200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

[JoeMartin]

There is a lot of chatter on the rimfire forums these days of .22LR 200 yard shooting, (actual distance - not simulated distance)...

Kind of makes a person wonder if it's common these days to shoot 200 yards. A few years ago I would have never even thought about it with a .22LR, but over the last couple of years it's one of the things I look forward to doing when I want to spend some quality time at the bench.

So the question becomes - have we created this .22LR 200 yard shooting sport over the last 5 to 10 years (lets say), or has it been around for a whole lot longer?

 

[BrettSass844]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Not sure how long people have been pushing the limits of the 22. When I was a kid it seemed like my grandpa and other family had one just for snakes and other critters. Now it is more of a precision hobby, but maybe I just see it that way because I pay more attention to the sport. All I know is it sure is a lot of fun!

 

[budiceale]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

about ten years ago i was a member at a shooting range where a lot of the guys would shoot a scaled down version of the silhouette game with open sighted 22's. they shot the scaled down rams at 200 meters, if i remember right. i don't know how long it had been going on before i found out about it.

 

[budiceale]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

ok i may be wrong. i was just looking at the rules for small bore silhouette matches and they say that the rams are shot at 100 meters. i'm going to check further because i was almost sure those guys at that club(johnson county shooting sports assn....close to cleburn, tx) shot out to 200 meters. a lot of brain cells have died since then

sorry for any bad info.

 

[SmallBoreSnipers]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I remember shooting .22's way out as a little kid. It seems to me like it kinda died down, and then over the past few years has grown back up again. It could be the economy too. I've talked to plenty of guys at the range that just don't want to pay the higher price of centerfire ammo anymore.

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I agree with the economy playing a major role. Same reason handloading is on the rise. We shoot ours .22's at rocks out to about 400 yards

 

[JoeMartin]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

How long has Camp Perry been doing the 200 yard Rimfire on the A21 target? Anyone know?

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

up to about 10 years ago, i thought 100 yards were the outer limits. now it's about 1/3 the distance of what can be consistantly achieved.

i think the biggest reason that more folks are seemingly shoting 200 yards or more is that the manufacturing of rifle and especially ammo are more consistant and quality orientated than before, so that going further out more accurately is more achievable to most than before. you are also able to double your trigger time for less $. by going further with "less" is a good way of getting that centerfire longer distance shooting, all in a consistant quality rimfire setup.

plus theres pure challenge of it. clover leafing or getting sub moa groups at 200 with a .223, .308, other centerfires gets kinda boring, and the rimfires keep you on more your toes more, paying more attention to wind, temp, etc. without breaking the budget.

lastly, with all of the above combined, i think established shooting ranges of 100 and 200 yards are more common and accessable to shoot at, than to find established 500+ yard shooting ranges with centerfires. with the time constraints everyone has these days, it's easier and quicker to put some rimfire rounds out at the average local range than to have to dedicate a road trip to a longer one with the centerfire.

 

[redbullitt]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I am all about it. Good point on the ranges. I have about 500 yards within walking distance, but most people are not that lucky. Centerfire at close ranges like most people have can get kinda of boring to me too. The 22 makes it much more interesting, especially in wind etc. Hell, I take the 22 every time I go and shoot it in between the big ones. It gets more rounds down range than anything I have and lets me keep money in my wallet. There is simply nothing like a suppressed 22 banging steel with a long flight time : )

 

[RTH1800]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I have a complete set of bound AMERICAN RIFLEMAN mags goint back to about 1900 when it was called ARMS AND THE MAN.
After WW 1 rimfire postion shooting became popular with mostly military and ex military guys who had been trained in the armed forces. Others became interested as well. Rimfire ammo was relatively cheap and Savage, Winchester and later Rem made rifles for rimfire postion shooting. One of the events was 200 yard prone. Some matches were called Dewar and Palma. Some great groups were acheived. Matches were everywhere, high schools, colleges, Camp Perry, Sea Girt etc. It is an old sport. I would suspect that there were offhand matches fired with rimfire at 200 yards going back to the days of H.M. Pope. I know Pope made many rimfire barrels.

