10/22 Accuracy

[TripleDigitRide]

First of all, I am just now getting into the world of rifles, so I am plenty ignorant on the subject.

As some of you know, I recently gave my 10 year old daughter her very first rifle. A pink Ruger 10/22. I also put a cheap (about $45) Bushnell 3x9x40 scope on it.

Well, thanks to a gracious invite from a fellow TGOer, she was able to finally shoot her new rifle at Owl Hollow. Being far from a rifle expert, I thought she did an amazing job.

For the most part, she was shooting at a target that had a "bullseye" that was 4" in diameter. Not the smallest, I know. I didn't want her to get discouraged first trip ever shooting a gun.

At 50 yards, 97 of 100 rounds were in that 4" circle. She was using an el cheapo adjustable front rifle rest, and an even cheaper bean bag style rear rest. Nothing fancy about it.

My quetion is; How accurate can I expect her to shoot with this stock 10/22? I don't expect her to be a markswoman right away, but I'd like to get a general idea of what to expect. She has a lot to learn (so do I) as far as the basic fundamentals go, but I'm sure some upgrades will be necessary in the future.

I have high hopes of her taking a serious interest in shooting sports, and my main concern is her getting too discouraged with her progress, and decide to call it quits.

I know it's very early in the process, but I'm trying to think ahead.

Bottom Picture: Yes, I'm aware that the barrel is not properly placed on the rest. She was only posing for this picture.

Also, I'm looking for someone who's willing and able to teach her and I about the fundamentals of properly shooting a rifle. If it helps any, I am a member at Gallatin Gun Club, and plan on getting a membership at Owl Hollow. Being so close, GGC would be far more convenient for her an I, but I'm open on locations.

[Rightwinger]

She should be deadly accurate with that stock rifle and a decent scope out to 100 yards. The 10/22 is one of the best off the shelve plinking rifles out there for the money. If you upgrade that scope a bit and make sure it's tight and protect the rig from bumps and shocks, she should be able to make that 4 inch target just one big hole.

Good choice on first rifle. My boys burn about a box of 500 everytime they get a chance to shoot the thing. Now you need to learn to strip it down to that big bolt and clean all of it. They do get dirty.

[TripleDigitRide]

She should be deadly accurate with that stock rifle and a decent scope out to 100 yards. The 10/22 is one of the best off the shelve plinking rifles out there for the money. If you upgrade that scope a bit and make sure it's tight and protect the rig from bumps and shocks, she should be able to make that 4 inch target just one big hole.

Good choice on first rifle. My boys burn about a box of 500 everytime they get a chance to shoot the thing. Now you need to learn to strip it down to that big bolt and clean all of it. They do get dirty.

What scope would you suggest?

[Jasongar8]

The Ruger is a great little gun to start out on, its what I learned to shoot on. I think the first things you should teach her is how to be safe when she is using a gun. I would then help her work on her breathing and trigger pull. If you help her get the fundamentals down the accuracy will follow. People shoot amazing groups with the bull barrel 10/22 so that might be an upgrade you might think about, also get a gun smith to lighten up and smooth out the trigger. But most of all keep it fun for her and not too serious. Keep her wanting to go to the range with Dad and she will be a great shot in no time.

-Jason G

[TripleDigitRide]

The Ruger is a great little gun to start out on, its what I learned to shoot on. I think the first things you should teach her is how to be safe when she is using a gun. I would then help her work on her breathing and trigger pull. If you help her get the fundamentals down the accuracy will follow. People shoot amazing groups with the bull barrel 10/22 so that might be an upgrade you might think about, also get a gun smith to lighten up and smooth out the trigger. But most of all keep it fun for her and not too serious. Keep her wanting to go to the range with Dad and she will be a great shot in no time.

-Jason G

We've been going over the safety aspect of the rifle since her birthday. She retained some of it, but closely supervised hands-on experience is what really helps her the most. I had to keep reminding her of a few things during the range session, but she was catching on. She will not have access to the rifle unless I'm next to her at all times.

Thanks for the upgrade tips. I'll look into some of those.

[Rightwinger]

What scope would you suggest?

Heck, pick one! What do you have on it now? Bushnell, Simmons, BSA all make scopes designated for the 22 and they are cheap! I think if you go up a notch to their medium price point hunting scopes you'll be surprised at how good they will perform. If you can swing a Burris or Leupold then you have a quality set of glass. Just make sure you get a base and a set of rings that will match the 10/22.

