Old 22: What groups can be expected on paper?

darcy32171

darcy32171

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Might sound like a stupid question, but: With an old Lakefield Mossberg Mark 2 repeater....with a scope installed....what can a person expect for groups when target practicing at 50-100 yards. I know the new 22`s "eg: ruger 10/22" are accurate, but what about these old guns?
I didn`t spend a whole lot of time sighting it in at 50 yards, but my grouping was about 1.25" wide and 2" tall. I see guys post up targets with maybe 5-10 shots within a nickel size group.
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Old guns can shoot great. While ive not had a lakefield to compare, here's some groups I shot with a cooey 82 last summer. These are at 25m and 50m respectively, and were shot with the issue peep sight and thick front post. Not bad... And I only tried one type of ammo in this gun, so it may have tightened up even more with it's favorite ammo.

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These are fine .22's. The basic design is still in production today by Savage. Not worth millions, as they sold many OTC in Stores like Canadian Tire. Worth enough that the EE is flooded with 10/22's, but not many of these...

I have welded the world's worst knob for mine...I shoot it with [bad] iron sights, and it's still very accurate. It was "scope weekend", but it got overlooked. I'll be popping "see through" rings on w/3-9 [permanently set at 7] scope soon enough.

Enjoy it! Magazines are still made new too, by Savage.


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obviously you're no connoisseur...

ok, in "real life", the bolt handle came with no knob. I had 6 nuts that fit...I threaded them all on a long bolt. Applied the fine beads you see. Voila...a star is born.

Should I ever sell this gem, I'll have to keep "camster's-super-awesome-tactical" knob here...
 
I have 2 Mark IIs and found them very deadly out at 100 yards with a 3x9x scope. Thousands of gophers have fallen to its graces and still it shoots under 2 inch at 100 yards with regular ammo.. But then i do not paper shoot often. The savage mags work just fine in the old girls.
And i traded away my 10/22 for these two and never looked back.
 
That gun has good potential, assuming there isn't something wrong with it. Make sure the bore looks good, crown not damaged and stock is tight. Try some different ammo and see what it likes. I'd lay odds that it shoots more accurately than a 10/22.
 
Thanks for the comments guys! Yes I have already bought a new 10 shot clip for it and installed a scope on it. It hasn`t been used for a very long time and needed the rust shot out of it lol. Its getting better all the time. I tore apart the extractor arms and cleaned/filed them and now have no extractor issues. I was about to buy a 10/22 then I inherited this from my Dad and love it. There will be NO 10/22 in this household. This old girl has already made friends with my new Savage Axis 22-250 and they go everywhere together.
 
The subject of 22 rifles just can't be meaningfully seperated into "old," and "new," as to accuracy.
I doubt if any top of the line modern 22 rifle is any more accurate than were the top of the line from way back.
I'm thinking of the many variations of the Model 52 Winchester, Remington 40X and the match grade BSA Martina.
 
Ya gotta keep in mind that a lot of shooters showing their 1/2" MOA groups are assuming that you'll realize that:
-it's off a bench
-it is off some sort of rest...maybe even a leadsled
-they are using premium ammo
-they have LOTS of shooting experience.
In truth this is a bugaboo of mine...all the postings of wonderful groups without a bit of info on what went into them...leaving the newbie with his box stock .22, likely shooting offhand wondering what he's doing wrong or if his guns a dud.
 
bobtodrick said:
Ya gotta keep in mind that a lot of shooters showing their 1/2" MOA groups are assuming that you'll realize that:
-it's off a bench
-it is off some sort of rest...maybe even a leadsled
-they are using premium ammo
-they have LOTS of shooting experience.
In truth this is a bugaboo of mine...all the postings of wonderful groups without a bit of info on what went into them...leaving the newbie with his box stock .22, likely shooting offhand wondering what he's doing wrong or if his guns a dud.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've used my stock 10/22 to shoot out to 100 yards or more for gophers and ground hogs, and even some barn pigeons with excellent results. I don't shoot paper to measure groups, but will just to see how it fairs against my dad's Lakefield and another old single shot I have.
 
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