which rings are best. I'm glad you made this posting as I've already learned some new things.
 
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