Ruger American Rimfire Target

[TheGreenwolf]

so whats your top 5 pics so far?

[Gamerancher]

The 64 MSR was purpose built to conform with Metallic Silhouette Rifle rules, open not hunter class. They were available word-wide, and you could still buy new ones as late as last year.
http://www.acme-firearms.com.au/rifles/ ... ifles.html

[bladeracer]

The 64 MSR was purpose built to conform with Metallic Silhouette Rifle rules, open not hunter class. They were available word-wide, and you could still buy new ones as late as last year.
http://www.acme-firearms.com.au/rifles/ ... ifles.html

Thanks GR
You see why I use the terms "seems", "possibly" and "apparently" when I post stuff that came via somebody's memory rather than factual data.

[Gamerancher]

No worries, glad to be of service.

[bladeracer]

so whats your top 5 pics so far?

First, a massive caveat
As you might expect, the hardest ammo to find is also the highest quality and highest price, making it a poor choice for the average rural shop to keep on the shelf. I eventually made a trip up to Melbourne which enabled me to fill in most of the blanks in the very high end target ammunition. Once I test those, there is a decent chance that one or more might out-shoot everything I have so far tested. If so, then there is the added problem of sourcing it as required, or lashing out on a case or two of very expensive ammo ($2000+ per case) so as to have it always available.

Based only on 50m accuracy - my top ones _so far_ would be:
NOTE: By good "consistency" I mean that you can reasonably expect all groups shot to be similarly sized. Poor consistency you would expect to see some randomly tight and open groups during the same session.
For competition shooting - Eley Edge at $25/50 - consistency is absolute (in both my Rugers).
For accurate non-competition practice and hunting - CCI Standard Velocity at $10/50 - precision is almost on par with Edge but consistency is not quite.
Eley Subsonic HP at $15(?)/50 - comparable to Edge but limited testing - may prove to be better than Edge.
Highland RX HP at $6/50 - very cheap with fairly consistent but large groups. Batching may improve it significantly.
For terminal performance over absolute precision - CCI Velocitor at $15(?)/50 - decent accuracy even at 100m.

This is a _very_ early list where I've tried grading them. It's neither complete nor entirely accurate at this stage as I entered rudimentary figures to fill it out. My intention is to be able to rate all the ammunition that I've tried in _my_ Rugers. I am not interested in competition shooting _at all_. Other than putting them into MDT LSS-22 chassis I have not modified either rifle at all. I have not even adjusted the triggers. With some basic tuning of the action and chassis I would expect they would shoot even better. With decent trigger groups they would probably shoot extraordinarily well. All of the data from this testing was gained over either bipod and rear bag, or front and rear bags to minimise shooter input as far as possible - I'm only testing the ammunition/rifle combination, my own abilities are excluded as much as possible. I try to remember any shots I know are bad, but shooting numerous groups at a time it can be difficult.

I want to avoid ranking them based on their anomalous best grouping abilities, but more on what I see as being closer to the consistently-achievable or "guaranteed" expectation. I also want to weight my ranking according to how much of the ammo I tried and whether even some of the larger groups show some promise of tunability. Things like ten-round groups that are compact except for an obligatory flier for example.

So, with a huge grain of salt, these are some preliminary ratings.

Based on my Ruger Americans (Compact and Target models - both 18") in MDT LSS-22 chassis.

Graded 1.0 to 3.0 based on averaged result at 50m for 10rds.
Grade 1.0 sub MoA (15mm) at 50m.
Grade 1.5 sub 1.5 MoA (22mm) at 50m.
Grade 2.0 sub 2.0 MoA (30mm) at 50m.
Grade 2.5 sub 2.5 MoA (38mm) at 50m.
Grade 3.0 sub 3.0 MoA (45mm) at 50m.
* indicates consistently worse than 3.0 MoA (45mm+) at 50m

CCI
Quiet RN – 3.0
Quiet Seg. HP – *
Subsonic Seg. HP – 3.0
Standard Velocity – 1.0
Stinger – 3.0
Copper-22 – *
Mini-Mag HP – 3.0
Velocitor – 2.0
Blazer – 3.0

