.22 long rifle question for late season hunters. Pictures and info. added of my squirrel hunting setup.

[HillbillyLongRifle]

 

[ARW]

Those dogs of yours sure can shoot...LOL

 

[Mark M.]

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Outstanding

 

[Webster]

When temperatures drop to 20 degrees and lower do you still get the same accuracy from your .22 long rifle as you did when the temperatures were higher.

Thanks

Never shot my Anschutz model 64 in cold weather. I found that Eley Black Box Match ammo consistantly shot groups 1/3 the size of Rem Hi Speed ammo. Try anything called match grade.

 

[CaptainMal]

Set out a can or something you can shoot at before you hunt.

That way you can see where it hits at that hunting temperature and adjust if needed at all.

 

[Carl S]

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Great pictures and the dogs look good to.

 

[Webster]

The reason I am asking is I plan on doing some late season gray squirrel hunting this year with a .22 long rifle and was curious about if the cold weather might affect accuracy.

I believe what I will do then, is put some hand warmers packets in my pockets and keep my ammo in with them. That should help some.

Thanks for the comments.

Shoot a few groups then you have it figured out. Try match grade ammo as opposed to stuff like Rem hi-speed. Squirrels don't know the difference. I have an Anshutz model 64 22 RF. It's considered a beginners target rifle. I paid $95 for it about 1975, sells now for at least $400. At 50 yrds I get 1.5 " groups with Rem Hi-speed and 1/2" groups with Eley Black Box match. Never shot in cold weather.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

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Damn fine lookin dogs. They look like they take it pretty serious

 

[RegionRat]

Sometimes you might find that Biathlon ammo, but it is hard to find and it isn't cheap.

https://www.lapua.com/cartridges/biathlon-xtreme-22-lr/
https://www.lapua.com/cartridges/polar-biathlon-22-lr/
https://www.eleyammunition.com/biathlon-ammunition-22lr/

It is meant for cold weather so they use powder and lube that is known to run in below zero.

I just test and tune in the same conditions and hope for the best if it warms up.

I was small game hunting in below zero weather long before I had access to Biathlon ammo, so you just need to search for hunting loads your rig likes and pay attention to what they lube with.

I even have luck with copper washed to avoid the bore issues altogether. A test in the same conditions to get your dope takes it from there.

As mentioned above, the lube used in some ammo isn't meant for very cold weather. If you have the opportunity, check what happens with a cold bore shot where the gun was seasoned in warm weather then taken into the field when it is cold. You may find you get away with it but you may find the cold bore shot is terrible if you don't clean up the rig ahead of time.

I don't want to open the Pandora's Box of rimfire cleaning, but this was one of the times when I cleaned them up and only lubricated with synthetics rated for cold and seasoned the barrel with ammo I knew wasn't going to ruin my day.

 

[ARW]

This is my squirrel hunting setup that I inherited from late my father.

The rifle is a Ruger 77/22 long rifle with a Hart barrel. The scope is a Leupold 6.5X20 40mm EFR, with the Leupold varmint hunter reticle. I have the drop chart taped to the stock and I have a SigSauer Kilo 1600 rangefinder to verify the distances.

The ammo is the discontinued Federal Gold Medal UltraMatch 40gr. solid. I have 650 rounds of it and the 500rd. brick is still in the original cellophane.

I am terrible at still hunting so I do all of my hunting from a folding chair and always shoot off of either shooting sticks or a Caldwell deadshot tripod.

 

[drover]

When temperatures drop to 20 degrees and lower do you still get the same accuracy from your .22 long rifle as you did when the temperatures were higher.

Thanks

The short answer is no. Most all 22 LR ammo will have larger groups when it is cold.
Around 40 - 45 degress is when increased group size begin to occur. The good news is that if it for hunting the group size increase is unlikely to cause a miss at shorter ranges - 50 yards or less, at longer ranges it becomes more of a problem of course.

If it is for target shooting keep the ammo/magazine in an inside pocket so that it is heated by body heat and then insert the magazine when you are ready to begin shooting.

As noted above - different ammos react differently to cold so if it is possible try some cold weather shooting with the various ammo you have, you will be surprised at the difference.

drover

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

I'm late to the thread (haven't been around much this fall)

In the context of shooting squirrels at about 30-35 yards....I think you're splitting hairs and overthinking this. If you're really worried about it, let your gun and ammo get cold, then sight it in.

For me, I'm far more worried about my marksmanship skills than I am about cold weather effects on a 22lr.

My rifle seemed to do alright a few days ago.

2022-12-18_03-28-13 by John Doe, on Flickr

 

[ARW]

I'm late to the thread (haven't been around much this fall)

In the context of shooting squirrels at about 30-35 yards....I think you're splitting hairs and overthinking this. If you're really worried about it, let your gun and ammo get cold, then sight it in.

For me, I'm far more worried about my marksmanship skills than I am about cold weather effects on a 22lr.

My rifle seemed to do alright a few days ago.

2022-12-18_03-28-13 by John Doe, on Flickr

The areas I hunt are fairly open, especially now, so a 60 plus yard shot is often common.

It has been mostly in the 40's here but I'am sure the 20 degree temperatures are not far off.

 

[dgeesaman]

SK and Lapua drop about 1FPS per degree. Changing 20fps changes harmonics in your rifle and it could get better or worse depending on what your rifle likes. Every gun is its own animal.

I would think this too except 22 is nowhere near that consistent in velocity in any weather.

I do agree the weather has a significant effect and having winter ammo and summer ammo is inevitable if you’re chasing maximum accuracy.

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

A 60 plus yard shot for squirrels is common? 60 yards? I could never be accurate enough at 60 yards. I lean against trees, but still standing. Once in a while I'll be able to kneel and use a fallen tree as a bench. Maybe you have a tripod or some shooting sticks.

My un-asked for opinion: Get a 17hmr.

 

[ARW]

A 60 plus yard shot for squirrels is common? 60 yards? I could never be accurate enough at 60 yards. I lean against trees, but still standing. Once in a while I'll be able to kneel and use a fallen tree as a bench. Maybe you have a tripod or some shooting sticks.

My un-asked for opinion: Get a 17hmr.

One of the best things I did was add shooting sticks, or even better the Caldwell Dead shot tripod, to my squirrel hunting equipment.

 

[hpshooter]

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Thanks for sharing, love those dogs! Went to the breeders web page and did some additional research on the breed, very interesting.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I’ve never had any issues with accuracy from hot to cold weather in my 22s. If you gun and aim are on, you’ll hit ‘em.

 

[Mike Lum]

The reason I am asking is I plan on doing some late season gray squirrel hunting this year with a .22 long rifle and was curious about if the cold weather might affect accuracy.

I believe what I will do then, is put some hand warmers packets in my pockets and keep my ammo in with them. That should help some.

Thanks for the comments.

Unfortunately I've found the point of impact shift from a frozen barrel to be worse than that of frozen cartridges. Thicker barrels suffer from it less but still.. completely different barrel harmonics.
Set the rifle with a loaded magazine out at -20 for an afternoon and try a series of delayed cold bore shots, you'll get an understanding as to how your point of impact shifts.

 

[ADKTIM]

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Hunting squirrel with your best friends. That's cool