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.22 cal Long Range

76K views 60 replies 25 participants last post by  matty86suk 
#1 ·
I want to buy a .22 but I want it to reach pretty far away. Can a 10/22 ruger reach out to 150-200 yards? Can it with a good scope and good ammo? What would it take for a 10/22 to reach out that far? Or will a different .22 reach that far?
 
#2 ·
It is not the rifle that makes those shots possible, it is the shooter knowing the capability of his ammo and how to make that bullet strike where he wants it to. Here is a typical ballistics chart for .22lr.


Sure there are much more accurate guns out there than a stock 10/22, but why in the world would you want your .22 as a long range gun? It was not designed for that, and will not do it with reasonable accuracy/consistency.
 
#5 ·
A 22lr will surprise you at extended ranges. Twenty years ago I used to play with them at 250 yards quite alot. Don't ask me how many clicks elevation it took to get hits at that range cause I honestly never used my scopes adjustments. I shot it enough I knew how high to aim. I could make hits on a 30 lb. freon tank consistently which is roughly half the size of a propane tank on a grill. I rarely shot paper targets cause I liked the report I could hear when hitting the tanks. Another thing, the hits on the tanks went straight through and they are pretty tough. Surprised me that they would do that.

Don't underestimate the lowly 22lr.

Oh, that was using Federal Lightning bullets. Plain old lead bullets, they weren't jacketed. At the time a brick of 500 was $9.00 at wallyworld. They really gummed up my 10-22 though.
 
#7 ·
The problem isn't how far it will reach, but the ability to accurately
hit your target at the 150 to 200 yards. (You can lob a .22LR well
over a mile, but where it lands is anybody's guess.)

Expanding out beyond the handy chart that InIt2Live provided,
I've run the ballistics on that same .22, and get the following bullet path at given ranges:

125 yards: -15.3"
150 yards: -25.4"
175 yards: -38.3"
200 yards: -54.6"

So yeah, assuming you had a fool-proof method of very accurately
determining your range to target, you could do the calculations,
figure the bullet drop, and score dead-on-center (within the
accuracy limitations of your gun and your skills). However, look at
how much drop there is involved once you start pushing out past
100 yards or so. How good are you at "eye-balling" a distance
estimate? You guess your target is 175 yards out, but its really
200. You're low by 16". All depends on what you're shooting at.
16" low still hits a barn door. Misses a squirrel by quite a bit.

Compare that now to a .223 for example:
Bullet path at 150 yards is -0.8" below point of aim.
At 200 yards its -3.2" below point of aim.

You can be a whole lot more wrong on your estimate of the
range to target, and not have it matter nearly as much with a
flat shooting high velocity rifle round.

.22LR is good out to about 75 yards before the bullet drop
really starts to add up quick. Its got plenty of velocity
and energy to do damage well beyond that range, but good luck
actually hitting your target.

The effective range of the .22LR doesn't have that much to do
with your rifle choice. I think from a maximum velocity standpoint,
a 16" to 18" barrel will get you about the optimal effect. Barrel
lengths beyond that may actually reduce your muzzle velocity
(but provide a longer sight radius if you're using iron sights.
I know - you mentioned a scope -- just saying.)

CCI Stingers might be able to buy you another 25 yards or
so of effective .22LR range, but they're kind of pricy, and
aren't necessarily known to be the most accurate .22LRs.
(Most accurate .22LR rounds stay subsonic in velocity).

Note I'm not running down the the venerable .22LR.
Its a fine cartridge when used within its limitations. But use
the right tool for the job, and a 200-yard sniper rifle it ain't.
 
#8 ·
I just picked up a 10/22 target, put on an X18 scope on it. Had the guy at the gun store laughing that I would put it on a .22 but when I tested it at 100 yards with standard velocity ammo, I could see all 20 of my hits in the 10 ring. About 1cm square, this gun shoots better than I do.
I did polish the trigger and lighten the pull from 10lb down to about 3.
Rim fire central has a lot of great information.
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/
 
#15 ·
Wow, that's pretty good. Let's see... 1cm = .4 inch. Take the diameter of the round away (.40 - .22) = .18 inch group for 20 rounds at 100 yards. I would take up competitive benchrest shooting and show those guys with those high dollar rifles how it's done.

Sorry to be so sarcastic but somebody might read your post and actually believe it. Then they will go tell a bunch of people on the 'net and in about a week, I'll have to hear somebody on here posting how it is a confirmed fact that a 10/22 can shoot 20 rounds into a 1cm square at 100 yards.
 
#13 ·
17hmr is a 22 magnum necked down to 17 cal. There are people who like this caliber, however everyone I know who owns a 17hmr rifle does not shoot them anymore. They blow in the wind too much.

For squirrel hunting, a 22lr rifle is good upto 30-50 yards with iron sights. A scoped one can be able to do 75-100 yard shots. However, in 100 yards the round drops 4". You need to know you range to hit small animals. If you need more range 22 magnum is another route. 22lr rifle is handy to own. You will not regret buying a ruger 10/22. However, If you attempt to be 22lr sniper, you may be better off with a bolt action rifle. A marlin 925 is my hunting rifle. Very accurate for the price ($150). If you bought a decent shooting 22lr rifle, you will never regret buying it.