Eley
Match – 2.0
Club – 2.0
Subsonic HP – 1.0
Edge – 1.0
Tenex – 1.5
Sport -

Winchester
Subsonic Max HP 42gn – 2.0
Powerpoint HP 42gn – 2.0
T-22 (1980's stock) – *
Long-Z – *
Super-X Short RN – *
SuperSpeed HP – *
M-22 -

Remington
Target-22 -
Subsonic-22 – 2.5
Cyclone (unsorted) – *
Cyclone (0.038" rim) – 3.0
Cyclone (0.044" rim) – 2.0
Yellow Jacket – *
Golden Bullet -

RWS
Rifle Match – 1.5
HV HP – 2.5
Z-Lang -
Club -
Special Match -
R50 -
R100 -
Subsonic HP -

Highland
RX RN -
RX HP – 1.5
RX Subsonic – 2.0
RX Target -
Super Quiet Subsonic -

Sellier & Bellot
Subsonic – 2.0
Standard – *
High Velocity – 2.5

Federal
American Eagle HP – 2.0
American Eagle Suppressor 45gn – 2.5
GameShock – *
Target Standard -
Gold Medal Target -
Premium Match -

SK
Magazine -
High Velocity -
Standard Plus -
Rifle Match -

Norma
Match 2 Training -

Lapua
Centre-X -
Midas+ -

Geco
Rifle -

ICI
Civic Long RN -
Shot #12 -

[Gamerancher]

If you were still looking to shoot some silhouette,I reckon you would get good service by using the CCI standard for practice and informal club shooting and build up to using the Eley Edge at larger competitions. The CCI standard has had a good reputation for a while now. My Sako P94S has a preference for the high end Lapua, but, I get very similar performance out of much cheaper ammo, albeit with the odd "flyer". For practice and club days that is tolerable for me. I save the high end stuff for big matches and only then if I'm shooting well. At $0.50 to $1 a shot, they are expensive holes in the dirt if you're not on your game.

[TheGreenwolf]

ok great thanks

[TheGreenwolf]

yep using cci standard right now seems pretty accurate to me....just i still cant hit stuff standing up cause im a newbie. but in terms of hitting from the bags, its pretty consistent now after the weekends practice.

[in2anity]

I also settled on cci-sv for metallic silhouette - can confirm, it'll definitely do its part if you do yours, plus nice and cheap

[in2anity]

yep using cci standard right now seems pretty accurate to me....just i still cant hit stuff standing up cause im a newbie. but in terms of hitting from the bags, its pretty consistent now after the weekends practice.

How's your trigger mate? Nice and light and crisp?IMO for offhand work the trigger makes a huge difference. Also don't be too hard on yourself, those turkeys are bloody small! We all struggle at points.

[Milesy]

Savage Mk 11 22lr laminated Varmint
Got a barrel like a tank!
Regret not getting Ruger American as I have one in 223 and love it.

[bladeracer]

If you were still looking to shoot some silhouette,I reckon you would get good service by using the CCI standard for practice and informal club shooting and build up to using the Eley Edge at larger competitions. The CCI standard has had a good reputation for a while now. My Sako P94S has a preference for the high end Lapua, but, I get very similar performance out of much cheaper ammo, albeit with the odd "flyer". For practice and club days that is tolerable for me. I save the high end stuff for big matches and only then if I'm shooting well. At $0.50 to $1 a shot, they are expensive holes in the dirt if you're not on your game.

I think I'm going to struggle to set aside whole days, or even weekends to do any competitive shooting. I weigh up spending four hours or more of driving for a few hours of shooting, against walking maybe fifty meters from where I'm sitting right now, to spend as many hours as I want shooting the wee steel beasties here at home. Most importantly, if real life steps in, I can put the rifles in the safe, sort the problem, and go right back to my shooting.

Once I complete the testing, I'll get bricks of the best stuff and then have a play at longer ranges.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg808TYc2Ao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-GUyITjmMA
I'm sure there are lots of ways to enjoy playing with .22's

[bladeracer]

yep using cci standard right now seems pretty accurate to me....just i still cant hit stuff standing up cause im a newbie. but in terms of hitting from the bags, its pretty consistent now after the weekends practice.

