• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

long range .22 lr

RUMrunner

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 25, 2012
150
1
32
Duluth, MN
What's the longest you all practice with your .22's? My friend and I were ringing steel at 485 this weekend. couldn't quite figure out the 600 yard gong yet. We'll give it another try next time we're at the range.
 
What's the longest you all practice with your .22's? My friend and I were ringing steel at 485 this weekend. couldn't quite figure out the 600 yard gong yet. We'll give it another try next time we're at the range.

What size target were you shooting at?

A friend and I shot out to 300 with bulk blazer at a 10in gong saturday, didnt bother trying past that.
 
Not much sense in shoot any firearm much beyond the effective killing range of the caliber. All that can be learned from a .22RF can be learned at 200 yards. Beyond that, it is just wasting ammo in my opinion.
 
I think to really learn, shooting at paper is imperative. If not we are forced to re learn over and over the same lessons. I find it easiest to use the Kestrel prior to firing a shot. Check and note density altitude, temp and wind. Then check every 30 min or so and note changes.

Note sight settings, wind deflections, light conditions, ammo etc.

I do this on a scratch pad and then re write it neatly in my rifle specific log book as neatly as I can later at home. Then, next time I go to range, I can look at past data and make better corrections PRIOR to firing a shot. I like to make first round cold bore shots, as that is what filed shooting is all about.

Hope this helps.
 
20" steel at 500yds, you can't even hear the impact at that range, I just paint it flat white, and read the lead splats.
 
A couple buddies and i have shot at a 10" gong at 300 but never really went beyond that yet may not be practical but we like the challenge
 
We were shooting at a steel cut out of a ram, slightly smaller than life size i'd say. perhaps i shouldn't have said "practice" it's more for fun. I find It fun to push the limits, of course it's not practical to use a .22 lr for anything but toying around beyond 200. I may try a walkie at the target next time to better hear the shots, but the paint is the ticket like Tacsnipe said. Even if you don't agree with using a .22 at that range you should try it once, it's exciting to know you can put a round on target at an unreasonable range for the gun you're using! :)
 
I find out how tight on average a particular rifle I use will group at a given distance.

If it groups tight then its m job to put that group where it will do the most damage.

Since most critters have about a 2"-3" window based on their size I see where it keeps them in there.

Makes no sense to shoot 36" plates unless I'm trying to shoot basketballs out of a basketball court.

I tend to agree. I have shot my 22 at 400, but I had to get such a large target I knew that it wasnt practical. Never the less the people observing were entertained.
 
Right on man! It'd be neat to see pics of these 400 or 500 yard 22's...
Everyone likes pictures... I like pictures :)

islandermyk, I'm guessing the silhouette range at CRC is familiar to you (hearing bullet impact isn't a problem on calm days) -

Quadgongs_zps5a88d7f4.jpg

t4quad_zps0af25e15.jpg
 
Last edited:
I routinely practice out to 240yds. My "routine" is based on my schedule which dictates my practice is dope confirmation the day before a match. The routine is confirm 57yds, dial 112yds-confirm, dial 163yds-confirm, dial 210yds-confirm, dial 240yds-confirm, dial 57yds-confirm, dial 240yds-confirm, dial 57yds-confirm. If i am in a hurry I will skip the extra 240yd confirm, if I am in the mood to play I may dial back out to any intermediate range and bounce around between. Have become more anal about writing down weather conditions.

I can usually make a first round hit on the 8.5" IPSC style swinger at 240yds. The berm is a bullet eating black hole most days, and a first round hit usually makes putting 9 or 10 on the steel probable if you can drive. I may try 300yds in the near future just to see, but I suspect that 240-250 is the practical limit of repeatable accuracy. If you have good equipment and skill, and you absolutely positively have to kill it in 2 shots or less, with a 22lr, then I would limit shots to no more than 210yds.
Not saying that hits can't be made at longer distances but your hit percentage goes down rapidly the farther you go out with a 22lr. I agree that if your targets must get bigger and bigger...then what is the point?
When I shot a mile with my 30-06 all my shots were within a house door sized area, but I was shooting at a 16" square plate. Yes I hit it and yes I was withing a foot numerous times but I only hit it once. I have done things in IHMSA competitions that had my spotter scratching his head(and shaking it). I shot a 59x60 on full sized targets with a 221Fireball in the 2009 Region II championships, it was a pure unadulterated stunt. I had to hit a spot the size of a baseball, on each 55lb steel ram at 200M, to have any chance of tipping him, and I damn near stuck a pig or two. I place shooting 22lr past its useful accuracy in the same boat. Its neat but just a stunt.
 
