Actually, a bit of a myth there. Older .22s, maybe. I can't think of a modern .22 that isn't safe to dry fire. CZ, Ruger, Savage, all list their rimfires as safe to dry fire in their manuals. The tolerances are much better. Not many new rimfires have the firing pin strike the chamber anymore.
New Shooter Seeking Feedback on 22lr Groups
- Thread starter Lastcar
- Start date
Actually, a bit of a myth there. Older .22s, maybe. I can't think of a modern .22 that isn't safe to dry fire. CZ, Ruger, Savage, all list their rimfires as safe to dry fire in their manuals. The tolerances are much better. Not many new rimfires have the firing pin strike the chamber anymore.
On the contrary...I was hoping to never clean them. ;-)
I finally bought some cleaning supplies thinking I really should clean these rifles at some point. Maybe 70 rounds down the .270, 40 down the 7mm Rem Mag and 150 through the shotgun. Still haven't cleaned the shotgun.
22lr had around 400 down it before its first cleaning. And even that was to just get the hang of cleaning the guns. Plan is to let the 22lr marinate in its own juices until it proves to be unhappy. I get the idea group sizes will give you a hint when it wants a bath. No idea if I am on the right track with this, buts its my plan.
Tried some Federal Game shock today and it wasn't half bad. I only picked up 50 rounds to try though.
What I did discover today was placement of the fore stock in the rest is critical. I tried various spots and made sure it was in the same place each shot. Found out that in the rest 8 inches back was best, and I managed to substantially bring down group size from having it rested back towards the mag.
What I did discover today was placement of the fore stock in the rest is critical. I tried various spots and made sure it was in the same place each shot. Found out that in the rest 8 inches back was best, and I managed to substantially bring down group size from having it rested back towards the mag.
For Hunting try CCI MiniMags, both HP and Solids.
For accuracy use Standard Velocity.
CCI Select at 1200 fps gave me 1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards from a Marlin 39 Mountie.
Buy five boxes of each at your LGS and shoot 10 - 5 shot groups at 50 yards or meters. Do not switch ammo until that box is finished.
Regardless of what some will argue, a Bore Snake will give a consistent starting point with each ammo, and the barrel will have enough of a coating in the first 5 rounds.
When you buy one box make certain they have enough stock that you can buy a few bricks until you run out and have to conduct a similar test later.
For accuracy use Standard Velocity.
CCI Select at 1200 fps gave me 1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards from a Marlin 39 Mountie.
Buy five boxes of each at your LGS and shoot 10 - 5 shot groups at 50 yards or meters. Do not switch ammo until that box is finished.
Regardless of what some will argue, a Bore Snake will give a consistent starting point with each ammo, and the barrel will have enough of a coating in the first 5 rounds.
When you buy one box make certain they have enough stock that you can buy a few bricks until you run out and have to conduct a similar test later.
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
It sounds like you need to bed the action (optional) and free float the barrel (critical). Can you slip a bill (old paper one) between the forestock and the barrel all the way back? If not a little sanding may be in order. Also are the action screws tightened equally?
I don't think my advice is much of a departure from what's been said already, but a few things come to mind. (in no particular order)
1. Seems to be mostly fast ammo you're running there and for accuracy in a Savage, I'd be looking for standard velocity stuff. CCI Standard Velocity and Federal Gold Medal Target are both ones that shoot well in my guns. Don't hesitate to sample some match grade stuff if you see it on the shelf as the only option. CCI Green Tag comes to mind. I think you'll find CCI Standard Velocity will shoot well though.
2. What magnification did you have the scope set at? Assuming it's set at 8x. If it's set lower, it might be more difficult to be finding center target consistently, or one shot to the next.
3. I don't know what your experience level is, but I see lots of new shooters "pulling" the trigger. It's better to try and increase the pressure on the trigger slowly so that the gun doesn't move. You'd arrive on this conclusion yourself, but thought I'd throw it out there.
4. Breathing~some shooters hold their breath when they shoot, some only shoot on the exhale, some don't care either way.
Not saying which is best for you, but be aware of what you're doing, then mix it up and see if the results change.
5. Your "hold"~one thing I have to force myself to NOT do is lean on the stock with my cheek. Old habits die hard though. WHEN I do lean on it, I find my groups open up. When I gently have my face against it to get consistent eye relief (distance eye-to-scope) things go allot better.