 

[JoeMartin]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Good information everyone. I wonder if there is any of those old articles from "ARMS AND THE MAN" floating around on the internet? Think I'll do a search.

 

[RicSmith]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

We only started shooting 200 yard 22 about a year ago. we do shoot some bench but we also do prone and i have shot 200 standing off hand. with a good rifle and ammo, plus skill you can do pretty good on a nra SR target. at the last 200 yard match we use the 600 nra reduced to 200 to shoot the match. wind was bad and i fired a 167 our of 200. great fun but cheap i would not think so. good ammo is going up for the 22, better than CF but still steep.
rick

 

[forsyth793]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I Shot a 200 Yard RF Prone Iron Sight Match Yesterday. The Wind Will Kick Your Ass. It is about the same as shooting a .308 Palma with 155's @ 1000 Yards but no reloading......

 

[JoeMartin]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I've not tried Iron Sights at 200 yards with any of my .22's as yet, only scope. However, someday I will, probably next Spring. I think that would be a good challenge for any Iron Sight shooter.

 

[Cserv]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I have just started to try taking it to 200, have been taking my old .22 to 100 regularly, and wanted to stretch it out. Just to see. I'm liking the challenge, just haven't dropped the coin for the high dollar .22 ammo, or rifle w/ a decent trigger, that is needed to be consistent. I am learning that even the slightest wind or change in wind has a major effect at this range. Right now I just shoot home made upper body targets with a 4" circle in the center of the chest, and struggle to keep in and around the circle. Learn alot from here and appreciate all the info, along w/ having a great time shooting every weekend.

 

[JoeMartin]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I don't buy the high dollar end of the subsonic ammo, I like the Eley Sport (1085 fps) and it works pretty darn good in all my bolt action rifles. I've spent anywhere from $2.10 to 2.80 for a box of 50, but I see now that Midway USA has it for $3.29 per 50...

Another ammo option is the Standard Velocity. Aguila Super Extra (1135 fps) also works very well for me. I believe it runs about $2.60 - $2.80 per 50 count, from Midway USA.

There are some subsonic and standard velocity ammo's out there that will work well at 200 yards. In my limited testing I would go no more then 1150 fps when going out to 200 yards, but always prefer 1100 or less fps. Just my findings to date.

At one time I would think that 100 yard .22 shooting was common place and that is why we see the Standard velocities, but we now have the option of the subsonic ammo today. Again, just my observations.

100 and 200 yard shooting is quite enjoyable.

 

[MBass300]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I bought my .22 trainer (a Savage MkII TR) because I wanted to practice cheaply at 100 yds. I ended up getting curious as to how it would do at 200. The groups definitely open up a bit but it is very doable.
Yesterday I had a new personal first. From 100yd zero I dialed out to 200. Then to 300 with pretty good results. From there I used BulletFlight to get me close at 400 and then made adjustments to get on target. Putting several hits on an 8" steel at 400 felt pretty good. I never got that excited about doing that with my .308! Well, maybe the first time. I definitely had to work harder for it!
Who would have thought such a tiny "ping" would be so satisfying?

 

[Rob01]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I call bullshit!

 

[MBass300]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Lol, Really Rob?!?! With the help of a good spotter, anything is possible.

Next time I'll have to try for the 6". I'll just have to make sure I have a good witness in case someone doesn't believe i did it. Lol
Thanks again.

 

[Topstrap]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Guess we'll have to get some video of doing 300 with lil short handguns. 300 really isn't a problem especially with a decent rifle but groups do start opening up pretty good after that but hits on a full size IPSC even with our short guns is possible at 400.

Topstrap

 

[Douglasalways]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

That is pretty amazing Semour Gunz. I haven't tried to shoot out that far yet. The longest I've shot so far is 200 with a zero @ 100 out of my 10/22 with a 16 1/4" stock barrel. So far @ 100 im able to stack bullets in a quarter and a 4" group @ 200.

