It's recommended to shoot 25 to 50 rounds or so of one brand of target 22 ammo before shooting for groups. It takes quite a few rounds to get a matching lube coating in the barrel.

Shooting a few groups of 5 won't show what a certain kind of 22 ammo will do.

 

I'll try more in a few days.

 

Slip-Fit or threaded barrel?

 

Slip fit.

 

It's recommended to shoot 25 to 50 rounds or so of one brand of target 22 ammo before shooting for groups.

Well, you do need some way to transition from one test to the next. I pull a couple dry patches down the barrel, and shoot 10 shots of the ammo I'm testing, then go for the groups. Seems to work well with my collection of rifles. Having owned a couple dozen different .22LR rifles over time, they all have different needs to maintain accuracy. Some are OK with a clean barrel, (as in really clean), some need a good cleaning after a couple hundred shots, a couple can go a thousand rounds before I need to clean to the metal. In between shooting sessions I just put a couple clean dry patches through the tube, and wipe the rest of the gun down with a Hoppe's cleaning cloth. Like the ammo thing, they all have a different personality ??

So the best and worst groups were both from Wolf extra match

That tells you your rifle doesn't like Wolf, or you might want to look at bedding. Does the barrel have rough spots or tight spots?

My first 77/22 was the Sporter version. I traded a Winchester bolt action rifle to get it home, (the Winchester as far more accurate), and I resorted to lapping the bore and glassing the action, which helped. I traded it for a 77/22 VBZ that was far more accurate, (it weighed 8+ lbs), and installed a Leupold 3X-9X AO Compact scope. I still have the VBZ, and I must have at least as much money in it as a new Anchutz. Barrel swap, trigger parts, glassed the hardware in place, shimmed the bolt, etc, overall improvement over the OEM Ruger barrel, about 0.2" at 50yds. Not exactly "lipstick on a pig", but it ain't no Anchutz. The sporter 77/22 is pretty light weight, about 6lbs, add a pound for optics and bases. Gadgets help with accuracy, shims on the bolt had no effect on accuracy I could measure, ammo is always a factor, but the design of the bolt is not an asset. Barrels are barrels, there are good ones and lousy ones, and everything in between. A trip to one of the "barrel guys" might be the most cost effective ways to get to better accuracy .

 

Well, you do need some way to transition from one test to the next. I pull a couple dry patches down the barrel, and shoot 10 shots of the ammo I'm testing, then go for the groups. Seems to work well with my collection of rifles. Having owned a couple dozen different .22LR rifles over time, they all have different needs to maintain accuracy. Some are OK with a clean barrel, (as in really clean), some need a good cleaning after a couple hundred shots, a couple can go a thousand rounds before I need to clean to the metal. In between shooting sessions I just put a couple clean dry patches through the tube, and wipe the rest of the gun down with a Hoppe's cleaning cloth. Like the ammo thing, they all have a different personality ??


That tells you your rifle doesn't like Wolf, or you might want to look at bedding. Does the barrel have rough spots or tight spots?

My first 77/22 was the Sporter version. I traded a Winchester bolt action rifle to get it home, (the Winchester as far more accurate), and I resorted to lapping the bore and glassing the action, which helped. I traded it for a 77/22 VBZ that was far more accurate, (it weighed 8+ lbs), and installed a Leupold 3X-9X AO Compact scope. I still have the VBZ, and I must have at least as much money in it as a new Anchutz. Barrel swap, trigger parts, glassed the hardware in place, shimmed the bolt, etc, overall improvement over the OEM Ruger barrel, about 0.2" at 50yds. Not exactly "lipstick on a pig", but it ain't no Anchutz. The sporter 77/22 is pretty light weight, about 6lbs, add a pound for optics and bases. Gadgets help with accuracy, shims on the bolt had no effect on accuracy I could measure, ammo is always a factor, but the design of the bolt is not an asset. Barrels are barrels, there are good ones and lousy ones, and everything in between. A trip to one of the "barrel guys" might be the most cost effective ways to get to better accuracy .

