Long Range .22lr?

[wally]

I've heard of people shooting 22lr at long range -- 300 yards+ as training for much longer ranges with centerfire.

I'm wondering what ammo they use, we pretty much only shoot cheap bulk pack .22lr ammo but being the curious type I tried some long range shooting with an accurate Ruger 10/22 and 12X mildot scope.

Basically it was too easy to hit a 3" plate at 100 yards off sandbags and it seemed to be total luck at 200 yards on a 10" plate, presumably because the bullets went subsonic on their way somewhere past 100 yards.

Do these long range .22lr shooters just use subsonic ammo and live with even more drop? That would be my assumption and what I'll try next as I think I've a few boxes fo CCI subsonic I picked up a gun show a few years ago laying around (somewhere) that I've never shot.

 

[Demi-human]

Do these long range .22lr shooters just use subsonic ammo and live with even more drop?

Yes. Most match grade stuff is subsonic, or rather, standard velocity. There are high velocity match loadings too. I don't think these are quite for long range, though it would largely depend on the firearm and shooter.

 

[jmr40]

I haven't shot at 300, but have done some at 200 or just bit farther. I picked up a used Leupold with dials on it a few years ago. Zeroed it at 50 yards then by trial and error figured out where to spin the dials for 100 and 200 yards. It is on a 10-22, but one with a target barrel and trigger. I've had good luck with 36 gr CCI Mini-Mags in the past at closer ranges and that is what I with me the day I zeroed the scope.

In my rifle I consistently shoot 5 shot 1/2" or better groups at 50 yards and can keep them all in 1" at 100 yards if the wind is calm. In even a mild wind 100 and 200 yard groups are all over the place. At 200 yards I've shot a few 5 shot groups in the 2-2.5" range, but 3"-3.5" are more common. I've started placing clay targets on the ground beyond the 200 yard line at the range where I shoot at random ranges out to 230ish yards. On a good day I'll hit 3 or 4 out of 10 shots. On a bad day, 1 or 2. I don't even try unless the wind is dead calm.

Some of the better quality target ammo might be a little more accurate, but I've not taken the time to figure out where to spin the dials for it. But at 50 and 100 yards the difference I get in my rifle isn't that much better. And when I've shot it at 100 yards the groups are 3-4" lower than the faster 36 gr ammo. I haven't tried it at 200, but I'm not sure I'd be on paper. It could be done, but I've just not taken the time yet.

With a 50 yard zero I have to spin 1 full turn plus 16 clicks just to be zeroed at 200. I'm not sure I have enough adjustment in my scope to get me to 300 yards. But someday I may try.

 

[farmerboy78]

I have a vostok that I had a 10x swfa ss on. Dialed about 75min from a 50yd zero. Was hitting a 4x6" steel consistently

 

[bullzeye8]

Those people most likely use what is commonly referred to as standard velocity ammo. It is typically between 1000 and 1100 fps so it is subsonic but if you have the CCI quiet which is like 700 fps that might be a bit slower than you would want for long range .22. I would recommend picking up a ammo from sk, wolf, eley, lapua, or RWS if you really want to get into long range stuff. You don't need the top end stuff but spending $6-8 for a box of 50 will give you very good ammo that you can do real well with at distance.

 

[Varminterror]

It doesn't take special match grade ammo to get to 300+ yards with a 22LR, but it sure doesn't hurt. Personally, I've found the transsonic transition to be over-rated for 22LR shooting, as the extra ~200fps picks up about 50yrds on the end of my equipment - and when you run out of turret AND reticle under 500yrds, an extra 50yrds makes a difference. A guy has to work pretty hard with his gear, or hold over without reference, to get much past 500yrds with a 22LR.

I run most of my scoped 22LR rifles out to 325yrds, some of them out to 400-500yrds. One of my properties has a ~340yrd berm, and I regularly take my 22LR's out on it, especially my 10/22 Charger pistols. I shoot smaller groups with Eley Club, but I shoot more often with cheap Remington Golden Bullet or Thunderbolt ammo, or CCI Minimags. In that pistol, the Thunderbolt is what I was using on the evening pictured below, it's a 10" gong and an 8" gong. The 8" is right at the edge of my group with that pistol and that ammo at 325yrds, so it makes for a fantastic challenge. Eley club will reliably find its way onto the 8" gong with this pistol, and usually onto a 6" plate, and will start slipping off of the edge of a 5" plate even on my best days. I've had to add new "+/- 20" ring bushings to get to 325 with subsonic Eley Club, whereas Thunderbolt and Mini mags - both supersonic even in the 10" barrel - would reach 350 without the offset inserts. This is with a 20moa EGW rail. I do need to get a better optic on top, leaning towards a MOA/MOA Bushnell Engage 6-24x, as the clarity in the Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x pictured just isn't quite up to snuff.







My current NRL-22 rifle is a Savage Mark II BSEV, restocked into an adjustable Boyd's Pro-Varmint, with a 20MOA Nightforce base and rings, and a Bushnell LRHS 4.5-18x44mm with a G2H reticle. With the 20MOA base, +/-12mil internal, and the 8mil reticle, I should be able to reach 525yrds with super-sonic rounds, but I've only taken it out to 400. I practice the PRS Skills stage with this rifle, 12" squares at 400yrds - helps a lot using the Eley Club or Black. Even though the matches are designed to only run 100yrds for the monthly standard stages, the rest of our stages generally reach out to 300. My son's Savage Mark II FSS, also restocked into a Boyd's Pro-Varmint, isn't set up as well for optics and bases (he's 4), his Bushnell Trophy 3-9x runs out of adjustment and reticle at 325 with the subsonics, perfect for our backyard range.

 

[Gottcha]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/h7rZUhdkadiuT0kh2

Here is my first attempt at 100 yards. Two targets on the right cci standard and blazer

 

[Geno]

I had excellent results to 225 yards with Remington match/target ammo (blue box end). I was using a heavy barreled Ruger M10/22. I limited woodchuck harvesting at 175 yards.

Geno

 

[ontarget]

I tried 200 last week with a 60 year old Springfield bolt action .22 with the scope mounted 90 degrees off so the bolt handle will clear the knob. Now the windage and elevation are flipped but who cares. I was able to hit the 6" steel about 4/10 which was way more than I expected from this gun. Fun as all get out though. Only had to hold over about 6-8 feet. Lol. Good times.

 

[adcoch1]

With my grandfather's old single shot Remington targetmaster me and my brother would regularly hit clays on a berm at 180 yards with the dual diopter sights. Took a bit of adjustment from the 50 yrd zero. Very handy little rifle I am grateful to own. We would usually be using standard velocity ammo from all the big brands and it loved them all