Longest .22lr shots

[Alfred Crouch]

Maico, I will. I am going to run a test, on paper targets of course, with the rimfire at 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 yards just to see what the results are. But my experience with 22 rimfire, and it covers more years than I like to acknowledge, tells me that reasonably expecting to kill animals with one at much over 100 yards is so iffy that it is in the realm of unethical and irresponsible. Paper targets ..... OK..... But not animals. Do you not agree?

 

[Maico]

On the average most people or a big part of people don't try to place precision shots at "any" game animal in my experience. They find hair and pull the trigger so that could encompass the whole shooting realm. But yes 75-100yds is very close to the average distance that a 22lr is effective. But if you have a good shooting 22lr and know how to either hold over or dial in clicks then the range is far greater than 100yds. My buddy and myself shoot rocks in a plowed field at distances up to 400yds and "if" the wind is not a major factor then we can drop bullets in on rocks the size of a baseball consistently. I will say this...I've clean missed more shots than I've hit on groundhogs but we try for "head" shots only. Shooting a 22lr long range is not just go throwing lead. There's more to it than that. Good luck on your testing and keep us posted.

 

[Alfred Crouch]

My concern with shooting at animals over 100 yards is accuracy and having enough terminal bullet energy left to do the job. As has been said it doesn't take much wind to play havoc with a 22 bullet.

It may be a few weeks before I get to run the test. I live in northern SC and do most of my shooting and hunting on some land I have in the central part of the state. It is 100 miles distance so I don't get to go there as frequently as I would like.

I would like to see some studies on the terminal energy of the 22 rimfire bullet at different distance beyond 100 yards. My experience leads me to believe it drops off drastically after passing 100 yards. Anyone have any info on this.

Thanksl Al Crouch

 

[Maico]

According to my program a CCI minimag has 51ftlbs of energy at 300yds. The ole groundhog I shot at 310yds dropped like a rock but it was a center chest hit.

 

[Alfred Crouch]

Maico, Does your program show how much it has at 50 and 100 yards? How much is needed to expect consistent kills?

 

[Maico]

Don't know what is needed...I'll look and see if I can find something.
101ftlbs @ 50yds
83.7ftlbs @ 100yds
72ftlbs @ 150yds
63.5ftlbs @ 200yds
56.8ftlbs @ 250yds

 

[Alfred Crouch]

Maico, Thanks very much for the energy data. You have stirred my interest in this. If i can find data on energy needed to kill various animals with a 22 rimfire I will post it also. May be a while as I leave in the morning for a week of turkey hunting in TN with my son in law and I have a couple days work to do on the farm when I return. I do appreciate any info any one can contribute to this. I look forward to reading replys to this when I return. Al Crouch

 

[fr3db3ar]

Check out Sniper's hide. Somebody over there shot a turkey wrapped in 3 normal wear shirts @ 250 and 300 yds. Czech out the results.

 

[Rimfire]

I shoot a lot of 22 and 22 mag. My 22 is a Mauser 201 custom and is very accurate, with many groups under an inch at 100. It has grouped 2" at 200 also on numerous occassions. Some days when the wind kicks up 200 yard groups can look like a shotgun blast. I don't shoot G-hogs past 100 yards, it just doesn't have enough ***, to many have made it back to their hole after a good hit called by a competant spotter. I have shot it way past 200 but in reality a 25 yard zero and 21 MOA at 200 is realistic . I dont measure rim thiskness, just shoot the most accurate ammo I can which so far is Eley Hi-velocity. At 200 yards you can watch the bullet fly through the target.

 

[Coyboy]

I shot 3 p-dogs in a row, with a browning pistol scoped with bdc turret. They were between 120 and 150 yards all ranged and dialed. 3 consecutive shots, and witnessed buy a member here.

Longest was a luck shot when I was squirrel hunting at age 14. my buddies mom dropped us off on a farmers land to get some dinner. We ate our sandwiches from a hill overlooking a pasture with a small pond. about 250 yards out I seen what I thought was a muskrat swimming in the pond. Started the old"Betcha can't...." argument. Aimed high at the opisite water line and never touched the water and the rat was about in the middle. Raised about half a pond and skweezed.