 

[MBass300]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I am definitely glad I went with the 25 Moa base from Rimfire Technologies. For 400 yds I ended up holding about 15 mils high over my 300yd zero.

 

[Rob01]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

For anyone wondering I was just messing with Semour when I said I call BS. I was spotting his shots while he was shooting. It was pretty cool to see those little specks show up on the white steel.

 

[Oodin]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Less than 2 MOA at 400 yards is very impressive. I'm sure he was glad he had you spotting for him Rob01.

 

[vman]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Stretching the limits of the .22LR is lots of fun... in fact stretching any round out to its limits calls for good times.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I think that rimfire trainers and rimfire training help most when some effort is made to equate rimfire shooting circumstances to those of the centerfire application.

The factor I believe is most significant is Time Of Flight.

I use a BC of .130 and a muzzle velocity of 1100fps as a broad-stroke estmate when calculating TOF for rimfire. I place may target at a distance where the Rimfire TOF is relatively equivalent to the C/F application's TOF.

These days I mostly shoot 200yd with a .222 Rem. For R/F training, my TOF-equivalent target distance works out to about 80yd. To provide a reasonable challenge, I scale my 200yd target by 50% for 80yd R/F training.

My .260/142SMK load reaches 1000yd in 1.45sec. An equivalent TOF-distance for R/F would be just a hair under 250yd. My target scale would allow a 2MOA 10-ring, or roughly a 5" diameter, and should provide a significant challenge.

Greg

 

[Quickoz]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Ive shot my CZ 452 Deluxe with iron sights at a standard Service rifle Target a few times. Those lil mauser style sights work darn well. The graduations on the rear sight base are dead on. I was shooting prone with just sling support. Great practice for shooting 303s and alike.

 

[MBass300]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

Interestng. So if I estimate a MV of 1080fps for a 40gr. bullet I get a TOF to 400 yds of 1.27 seconds. With my .308, a TOF of 1.25 seconds would put me at aproximately 825 yds or so. So is shooting the .22 at 400 yds roughly equivalent to shooting the .308 at 825?

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

i'd say it depends on what you are trying to simulate. to me drop was of greater importance, so this is what i get in drop "simulation" posted a while back:

based on my experience and #'s through my set ups both 22 and 308 and running through a ballistics calculator that matches my range results, i came up with a drop comparison(22lr zeroed at 50 yards, .308 at 100yards,drop in inches). once again, this best matches my data, your numbers will probably differ:

22lr 40gr. .075bc 1040fps / .308win 165grSST .447bc 2600fps

22lr drop .308
50yds 0 = 100yds
75yds 2.8 = 175yds
100yds 8.3 = 240yds
125yds 17.6 = 315yds
150yds 30.8 = 380yds
175yds 47.3 = 450yds
200yds 68.7 = 510yds
225yds 92.5 = 560yds
250yds 123.9 = 630yds
275yds 158.2 = 690yds
300yds 199.9 = 770yds
325yds 248.8 = 820yds
350yds 304.8 = 880yds
375yds 367.9 = 940yds
400yds 437.6 = 987yds

i've commonly shot the .22lr out to 200 yards, and the .308 to around 600, and have found that my drop is comparitively about the same using 22lr at 200yds 5"-6" groups 68"-69" drop, .308 at 550 5-6" groups 68"-69" drop. any numbers i have after 225 yards with the 22lr and 550 with the .308 are based on ballistic table. whatever is below is based on "real" rounds down range and elevation calculations on the amounts of elevation "clicks" on the optic.

i think the biggest benefit of doing the comparison of 22lr/.308win is wind drift, and although i have worked the numbers to do a wind drift comparison of the .22 to my .308, it conficts with my drop chart for the same distance. in the end when shooting longer ranges with the .22lr to simulate a centerfire, you have to pick a catagory of what is of more important to you, then run with it.

i was hoping to get more comparison or simulation data together on a previous thread, but it sort of died out:

my .22lr to .308 win comparison tables

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: 200 Yard .22LR Shooting - Common Place Now Days?

I think our TOFs differ significantly. My R/F TOF to 250-ish is 1.28sec. That would be my 1Kyd equivalent distance.

