Don't use Stinger or Velocitor ammunition in an Anschutz.
Opinions please on best .22 rimfire ammo for gophers at 75 to 150 yards
- Thread starter randyhub
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Don't use Stinger or Velocitor ammunition in an Anschutz.
I went through a lot of different .22LR in my Anschutz 64 before settling on Winchester Power-Point 40gr X22LRPP for gophers. I had a Ruger 10/22 briefly and it didn't like that ammo, so I shot cheap federal bulk ammo through it and then sold it. I can't say enough abut .17HMR for gophers, and I think it compliments a quality .22 like your Anschutz quite well, being able to reach out to 150 with more devastating terminal effects.
Apologies... Mainly I was advising against using it in a semi - cycles the action too hard. But I've never had a problem with it in ANY bolt gun. If an Anschutz is such a delicate flower that it can't handle slightly hot ammo, then it's a good reason to buy a CZ.
Using HV 40 grain ammo with a velocity of 1200 fps IMO sighting in at 25 yards gives over 8" drop at 100. It is worthwhile to find the best ammo and then check your velocities and do your own trajectory research. As the sight in changes through 50, 75 and 100 your trajectory changes so that it is worthwhile to know these figures.
With a 100 yard zero, your mid range trajectory is about 3" high in the 60 - 70 yard range. This is fine when your target is vertical but you would be high with a horizontal target.
With a 75 yard zero, your mid rage trajectory is a little over 1" high and you are roughly 3" low at 100.
With a 100 yard zero, your mid range trajectory is about 3" high in the 60 - 70 yard range. This is fine when your target is vertical but you would be high with a horizontal target.
With a 75 yard zero, your mid rage trajectory is a little over 1" high and you are roughly 3" low at 100.
^great advice. When I was setting-up my gopher gun and had found what ammo it liked most, I zeroed my Sightron S1 (HHR reticle) @ 50 yards, but set-up a target @ 75 yards as well. Goal was to see the difference, and to see if the reticle was of any use +/- without having to adjust the exposed turrets. Once in the field, with wind to contend with and gophers at all distances, it became obvious that the practice was good, but quick range guestimations/holdover sort of became intuitive. I'll be honest~I was mostly too excited to use the range finder/adjust the scope anyway...I knew it's 50 yard zero was spot-on and they were a willing enough target (most times) to stay where they are if the bullet landed a little short. Glass was clear enough to see the impact so basically...I almost never missed the same gopher twice.
Wow.... I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're just ignorant (look it up, and don't be insulted).
Also read, and understand, this article: http://www.rrdvegas.com/stinger.html
The Stinger round has a longer case than a standard .22LR, it doesn't physically fit in a match chamber. This is a bad idea, for the reasons covered in my reloading manual and the RRD link. Now you can't claim ignorance, so don't be stupid
colonel3006
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Argued with a buddy of mine a few years ago about him constantly shooting stingers in his marlin 60. I had read as soon as I got mine that the factory plastic buffer couldn't take it and I told him that but he kept saying he'd shot lots out of it and they were fine. Got a call from him one night asking if I still had a spare one. after enough stingers the bolt finally smashed it and when cycling he said it just clunked every shot.
Wow.... I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're just ignorant (look it up, and don't be insulted).
Also read, and understand, this article: http://www.rrdvegas.com/stinger.html
The Stinger round has a longer case than a standard .22LR, it doesn't physically fit in a match chamber. This is a bad idea, for the reasons covered in my reloading manual and the RRD link. Now you can't claim ignorance, so don't be stupid
CCI Stingers have 0.700" case length and 0.2275" case diameter
A Match barrel has a 0.6876" chamber before tapering at a 1.5 Degree angle to 0.2256"
The upshot?
No, it will not "crimp" the bullet case. It might slightly mar the brass, to the tune of 0.0019" - which is small enough that it is within tolerances of most machine tools that ream out the match chambers.
If they have it at the local shop grab some eley ammo. Eley "contact" outshot cci standards consistently by a slight margin. Eley "force" was better yet. These results were also the same between 3 differently set up 10/22's and my savage mark2. There is the odd pack of cci's that are extra waxy. It just gummed up my bolt action. I haven't had good luck with federal ammo recently either, it shoots reliably but groups open up significantly. That being said within say ,about 70 yards it's all in the gopher kill zone.
The WW Dynapoints have a big hollow point and good speed, I'd try those if I could find them. Might be fairly accurate in a match type chamber. Another one that might be good and accurate is SK hv hp, they are good out of my CZ but doesn't seem to picky as it shoots a few hv ammo real well.
I can confirm that Quickshok and Stinger both have the same longer case, however the Velocitors do not and the band is not a bunch ahead of normal SV lead ammo. I wouldn't be worried about Velocitors in your fancy chambered rifle, they have the shortest OAL as well out of 5 I measured.
Chamber the stingers and see if you get rifling marks and come to your own conclusions, pretty hard to blow up a rimfire I'd think.
I can confirm that Quickshok and Stinger both have the same longer case, however the Velocitors do not and the band is not a bunch ahead of normal SV lead ammo. I wouldn't be worried about Velocitors in your fancy chambered rifle, they have the shortest OAL as well out of 5 I measured.
Chamber the stingers and see if you get rifling marks and come to your own conclusions, pretty hard to blow up a rimfire I'd think.
Where you getting that chamber spec?
Anschütz runs a 0.619" long chamber, Win 52 D Match is 0.580"
The bullet can also shear and be pushed back into the casing. Right, .22 LR chamber design isn't exactly like centerfire with the throat to jam up the end of the casing, the effect will be more like squeezing the brass down. Match bores will run 0.217" or less, leade angles vary between chamber designs. There is potential to compress the casing by 0.0105" or more, if it extends past the leade.My favorite bulk gopher ammo in a 10/22 is winchester 222/333/555. Yes there are some flyers, but excepting those it will typically group very well at 50 yards. That's why they work well in a semi: follow up shots. For gophers out to 75/90 yards it works pretty well for me. The nice thing about it is, if you connect, it has enough expansion to put them down. Most likely, your bolt gun will be more accurate at longer ranges, but for me, I can take out 2x as many on average with a 10/22.
And by the way, though it has it's haters, the 10/22 is still the most popular .22's when it comes to gophers for good reasons.
And by the way, though it has it's haters, the 10/22 is still the most popular .22's when it comes to gophers for good reasons.
Where you getting that chamber spec?
Anschütz runs a 0.619" long chamber, Win 52 D Match is 0.580"
And even with that much compression, the potential for a dangerous over-pressure condition is negligible. With the shallow taper of the throat and very short distance the brass is engaging it over, at most you'll get some slight scoring from the lands of the rifling (less than the thickness of a piece of paper) at the very edge of the case. The metal of the barrel is so much harder than the brass, it won't damage the rifling either.
Now, will it fire the ammo accurately? *shrug* maybe, maybe not. My experience with the high velocity SHP's is that "it depends" and you basically don't find out until shooting it. Out of the dozen (or so) bolt .22s I have, only a couple fire it well (my CZ and, oddly, a really old Cooey).
But there is simply no need to panic about over-pressure or throat damage in a bold gun with this stuff. Semis are a different story altogether. 22 semis are blowback action, and the extra velocity and pressure of the round is directly translated into higher bolt velocity while cycling. You can fire dozens, even hundreds, of rounds without noticing a problem, but over time you'll beat up the action, especially the bolt stop or buffer.
Manufacturers put all kinds of warnings in all kinds of places. A lot of it is simply providing extra excuses for voiding warranties.
But the truth is a .22 bolt action chamber is quite possibly the most overbuilt chamber - relative to cartridge power - in the shooting sports. It is, for practical purposes, virtually impossible to create a dangerous over-pressure condition with any factory ammo in any factory action.
Recommendation #1: I haven't lived in dog land for many years. A good rifle and a good scope with a graduated reticle certainly helps if you are capable of somewhat accurate range estimates; or use a range finder if you have time. Practice using the scope graduations at various ranges so as to become familiar with any required hold over (under). I would recommend that you zero for 65-75 yards. CCI stingers are a good choice for the lead delivery notices you send out.
Recommendation #2. Dress up in a prairie dog costume and carry a hockey stick with several nails in the blade.
Recommendation #2. Dress up in a prairie dog costume and carry a hockey stick with several nails in the blade.
