New to -HIGH END- rimfire rifles, What tips to eek all accuracy?? Thanks4help!

[TresMon]

Greetings,
I'm a long time 1k f-class shooter,Tactical field shooter, precision hand loader
( http://wildernessmeans.com/articles/hand-loading/hand-loading-for-long-range ) 3 gun shooter.. blah blah. I know which end the bullet comes out of. I'm a career machinist & tool/die man so I do 99% of my own 'smithin.

However I'm new to rimfires! I ended up with a $2k build. I had no idea there were so many little nuances to shooting a RF as well as it can- and I'm just learning.

Rifle: CZ 452 action
26" Benchmark 2groove choked
custom pillar bedded into tactical profile stock.
Vortex PST 6-25 scope.
Great trigger work.
*This rifle was built by a gunsmith friend as I'm in-between lathes right now. The action and first few inches of the barrel are bedded. Does it need full barrel bedding?

So I know to test many 5 shot groups from all the various makes/models of premium match ammo in my budget. But thats about it.

I'd really appreciate any and all tips you guys would be willing to share, to milk all the accuracy I can out of my build.

This rifle will mostly be used for my own long range practice (1c-3c yards) as well as to train my extreme LR students.
I read some ammo is stellar at 50 M but falls apart beyond... ?

I heard of "batch testing" ?
I have/do weight sorted rimfire ammo. Necessary?

ANYTHING you'd like to add/suggest/advise would be really appreciated!

This rifle is the best "coach" I have had in a long time. I have learned, it DEMANDS the most follow through of any rifle I own ( lots of bore time for a 22 pill in a 26" barrel I imagine) and natural point of aim- the bullet hits where the cross hair recoils to, rather than where they were when the shot was carefully aimed and broke.
Driving the rifle this way it can easily go 5 shots for 5 .22 empties @ 50 yards with L Center-X ammo.

 

[rvn1968]

It seems that RF is far more sensitive to ammo than centerfire.Do not rule out so-called junk ammo because you may find one that happens to like your chamber.

 

[Bob3700]

To find good ammo for 100 yds, test at 100 yds.

Stuff that shoots good at 50 yds will often have what looks like a slight flyer (high or low) but at 100 yds is magnified considerably.

Ely black box ammo and Lapua Center x and Midas + can be relied on to do well at 100 yds. You still need to test. My Anschutz 1913 doesn't shoot Ely bad but shoots Lapua a whole lot better.

Good luck.

Bob

 

[rvn1968]

Doctor Bob,Do you agree on the ammo search? I've had a 54 Annie and a 10-22 that did better with the cheap s__t than Eley.Been told by people that know (smiths) that the chamber trumps all on these rimfires.Tom

 

[TresMon]

Re: New to -HIGH END- rimfire rifles, What tips to eek all accuracy?? Thanks4hel


Thanks so much.

Can someone explain batch testing?

Can someone specifically tell me a solid process of testing various ammo?

Clean the bore and shoot 10 5 shot groups?
Shoot 5 10 shot groups?

Or don't clean the bore but fire 5-10 rounds of the next test ammo into the berm to re-season the bore for that ammo's lube?

Or?

Do i need to sort rim thickness?
Weight sort?
Both?
Neither with the good stuff?

Thanks,

 

[Outrider27]

Three to five five shot groups for each ammo under test should be statistically adequate to weed out aberrations (we prefer 5 groups). If it shoots well at 50 yards, it makes the cut to test at 100; generally, if it doesn't group well at 50 yards in your rifle, it will be worse at 100. Screening at 50 yards in your batch testing simply cuts down the amount of testing necessary at 100 yards. 3 to 5, 5 shot groups should be sufficient to establish an ammunition's capabilities in your rifle.

Don't go overboard on cleaning; my practice in a batch test is to simply run a dry patch or two down the bore whenever I change to another brand/type of ammo then fire 4 or 5 fouling shots with the next ammo to be tested before going to the first group; slightly more rigorous cleaning might be in order (a wet patch, then dry patching), but we haven't found it changed our results any more than just using a dry patch or two.

I haven't noticed any improvement in group size using weight testing, but I have seen improvement sorting by rim thickness in .001 increments; others may have a different experience. I have found that, when sorting by rim thickness, the higher quality ammo tends to have a much smaller range of rim thicknesses in any given batch of 500, and that consistancy probably is one of the reasons such ammo generally shoots better in many/most firearms.

We simply gather up a box of each ammo available for purchase locally or on hand and shoot 5, 5 shot groups with each, at 50 yards, looking for the smallest average group size with the rifle under test. Any ammo that does well at 50 yards (we can do that at our back yard range) then gets retested at 100 yards at the public range up the road to verify that it shoots well at 100 yards too (they don't always survive that jump) and to see which of those that make the cut gives the best average group size at 100 yards. Unless we are severely time limited or short on a particular ammo, we prefer 5, 5 shot groups. Again, others may do it differently. Any variation on this general outline will be fine; your goal is to test for two qualities, small group size and consistancy from group to group - the difference between the smallest and largest group size in a set of 5 groups is a good measure of consistancy, the smaller, the more consistant when comparing to another brand and its 5 shot groups with a similar average size.

We hope this gives you a place to start with developing your test program. Good luck and have fun. You will learn a lot, and if you ever test discount bulk ammo, sooner or later you will get a pleasant surprise.

