HillbillyLongRifle
Gold $$ Contributor
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.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
Great pictures and the dogs look good to.
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.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.
Damn fine lookin dogs. They look like they take it pretty serious
The short answer is no. Most all 22 LR ammo will have larger groups when it is cold.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 areas I hunt are fairly open, especially now, so a 60 plus yard shot is often common.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
I would think this too except 22 is nowhere near that consistent in velocity in any weather.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.
One of the best things I did was add shooting sticks, or even better the Caldwell Dead shot tripod, to my squirrel hunting equipment.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.
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.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.
Hunting squirrel with your best friends. That's cool