 

[shootrj2003]

I feel a good deal of older barrels were more than capable of doing it,even on cheaper actions the barrels were really high quality,the old time guys just did not believe in doing crap work,Stevens 44 1/2 actions were superb long range rifles as were the whole line of Walnut Hills ,Remington also was not the joke it became nowadays,there were long ranges here in the east where it was possible and shooting people were not looked on as nuts or right wing wackos ,Democrats were not the communist socialists they are now.

 

[NiteQwill]

I feel a good deal of older barrels were more than capable of doing it,even on cheaper actions the barrels were really high quality,the old time guys just did not believe in doing crap work,Stevens 44 1/2 actions were superb long range rifles as were the whole line of Walnut Hills ,Remington also was not the joke it became nowadays,there were long ranges here in the east where it was possible and shooting people were not looked on as nuts or right wing wackos ,Democrats were not the communist socialists they are now.

Thank you for resurrecting a 12 year old thread... Why?

 

[shootrj2003]

its good subject matter

 

[JG26_Irish]

As a kid, I shot my 22 at many tgts out past 200y. Bottles floating in the creek with iron sights was my favorite. But we never knew the actual distance. Most of our ammo was Remington and Winchester HV hollow point hunting ammo. Fast forward to the present, I had never shot groups with 22lr at 200y or longer until about 2014 when I first found the long distance 6x5 here on the hide. I had bought a few accurate 22's and a pair of 17 rimfires and I wanted to stretch them out. Only in the last four years have I discovered rimfire PRS and that really opened my eyes. Shooting rimfire out to 400y is great fun.

 

[shootrj2003]

Nitequill
I don’t always look at dates when I see an interesting subject I respond like many do,and someone else answers and you have a whole new discussion going with a fresh outlook and perhaps new ideas and technology,have you ever in your life ,discussed something with somebody else that you talked about days,months! Even years ago?Im nearly 70 and have done that many,many times.it is the computer version of “talking over old times” In reality it’s how history is recorded,it does no harm and only seems to bother people who have nothing to do but stick thier noses in other peoples business and conversations .All these old posts are information stored here and if they can’t be responded to they would not have been stored in this electronic memory forever,they would be wasted gigs.If it bothers you,don’t read what we write and discuss About older posts ,your only exhibiting your ignorance.
Jg26-Irish,
thank you for your response terribly sorry we were interupted.,I find also the new found interest in long range .22 an enjoyable sport,finding a long enough range is challenging where I live..

 

[NiteQwill]

Nitequill
I don’t always look at dates when I see an interesting subject I respond like many do,and someone else answers and you have a whole new discussion going with a fresh outlook and perhaps new ideas and technology,have you ever in your life ,discussed something with somebody else that you talked about days,months! Even years ago?Im nearly 70 and have done that many,many times.it is the computer version of “talking over old times” In reality it’s how history is recorded,it does no harm and only seems to bother people who have nothing to do but stick thier noses in other peoples business and conversations .All these old posts are information stored here and if they can’t be responded to they would not have been stored in this electronic memory forever,they would be wasted gigs.If it bothers you,don’t read what we write and discuss About older posts ,your only exhibiting your ignorance.
Jg26-Irish,
thank you for your response terribly sorry we were interupted.,I find also the new found interest in long range .22 an enjoyable sport,finding a long enough range is challenging where I live..

Not all posts are worth responding to. But instead, creating a new post. Nothing in your original post added to the content of this now resurrected thread. Sometimes raising these from the dead creates clutter and unnecessarily pushes down threads that are otherwise useful and relevant.

Ranting about the good ol days, communists, Democrats, socialists, etc. adds zero conversation.

But since you found a reason to reply, so do I.

 

[shootrj2003]

Apparently the other fella thought different,nothing you could is gonna change my answer as I said if it bothers you don’t read.

 

[NiteQwill]

Apparently the other fella thought different,nothing you could is gonna change my answer as I said if it bothers you don’t read.

Continuing to read the nonsense.