What kind of barrel do you have. I see you swapped the factory one out for something else

 

I appreciate all the input.
Went out to Try again. I shot 35 shots per this time. This is actually based on the fact that I shot 15 per before and that's what I had left from the ammo that I only bought one box of. I did add Lapua center X because I found some in a LGS. All the Eley and Wolf came by mail order.
This time I cleaned the barrel and shot one 10 shot group. Then I started 5 shot groups with the intent of not averaging in the first group if it was the largest and is not inc. It was except in one case where I threw out a 4 shot group because of a failure to fire. I cleaned the barrel agai when I changed ammo. This has all been in preparation for my first rimfire sporter match.
Results are as follows.


Eley match one FTF
Best. .67
Worst. 1.00
Average .817

Wolf Extra match one FTF
Best .76
Worst 1.25
Average 1.03

CCI SV
Best. .57
Worst .92
Average .745

Center X
Best .74
Worst .93
Average .825

So at least for now it's CCI SV

The barrel has been free floated and the trigger is about as low as allowed. I shimmed the bolt and replaced the firing pin spring.

 

If you are not satisfied with what you are getting. Look up Randy @ CPC, might be worth your while. Option two would be to rebarrel and maybe have it bedded. 👍

 

Plus one for CPC , I have my 77/22 there now.

 

Lol. 10 4

 

After reading negative reviews on this site about the Springfield Armory 2020 Rimfire, I decided to do my own testing - which unequivocally showed those reviews were somehow flawed. Anyway, that drove me to running the same test on my Ruger 77/22 and two CZ 457s.

I bought this rifle as soon as I learned the 77/22 was discontinued. I had always wanted one but there was always something else I wanted more. It has had the bolt shimmed by a gunsmith who feels the paper-thin shims are prone to wear so he machines some material from both bolt halves and puts a thicker shim in. Also, the stock had all the grain figure of a locust fence post so I put the barreled action in a Boyd's Rimfire Thumbhole. I also polished the bolt body and handle. Otherwise, it's unaltered and wears a 4.5-14x Leupold VX-3 scope.

My 5-shot groups at 50 yards were quite acceptable for the most part, I think. I fouled the barrel with 10 rounds of CCI SV but then shot the groups back-to-back.

• CCI SV - 1,045 FPS, 37 ES, 12 SD - 1.109"
• CCI Green Tag - 1,083 FPS, 34 ES, 12 SD - 0.563"
• Lapua Center-X - 1,038 FPS, 63 ES, 25 SD - 0.765"
• SK Long Range Match - 1,071 FPS, 35 ES, 14 SD - 0.299"
• SK High Velocity Match - 1,256 FPS, 41 ES, 15 SD - 1.229"
• SK Rifle Match - 1,030 FPS, 35 ES, 15 SD - 0.545"
• Norma TAC-22 - no readings, horrible group
• Wolf Match - 1,101 FPS, 19 ES, 7 SD - 1.165"
• SK Pistol Match - 998 FPS, 72 ES, 25 SD - 1.271"
• Lapua Pistol King - 1.025 FPS, 47 ES, 17 SD - 0.827"
• CCI Pistol Match - 1,070 - 61 ES, 21 SD - 0.551"
• Federal Target (Load #711B) - 1,115 FPS, 32 ES, 11 SD - 1,015"

Obviously, the SK Long Range Match is my go-to load for this rifle. It's interesting how similar the ES and SD numbers for the three SK rifle rounds are yet the group sizes are so different.

Anyway, take my results for what they are worth - the results from one rifle shot by a 77-year-old with a mild case of cataracts.

Ed

​

 

After reading negative reviews on this site about the Springfield Armory 2020 Rimfire, I decided to do my own testing - which unequivocally showed those reviews were somehow flawed. Anyway, that drove me to running the same test on my Ruger 77/22 and two CZ 457s.