Go here

http://www.midwayusa.com/BROWSE/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=10&categoryId=14131&categoryString=657***8705***11686***14105***

Pick out what type of mount base you like, Weaver or Picatinny bases, I would suggest matte black for the batch. Get your rings that match the color and the size of your scope, generally 1 inch. G&L will probably have it all locally and a smith that can level and bore sight it for you. If you want to do it yourself, I can walk through it with you some night and I have a laser bore sight you can use anytime.

[TripleDigitRide]

Heck, pick one! What do you have on it now? Bushnell, Simmons, BSA all make scopes designated for the 22 and they are cheap! I think if you go up a notch to their medium price point hunting scopes you'll be surprised at how good they will perform. If you can swing a Burris or Leupold then you have a quality set of glass. Just make sure you get a base and a set of rings that will match the 10/22.

Go here

http://www.midwayusa.com/BROWSE/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=10&categoryId=14131&categoryString=657***8705***11686***14105***

Pick out what type of mount base you like, Weaver or Picatinny bases, I would suggest matte black for the batch. Get your rings that match the color and the size of your scope, generally 1 inch. G&L will probably have it all locally and a smith that can level and bore sight it for you. If you want to do it yourself, I can walk through it with you some night and I have a laser bore sight you can use anytime.

I have a Bushnell 3-9x40 on it now.

[Rightwinger]

Just make sure its all tight so your not re-zeroing every trip to the range and let her get used to the same thing every time. If you do see it loosening up I would move on to another base and better quality rings. You don't want to have to loctite the screws going into the rifle just to make it steady!

If she likes it and she appears to be shooting well with it, keep it as is. You can upgrade later.

[TripleDigitRide]

The Bushnell is mounted on a weaver-style base with Kwik Site rings. That's what they had at Academy.

[Guest 70below]

If your range allows, try setting up soda cans.....some full sometimes.....and let her shoot those. Shooting paper can be fun, but half the fun of a .22 is blasting cans, or those spinner targets. Mixing it up once she gets the basics down will help keep her interested.

[I_Like_Pie]

I have shot many 10/22s and have found that they can produce 1" 50 yards bone stock using non-target ammo.

Trigger is often harsh, and the stock screw shoudn't be over torqued. That being said they shoot better than one would think. 2 moa is pretty darn good for any sub $200 gun out of the box.

[TripleDigitRide]

If your range allows, try setting up soda cans.....some full sometimes.....and let her shoot those. Shooting paper can be fun, but half the fun of a .22 is blasting cans, or those spinner targets. Mixing it up once she gets the basics down will help keep her interested.

Yea, I got her some of those triple spinner targets to make things a little more entertaining for her. Because they don't allow them, she wasn't able to use them at Owl Hollow, but I plan on taking them along to our next trip out to Gallatin Gun Club.

[TripleDigitRide]

I have shot many 10/22s and have found that they can produce 1" 50 yards bone stock using non-target ammo.

Trigger is often harsh, and the stock screw shoudn't be over torqued. That being said they shoot better than one would think. 2 moa is pretty darn good for any sub $200 gun out of the box.

That reminds me. I'm not sure how much it matters, but she was shooting CCI Mini Mags. I did have some CCI Green Tags, but she didn't get to those.

[MadMarx]

Take a look at www.rimfirecentral.com This forum has all sorts of information about rimfires in general and the 10/22 in particular. You can do your own trigger job for free. Really good information

[Fasttalker]

I bought one of the Ruger Chargers for my 2 kids ( son 15 yo and daughter 11),

we are lucky enough to have a hundred yard range in our back yard. I have got triple spinners at 25 yds, a single 4" spinner at 50 yds and a 15" plate at 100yds.

My son likes to rotate through the targets, near to far- far to near etc., while my daughter can practically play a tune on the 100 yd plate!

Anything that moves or makes noise, or both, on impact is the best way to make it fun and keep them shooting. BTW my daughter's only wish for Christmas this past year was HER OWN RIFLE! And yes, there was a 10/22 under the tree Christmas morning.

Y'all be safe and have fun!

[Guest EasilyObsessed]

What scope would you suggest?

