Hey all-

Who here shoots .22 LR at longer distances? I am considering getting a RPR in .22 LR for shooting between 50 and 250 yards. I imagine that will require a pretty specific scope.
Any suggestions?

Bruce

Depends on the size of the target youre shooting at? I have a 4 power on one my CZ 455 and make hits on 2/3 IDPA steal at 200 with no problem. I have 2 VPT 455's that have 20 and 25 power scopes for shooting smaller targets at distance.

Most guys just get a high mag scope and call it good, I'll take lower power scope that has better clarity though. Lots of good option, your budget will determine which is best for you.

Not sure if they still had them but Europtic had some of Nikon FX1000 scopes at 375.00 a few months back, I bought a couple of them.....easily the best scope Ive looked though in the sub 1k market.

They have raised the prices considerably the the 6-24 are out of stock but Id still look at these:

https://www.eurooptic.com/niko...MQ&o=0&p=1&i=48&d=48

I am looking to use it as a cheaper training rifle to allow me to learn to read wind without paying $1 every time I take a shot. I will be shooting at paper and hoping to make small groups. More magnification would be good and generous elevation adjustment, as well.
How far do people push the little .22 LR?

Bruce

There is a dedicated group of enthusiasts near me that shoot .22lr at 300 all the time. I sometimes join them for fun (but I suck, ok). nearly every one of the good ones have a high power high quality optic on the guns (25x and up). You know the kind that cost like 3-5x the gun. Just observational the most common one I saw the last time is a NF of at least 20x or more but I'm guessing it just depends on who is there for the day. When I went last I used my cz varmit precision and a NF nxs 3-15 that I stole from something and I wanted way more magnification. You need lots of elevation, but I'm sure you know that. Anything with great tracking in the 25x range would seem to be good to me.

RN

Search the NRL22 sites and forums for very good advice at every level of skill and budget. I just assembled a precision 22 rig of my own to get the hang of it:
- CZ 457 AT-ONE w/ 24-inch barrel.
- Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6x24-50 FFP scope.
- Area 419 picatinny 15 MOA rail.
- Vortex Pro series 30mm Low rings
- Harris bipod

So far its a tack driver.....I am the limiting factor.

Let's first address general issues of 250 yards with a 22lr.

Use high-quality subsonic match ammo. Figure 20-30 cents per round. Lapua, Eley, RWS, Wolf, and SK should be on your short list. If you don't already have a really accurate load, it may take some searching to find out what works best in your rifle. Understand that it may take 15-20 rounds with a different type of ammo before it settles down in your barrel. You may need to clean your barrel between types of ammo. As for trying to lean doping the wind with cheap ammo -- you'll fight the inconsistencies of the ammo more than learning what the wind just did to your bullet.

You'll need a scope that has a healthy amount of elevation adjustment. Expect to zero at 50 yards. Expect to dial 30-35 MOA to get to 250 yards -- or the mil equivalent of 9-11 (ish).

You'll want a FFP scope, with turrets and reticle in the same scale. Both MOA and mil work. You'll want variable magnification. Figure 15x-ish a minimum, if you're looking to produce tiny groups on paper. Better yet is 25x or 35x on the top end. Choose clarity over pure magnification, however.

You'll want adjustable parallax, with a minimum distance of no more than 50 yards. 25 yards or so is even better.

Wind does funky things to the low-BC 22lr bullet. Expect both horizontal and vertical wind drift. The slight variations in muzzle velocity inherent to almost all 22lr ammo makes long distance accuracy a challenge. It can be difficult to determine if a high or low shot was caused by MV, wind, or a bad trigger pull.

****
My range is only a few miles from a wind farm, therefore 22lr practice can be a challenge when the weather doesn't cooperate. Other than zeroing at 50 yards, I shoot exclusively on painted steel targets. I currently have a Kimber bolt action and a JP semiauto. Both sport Nightforce SHV ffp 4-14x scopes. For painted steel, these scopes work well out to 250 yards. Wind pretty much limits my effective target distances to 200-220 yards. 250 yards is doable on calm days. 300 yards requires big targets for consistent hits in wind -- as in full-sized IPSC.

One of these days I'll get around to a precision 22lr bolt action trainer. It will sport a NF ATACR 7-35x -- which is just outstanding for short, medium, and long distance 22lr.

I have a 4-16 on my Precision Rimfire. The gun is plenty accurate. Once you get past 150 or so, elevation becomes a major challenge. I've shot it out to about 325 and you are truly moving the impacts in the vertical and horizontal planes at that point the round comes in at such an angle. I'm just using a lower cost Primary Arms scope. The rail on the receiver has 30 MOA built in, I believe.

the times I've done this 15x is nowhere near enough. If I was going to invest in this area I've going at least 25x or more.

As sgalczyn stated, the Vortex Diamondback 6-24x50 is the bee’s knees in Precision Rimfire competition. It’s just so versatile, for the money.
B&H Photo in NYC offers discounts on it from time to time. I got mine for $299 a few months ago.

I am very happy with my athlon scope. I shoot nrl22 and while main stages are 100 yards and in ( with some very small targets!) our side stages go to 200+ yards.
The least expensive FFP athlon is around $300.
I use mine on a savage Mark II with a 20 MOA base.
( not sure if the Ruger has a 0 or 20 moa base out of the box)
Between the base the scope elevation and the Christmas tree reticle I can connect to at least 400 ( the max I have shot it so far)
Athlon is the most popular brand in NRL22 base class so that should tell you something!
Definitely a quality standard velocity ammo is what you want to use. Initially the lower end SK or Eley is fine until you build skill then things like the higher end Eley or Lapua center x may be in order

I've only shot 200 yrds at steel with 22lr, and used irons (fun shot kinda thing)

I know smallbore was shot at 200 for a while, years ago ,, using Irons (think heavy bull guns with Redfields etc) or Scopes (heavy bull guns with Unertl's or Lyman's)

On a rimfire carefully check the minimum Focus and Paralax distance. Most higher magnification scopes won't focus at 25yds. Might not be a factor if you ONLY shoot it at longer ranges but that's rare for 22's........

I'd skip that RPR and get a Bergara B14R. It's a far superior rifle and it takes Rem 700 triggers and stocks (for future upgrades). And the bottom of stock is flat and perfectly sized for an Arca rail.

Get a 30 MOA base right away, and preferably a 34mm scope. You're going to need a lot of elevation adjustment. Spend as much as you can afford on the scope; you won't regret it. I have only regretted inexpensive scope purchases, never the pricey ones.

As others noted, try to get something with parallax down to around 25 yards.

Try lots of ammo before stacking it deep. There are some really good values out there for .22 at longer distances, but I'm not going to post them on a public forum. It's tough enough to find them in stock these days.

That Bergara is pretty sweet! Although, $1150 would get me that rifle or 3 Ruger Precision Rimfire rifles. Or 1 RPR and a decent scope.
I do like the idea of it being a bona fide Remington 700 trainer. It is super neat.

Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
That Bergara is pretty sweet! Although, $1150 would get me that rifle or 3 Ruger Precision Rimfire rifles. Or 1 RPR and a decent scope.
I do like the idea of it being a bona fide Remington 700 trainer. It is super neat.

Bruce

They sell for around $900, not MSRP. The quality is in a different league than an RPR. If that seems expensive, it's still far cheaper than a Vudoo or RimX.

I do like the idea of a 22LR version of my 700 5R. I found a seller that has the action with a trigger for under $700. Pretty attractive if I could find a HS precision stock for it...

Bruce