I still luv plinking with my CZ452 Full stock - but grew weary of not being able to focus on sights and target together (59 years old here )

So I got a NRL22 rig - CZ475 AT-One with a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP scope.
Luv it!

That CZ looks nice in the Boyd At—One stock. I bought m 457 Lux for possible use at the Appleseed event; otherwise an MTR in Boyd stock would be great for benchrest shooting.

Here’s a quick photo of my new 10/22 build. So quick I didn’t wipe off the anti-seize from the forearm.
I have some Wolf Target Match, some Norma Match 22, and 8 bricks of Norma Tac-22 to try when I get home in a couple of days.

Advice from Kidd was interesting: I should shoot 40 or so rounds of “whatever I usually shoot” to “foul the barrel” to improve accuracy before testing the accuracy of the rifle with the new barrel. This is a Kidd lightweight barrel, they guarantee 1/2 inch accuracy at 50 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Advice from Kidd was interesting: I should shoot 40 or so rounds of “whatever I usually shoot” to “foul the barrel” to improve accuracy before testing the accuracy of the rifle with the new barrel.

Although I’ve never seen the “40” rounds figure before, it’s similar to what I’ve seen others advise, that a barrel should be “seasoned” by firing multiple rounds before accuracy testing of a new type of 22 LR ammunition. I have been looking at many online accuracy tests of 22 LR ammo, and most shooters don’t do that. It’s understandable when “testing” multiple types of ammunition, but that plus other factors such as shooting in strong winds, using poorly designed targets, and using poor rests all make me realize what a waste of time most of them are. At the same time, though, it would be interesting to know if the “seasoning” procedure is really necessary or is just unsubstantiated gun lore.

Does Kidd recommend any particular ammunition?

And please keep us posted about the results you get. (I was hoping to see more of that in this thread. )

This is a 5 shot 50 yard group shot today testing a RimX barrel. Two shots were used for a rough zero before shooting the test group. I test every 22 chambered for function and baseline performance. I’m not going to say they won’t settle in and get better after fouled more but a clean barrel will shoot. Clean is also predictable. I like predictable.

Most new rifle barrels require some rounds down range before they reach full accuracy potential. In general, the number of required rounds decreases for barrels that are lapped and that have very smoothly cut chambers/throats. This is a break in process -- not seasoning -- it polishes the barrel's machining imperfections. This is why centerfire chambered rifles generally show a gradual increase in muzzle velocity for the first few dozen rounds.

Fouling a 22lr barrel is something different -- it's lining the bore with a given ammo's cocktail of bullet lube and powder residue. IIRC the rimfire book I have at home states a change in ammo generally coats 1 inch of barrel per round fired. So in theory, a 16" barrel needs 16 rounds fired after an ammo change before the new ammo shoots at its maximum potential. I've found the number of fouling rounds for ammo changes to be smaller, generally in the 5-10 rounds ballpark. Less when staying within the same ammo brand, more when switching brands.

There are also no absolutes as to whether a spotlessly clean, a fouled, or a really dirty 22lr barrel will shoot better. I prefer clean-ish barrels. I sometimes get WTF flyers in the first 5-round group of a cold clean bore, but accuracy settles after that. Of course, this could be cold-shooter flyers rather than cold-clean-bore flyers. With very few exceptions, rimfire guns shouldn't be dry fired, thus we shooters may need some live rounds to get the marksmanship fundamentals up to speed.

I don't see that Kidd recommends any specific brand or line of ammo. Most barrel makers talk in generalities, as there are differences in how any given barrel reacts with different ammo brands, ammo lines, and ammo production lot numbers. Kidd has a link on its website to a test done with 10/22 barrels, but the test was done in 2007. Some of the ammo tested back then is now off the market. The short list of accurate ammo for a quality barrel is the expensive match lines from Lapua, Eley, RWS, SK, and Wolf.

Thanks to both of you.

I keep some good lots of ammo on hand both Lapua and Eley. I can usually tell now in the first few shots if my work is done correctly. It’s nice to send the refrigerator targets with the barrels but selfishly the testing is for me to check my work. There’s a pattern of consistency when a known good chamber is put in a premium barrel blank with a good lot of premium ammo. I’ve been averaging testing 4-5 22 barrels a week. I have my preferences for sure but it’s been great to see this pattern come together.

I do like clean for the predictability reason but I’m not a clean freak. On my personal 40X I clean after every shooting session. That may be 50 or up to a couple hundred rounds. The goal for me is to stay ahead of any problems and keep consistent. There are people that say they never clean. I see problems stemming from that. As Fritz stated there certainly are no absolutes with it. I will say though I’ve seen a lot of damage done from improper cleaning. Buy quality cleaning equipment and learn how to use it.

quote:

Originally posted by jelrod1:
The goal for me is to stay ahead of any problems and keep consistent.

Thank you for clarifying that.