islandermyk, I'm guessing the silhouette range at CRC is familiar to you (hearing bullet impact isn't a problem on calm days) -

Quadgongs_zps5a88d7f4.jpg

t4quad_zps0af25e15.jpg

Holy f*cken sh*t! That is a beautiful rifle!
CRC is a nice place for sure... been there twice and enjoyed it. Your right! No problems hearing your hits there for sure!
Thanks for sharing!
 
580144_288159444601394_447771697_n.jpg

I was the other guy shooting with him. That's my stick. I was putting them inside about 5 inches at 300 last time i shot. That's with cci velocitors.
 
And i agree with what was being said about it being a stunt not shooting practice once you get out to 485, but you know when you have friends out at the range those stunts are what they remember it's not what matters to those of us who shoot a lot but to everyone else when you say you can hit that steel target way over there with a little bitty 22 they are baffled when you do it. Its like when i take and shoot my bow 150yds its not practical but it sure is fun to see the look on peoples faces.
 
oh and its a wooded range so that really eats up all the sound on the way back. I could just barely hear them at 485 and it had to be dead silent.
 
Not much sense in shoot any firearm much beyond the effective killing range of the caliber. All that can be learned from a .22RF can be learned at 200 yards. Beyond that, it is just wasting ammo in my opinion.

as far as effective killing range a 22rf will punch straight through your chest at that range.
 
Nice rigs you guys are posting! I love coWSMasher's .22, mine's not quite so nice, but i'll try to get some pics of just the same.
 
Below is my son shooting 330 yards with a TRR-SR at old propane tanks. You can hear them "ding" from 330 yards.

We have shot that rifle at 400 as well. If I recall, a HV .22 round has enough ft/lbs to kill you if hit in a vital area at 400 yards. The US Army did studies of that back years ago.
Dang! Almost 2 seconds of flight time to hit and hear the ♫Ping!♪ Good job!
 
Man, beyond 200 yards with a .22 is super long range to me. I have shot mine up to 200 yards before, but never beyond that.
 
12 inch square swinger with a sig 522 at 400 with federal bulk ammo. I have rapid fired a mag full and set the gun down to have some smartass say I didnt hit it. About the time he finished talking you could hear 26 dings. I do it just for the fun of it.
 
anyone tried anschutz 64?on long range. i never shot her beyond 100 i thought 22 never get there:)..
which makes me wonder what ammo you guys uae and how it groups..in hawaii its a lucky day to see a box of tenex ammo..
20121113_164713.jpg
 
We were drilling the 300 yard gong with federal bulk pack its a pig shaped gong its about 24x16 but that was shooting quick i shot paper last weekend and was putting down 5 inch groups with cci velocitors
 
[MENTION=52402]longguntoter[/MENTION] you oughta try it, the .22's will surprise ya.
bjay I think it'll get ya there. it looks like a longer barrel than what i'm running. I ran federal bulk ammo.
 
Dang! Almost 2 seconds of flight time to hit and hear the ♫Ping!♪ Good job!

Thanks. I will tell him. He's a pretty good (actually very) shot. At 14, he did his 1st 1,000 yard F/TR class last month. Wish I could have done that at that age!
 
Pretty interesting to hear what some of the 22 rimefire is capable of. I guess I never looked into the ballistics at these ranges. Always just thought of shooting it under 150 yards.
 
Thanks. I will tell him. He's a pretty good (actually very) shot. At 14, he did his 1st 1,000 yard F/TR class last month. Wish I could have done that at that age!

Nice shooting, and yes he is very lucky to get to do this at his age. Pretty cool you two get to share this together.
 
