[celt]

Hi All

Recently I applied for a firearm licence to shoot Vermin on local farms around my area up here in North Wales. 2 months have passed and the police have done all their research and checks and have informed me that in 2 weeks I should have my firearms permit to purchase a .22 RIMFIRE and SILENCER (yahoo).

The gun Im going to be buying is a Anschutz 1710 Monte Carlo Bolt action and I have a few questions regarding breaking the gun in and the proper process in choosing the right ammo for this gun. I would appreciate any information that you guys could give me.

On my first outing what should I do to break the barrel in?

How would I go about finding the right ammo for the gun (total amount Im allowed to keep is 600 and purchase 500 at any one time) so I might have to buy boxes of 25 or 50 of each ammo to take with me to try out ?

At what distance should I Zero in the rifle ? hoping to shoot between 30 and 100 yards

How often and how should I clean the barrel? (I clean my shotguns every outing)

There are a lot of questions here but I am a total novice on RIMFIRES and need all the help you guys can offer me thank you for your time and no doubt about it ill be back here with pics and stories on how everything has gone.

Once again cheers

CeLt

 

[Elkein]

Rim-fire ammo is bought in boxes of fifty cartridges, usually these can be bought in small cases called "bricks" of 10 boxes for a discount...Perfect for after you find the 'right' ammunition. The best part is the best 22LR ammunitions on earth are just over 10$US for a box. Your fine rifle should not have any issue with finding a load to produce good groups sufficient for vermin extermination. Breaking in is really an procedure for guns that need it, like semi-auto's with many sliding moving parts or bolt actions that don't cycle smoothly enough. A good bolt action when broken in and properly lubed should operate like a light switch, click the bolt handle back and closed cleanly. Before the first shot is fired out of any new gun the barrel may need excess oil removed, which brings up barrel cleaning. It should be done from the breach with a solid rod and with a guide if one is available. A cleaning jag on the tip of the rod pushes a patch that tightly fits through the bore where it falls off at the muzzle end, a tight patch fit allows you to feel any hard fouling in the barrel. Next preferred method is a pull through device like a bore snake, or homemade device such as weed-eater line with a ball melted on one end and point on the other end, poke the line through a patch feed it to the ball then feed the line through the barrel and pull the patch through. I've found that a cleaning jag will do far better at breaking a lead fouled spot loose than the pull through methods (unlikely situation with good ammo and no rapid fire.) Lastly zeroing I have to recommend 65 yards for a field gun, many ranges won't have a target at that distance, so sight it in .9" high at fifty yards with a "scope" This will produce a trajectory with a peak at 1.1" high at 40 yards, 5.5" low at 100 yards. That's somewhat relative, and listed for subsonic target ammunition (very quiet combined with a suppressor.)

 

[Rod Blackburn]

New shooter

Hello Celt, Welcome to the wonderful world of rimfire shooting.
I have been at this game for many years but I am sure there are many others on this site far more experienced than I.
As far as break in on your rifle I would suggest a good cleaning prior to first use and then simply shoot it. .22 rimfires do not need the extensive cleaning required by center fire rifles.
To try and answer your question on ammo, get as many types of quality brands as you can & try them all. Most .22s will show a preference for one or two brands over all others. You are in the land of Eley ammo;this would be a good place to start as their product is known worldwide for it exellent performance. Also RWS,Lapua & CCI green tag would be worth trying.
I would try zeroing the rifle at 25 yds & experiment with that setting. Try & gauge the distance of your shots & learn to hold higher(placing sights or scope cross hairs slightly higher than the target.) Practice this on paper target before shooting at varmints
Cleaning of rimfirerifles is somewhat of a personal choice. I tend to over clean. Once every 500 rounds should do.Be careful with the cleaning rod & try & avoid using a bore brush too frequently.
Try the weedwacker line pull thru mentioned in these forums

 

[Rod Blackburn]

Additional hints for new shooter

Celt,Forgot to mention you may want to try higher velocity ammo on varmints,CCI minimag or similar load.
Final bit of advice go through the various forums on this website.
There is a wealth of information here posted by some really knowledgable shooters.
Enjoy that fine rifle & good shooting. Rod

 

[sharkman8810]

Be sure to check out the hunting section. Occassionally this is overlooked, but since you are going after vermin what kind of ammo to use on what critter is often discussed. I remember there is another member in new zealand i believe who uses a silencer and there may be some good info there.

 

[celt]

Thank you

Hi All

Thank you all for the fast and helpful information I cant thank you enough.
I must also admit that this FORUM is an excellent source of information and helpful tips
Truly a credit to keen shooters and plinkers
I will send pics and let you all know how everything is going

In a word AWESOME

CeLt

 

[Kent Owens]

Welcome Celt!!! Good luck in your rimfire quest--it'll be fun I'm sure. There is a wealth of info on the forum and a wonderful bunch of people.
Kent