22 l.r. accuracy

rp85

hello;

have 2 rem. model 581 22 cal rifles. one will shoot any brand of 22 ammo great, the other will only shoot c.c.i. mini mag 22 ammo well.

the problem rifle will shoot patterens with bulk type ammo, accuracy = 6" or greater at 25 yards from a bench rest. shooting c.c.i. mini mag ammo this rifle will shoot 1/2", i measured, groups at 50 yards. have tried 6 different brands of ammo, but only c.c.i. will group.

any suggestion on why???

thanks for any input.

rp

yoshmyster

You can always guage all your ammo to be sure. Break out the calipers and check to see if CCIs are sitting higher so they're closer to the rifling while the others sit lower and don't. I take it all the bullets weighs the same?

Also if you got good printing off CCI then be happy and buy a ton of it. I mean no sense trying others if you get 1/2" from them CCIs unless you're going to test out "Match" ammo.

gunnut505

Yosh is good. Checking overall length is a good start, but the thickness of the rim is also one of those nitpicky things that accuracy chasers always do.
You might list the brands you've already tried so that others can share their thoughts as well.
Also; not to be mean-spirited or anything, but those rifles aren't exactly known as hair-splitters.
Good luck, and maybe try some Federal 711s in there to see.

rufe-snow

Mini-Mag solids are my standard go to ammo for guns that are problematic with other types/brands. If they don't shoot with Mini Mags, function and accuracy wise, generally something is wrong with the gun.

Winchester brought out a competitor to the Mini-Mags awhile back. I shot some during the Nobama gun panic. They are high velocity like the Mini-Mags, packed in red plastic boxes. I forget the name that they are sold under but Walmart stocks them, at about the same price as Mini-Mags. You might give them a try.

sandwarrior

My Dad's 580, the single shot version of that rifle, shoots lights out with every kind of .22 ammo I run through it. Typically, 1-1.5" @ 100 yds.

With that I would say just stick with the CCI Stingers if you feel they are that much better.

The other thing I would say is clean your rifle and let some known good shooters try the different loads. You may not be getting 6" @ 25 yds. groups from other ammo after all....

Edit:

Sorry, I said Stingers when you, in fact said, "mini-mags". Stick with those if you can't get anything else to shoot right. There is no sense in chasing loads you already know won't work.

rp85

thanks for inputs.

accuracy is better with a dirty barrel.

todays 1/2" group at 50 yards was with a barrel that has not been clean in several hundred rounds.

thanks again.

rp

babun

Have you tried the CCI stingers? They use a case that is longer than almost all other .22lr's. IF this group better than the others, I would look to a chamber problem.

11b6r

As far as non-match ammo goes CCI seems to be about the most consistent ammo out there. You might run a box of Federal Champion Target thru there just to see what happens. Ihave an old Mossberg 44US target rifle that, with Remington bulk ammo, shoots about 2 inches at 50 yards, but with match ammo shoots 5 rounds touching. There can be a LOT of variation in .22 LR ammo- length, rim thickness, priming charge, and powder charge.

Dokey

Try Wolf Match Extra, I've tried everything mentioned and then some and the Wolf performs the best

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by rp85
the problem rifle will shoot patterens with bulk type ammo, accuracy = 6" or greater at 25 yards from a bench rest. shooting c.c.i. mini mag ammo this rifle will shoot 1/2", i measured, groups at 50 yards. have tried 6 different brands of ammo, but only c.c.i. will group.

any suggestion on why???

That's not difficult.

CCI puts out premium rimfire ammo built to high spec.

Meanwhile the "bulk" ammo is mass-produced to low specs to create the cheapest ammo possible. On top of that, it rattles around loose in the milk-cartons, causing the soft-lead bullets to deform, reducing accuracy further.

So no surprise at all that the premium ammo significantly outperforms the low end stuff. The bulk ammo isn't supposed to be accurate, though in my experience, it usually still groups under 3" at 50 yards. Perhaps you just got a bad box/batch. It happens.

If you need real match, or hunting type accuracy, I'd advise you to stick to premium ammo. If you've already found a type of ammo your gun likes and can afford it, then you're good to go.

As to why you have two identical guns where one shoots better than another, without some meticulous examination and testing of the guns in question, I can't tell you the EXACT reason(s) why, but this phenomenon is pretty common with .22s.

You'll have one gun that "likes" one type of ammo, and another gun. . .even an identical model from the same manufacturer. . .that likes another brand(s). Sometimes gun "A" will cycle ammo that otherwise identical gun "B" won't.

It has to do with tightness, shape, and length of the chamber, and individual idiosyncrasies about the barrel of the gun in question (including its mount to the receiver, condition of crown, etc).

If you have one gun that just won't group at all, make sure the stock/action bedding is tight, and check the crown for damage. Those would be two common reasons to have accuracy issues.

For Gun-nut, Remington 581 actually *IS* a pretty accurate rifle. . .possibly the last of the really low-cost ones. No, its not a purpose-built match gun, but the action is the same as on the higher quality target Remingtons of that time, just on a "no-frills" platform. Triggers on these are probably as good as any out-of-the box production gun under $600. There is no reason at all why you can't get sub-1" 50 yard groups with one with the right ammo and shooter.

Txs

.22's are notoriously picky on what ammo they're most accurate with.

When you get a new .22 rifle, it's not a bad idea to pick up a wide variety of ammunition and shoot each one for groups. I've seen more than once where a particular rifle actually shoots it's best with less than target quality ammo.

With .22's rifles the only way to find out what you should be shooting is through real world testing with that specific rifle, not just relying on ammo manufacturer claims.