Want a cheap accurate round for long range shots? A lot of varmit hunters use .223.
 
#14 ·
17hmr is a 22 magnum necked down to 17 cal. There are people who like this caliber, however everyone I know who owns a 17hmr rifle does not shoot them anymore. They blow in the wind too much.
I'm calling bull**** on this one. I live in one of the windiest places in the United States and I still use a .17 HMR with good results.

I went out gopher shooting on Father's Day. There was a moderate wind, but the .17 worked like a charm. I wouldn't trust it to kill a gopher at 100 yards in a strong wind, but out to 50 yards, you should have decent results.
 
#16 ·
17 hmr sighted in 1.5'' high at 90 yards will shoot 1.5'' low at 150 yards, availible in fmj, ballistic tip, hollow point, soft point, 20 and 17 grain bullets, i shot a squirrel through center of mass with no meat damage using a 20gr full metal jacket, the ballistic tips will rip squirrels in half.
matt
 
#19 ·
Basic/General/Common Rule of Thumb
Effective Killing Range


.22 LR ..........75 yds
.22 WRM......100
.17 Mach2....125
.17 HMR.......150

N.B...Please note, it says effective not maximum or anything else!

This is for standard or medium velocity rounds and you can add another 15 - 25 yards to the LR with Hyper Velocity rounds...

On the box of .22 LR cartridges is the following:
Dangerous to within 1 mile...

On a lark we set up a .22 LR Anschutz Sporter for 1,000 yards and after we finally got the correct range dialed into the scope we were able to put most of ours into the black with about a 30" to 40" spread but you really had to watch the wind...Most hits were keyhole (sideways)!
 
#21 ·
Yes, effing really, but no video as this was done over 30, 35 years ago...After reading about a similar incident in Guns & Ammo or Guns or other gun rag that we tried to duplicate and did...

Nice when you live on a grain farm in the middle of the prairies and you have all these vast distances to shoot at and still on your own land...

Right now I'm practising for a two mile kill on a rodent (but not with a .22 LR) and like the 1K what would I possibly use to record that and without some blowass claiming foul/fix...If the witnesses signing my documents will get me into the VHA record books that's all I care about!!!
 
#23 ·
As has been mentioned, yes the .22LR will reach that far, will they be accurate? Probably not. If you have a rifle built for a long range .22 shot then you might be able to, but the bullet will have lost much of it's energy anyways. Bullet drop is the other factor, accounting for that you are aiming well above the target and probably have your scope sighted in for that 250 yard shot, but when the target is closer or farther away, well you are gonna be off. Not to mention the wind factor, a very light projectile can be swayed of target pretty easy at that long range.Best advice, if you want a varmit rifle for 250 yard shots, .223; .25-250; or light .243 loads.
Personally I wouldn't try to hit anything past 150 yards with a .22LR. I target shoot my Romanian M-69 at 100 yards with it's flip up 100 yd. sight (Which is not adjustable for windage or elevation), and using hyper velocity ammo I get between a 2-4 inch five shot group right where I am aiming, using standard velocity ammo those groups drop down a foot. The range I shoot at you are aiming uphill so bullet drop is less significant.
 
#32 ·
Basically, get a good bolt action .22, a quality scope, sandbags, a whole lot of patience, and you could get sighted in for 150 yards. But the difference between 100, 150 and 200 yards is going to be substantial. Oh, wait for the wind to stop and hold your breath.

I have seen shooters touch holes at 100 yards, but they were hyper-acurate rifles, high dollar scopes with high dollar mounts, and earthquake proof rifle rests. To me, that ain't shootin'.
 
#36 ·
Basically, get a good bolt action .22, a quality scope, sandbags, a whole lot of patience, and you could get sighted in for 150 yards. But the difference between 100, 150 and 200 yards is going to be substantial. Oh, wait for the wind to stop and hold your breath.

I have seen shooters touch holes at 100 yards, but they were hyper-acurate rifles, high dollar scopes with high dollar mounts, and earthquake proof rifle rests. To me, that ain't shootin'.
Just to clarify...

The exact moment you should squeeze the trigger is the natural pause between breathing inward and exhaling. Usually the point when all air is expelled :thumb:
 
#38 ·
There is NO .22LR rifle that would reliably and dependably reach out to 200yds.
The Ruger 10/22 is the best in its class, but I wouldn't ask any .22LR rifle to reach that far. You may want to look into getting a "real" rifle, like an AR-15, then putting a Spikes .22LR conversion kit in it for inexpensive target shooting/small game hunting. That way you could have your MBR double as a "fun gun". That would mean one less gun to fool with/clean etc... It would probably save you money in the end anyway
 
#47 ·
Don't be so sure. In the 80's it was nothing for me to go through a thousand rounds a week, most of which were shot at 200 and 250 yards. With a lot of practice and watching the wind, hits on soda cans were regular at 200 yards. Not everytime, but regularly.

People are shooting amazing groups at 1000 yards with a host of calibers. The bullet drop and wind drift on the bullets they are shooting is a whole lot more than a .22 at 200 yards.
 
#39 ·
But if you really want a good "long range" .22, check around for the Romanian M-69 rifle, it's a training rifle and can be had for 200 or less. Although now you are probably gonna find the Chinese version.
 
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