22lr range

[jkonquer]

anyone know at what is the maximum range 22lr on ar-15 style rifle? and at what distance does the bullet starts to drop?

[email]

It starts to drop right after exiting the barrel. Practical range for target shooting is about 150 yards. After that you're really lobbing them.

[ararar]

I recall on the box of my federal 22lr ammo, it says something like -5" at 100 yds...

[nrakid88]

If you are shooting steel, with a good gun, on a windless day, scoped (for those with poorer vision), you can reach steel targets out to 400 yards. Depending on scope, magnification (low is better so you have huge FOV for long drop) and certain reticles help more than others. It is actually fun to do with a dusty dry back stop. Rapid fire is like an artillery barrage through the scope.

That said every box I have ever handled said they are dangerous to 1.5 miles... and that would REALLY be mortaring them in.

[nrakid88]

With an AR style rifle, the sights are 1.5 inches high of the bore. Zero at 25, it will be a inch high at 35, zero again at 50, then (if you have a sight with flip apertures (0-200, 300) when you flip to the second sight you are zero at 100.

With a matech iron sight you can zero from 25-200 yards (although on the last setting you are 6 or 9 inches low.)

Cool stuff

[Eljay]

It depends on what you're shooting. If you're shooting something that doesn't move, and you have a spotter, and you don't mind taking your time you can eventually get a zero for any distance you can see. And once you have it, if it's not too windy you can keep pulling the trigger and hitting more or less that same spot. Definitely fun to do once if only for the novelty. Do keep in mind that 22 rounds are light and moving pretty slow by the time they're way out there and the wind is not your friend.

Now let's consider shooting a squirrel at some great distance. And you start walking the rounds onto the squirrel and it walks towards you ten feet. The problem is that you basically have to start all over again - the elevation changes by some large amount and basically you can never get anywhere.

I'd say as a general rule 100 yards is great, but it really doesn't take long at all until there's not a whole lot of point to it. If you happen to have a range with targets at 150 go for it, but if it's 100 then 200 I'd stick to 100 for regular use and further distances only if you want to try it once.

[nrakid88]

Eljay,

using a MaTech and a laser range finder, the only thing you would be guessing on is windage. And since it is semi-auto, and the gun doesn't really move under recoil, those follow up shots might be fast enough to nab that squirell.

[Eljay]

Oh, you might get lucky eventually, but I don't think that's really in the spirit of the original question.

The point, and I imagine you don't really disagree with this, is that when you're talking about the effective range of the gun it matters what you're shooting, and just because you can find some guy on youtube hitting a gong at hundreds of yards it doesn't mean it's a good general purpose gun at that range.

[donw]

according to the box on many RF cartridges...it's dangerous out to 1.5 miles.

you can "plink" out as far as you care to try, though...

(wow...is that a generic answer or what?)

[donw]

according to the box on many RF cartridges...it's dangerous out to 1.5 miles.

you can "plink" out as far as you care to try, though...

(wow...is that a generic answer or what?)

[nrakid88]

Oh, you might get lucky eventually, but I don't think that's really in the spirit of the original question.

The point, and I imagine you don't really disagree with this, is that when you're talking about the effective range of the gun it matters what you're shooting, and just because you can find some guy on youtube hitting a gong at hundreds of yards it doesn't mean it's a good general purpose gun at that range.

Honestly, with a four power scope on a windless day, I would confidently hunt squirel sized game at 200 yards with my semi auto. Might not tag them first round every time, but that second one is a sure bet.

But then my moral hunting side wants a clean kill, so realistically I would keep it to 100 yards and under. UNLESS it was a infestation type situation, where they are eating cables and insulation, then I would take shots at the fury fellows out to 400 yards if I got the chance hahaha.

[Sonnypie]

Completely off topic, but...
As a teenager in the 1960's, friends and I often went rabbit hunting on the fringes of a golf course near us.
I had two very wicked looking broad heads I had bought and mounted on arrows. Most impressive to look at!
I got a shot at a distant rabbit and it was my turn. My friends watching, I drew back and let fly a long arching shot off my 25 pound bow.
It was amazing to watch as the arrow arched into the blue sky and like a self guided missile found the side of the rabbit.
Looked like rabbit for dinner to me, for a millisecond or so anyway.
The arrow hit the rabbit, the rabbit rolled over as the arrow bounced back about 6-7 feet and just laid there. The rabbit high tailed it into the brush.
We all just fell down on the grass laughing in total disbelief!

Yep. Shooting great distances with a 22 is a lot of fun. But just shoot at inanimate objects.
Too far out there only causes a bruise, and pisses something off.

[Bearclaw]

It starts to drop right after exiting the barrel. Practical range for target shooting is about 150 yards. After that you're really lobbing them.

^^^This^^^

ANY bullet begins to drop IMMEDIATELY after exiting the barrel. Gravity is effective 100% of the time that the bullet is in flight.

[Dark Mod]

i have everything zero'd at 100 yards, i wouldnt mess around with stuff mutch farther than that unless its for fun