Thoughts on organizing long range 22 matches, by Historian

Had a question from a reader regarding the guest posts by Historian covering using the 22 as a trainer for long range work. I think it was a great one, as is Historian’s reply. – NCS

 

Good afternoon,
I have been enjoying your articles on Long range 22 matches. We have a group of us that are wanting to put a match together. Your lat post on 1 Dec 19, mentioned the close target size but nothing out at the longer distances.  Could you give me some sizes from 50-400 yards that you would recommend.  Thank you for your time.
 
J
Dear NCS:

Here are my responses to the question posed by your reader:

At close ranges, I’d go with small targets, say 3/4″ to 1″ at 50 to 100, then bump up to 2″ out to say 150 or so, then 3″ to 4″  out to 200+.   At 250 to 300 yards, I’d go with 4″ to 6″  then 8″ to 12″ out past that.  Maybe an 18″ or two at 400.  This last match, we went out to 515 yards, IIRC, and that target was a square 24″ x 24″ plate.  Target size depends on your shooter’s skills, too.  You want to provide enough of a challenge to be fun, but not so much that nobody can get hits.  A lot depends as well on what sort of match this is.  If you are shooting F-class style(any rifle, any sights, prone with supports- bags, bipods, etc.) then targets probably ought to be as stated above.  If you are shooting positions with a sling and no bags or bipods, I’d make the targets about twice that size.
 
You can mix target sizes up a bit at the different ranges, but I like the idea of keeping inside 2 MOA for the  under 200 yard targets, and not much less than 1 MOA.  Much smaller than 1 MOA, and you are talking high end rifles and expensive ammo in order to compete; a good shot with middle of the road equipment has little chance to do well.  Much bigger than 2 MOA for the close targets, and the match is too easy.   Keeping in the 1-2 MOA range for close targets, and up to 4 MOA for the distant targets, makes anyone with a decent .22, midprice ammo and a very good scope able to compete on skill.

Keep in mind that the point of .22 long range is to help you become able to hit 18-20″ wide targets with your centerfire rifle in the wind.  500 yards is the “rifleman’s quarter mile” and that takes being able to deliver the shot within 4 MOA in the wind. Long range precision shooting is about being able to hit the same sized targets out to 1000+ yards, and to hit 6″ targets out to 500+ yards.  Hitting a 20″ target at a thousand yards means shooting inside 2 MOA in the wind, and hitting a 6″ target at 500 is shooting inside ~1 MOA in the wind. Long range shooting is about ranging and dealing with wind, and .22 LR long range will help immensely with that, without the need for 500 or 1000 yard ranges.

The small close targets really test your basic ability to hold tight groups, as well as to judge and hold for wind.  As stated in my December article, 100 yards with a .22 is roughly equivalent to shooting at 500 yards with a centerfire rifle, and 200 yards with a .22 is roughly equivalent to shooting 1000 yards with a centerfire rifle.  If you can hit a 3″ target at 200 yards on the first shot, consistently, then you have the skills to hit a 20″ target at 1000 yards with a good centerfire rifle.

The larger longer range targets test your ability to range as well as judging the wind;  at those distances, SD and ES of the ammo becomes an increasing factor, and if you want to moderate the costs for equipment and ammo, I think it makes sense to make the more distant targets a bit bigger.   An 18″ target at ~400 yards, which is about 4 1/2 MOA is surprisingly hard to hit with a .22 especially with any wind, due in part to ammo variance.  Brian Litz’s books cover this ground in great detail.

A few other thoughts-

I would vary the ranges on each stage significantly, as well as varying the azimuth of each target in each stage significantly too.  Ideally, your targets would cover a 90 degree azimuth or more from left to right, (45 degrees each way) and range from <100 yards to >300 yards on each stage.  If you can get significant target elevation shifts safely, so much the better.  All of the matches I’ve shot offer these challenges to some extent and really add to the enjoyment, as well as the effectiveness of the experience, but that may not be possible.

Moving targets would be cool, too.  A moving 4 MOA target at 100 yards would be an eye-opener, putting a time limit on top of everything else.

 
The thing I would do differently from the .22 matches I have shot in so far would be give the target SIZE but NOT the range. Let each shooter figure out the range on his own, with a laser or collimating optical rangefinder or with their scope reticle.  In the real world, one usually knows the target sizes, but ranges can vary widely.  Accurate ranging is essential for hitting with precision rifle fire, especially with a .22, and it is well to have more than one method available, especially in a day when IR laser detectors are cheap and readily available. Getting too dependent on laser rangefinders, good as they are now, may not be a good idea down the road.

One last suggestion is that I would provide ( if anyone has one available,)  a LabRadar or good chronograph unit to get accurate muzzle velocities.  You need not do this the day of the match, but having good MV is much more important for long range .22 than it is for LR centerfire.  You can have the best ballistics program out there, but without good MV data you’re in trouble.

So there you have my thoughts on organizing a rimfire LR match, NCS.  Maybe a follow-up post?

Warm regards for the New Year, friend,

Historian

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

5 Comments

  1. Thisis Me January 10, 2020 at 11:54

    In Ca. rim fire tools are not regulated like the center fire, bastard rifle. So you can hang handles, holes, flashers, and clackers, on your distance tool and take it out in public. I’m not a lawyer, but I beat a speeding ticket once. Great write-up. Thanks. Got a mountain of twenty two LR. If we could get use those gas dispersing thingies for the tip where the exit is, I could practice in my back yard without the neighbor cat lady calling swat-fly guys. Ha ha. I’m just kidding. Never mind.