 

[750k2]

AMMO
Go to Killoughs and order some test lots.
Test and buy all they have left of the lot that shoots.
Don't be slow though as the big hitters are always scooping
all the good stuff they can find.
Weight sorting is a waste on high end ammo - my 2cent
This rimfire stuff is a slippery slope.
Welcome to the madness.
Tennex
Match
Team
Midas plus
Center-X
R50

 

[JeffG]

My experience at all silhouette distances for accuracy led me to Lapua CenterX.

I shot Anschutz 54 and CZ 453, both factory barrels, both shot SK Hi-Velocity into better (sub 1") 100 yd groups...but had 1/2"+ groups at 50 yd.

It seems counter-intuitive that groups got better at 100yd, but it was repeated over one season several times.

The velocity definitely made the difference at 100 yds and beyond.

22 LR at long range will definitely teach your students to dope the wind. That seems the better learning opportunity beyond developing better bench technique.

 

[TresMon]

Re: New to -HIGH END- rimfire rifles, What tips to eek all accuracy?? Thanks4hel



Thanks for all the great info everyone. Duly noted and applied!

 

[katokoch]

On top of the ammo testing... If you aren't shooting with wind flags, you're wasting your ammo. They are a MUST with an accurate rimfire.

Consistency is key. Find out what works best with your rifle (i.e. hold or free recoil, cleaning, rest settings, etc) and repeat the same motions from shot to shot.

Eley Team can be a pretty good value- some of those lots shoot really well. I'd buy several different lot #s of Team and Match to see which shoot well in your gun, and buy the best lots fast (the good stuff goes quickly).

 

[TresMon]

Re: New to -HIGH END- rimfire rifles, What tips to eek all accuracy?? Thanks4hel



Thanks for the reply!

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Probably wouldn't hurt to have a voodoo doll made of all your competition too.

 

[markr]

I have one of those ready for this upcomming season!

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I have one of those ready for this upcomming season!

Probably won't be ugly enough to work on me lol! Congrats on a good points finish in UBR!

 

[coldtrail]

Be prepared to spend more money on your 22 shooting than your centerfire. Buy a ticket to Phoenix, Az., and go to the Lapua test center in Mesa. They will let you test all the different types of Lapua and SK ammo. While I was there I found that a lot# of Center X did very well in my sporter class. In my 10.5 rifle with tuner it was the cheaper Pistol Match. Go figure. They let you shoot ten shots per group. If one lot of ammo does well you shoot a second group to confirm. I even had one lot# do better at 100 meters than at 50 meters with only one round exception. They don't measure at yardages. Something to do with most competitions are international and it's a German company. No big deal.

My conclusion and that of most shooters is that if it works well in your rifle buy all you can afford. Contact Darrell Stettmeier at Lapua, Mesa to set up an appointment. I found that they will let you mail them your rifle sans stock and they will do the testing and email you the computer results so you can decide which lot of ammo you want to purchase. I was a little unsure about taking my actions out of the stock so we set them up with stock and clamped to the test stand. Normally they have fixtures to screw your action to and then it vices into the stand. I felt that all this would affect the outcome, resonance and all, but was assured that the best ammo shot in this way would still be the best in your particular shooting setup. We'll see.

A real fine facility and friendly folks to work with. And if you're an Eley fan buy a ticket to
Birmingham, England. Contact Jason Woolley the range master. Nice guy. Met him there last June. Wasn't there to shoot just to see the operation. Had to go to a wedding and was in the area.

 

[TresMon]

Thats getting really serious. Thanks for the great information.

I have tested
Wolf ME
RWS Target Rifle
Lapua Center X
FGMM 922A

Thus far. Out of these it OBVIOUSLY likes the Federal 922A best thus far. Shoot nicest groups, didnt even need to measure to tell.

I have about 4 more brands to try.

Thanks!

 

[BoydAllen]

I am probably the least among those that will reply, but here are a few things that my old CMP 40X has taught me. It is sensitive to where it is supported by the front bag, and the rear bag that it likes best is not the same one that my PPC likes, and vice versa. When I really want to know how the rifle and ammunition are doing, and how my trigger pulling is working, I shoot in the hour just before it gets too dark to see the target. On our range, that is when the easiest conditions happen. One more thing, I think that it is because of the longer barrel time (RF velocity + 28" bbl.) it is a lot more sensitive to how the trigger is pulled, and how I contact the rifle. My old rifle likes some shoulder pressure into the rest stop, and the trigger needs to be centered on the pad of my finger and squeezed straight back. When I get sloppy, the target shows it immediately. Things that I routinely get away with, shooting my PPC will cause problems with the rimfire. Again, this is just one guy's experience. My rifle has been fitted with a Canjar Light pull trigger that is set for a little over 2 oz. If the things that I have mentioned are not attended to, I think that small differences in ammunition accuracy could easily get "lost in the noise". A friend, who shoots the best custom equipment year around, tells me that he keeps his ammunition in his pocket next to his body, when shooting during cooler weather, because he finds that it gives him more consistent results if the ammunition is kept warmer than the ambient temp. He thinks that it might have something to do with the lube.

 

[TresMon]

I'm totally with you sir!

I'm a long in the tooth Vet with big guns at 1000 yds and (way) beyond. NO rifle has taught me as much as this rimfire, and I have only shot 300ish rounds through it.

It's a 26" barrel. It's obvious if I have good follow through, natural point of aim and consistent stock pressure.
If any of these are off even slightly, the shot will spoil the group, bad.

Thanks so much for the details.