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500 yards with my 22 rimfire at Rayners Range

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Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Sep 3, 2009
1,450
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East side of Ohio
My Son and I took a day and went to Rayners Range here is Ohio to check our settings for the various sized and shaped targets he has for the 1000 yard steel plate match. We both haven't done this for a couple years and missed quite a few small high value targets on the first couple of stages last match. We were both off but got them tweaked in and ready to go next time even connecting on the 4 1/2" plates at 900 and 1000 yards.

There weren't too many people there that day and I had brought along my Remington 40-X which is my favorite go to rimfire gun for our local longrange matches. Presently it's in a McCrees stock since it fits me so well but I am a big fan or original wood stocks on the older guns.

Strelok said I needed 94 moa to get to 500 yards, I only have a 30moa mount on the gun and could only dial a total of 92moa with the SWFA 20X MOA-QUAD scope. It was reasonably calm that day which is really rare for Rayners and we're shooting across a couple deep valleys, tree lines and some fields to get there so wind flags are pretty much useless. If you watch in the video as we start to zoom out the flag is nearly straight pointing left at 500 yard line but I was needing to hold for left to right wind coming down thru the valley. Who said longrange is easy and all you have to do is watch the flags? Not in this game and especially at Rayners.

First shot was a bit short and off to the right. I had held 3moa left initially and 2moa high with holder, I increased the hold to 5moa left and a tad over 3 moa high and got a hit. Shot again and another hit on the 16" square.

Told Chris we needed to film this so we set the camera up and got 3 more hits then a miss just low due to a dropped round and the next miss just slightly off the right side then another hit. 4 for 6 on film with 2 previous you have to take my word for. Got Chris behind the gun and he got 2 hits in a row then the wind picked up a bit and we felt it more in our faces and instantly the rounds started dropping in nearly 4 feet low. Very consistent low but the head wind had to be causing this effect. Like Forest Gump would say "and just like that the hits stopped" So we actually got 8 hits for 10 shots before conditions went to pot. I'd say it's pretty plausable hitting a reasonably sized target at those distances for an ELR rimfire match.

The wind kept picking up and shifting speed and directions so we finally gave up. 500 yards on a target that size is possible on a really calm day with decent ammo but not many people I know can judge a 1 or 2 mph wind shift which really affects these little rounds.

We've previously hit some really small targets including the heads of sledge hammers at 235 and 300 and 6"x8" plates pretty consistently at 375 and 400 but I still think 400 is about the limit for any type of hit consistency on targets that size.

It's a pretty cool novelty hitting targets with anything way past what is considered the norm whether it be a 22 rimfire or a big centerfire. The drop for my 40-X at 500 yards was around 475 inches which sounds like a lot but the drop on my 6XC is 273 inches at 1000 yards and we're shooting a lot smaller target. Even at 1 mile which is being done all the time with a 6mm and 6.5mm at one mile is 1457 inches.

I've seen the videos all over Youtube of shooting rimfires at extreme distances but I think there has to be an expectation of reasonably accuracy to call it plausable. The video I watched shooting 900 yards with a 22 rimfire is pretty much artillary shooting and they finally did get a hit. I'm still betting they could keep bad guys pinned down when they started raining down lead all around them with the occasional hit. Pretty cool and I applaud their efforts for stretching their distances.

Whether you are used to poking one hole at 50 yards or shooting thru a small hole to hit a target behind it at 175 or 200 yards or pushing on out to 500 yards and beyond you might have a different view of what is accurate and what is luck. I'd say on a calm day at 500 yards you'd not want to poke your head up from behind a log with someone with a good 22 rimfire. I wouldn't hunt groundhogs or small animals at those distances but I'd sure think about it out to 250 yards or so and be comfortable with a high percentage of kill shots.

Anyway, we had fun trying it out and got lucky with a few minutes of calm weather to get the hits. These little things still amaze me, I feel they are way underrated in accuracy and effectiveness at distances beyond what most think.

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Nice! Nice hits and nice write up. I've only been out to 300 meters with mine, and that only recently, but do know how much fun it is when you are shooting a trusted .22 and doing it well at distance.
 
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Wolf MT, I limit ammo costs to a Max of $8.00/50 at my long-range matches. I've tried some RWS rifle target and it does group better at 200 yards but I still use Wolf in all my long-range rimfire rifles and pistols because I'm stubborn and like to show you don't have to have the most expensive equipment to be competitive.

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Wolf MT, I limit ammo costs to a Max of $8.00/50 at my long-range matches. I've tried some RWS rifle target and it does group better at 200 yards but I still use Wolf in all my long-range rimfire rifles and pistols because I'm stubborn and like to show you don't have to have the most expensive equipment to be competitive.

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I'm on board with that. I'm still very new to LR .22 LR shooting, but got lucky that my rifle shoots CCI Standard really well. I've purchased a few of the higher end .22 LR Match loads and looked at the real high end stuff, but for now, I'll take the very nice and consistent results I'm getting and say thank you.
 