Although I have only a tiny fraction of the experience you do and there are many totally different factors involved, that has been the philosophy I adopted myself for my centerfire rifles, and thus far it seems to be working. There is of course much debate and differing opinions about bore cleaning, both for centerfire and 22 LR rifles. Even Vudoo doesn’t seem to be consistent, but at least one of their videos recommends regular cleaning. As a somewhat related example on the other hand, someone on the Sniper’s Hide site talks about the “good” copper that should be replenished after a centerfire bore is thoroughly cleaned, and I’ve seen some precision shooters say that they don’t clean except after several hundred rounds.

I'd like to hear from our SF rimfire experts about their lubrication recommendations. Grease vs. oil and where; specific lube recommendations for bolt group, springs, trigger group?

Dirt seems to be a major problem with .22 rimfire and oil can make that worse. The 10/22 bolt get slammed a lot, does that mean grease is needed as on a semi-auto pistol slide?

I'm looking for specific recommendations for the kind of high-end .22 we're discussing in this thread.

By the way I bought a drill guide to drill a hole in the back of the receiver to receive a rigid bore cleaning rod rather than rely on a Boresnake or cleaning through the muzzle. I see Ruger has incorporated this into the receiver on their Competition models. Any thoughts?

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
I see Ruger has incorporated this into the receiver on their Competition models.

Seems like a clue to me.

It was several years ago that I first saw a jig to fit over the back of the receiver to drill the hole in the proper position. I don’t worry about cleaning the bore of my plinker 10/22, but if I did I’d just clean it from the muzzle. I am no fan of bore snakes even though care should be taken if necessary to clean with a rod from the muzzle.

I have several CZ bolt action .22s. This is the latest one. 455 Varmint in a Boyd stock bedded by the previous owner. Scope is a Clearidge 4.5-14 X 40 with medium D3 mounts. So far I have tested Tenex, RWS50 and 100. Still testing but so far the best 5 shot group was .293" center/center at 50 yards. I have some more action screws ordered and want experiment with torque. Going to start at 20 in. lbs and go up from there and record the results. Having a blast with it.

Not sure if its highend but I do have a Biathlon 7-2 KO. I like it but Ive been toying with the idea of building a 10/22.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
I do have a Biathlon 7-2 KO.

Pictures—?

I've got an Anschutz 64MPR with a Weaver T-24 mounted on it. It loves RWS subsonics. It's a benchrest gun. I bought it back in 2007 and shot in my club matches until I moved in 2012. I was 1 x away from a perfect score. It's a great shooter.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
I'd like to hear from our SF rimfire experts about their lubrication recommendations. Grease vs. oil and where; specific lube recommendations for bolt group, springs, trigger group?

Dirt seems to be a major problem with .22 rimfire and oil can make that worse. The 10/22 bolt get slammed a lot, does that mean grease is needed as on a semi-auto pistol slide?

I'm looking for specific recommendations for the kind of high-end .22 we're discussing in this thread.

By the way I bought a drill guide to drill a hole in the back of the receiver to receive a rigid bore cleaning rod rather than rely on a Boresnake or cleaning through the muzzle. I see Ruger has incorporated this into the receiver on their Competition models. Any thoughts?

For bolts 2 drops of Benchrite super bolt lube from benchrite.com, for all caliber bolt guns. For triggers lighter fluid for charcoal cleans and lubes. Sounds crazy but it works.

I have 2 Vudoo 22lr.
Finding ammo has been hit or miss. I am lucky enough to live about 20 minutes from Champion Choice. Buying a case of ammo without being able to test is not one of my favorite things.

Being able to pop into CC and get a few sample lots, run to the range and give it a try. Pick out the best lot and go buy a case is fine.

Buying random cases just because they are available sucks.
Although I have had some good luck lately.

Not meant to be a target gun, but top-tier nonetheless. Nodak NDS22 receiver, Gemtech Mist barrel, Kidd trigger and bolt, Samson B-TM stock (inletted by me to fit the 0.925" needed) and Nodak sights. This was meant to be an integrally suppressed backwoods plinker so irons only but easy enough to pop an optic on.

Kidd Supergrade, bought it maybe 7-8 years ago. Got an identical one in blue for my son. Leupold VX2 3-9 rimfire scope with A.O.

I took my new build to the range to test yesterday.
The only original Ruger part is the receiver.
Kidd lightweight barrel, bolt, bolt handle, springs, Timney trigger, Magpul Hunter X-22 stock, ACOG scope.

It's a little better than the 1" at 25 yard groups I had before the new barrel, but not that much:



Ammo was Norma TAC-22. I have some Wolf and Norma match ammo but haven't used it yet. Next time I will use the match ammo and just do 5-round groups. If I want to test the barrel rather than my shooting skill I will also mount a higher power scope, and shoot just 50 yards to see if I can match the Kidd 1/2 inch guarantee.

I will also be curious to see what improvement, if any, comes from the Appleseed training this weekend. I was shooting off a Caldwell bag on a regular shooting bench for this test.

Here's a photo of the build after barrel install: