Advice needed From Sharpshooters

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

I have my .22 sighted in to hit a starling or whatever at about 75' to 100' feet. My question is now that this cold snap has brought some starlings in to my feeders which are less than 20' from the house I am having trouble hitting them shooting that close. Do I aim slightly high shooting this close? I really dont want to adjust the scope for shooting this close, the majority of my shooting is further away.

[Guest]

Are you using a scope or open sights? If your using a scope, you will hit low when shooting close. How low? Depends on the height rings you are using.....the higher they are, the lower you hit.

[Guest]

dhurdtMN, Put up a target at 20' or whatever your distance is to your feeders. Shooting at the same distance you can see exactly where you need to aim.

[Guest]

Ahhh the fun part. When I usually shoot well I use a .17 cal to shoot but with a .22 I would try and sight your scope in at the distance your shooting. Its always best to not have to aim high or low cause most of the time you wont hit your target just b/c its a .22 and they are not the most accurate rifle in the armory. My point is that if your shooting with a .22 and you have it sighted in at 25-30 yards, which they are not even very accurate at that distance; and your shooting 6.5-7 yards you deff wont hit much and if you do its luck. I have had yrs of experience with .22's and now I shoot a .17 cal just b/c they are just so much better, but alot more expensive and ammo. Hope that answers your ?

[Sandy - NC]

Donnie, when the bullet leaves the barrel, ballastics cause it to fly in the shape of an arch. So, as it leaves your barrel, it will immediately start to climb which means you will need to aim low. As it nears the sighted in distance, it will be declining in the arch so it will hit at where it is sighted in. The best advice has already been given, setup a target at the new range so you can see how low you need to aim.
One thing I have done is now that I have my gun sighted in at 35 yards, I wrote down the settings on the scope. Then, I set a target at 20 yards, and kept shooting and resetting the scope until I was hitting the mark. I wrote down those numbers. I kept this up in 5 yards increments until I got all the settings I need out to 50 yards. Eventually, I got tired of messing with the scope settings and learned how high or low to hold the sights against the target.

[Bob Flam]

yep yep aim low. I'd say right at the bottom of the bird.

jwertz, you don't like 22's? I never shot a .17 caliber. I always had good luck with my 22's. I can hit a rabbit in the head almost everytime with mine. I shot a pheasant flying once with it...one shot...prolly was luck haha I'll hafta look into the .17, I may like it better

bob

[Scott D.- La]

Iam with Bob on this one. I have excellent results with my Ruger 10/22. Make sure your scope is not turning,and check the mount screws, A good mount is worth its weight in gold. A 25 yard zero should be accurate to 50 yards. When I miss, its always my fault. They make portable bipods you can use to steady your shot also.If all this fails, break out the 12 gauge if you are able to and shoot them on the fly.
P.S. I dont use cheap ammo, I use Match rounds,more expensive but worth it IMHO.

[RC Moser]

This is opening up to alot of Opinions and you all know I'm in outer space. I don't think you can compare rimfire to centerfire. As far as .17 cal. being more actuare that . 22 is a vag statement. IMO you need to compare centerfire to centerfire and I think everybody knows that can shoot weight and powder usually wins.

.17 varmit load is IMO kind of an between load tad more good that rimfire and cheaper that full blown centerfire. I also think you would have to be compared at min. to a .22 mag or .22 hornet. then there is the . 218 bee, .221 fireball, and the .17 rem which IMO would be in the . 22-250, .222, .223, 6MM, . 243 and .220 swift category. IMO this is way over kill just to hit a starling at 40 yards. Now, 100' plus would be fun.

As far as the scope shooting at close range when it sited in a long range I would aim for it's toe nails. that should put it right at top of the breast. IMO you really need to heed the advice an site it in at 20 or so yards, Then, you would only have to aim alittle high for the long range shots.

I find there are some differences in rimfire loads, sometimes it is the load or the bullet shaved that throws it off some down field. I won't say lead build up in the barrel cause I know we all keep are gun clean You also find these problems with pellet manufacturing also IMO.

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

Thanks guys for all your replies. I will try aiming a bit low will see what happens. I did manage to kill four starlings in the last two days ,but missed as many too. I like to be more accurat than that. And yes, I have noticed the difference in the accuracy in the differnt brands of ammo too, I was blaming it on the gun or me untill I figured out it was the ammo.
My gun is a Ruger 10/22 with a Simmons scope on it.

[Scott D.- La]

RC, Iam trying to envision a 220swift and a sparrow,that would be a explosive combination.Ha

[Bob Flam]

I'd say that would make a nice "poof" of feathers LOL

Personally after I got a hold of a good M16 in the Army, got it sighted where I wanted it, I'd have to say I like it best. I consistantly hit 1 inch groups at 30 meters with open sights. Which is close to the .223 except it has lower pressures and volocities than you get out of the 5.56 x 45mm round. I believe you can fire a .223 cartridge out of a 5.56, but don't do it the other way.

But even with the accuracy I can get out of them...it's a touch overkill for S&S I think haha Kinda like using a 10 ga. shotgun, when a 410 or 28 ga. would prolly be just fine haha

Yeah I miss shooting that m16, it was one sweet rifle!