6. Last...and maybe most important; tight groups are great, and a goal on it's own if you plan on being a target shooter only, and especially if you hope to compete. BUT, for a field gun...how important is it? I'd say you should be trying to get everything inside the 1" ring @ 50 yards if you plan on hunting with that rifle. Smaller groups, and small groups in general at greater distances req. a different grade of rifle, AND ammo. Guess my point is this~have some fun with the rifle, mix-up the types of targets you're shooting...try some offhand shooting...reactive targets...and so-on. All the advice in the world won't improve your results if you don't have a pile of trigger time with the gun. It doesn't need to be a stressful bench-shooting session trying to get tight groups either. If you want one-hole, 100 yard groups~take-up reloading with your .270. The .22lr is a versatile, fun caliber but it has it's limitations. For me, I consider it's useful range to be about 75 yards with standard velocity ammo. It starts dropping fast beyond that.
I could keep rambling...but I think that's enough rambling for now. If different/better ammo (and some of these ideas in this thread) don't tighten-up your groups, there is a small chance there could be an issue (crown?) with the gun.
1. Seems to be mostly fast ammo you're running there and for accuracy in a Savage, I'd be looking for standard velocity stuff. CCI Standard Velocity and Federal Gold Medal Target are both ones that shoot well in my guns. Don't hesitate to sample some match grade stuff if you see it on the shelf as the only option. CCI Green Tag comes to mind. I think you'll find CCI Standard Velocity will shoot well though.
2. What magnification did you have the scope set at? Assuming it's set at 8x. If it's set lower, it might be more difficult to be finding center target consistently, or one shot to the next.
3. I don't know what your experience level is, but I see lots of new shooters "pulling" the trigger. It's better to try and increase the pressure on the trigger slowly so that the gun doesn't move. You'd arrive on this conclusion yourself, but thought I'd throw it out there.
4. Breathing~some shooters hold their breath when they shoot, some only shoot on the exhale, some don't care either way.
Not saying which is best for you, but be aware of what you're doing, then mix it up and see if the results change. 5. Your "hold"~one thing I have to force myself to NOT do is lean on the stock with my cheek. Old habits die hard though. WHEN I do lean on it, I find my groups open up. When I gently have my face against it to get consistent eye relief (distance eye-to-scope) things go allot better.
6. Last...and maybe most important; tight groups are great, and a goal on it's own if you plan on being a target shooter only, and especially if you hope to compete. BUT, for a field gun...how important is it? I'd say you should be trying to get everything inside the 1" ring @ 50 yards if you plan on hunting with that rifle. Smaller groups, and small groups in general at greater distances req. a different grade of rifle, AND ammo. Guess my point is this~have some fun with the rifle, mix-up the types of targets you're shooting...try some offhand shooting...reactive targets...and so-on. All the advice in the world won't improve your results if you don't have a pile of trigger time with the gun. It doesn't need to be a stressful bench-shooting session trying to get tight groups either. If you want one-hole, 100 yard groups~take-up reloading with your .270. The .22lr is a versatile, fun caliber but it has it's limitations. For me, I consider it's useful range to be about 75 yards with standard velocity ammo. It starts dropping fast beyond that.
I could keep rambling...but I think that's enough rambling for now.
If different/better ammo (and some of these ideas in this thread) don't tighten-up your groups, there is a small chance there could be an issue (crown?) with the gun.Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet but wind has a huge impact on 22 accuracy. Recommend you look at the sticky about "reading the wind" (at least to get a feel for how much your bullet drifts on a windy day, sometimes it can be very frustrating....).
I did a bunch of research on whether it was safe to dry fire my Savage Mk2, and couldn't find anything definitive. Some people say it's fine and some say it's not. I've seen pictures posted showing a dent where the firing pin hits. Definitely nothing in the manual saying it's ok.
I found a neat trick that I've been using a variation of. I'd put a link to it but don't remember where I saw it. Someone put a thick o-ring at the base of the mushroom shaped thing at the back of the bolt. I've been using a rubber band wrapped around a couple of times. It definitely cushions the pin strike.
I found a neat trick that I've been using a variation of. I'd put a link to it but don't remember where I saw it. Someone put a thick o-ring at the base of the mushroom shaped thing at the back of the bolt. I've been using a rubber band wrapped around a couple of times. It definitely cushions the pin strike.
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
It is perfectly safe to dry fire almost all modern firearms. I say almost all as there may somewhere be one that isn't safe but I have never seen or heard of it
If you are worried about it do the o-ring thing or just use plastic drywall anchors (#8's IIRC but don't quote me)
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