It takes a lot of practice to become consistent at offhand shooting. I've found that if I'm not in the "zone" for it there's nothing gained by persevering. Better to stop and try again after a break.

[Gamerancher]

To quote Clint Eastwood, "A mans gotta know his limitations". You're right Bladeracer, it is no use carrying on if your head is not in the game.
You need a clear head and a calm temperament to shoot consistently well off-hand for the sustained periods that silhouette requires.
Being honest with yourself about where you break your shot and how well you follow through is a big part of improving this skill.
I'm like you, I only have to walk 20m from my gun-room to a 200m range. Range time is not my problem, actual match practice, when someone else is there, keeping score, competing against you is. During competition, my adrenaline system goes into overdrive and while this is good for games like footy, hockey and other sports that involve running around, it 'aint much good for shooting.

[TheGreenwolf]

yep using cci standard right now seems pretty accurate to me....just i still cant hit stuff standing up cause im a newbie. but in terms of hitting from the bags, its pretty consistent now after the weekends practice.

How's your trigger mate? Nice and light and crisp?IMO for offhand work the trigger makes a huge difference. Also don't be too hard on yourself, those turkeys are bloody small! We all struggle at points.

to me it feels great, im really happy with the ruger after the weekend just gone, next weekend im going to practice for real. i do think i need to make a couple of small adjustments after i was shooting out to the 100m, but they will be just a little bit...mostly its great!

[TheGreenwolf]

DSC_0007.JPG (1.94 MiB) Viewed 7156 times

OK so this is at 50m best is the little triangle I was aiming for the tip of the triangle... Needs to go up slightly otherwise all good.

sorry image is sideways turn your head like an owl!

[bladeracer]

How's your trigger mate? Nice and light and crisp?IMO for offhand work the trigger makes a huge difference. Also don't be too hard on yourself, those turkeys are bloody small! We all struggle at points.

to me it feels great, im really happy with the ruger after the weekend just gone, next weekend im going to practice for real. i do think i need to make a couple of small adjustments after i was shooting out to the 100m, but they will be just a little bit...mostly its great!

I like the Ruger triggers as well, but try shooting offhand and their limitations become a problem. For unsupported shooting the break needs to be right on the very edge so you can release it at the perfect microsecond. Supported shooting is not a problem as you can hold the sight picture for a very long time compared to unsupported, and simply keep squeezing until it breaks.

[bladeracer]

DSC_0007.JPG

OK so this is at 50m best is the little triangle I was aiming for the tip of the triangle... Needs to go up slightly otherwise all good.

sorry image is sideways turn your head like an owl!

That is something to be aware of. Try setting up different sized aiming points. For a new rifle with iron sights, at 50m I make different-sized diamonds out of insulation tape to determine which best fits that specific sight picture. With the scopes I find I shoot tighter groups when I'm aiming at a very small target. This will depend on the reticle and magnification of your scope, but you should be able to find the best size for your aim point. If you are shooting groups so tight that they either destroy the aiming point or change its shape or size, try adjusting your scope to place the bullets away from your aim point. I know some places in Europe actually use targets with the aiming point in the lower left corner away from the scored target for precisely this reason. When shooting groups I often aim at one corner of a piece of tape rather than at the target dot and let the bullets fall elsewhere.

[bladeracer]

Managed to test another eighteen types this arvo.

10rd groups at 50m
Norma Match 2 Training Ammunition - 30.5mm
Lapua Centre-X - 23mm
RWS Z-Lang - 80mm+ (130mm low)
RWS Club - 59mm
RWS Special Match - 23mm
RWS R50 - 40mm
RWS R100 - 24.5mm
RWS Subsonic HP - 35mm
Geco Rifle - 22.5mm
Eley Sport - 47mm (first eight into 21mm)
Federal Target Standard - 34.5mm
Federal Gold Medal Target - 29mm
Federal Premium Match - 28.5mm
SK Magazine - 27.5mm
SK High Velocity - 13.5mm
SK Standard Plus - 24mm
Remington Golden Bullet - 51.5mm
Remington Target - 38.5mm