I'd like to try a 22 hornet, that's one I never shot.

bob

[Bob Flam]

hmmm just looked up the Hornady .17 Mach 2, I'll hafta try that one.

bob

[Al Denton]

That all seems complicated I wish I didn't live in the city so I could just use my little shotguns

[Guest]

The trajectory of the bullet is always downward creating an arc from the muzzle to the target point when looked at in profile.The bullet never rises.Thus if you are shooting dead on at 75 feet then you will be high at 25' in theory,at these short distances you should be have a relatively flat arc but there will be some. Shoot it in at 25' and see where you are hitting. as suggested.

dick

[Scott D.- La]

The original thread was on the 22,I think RC sumed it up nicely with the different calibers offered,there is always a caliber that can out preform another caliber. If we were to compare 22 to 22mag for example the 22 would always lose. The comparison is unfair. The 22 is capable of outstanding accuracy. At 25 yards you should be able to obtain 5 shot groups the size of a dime or better. There is also more danger associated with higher ballistics,even I have to be very careful with a 22 as there are houses in my vacinity. You can shoot low brass shotgun shells relatively safely with houses around. Bob the 5.56 x 45 and 223 is the same round.If you like the M-16, than a AR-15 is the civilian equivalent that is legal to own. Pick up a copy of shotgun news and you can order the better quality ammo.

[Bob Flam]

Yes I've always wanted to get an AR-15. Not that I can do much with a high power in Iowa anyway. They are mostly illegal except for coyotes I think. But it would still be fun on the range.

I was reading an article about the 223 and m16 is where I got the difference thingy. Technically they are the same...then again...technically not.

Here's what it says in entirety. The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with the same external dimensions as the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO military cartridge. It is loaded with a .224" diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from 40 up to 90 grains, though the most common loadings by far are 55 grains.

The primary difference between .223 Remington and 5.56 x 45 mm is that .223 is loaded to lower pressures and velocities compared to 5.56 mm. .223 Remington ammunition can be safely fired in a 5.56 mm chambered gun, but the reverse can be an unsafe combination. The additional pressure created by 5.56 mm ammo will frequently cause over-pressure problems such as difficult extraction, flowing brass, or popped primers, but in extreme cases, could damage or destroy the rifle. Chambers cut to .223 Remington specifications have a shorter leade (throat) area as well as slightly shorter headspace dimensions compared to 5.56 mm "military" chamber specs, which contributes to the pressure issues.

All this is making me want to go shootin haha too cold to work outside today.

Oh yeah and since we're talking about the 22 in the original post...aim low or change your sights for closer. Or ya can just shoot a lot at different ranges and figure out about where you have to aim for each distance. haha

My dad has an old octagon barrel 22, can't remember the model. But the end sight is bent in a pretty good curve, very noticable bend. It's dead on with that bend though, but would probably make most people miss.

bob

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Well, I have to disagree with several here. If one is using a scope, and it is sighted in at 75 yards, then they switch to 20 yards, the projectile will go UNDER the bird. Look at the set up sideways. See how much further UP the scope is, versus the barrell?? This tells me the bullet will be lower. However, to be sure, one should shoot at a target at 20 yards and see for positive where the bullet hits. I'm saying it will hit LOW. CUL Lou

[Scott D.- La]

Bob, you are right, I wasnt thinking of a custom gun,all i shoot is the military types and shoot all ammo. Just when you think you know it all.

[klcretired]

dhurdtMN
aim low, setup some targets at that distance and shoot till you know for sure.practice,practice,practice.

[Kyle Gregoire]

Well Hello again from vermont everybody! I havent and do not make many posts but this one has got me going and really made me laugh at some points. Let me try to make this clear if i can online. I dont want to get too deep though so here goes. The number in front of the caliber of shell or gun you use , .22, .243, .357, .44, is the width in thousands of the head or projectile. Check your reloader manual for exact widths. Its the casing thats mostly different. Now on to what makes a gun, rimfire or centerfire, accurate. Modern day guns have TWISTED grooves manufactured inside the barrel. These grooves spin up the projectile on the way down the barrel. This spinning force (gyroscopic) is what keeps the bullets dead on line every time and consistently. These grooves need to be in good condition from proper cleaning and oiling. If not they corrode and pit and do not spin the bullet properly. If this happens the accuracy will diminish depending on the condition of the grooves. Also the crown, the point of exit on the barrel matters greatly also. Guns that have been road ridden (with the barrel into the floor) will suffer accuracy loss again depending on the condition of the crown. To check the condition of the grooves inside your barrel you need to see them. If you take an UNLOADED gun please, block the breech open, put a white piece of paper in the breach, and then shine a bright white light on it while looking down the barrel, any flaws or corrosion will be evident. You should see a mirror finish with some twisted grooves. Again UNLOADED PLEASE!! Now on to the high or low point as there seems to be some confusion about that. Picture this, take a gun barrel held parallel to the ground, with a second bullet suspended by a string, right at the point of exit, and when fired the bullet exiting the gun will cut the string suspending the other bullet right in front of the barrell, as strange as it may sound both bullets will hit the ground at the same time from any speed gun or bullet. This is due to gravitational force of 33 ft per second per second, which remains constant. The bullets both Drop at the same rate. Now to compensate for this drop, when sighting in, is canting the barrel of the gun upward to an imaginary point focused in on by the scope. The bullets must travel in an arc due to the canting of the barrell.
So trust me, if properly sighted in, you will hit high at closer ranges, so aim a tiny bit lower. Sorry lou. That was way to long of a post. I need a nap. Kyle Gregoire