I highly recommend the Mueller APV scope, I am running one on both of my fully customized 10/22s and it tends to be the scope of choice on the rimfirecentral.com boards. 4.5x-14x is plenty of magnification for the ranges you will likely be shooting a 22lr and it will allow you to squeeze all the accuracy out of the rifle if you begin upgrading it.

http://www.mizzoumuleguns.com/id12.html

On a seperate note, if you want a super cheap upgrade for that rifle to make it more enjoyable to shoot, swap out the hammer. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=163143

If you want some more accuracy, a new barrel will give you the most bang for the buck. I have had great experiences with Green Mountain barrels. You can go with a "Sporter" barrel and keep the factory stock. There is not any increase in accuracy going with the heavy bull barrel or a super long barrel. I have ordered my barrels from Shooterdiscount.com in the past, but it appears they are almost completely sold out of any of the Green Mountain barrels. You could also send off your factory barrel to have it rechambered and get accuracy just as good as the Green Mountain barrels. Look up Skeeter on rimfirecentral.com.

Good luck, and congrats on getting her interested in shooting!

[Guest Todd@CIS]

The folks that recommended cans / stuff vs. paper are exactly right. Newer shooters (heck, everyone) benefit greatly from the instant feedback...not to mention it keeps the "fun factor" high.

After safety, the next important thing she needs to learn is trigger management. This is the single most important aspect / obstacle to good shooting (for most everyone). Trigger control also translates to every firearm she will ever shoot.

As far as your current gear set-up, I say leave it as is unless you're noticing a defect. Spend your money on ammo.

[texfrazer]

Don't forget the milk jugs full of water! That and the full cans of cheap cola were always the most satisfying when I first got my 22. Heck, it still makes me smile to just think about shooting a milk jug.

[DWARREN123]

The Ruger 10/22 is a good out of the box semi auto 22lr. There are many things that can be done to make it much better, some aftermarket parts and some do it yourself stuff.

I like a good 3-9X40 scope or a Weaver 2-7X38.

For mods check out WWW.RIMFIRECENTRAL.COM for the best mods and tinkering.

[Guest stovepipe]

It's great you are getting to spend range time with her. It's a great family sport. Sounds like she's doing a fine job!

A typical 10/22 will shoot as accurately as the shooter.

Personally, I like to start kids out on Iron sights... Once they learn the fundamentals and can control the weapon, then maybe, go to a scope. Careful not to get her too hung up on perfect bulls-eyes. It can take the fun out of it. I've taught lots and lots of kids to shoot, and they learn faster when the pressure is off.

I have one rifle that shoots high / left. Once a kid gets comfortable with the fundamentals on a zeroed 22, I let them try their luck with it. It's amazing how quickly they learn to compensate with it. It's a real confidence builder.

If you are using a scope, teach her how to zero it in.

Heavier metal cans, spinners, milk jugs and clays make great tagets.

Try different brands of quality ammo and find the one that works best for the weapon.

Stove

[PirateQui]

Owl hollow allows you to lay clays out on the berm and that is both a real blast t o shoot at and as close as you can get to cans and what not over at owl hollow.

I think academy has a box of .. 96 clays for 8$ or some such?

[TripleDigitRide]

Thanks for all the helpful info, guys. I will look into some of the cheap and/or

do-it-yourself upgrades.

[Ghooge2008]

want to do something fun that will help her get more accuracy: http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122386

Its not as hard or technical as it looks, I did it and that isn't saying much!

[Guest pontiac_fiero_g]

one thing i like is high mount rings that allow you to use your iron sights and a scope and stay away from thunderbolts in that rifle they dont cycle worth anything.

[Louisb]

If you want to join the club on Owl Hollow Road Formerly known as OWL HOLLOW GUN CLUB (a registered corporate name) Charles Haffner is willing to sell memberships. Last I heard someone may be around more to be there to collect membership money for the "new" range.

Oh back to your original question the 10 22can be very accurate with ammo it likes. Find one that shoots well in the rifle and then snag a good supply of the same lot (brand, type and lot of 22 ammo is just the same thing as far as accuracy is concerned as specific reload in centerfire riffle).

One thing to consider when hoping to improve her shooting skill is the old adage . . . "Aim small, HIT SMALL"

What can she clearly see at 50 yards, that is the size the bull should be, 6 oclock hold will be best also.

Edited March 29, 2009 by TCLouis
additional blather