  2. Jim January 10, 2020 at 12:16

    Use some google-fu to find NRL matches for some target ideas and how to shoot a match. Pay close attention to the position shooters– prone, standing, barricade, etc.– and what they’re doing. Great fun. Also, their targets are all within 100 meters/yards with side shoots to 500. Of course target size varies from 1/4 inch at 25 yards to as large as you want at any distance.

    Our club has been doing these shoots a few years now and they’re tons of fun. RM has announced that, due to the skill of the younger shooters, we will begin our matches at 300 yards this year, target sizes my change. May change, no promises.

    We do not announce the target distance– it’s up to each shooter to gather his own information. Thus far, no one has ever been told they can’t use a borrowed range finder, whatever. The matches are Fun and, at all I’ve been to, well organized.

    Again, seek information and video on NRL and Long Range Shooters of Utah for some eye-opening video.

    Going to stop now, but I can talk all day about long range .22 shooting. Love it.

  3. binky January 11, 2020 at 14:52

    On a related sub-topic…what ammo. Tried 200yds. years ago, and was only able to get about 12/18 inches with my old Winchester semi-auto. Never saw target/match ammo for sale at Fleet-Farm (department store). Now I have some target ammo, and will try again this spring. Any recommendations beyond see what my rife likes?

  4. Historian January 12, 2020 at 07:31

    @ binky

    It really is a question of seeing what ammo your rifle likes. I’d probably avoid the really cheap stuff for long range applications; for tin can plinking and starting out at 7 yards, they’re fine, but the dispersion at any distance becomes a problem.

    I’d also avoid the supersonic loads; Subsonic seems more accurate at distance even though there is more drop. I’ve also never gotten the heavy Aguila load to stabilize in a 1:16 twist barrel, so I’d stay away from that.

    Some of the less expensive loads I’d try with a new .22 are:
    Aguila Super Extra Subsonic;
    Federal American Eagle suppressor;
    CCI subsonic target;
    Fiocchi 22FHPSUB;
    PMC Moderator: (I don’t know if they still make it, though)

    I’ve not been impressed with the Remington subsonic in particular; it is quiet but not accurate, but YMMV.

    If I were willing to spend more I’d try (but have not, since CCI subsonic target runs really well in my rifle) the following:
    Federal premium gold subsonic;
    Winchester’s subsonic offering:
    Norma’s mid-range ammo;
    Lapua’s lower end target loads;
    the Eley lower priced loads:

    best results in my 10-22 were with the CCI target (~3/8″ at 50 yards) and the Moderator ran a close second, (1/2″)
    but .22 rimfire rifles are NOTORIOUSLY ammo sensitive, so find what works in yours.
    Also, I’d try 10 shot groups, or more; 5 shot groups do not really provide a good basis for comparison.

    What I did was check a bunch of loads at 25 yards, then take the best few out to 50 and see not only what the
    group size was, but what sort of group shape I got (looking for circular groups; vertical stringing was indicative of possible high ES).

    After that, I’d take the best two loads and try them at 100 yards with a chronograph, recording each shot’s placement and measured velocity.

    Once you have picked your load, you want to run about 100 rounds of your selected load through your rifle, shooting consecutive 10 shot groups at 100 yards to condition your barrel and make sure that the lead buildup in the leade is consistent and that your rifle can tolerate the lead buildup without degradation of accuracy. You also want to note the lot number, and test when you get a new lot. Lot to lot variations can make a difference. What I do is to do some testing on small batches, then cross my fingers and buy a 5000 round case of an ammo type I like and test to make sure it works well. If it does, great, I set that aside for matches and serious practice, and when I get halfway through it I buy another case and test that lot. If it doesn’t measure up, I use it for plinking and training novices, but so far, I have not had that problem. Some guys test lots and go out and really stock up when they find a good one.

    Precision Rifle magazine had a great series of articles on .22 accuracy about 15 years ago, IIRC. I read them, but was foolishly more focused on centerfire than on .22 shooting. I will have to see if I can dig those up, but the gist of it was that chambering made a huge difference in how the rifle built up lead at the leade, and how it tolerated that buildup. Some rifles need to be cleaned to shoot well, and others need to be left alone once the “ramp” has built to a certain level. My approach is to shoot several hundred rounds of the same ammo to make sure that it likes that load long term, and see what happens to accuracy as the round count builds. If accuracy degrades, give it a good cleaning and start over; I’d find the sweet spot in the round count and shoot my matches there.

    Anyway, that is probably a lot more information than you were looking for, but I hope it helps.

    With regard to all who serve the Light,
    Historian

  5. Historian January 13, 2020 at 02:14

    Correction- It was Precision Shooting magazine, now sadly defunct, not Precision Rifle. They had another publication, ‘the Accurate Rifle’ for a while. I used to subscribe to both, and learned a lot on the subject. If you see copies for sale at a show, they are worth buying and reading; I have mine boxed up right now but I did not get rid of them, tempting as it was to save room.

    WRT ammo and long range .22 LR shooting elsewhere-

    https://www.ar15.com/forums/precision-rifles/New-to-precision-shooting-22lr-for-practice-/18-235/

    https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2019/3/22/all-about-precision-rimfire-competition/

    .22 rimfire at long range is not a new thing, by any means, as you can see. I’m just a bit late to the game.
    Contrary to what is posted in the SSUSA article above, you do not have to spend a lot of money to get started.
    Like everything else, you can spend as much money as you like, but you don’t have to in order to get started.

    Good luck!

    With regard to all who serve the Light,
    Historian

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