Stand out is the SK High Velocity - two ten-round groups of 15mm and 13.5mm - wow! RWS R100, RWS Special Match, Geco Rifle, Lapua Centre-X and perhaps Eley Sport show some promise. More testing might even put the SK High Velocity at the top of the heap. The 13.5mm SK group was shots number 983-992 through the bore since new. Other than two patches to clean the bore when it was brand new, I haven’t cleaned it since. After today’s effort I’m at 1013rds through the bore. It’s quite possible that the bore is starting to “come in” now that I’ve got the first thousand through it, so I’ll shoot a bunch of CCI SV and Eley Edge this week to compare with how it shot them when new. Surprisingly, although some of these shot very well, it seems to me that only the SK High Velocity can really eclipse the CCI Standard Velocity and Eley Edge. It was getting late so I only took the Ruger Target out today. A light breeze but I think the rapidly fading light was a bigger deal. I shot all of these, then jogged 500m to get some CCI SV and Eley Edge so I could shoot some control groups – and then shot the 19mm CCI group with the last of the light.

Next step is to get some bricks for some serious testing - SK High Velocity, Geco Rifle, Eley Sport and some more Eley Subsonic HP should do it. I'm interested in seeing if the SK High Velocity holds its accuracy at longer ranges. The Lapua is significantly more expensive than the Eley Edge (which is double the price of the Eley Sport), and I can't see it offering anything to warrant further testing at that price. The Eley Sport I want to shoot more of primarily because of the price. If it can maintain what Eley Edge is doing then that would be awesome. Right now though a brick of SK High Velocity - if I can get it - could well kick everything else off the table completely. I grabbed the last four boxes the shop had for $10 each. The next import of SK is not before September, when I'll also be able to test the Rifle Match, which may even shoot better still. I'll probably just get a case of CCI to see me through until then though.

I'll add the above to my first test in this thread and sort them a little neater.

[bladeracer]

At 50m, ten rounds of the following 51 types (best groups):
Sub-MoA
SK High Velocity - 13.5mm
Eley Subsonic HP - 14mm (best 5rd group 7mm at 50m and 16.8mm at 100m)

1-1.5MoA
Eley Edge - 18mm (best 10rd 100m group 26.5mm)
Eley Sport - 17mm
CCI Standard Velocity - 18mm (best 5rd group 6.5mm at 50m)

1.5-2.0MoA
Remington Cyclone (0.044" rim) - 22mm (5rds)
Geco Rifle - 22.5mm
Lapua Centre-X - 23mm
RWS Special Match - 23mm
SK Standard Plus - 24mm
Eley Match - 24mm
RWS R100 - 24.5mm
RWS Rifle Match - 24.5mm
Eley Tenex - 25mm
Highland RX Target - 26.5mm (5rds)
Eley Club - 27mm
Sellier & Bellot Subsonic - 27mm
SK Magazine - 27.5mm (17mm 5rds)
CCI Velocitor - 28.5mm
Federal Premium Match - 28.5mm
Federal Gold Medal Target - 29mm

2.0-2.5MoA
American Eagle HVHP - 30mm
Norma Match 2 Training Ammunition - 30.5mm
Winchester Subsonic Max 42 - 31mm
Highland RX HP - 31mm
Remington Cyclone (0.039" rim) - 31.5mm (5rds)
Highland RX Subsonic - 32mm
Remington Subsonic - 34.5mm
Federal Target Standard - 34.5mm
Sellier & Bellot High Velocity - 35mm
RWS Subsonic HP - 35mm
Highland Super Quiet - 35.5mm (5rds)

2.5-3.0MoA
American Eagle Suppressor 45gn 970fps - 37mm
Remington Target - 38.5mm
RWS HVHP - 40mm
RWS R50 - 40mm

3.0-3.5MoA
Blazer RN - 44mm
CCI MiniMag - 46mm
CCI Stinger - 48mm
CCI Subsonic HP 1050fps - 50.5mm

3.5-4.0MoA
Winchester Powerpoint 42 - 51mm
Remington Golden Bullet - 51.5mm
Remington Yellow Jacket - 54mm
Remington Cyclone (unsorted) - 55mm (first groups)
Winchester T22 - 58mm
CCI Copper-22 - 58mm

4.0-4.5MoA
RWS Club - 59mm
Winchester Superspeed - 60mm

4.5-5.0MoA
Federal GameShock 38gn HP - 68.5mm
Sellier & Bellot Standard - 72mm

5.0+MoA
RWS Z-Lang - 80mm+ (130mm low)
CCI Quiet Seg HP 710fps - 84.5mm (220mm holdover)
Winchester Super-X Short - 90mm+

[rsj223]

The Geco Rifle and RWS club and rifle match were fairly good in mine Eley match a bit better still heaps of testing to do.

