School me on .22 rifles please!

[bden]

I'd like to get something like a 10/22 at some point, and am curious to know what it's capable of in terms of range, and how much ($$) of a scope would be needed to achieve that range if necessary. I'm not hunting with it, but would enjoy some range trips and plinking in the woods. I think it would be fun to sight in a scope and do all that other stuff (I've yet to learn all about such as drop, windage, etc.) for long shots that is often talked about with centerfires, but am wondering if that's practical with a .22. Is the .22 a decent compromise to the cost of a more expensive centerfire if I'm wanting to plink long(ish) range targets with a scope? Would it be decently accurate at 300 yards, or more, less? Thanks all!

[trob]

.22 accurate to 300 yards?? no

use a .22 for accuracy to 50 yards. for 100 + you want something else.

300 yards, you want a .223, 22-250, 204?

what do you want to do?

[gdun]

You can hit pop cans out to 100 yards all day long. I can do this with a cheap >$50 scope

[bden]

what do you want to do?

To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure. Mostly plinking, but think it would be fun to dial in a scope and take some longer shots. Didn't know how practical that is with the .22. Guess I might need to look at getting something bigger eventually, but was hoping to be able to leave the bank account more alone than that.

I've shot iron sights at 40 yards which is a kick, but at that distance a scope hardly seems worth it. Didn't know if it was practical to go much beyond, or if moving up in caliber is necessary.

[trob]

You can hit pop cans out to 100 yards all day long. I can do this with a cheap >$50 scope

he said he wanted to be accurate, and i dont count soda cans at 100yds accurate.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure. Mostly plinking, but think it would be fun to dial in a scope and take some longer shots. Didn't know how practical that is with the .22. Guess I might need to look at getting something bigger eventually, but was hoping to be able to leave the bank account more alone than that.

I've shot iron sights at 40 yards which is a kick, but at that distance a scope hardly seems worth it. Didn't know if it was practical to go much beyond, or if moving up in caliber is necessary.

yea, if you want to shoot 300yd I would look into a .223 or 22-250

the only reason i didnt mention a 17hmr is because you can shoot .223 for almost the same price and have a lot more power and the HMR loses a lot after 150 yds. You can pick up a nice savage in either of those calibers for $550-600 with a scope. They are great guns. I have a savage 12 VLP .223 and it is an absolute laser.

[atavuss]

don't cheap out on the scope. go someplace that has a range of scope models from cheapo to deluxe and look through each one, you will be amazed at the difference.
a .204 Ruger will actually have better ballistics at longer ranges than the .223 or even the .22-250. do a google search on .204 Ruger vs. .223 or .204 Ruger vs. .22-250. the .204 Ruger also has the added advantage of you being able to usually spot your own shots because of the lower recoil level.
a .17HMR is usually more accurate out to 100 or 125 yards than most .22 LR.

[Seesm]

With one of my old 10/22's with a cheap scope I can "lob" rounds in and hit cans but not accurate like I think your wanting... YOu have to aim a bit higher but you CAN hit them. From 25-75 yards the 10/22 is quite a fun rifle.

[5150bronco]

i just fired buddies 10/22 and that is dead accurate at 100 easy.

[Federalist]

For me, a .22lr rifle and pistol are essential guns for shooters. For what they do, they are fun, easy and cheap to shoot. (What else can you shoot for pennies a round?) They are great for practicing technique. And they take much less effort to maintain than most other guns.

If I'm not mistaken, a typical .22lr high velocity 40 grain round will drop about 3" at 100 yards, and it is fairly light. As a result, they are not known for being great at more than 100 yards. Most people that I know shoot them mostly at 50-75 yards with a 4x or 3-9x scope.

It wouldn't surprise me if you "need" one of them - in addition to your longer distance rifle(s). YMMV.

[illuminate10]

Pick up a Ruger 10/22 or a Marlin 60 or 795.....period. You won't regret it.

[XS40]

300...not so much.

Don't know about the 10/22 specifically, but 200 yard 22lr is doable. There are some fun matches around. I haven't in a few years, but have shot smallbore palma and english prone at 200 yards at Richmond Rod and Gun. Albeit, most people there shot things with names like Anschutz. Major elevation adjustments from the regular 50 ft though.

I think 22LR is a great deal though. I shoot a sized down 200 yd target at 100 yd with my 22 and have a blast. A whole day's worth of fun for less than $15 in ammo. Hard to beat.

[Vee3]

I think everyone who likes guns should have at least one each 22 auto rifle and pistol. They never fail to put a smile on my face, even if I miss the target 50% of the time.

I've had two stock 10-22's over the years and found them very reliable and loads of fun. Not very accurate out of the box though.

I can shoot 1" groups @ 100 yds on a good day with one of my bolt-action 22's, but it's a heavy ~$1200 (rifle & scope) bench rifle that needs fairly expensive ammo to do that well. 100 yds is the max range I do any serious rimfire target shooting.

Some long range shooting I've done with a 22 was on a 16" round steel plate my Dad used to hang on a tree at ~300 yds when I was a kid. That was fun (and very hard to hit with an old Mossberg bolt gun and cheap 4x Tasco scope). Long range 'hunting' was done with the same rifle from a hill overlooking a field on ground squirrels at about the same range. I hit one once, but it was more like 'scaring' squirrels than hunting them. We had a lot of laughs together; we'd trade off shooting and watching them notice a bullet hit nearby through binoculars.

[5150bronco]

10/22 has always been my favorite since early years.

[shooterdude]

Savage Mark 2 bolt action rifle with composite stock and accu-trigger will set you back about $175 and is as accurate as they come. I have a $40 3-9 scope from Walmart and this thing is impossible to miss with at under 100 yards.

All day fun for the kids....

[5150bronco]

Savage Mark 2 bolt action rifle with composite stock and accu-trigger will set you back about $175 and is as accurate as they come. I have a $40 3-9 scope from Walmart and this thing is impossible to miss with at under 100 yards.

All day fun for the kids....

you have pic? is the company savage?