I bought this rifle as soon as I learned the 77/22 was discontinued. I had always wanted one but there was always something else I wanted more. It has had the bolt shimmed by a gunsmith who feels the paper-thin shims are prone to wear so he machines some material from both bolt halves and puts a thicker shim in. Also, the stock had all the grain figure of a locust fence post so I put the barreled action in a Boyd's Rimfire Thumbhole. I also polished the bolt body and handle. Otherwise, it's unaltered and wears a 4.5-14x Leupold VX-3 scope.

My 5-shot groups at 50 yards were quite acceptable for the most part, I think. I fouled the barrel with 10 rounds of CCI SV but then shot the groups back-to-back.

• CCI SV - 1,045 FPS, 37 ES, 12 SD - 1.109"
• CCI Green Tag - 1,083 FPS, 34 ES, 12 SD - 0.563"
• Lapua Center-X - 1,038 FPS, 63 ES, 25 SD - 0.765"
• SK Long Range Match - 1,071 FPS, 35 ES, 14 SD - 0.299"
• SK High Velocity Match - 1,256 FPS, 41 ES, 15 SD - 1.229"
• SK Rifle Match - 1,030 FPS, 35 ES, 15 SD - 0.545"
• Norma TAC-22 - no readings, horrible group
• Wolf Match - 1,101 FPS, 19 ES, 7 SD - 1.165"
• SK Pistol Match - 998 FPS, 72 ES, 25 SD - 1.271"
• Lapua Pistol King - 1.025 FPS, 47 ES, 17 SD - 0.827"
• CCI Pistol Match - 1,070 - 61 ES, 21 SD - 0.551"
• Federal Target (Load #711B) - 1,115 FPS, 32 ES, 11 SD - 1,015"

Obviously, the SK Long Range Match is my go-to load for this rifle. It's interesting how similar the ES and SD numbers for the three SK rifle rounds are yet the group sizes are so different.

Anyway, take my results for what they are worth - the results from one rifle shot by a 77-year-old with a mild case of cataracts.

Ed

View attachment 538759

View attachment 538761

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You put in some work there. Really shows how different rifles like different ammo.

I have two 77/22"s with laminate stocks, but no thumb holes............
Could you tell me more about that stock? Boyds ???

Thanks!!!

 

Yes, Boyd's it is. It has the optional gloss finish and checkering.

I learned a lot from those three tests. None of the three rifles liked the same ammo; even the two CZs had differing preferences. And some of them liked pistol match ammo best, which I didn't expect given that those ammunitions are probably loaded with a faster-burning powder for the shorter barrels for which they are intended, which would result in increased bullet-to-bore friction since the pressure would be decreasing over the last 12 to 18 inches of bore.

But I enjoy load-testing handloads and this is much easier - nothing to do afterwards but clean the guns.

Ed

 

Yes, Boyd's it is. It has the optional gloss finish and checkering.

I learned a lot from those three tests. None of the three rifles liked the same ammo; even the two CZs had differing preferences. And some of them liked pistol match ammo best, which I didn't expect given that those ammunitions are probably loaded with a faster-burning powder for the shorter barrels for which they are intended, which would result in increased bullet-to-bore friction since the pressure would be decreasing over the last 12 to 18 inches of bore.

But I enjoy load-testing handloads and this is much easier - nothing to do afterwards but clean the guns.

Ed

Nice shooting Ed. Have you ever thought about glass bedding the action on your 77/22. Many years ago I swapped my 77/22 with a Shilen Varmint Tapered Barrel, pillar and glass bedded the action. I then sent the bolt to CPC to have him preform his two part bolt tightening. It worked. I don't punch paper, but I do have a standard for all of my squirrel rifles. With Eley HV Hp's, and before that CCI Mini Mags Hp's. It can flat out shoot, and is definitely worthy to carry in the woods. 👍