[bladeracer]

The Geco Rifle and RWS club and rifle match were fairly good in mine Eley match a bit better still heaps of testing to do.

Testing is fun too
Can you get any SK Rifle Match or High Velocity in your area?

[rsj223]

Nope all sold out, will get into it on the school holidays as I have 2 weeks off.

[Tiger650]

I can confirm that the low comb was a dumb idea on a rifle with no iron sights on it, it's far too low for scope use, so I'll have to put a cheek riser on the OEM stock.

I would think about a velcro attached "stock pack" rather than anything fixed by through the stock bolts, I put an adjustable riser on the young blokes Remington VSSF and it is a PITA to get the bolt out to clean the bore.

On his Omark 44 I used a stock pack and that is heaps better.

[rsj223]

The Geco Rifle and RWS club and rifle match were fairly good in mine Eley match a bit better still heaps of testing to do.

Testing is fun too
Can you get any SK Rifle Match or High Velocity in your area?

Just a teaser pic coz more need to do this

[bladeracer]

I can confirm that the low comb was a dumb idea on a rifle with no iron sights on it, it's far too low for scope use, so I'll have to put a cheek riser on the OEM stock.

I would think about a velcro attached "stock pack" rather than anything fixed by through the stock bolts, I put an adjustable riser on the young blokes Remington VSSF and it is a PITA to get the bolt out to clean the bore.

On his Omark 44 I used a stock pack and that is heaps better.

On the OEM stock I just used a strapped on adjustable pad.
The M4 stock on the MDT chassis works very well without a riser.

[bladeracer]

Just a teaser pic coz more need to do this

Great way to spend a few hours
What is the Cobra ammo?????
Never saw that one during my research.

[rsj223]

Cobra I got at gunco, very cheap and did not do very well so gave that one to the son to plink away, I think its made by Olin not worth it in my opinion.

[bladeracer]

Cobra I got at gunco, very cheap and did not do very well so gave that one to the son to plink away, I think its made by Olin not worth it in my opinion.

From what I can gather it appears to be Aussie made Winchester branded for Kilwell, a New Zealand retailer.
I've emailed Kilwell and asked if it is simply a rebranded existing Winchester load or something unique to their own spec. Gunco is the only place I've found that has it in Oz, and at $49 a brick it's bloody cheap so it has that in its favour at least
If I ever find myself heading up to the big smoke again I'll have to remember to get some just so I can add it to the list, but I doubt it's worth a special trip

One thing I forgot to mention is how greasy the SK ammo is, especially the Magazine. The cases were extracting, but often failing to eject because they were so sticky. That stuff would get very annoying very quickly.

[bladeracer]

Cobra I got at gunco, very cheap and did not do very well so gave that one to the son to plink away, I think its made by Olin not worth it in my opinion.

Got a response back very quickly from Kilwell.

"To answer your questions – Kilwell Whisper (subsonic), and Kilwell Cobra (supersonic) ammunition is made by Winchester Australia exclusively for us. Winchester has been making this ammo for us for many years. Early on it did differ from standard Winchester loads – we used 37.5 grain projectiles, rather than the 40 grain projectiles – but production in the past 10 years has been identical to the Winchester loads using 40 grain projectiles. Essentially, the only difference now is the packaging.

The ammunition available through Gunco is a small run-out of left-over packaging that Winchester loaded recently. Because the loads are identical to Winchester Subsonic and Power Point, I don’t think it warrants a 6-hour round trip, unless you really want some exclusive packaging! Once again, great to hear from you, and good luck with your testing.

Kind regards,
Paul Newman
Brand Manager
pauln@kilwell.co.nz
www.kilwell.co.nz"