Two wings came straight out and started flapping. Retrieved a blue wing teal shot thru the neck.

 

[justgoto]

250 yards at a jelly jar, open sights, (home made elevation blade.)

YouTube - 250 Yards, 22 Rifle, Water Filled Jelly Jar

300 Yards at a 8 x 12 steel plate with factory open sights.

YouTube - 22 Rifle 300 Yards; Better Quality

I have a more accurate 22 now and will have to try some longer shots.

 

[WRG]

Any shot over 200 yards would have to very lucky at best and here is why a subsonic bullet is best!

As I understand it, subsonic is under mach 1 "Speed of Sound". Subsonic caps out @ 1116 FPS at sea level @ 68 degrees but only under this condition. Any change is altitude and temperature the SOS can change so the 1116 fps is not a hard number. A bullet lets say with a MV of 1640 fps "supersonic" with a BC of .125 passes threw what is called transonic, 128 yards down range @ 1116 fps on it's path to 200 yards. Transonic is were it goes from supersonic to subsonic which has a tremendous turbulence effect on anything that passes threw it even airplanes! As it passes threw transonic that would leave a remaining 72 yards until it strikes the 200 yard target. This is where BC and aiming point hold over plays an important role as to whether the bullet can stabilize quick enough before it hits the intended target. Even still, there is no guarantee the bullet will be on the same flight path and most likely it wouldn't be and that's where luck takes over.

If starting out at supersonic it would need to remain there the entire distance. I don't believe there is such a round that can do this the entire 200 yards ballisticly. I believe you would need to begin subsonic and stay there to avoid passing threw transonic. So a bullet with the best BC flying subsonic would be the best choice provided it can give the highest possible down range velocity.

WRG

 

[justgoto]

Transonic is were it goes from supersonic to subsonic which has a tremendous turbulence effect on anything that passes threw it even airplanes!

I have read a lot about the transonic effect on a bullet, I cannot find any scientific articles that support that theory convincingly. I attribute the accuracy variation to subsonic flow properties, bullet design and wind having a great effect on that small slow moving object.
Check out this page.
At subsonic an object effects the air beyond it so when you enter transonic speeds, some of the airflow is supersonic, and some is not. That is why the older aircraft without swept wings suffered the turbulence you speak of at the transonic speeds.
I read in a NASA article, (can't find it now,) where bullets act more like modern swept wing aircraft and the transonic transition has a negligible effect on it.
Has some information in swept wing aircraft.
also read
Area Rule , specifically about the "Sears-Haack body shape," (much like a bullet.)

After I read that NASA article, is when I tried that shot above. here is one of my best groups from that day as I was adjusting my open sights.

Which is a better group than my best group with my 30-06, peep sight at 200 yards.

And better than my best 30-30 group with open sights at 200 yards.

But my average at 200 yards with iron sights is around 6 inches with any of my rifles.


I rarely shoot my 22 less than 125 yards now, only when I am testing for a group or shooting in high winds do I shoot at 100 yards. I routinely shoot my 22 at 150 meters. Much is luck but only because i am using open sights and I can't even see the golf ball, I just know where it is.

YouTube - 22 Rifle 150 Meters

Now either I am the luckiest person in the world, or there are predictable forces at work here.

Having said that... My furthest 22 shot was 300 yards. Because it was luck I didn't present it in this post. I was just aiming 7 feet high and estimating the slight wind, hoping to hit it.

YouTube - 22 Rifle 300 Yards; Better Quality
I thought I didn't show that one... Oops!

 

[uncle curt]

This last winter i dropped 4 jack rabbits at 150 yards one after the other. I shoot a old Cooey model 65 bolt action .22 with a Tasco varminter 2.5x10x40 mill-dot scope. zeroed the hairs at 50yrds and can accuately use the dots for longer ranges with great success. Looking to zero at 100 and see what distance I can get. I shoot 36grn. federal hp's which fly at about 1280 fps. at the muzzle. I have a box of CCI Stingers which go 1640 fps. at 32grn. but never tried long shots with them (more expensive).