CCI SV WORKS FOR ME$ 4.00 FOR 50.
 
So how far out are you guys saying that the cci "works"? It works for me if I'm plinking but it doesn't work for me at extended distances.
 
CCI is a decent backup ammo for me, velocity is very similar to the Wolf with about the same settings but there will be more dropped rounds in a box. It'll shoot pretty good and then you'll have one drop in 3 inches under the target. Very few times do we ever get one that is faster but overall it's a pretty decent ammo but do expect at least 3 to 4 in a box to drop in low. Not too bad when it happens on a larger target but when you're getting near center hits and are finishing up a rack of descending circles that lower velocity round will be a miss. The more you spend on rimfire ammo usually the less dropped rounds you get. I just live with expecting a couple in each box of Wolf and hope it's not on a tiny target way out there.

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I get drops too. If I'm serious about my targets I'll shoot something else. Shoot a buch of cci unsupported because I suck way worse than the ammo lol
 
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So how far out are you guys saying that the cci "works"? It works for me if I'm plinking but it doesn't work for me at extended distances.
I've been using it out to 300 meters (328 yards) in my Savage MK II. I don't disagree that there are a couple dropped shots per box, but for the price I can shoot a lot of this with good results. 1 hole at 50 yards and 1" or so groups at 100.
 
I agree with your statement about 400 yards be the reliable limit on 22. I was hitting a 8x10 target about 80% of the time at 400 at Southington Hunt Club last month with my Ruger Precision Rimfire with gold metal ultra match. The elevation was maxed out and I was still having to hold 2.5 mils high. I might have been able to go farther but not reliably.
 
Considering that my hold for 300 meters is 17.5 mils, 3 of which I held on the reticle since dialing stopped about 14.5-14.8, I consider that to be "at distance". It is no 500 yards for sure. I'd need probably another 15+ mils to do that and don't have the scope for it.

FWIW, I shot it (CCI SV) in a small local match I held and placed 2nd to a very seasoned shooter that was indeed using Wolf. However, two of the other competitors were also using Wolf and my 2nd was quite a few points above their third+.
 
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I love that range. It's about 45 minutes from me, and where I shoot to 1k and shoot the occasional match.

The short range to your right would be perfect for a 22 trainer, but never considered the 500-600 line! Very cool video as well. I was just shooting to 225 this morning. I can't get enough.

Maybe I'll see you guys in a couple weeks at the next match.
 
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Great shooting there Topstrap. Looks like a lot of fun. I love shooting my 22s.


I shot mine at 200 yards for the first time this weekend. Nothing great, but at least I was on target.

S0Ot2RG.jpg


My target’s the white one on the left half of the range.

8Joolgm.jpg


Shooting SK Standard Plus on this target. Not great, but I was glad to just get on the paper.

GPke5kq.jpg


Here’s my best group at 100. I think I yanked a couple.

KaUSleN.jpg
 
Good shooting Srgt.! It looks to me that the high 12 and high right bullet holes are from a .30 caliber something and not .22 impacts.
 
Good shooting Srgt.! It looks to me that the high 12 and high right bullet holes are from a .30 caliber something and not .22 impacts.

Thank Lash. I haven’t shot it but just a couple times at 100 yards.
I double checked the target. Nope, I was shooting 10 round groups, and that’s two 22s. I was hoping you were right. ?
 
Went yesterday put 1/5 scale targets a 200 meters .
WIND WAS TERRIBLE .
But learning a new gun.
RPR 22LR .
Misser more than I hit


how big is the group at 200 SARGENT
 
Nice I love shooting .22 and .17 longer than normal. Tons of fun and low cost. What ammo are you running?
 
I agree with your statement about 400 yards be the reliable limit on 22. I was hitting a 8x10 target about 80% of the time at 400 at Southington Hunt Club last month with my Ruger Precision Rimfire with gold metal ultra match. The elevation was maxed out and I was still having to hold 2.5 mils high. I might have been able to go farther but not reliably.
I'll be heading out to southington for the first time myself. Any .22 precision matches out there? Seems like their FB page is best place for info.
 
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4 shots at 10 o’clock to the reticle centre dot , 5th Shot landed in a previous CF impact , 500 meters
( approx 550 yards ) . Shot by multiple World Champion Stuart Elliott , testing a prototype optic .
Rifle was a sleeved BRNO mk1 action with a Shilen barrel . Apologies for poor camera phone optical
quality . Plate is hung canted .

EDIT : ammo was Lapua Midas .
 

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Nicely written post. I enjoyed reading it. I recently got back from a prairie dog shooting adventure in New Mexico, then Wyoming , and then South Dakota. (I was traveling on business and allowed two days for shooting in each of those states)
I shot many prairie dogs out to 225-250 yards with a CZ 455. I had one confirmed kill at 308 yards with the CZ. That was dialing 14 mil’s and holding 4 mil’s for a full value wind from the left.
I found that to be even more fun than the 810 yard prairie dog I killed with the 6.5 cm
 
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