Thanks. I will tell him. He's a pretty good (actually very) shot. At 14, he did his 1st 1,000 yard F/TR class last month. Wish I could have done that at that age!

Incredible! I got to hit my first 1K yards just last year.... and it probably cost me $50 worth of ammo to do it too, lol!
You guys keep up the good shooting and thanks for sharing!
 
Incredible! I got to hit my first 1K yards just last year.... and it probably cost me $50 worth of ammo to do it too, lol!
You guys keep up the good shooting and thanks for sharing!

Thanks again. This is his 1st match last month. I got a little choked up when he shot an X at 1,000. I thought, he sure came a long way from shooting pellet guns in the back yard when he was 8. As I posted some some other topics. I am convinced all the shooting he did with .177 and .22LR made him a better marksman.

Collin 1,000 yard F/TR class at AEDC - 2/17/13 - YouTube
 
After my last long range match I went to the steel range to shoot my .22. I had zeroed it at 50 yards, started out trying to hit the chickens. Dialing elevation till I got it right. Couldn't knock them over but I could make them turn by shooting the heads and tails. Then I moved to the pigs, couldn't hear them hit but I could see the paint chipping off. It was fun and good training for reading the wind, I had a full value wind at 5-8 mph.
 
A fun target at 200yds is spent shotgun hulls scattered about the berm (often see rounds trailing in) and they go flying due to trajectory.

I usually shoot at shotgun shells with a .22 pistol at 50 yards. Taking it past that I'm going to need a scope! :)

Since I haven't had the opportunity to shoot beyond 200 yards I've been trying to make my targets smaller.

I live in an area where there are a bunch of grasshoppers and they're a bit of a challenge as well.
 
What's the longest you all practice with your .22's? My friend and I were ringing steel at 485 this weekend. couldn't quite figure out the 600 yard gong yet. We'll give it another try next time we're at the range.

600 yards is as far as I have "accurately" shot the .22lr But that was on a 30 inch steel target
 
600 yards is as far as I have "accurately" shot the .22lr But that was on a 30 inch steel target

Well, when the old timer's that were shooting at Creedmoor, back in the latter part of the 1870's, they shot at a [6 ft. tall x 12' wide target with a 36 inch square bulls'eye] from 800, 900, and 1000 yards. They had to have one heck of a rain bow trajectory just as the .22lr needs. This long range .22lr stuff is pretty cool! I've went 275 yards with my .22lr rig - shooting at a 8 x 11 inch sheet of paper with an "X" on it, with pretty good results. I've hit our club's 300 yard gong many a times [though I believe that to be something like 20 x 20 inches]. It's all fun for sure! And if this sport can't be fun for us, well,,, we're doin' somethin' wrong.
 
Last edited:
a shotgun shell at 50 with a handgun is impressive imo. and don't get me started on grasshoppers. my friends and i go "grasshopper gigging" they make good practice, a lot more fun than clays and cheaper too!
 
Well, when the old timer's that were shooting at Creedmoor, back in the latter part of the 1870's, they shot at a [6 ft. tall x 12' wide target with a 36 inch square bulls'eye] from 800, 900, and 1000 yards. They had to have one heck of a rain bow trajectory just as the .22lr needs. This long range .22lr stuff is pretty cool! I've went 275 yards with my .22lr rig - shooting at a 8 x 11 inch sheet of paper with an "X" on it, with pretty good results. I've hit our club's 300 yard gong many a times [though I believe that to be something like 20 x 20 inches]. It's all fun for sure! And if this sport can't be fun for us, well,,, we're doin' somethin' wrong.

Damn right! it's all about fun for me :)
 
After my last long range match I went to the steel range to shoot my .22. I had zeroed it at 50 yards, started out trying to hit the chickens. Dialing elevation till I got it right. Couldn't knock them over but I could make them turn by shooting the heads and tails. Then I moved to the pigs, couldn't hear them hit but I could see the paint chipping off. It was fun and good training for reading the wind, I had a full value wind at 5-8 mph.

nice! what range? I'd like to shoot some more reactive targets too