As I mentioned in another thread my 31-YO factory-stock Ruger 10/22 “International” version recently got a new scope and after getting a Pic rail for a mount it was time to zero and test.

The scope is a 1-6× SAI optic and the ammunition was CCI Standard Velocity. None of the three components, rifle, scope, or ammo, is well suited to long range precision, but they are fine for the type of shooting I wanted to practice today.

As I and others have said in the past, a drill involving shooting at a significant number of challenging targets in succession is a good way to practice and test our marksmanship. Shooting at bull’s-eye targets is one way, but I usually prefer to develop my own targets for specific goals.

I try to practice at different distances with different methods. Today I shot while standing and using a small soft bag on top of a tripod for support. I often shoot with a rifle clamped to the head of the tripod, but a single bag support is less stable and I’ve been trying to improve my abilities with that type of rest.

The picture shows the results of my firing at 20 targets in succession after getting the new scope zeroed. The range was 25 yards and because the inner circle measures 0.75 inch and the outer circle measures 1.5 inch, at that distance they cover about 3 and 6 minutes of angle. My goal is to consistently hit the 3 MOA circle and I did that with 17 of my shots (and never missed the 6 MOA circle ). The sizes of the circles were chosen for “good enough” accuracy; when (if?) I get good enough to consistently hit all 3 MOA circles, I’ll work on improving my engagement speed.

The results weren’t spectacular, but they weren’t bad and by recording the results I’ll be able to compare them with future efforts.

My intent for posting them is to (hopefully) demonstrate that useful marksmanship practice doesn’t require expensive guns, ammunition, sights, or long distance shooting ranges.