Great post and one that, because of a recently read article in one of the rags I pick up for free at the local gun shop, I had to comment about. (I'd rather buy powder than magazines.)
The article was about one of those semi-custom rimfire bolt actions that pushes a thousand dollars and couldn't be had for less than seven hundred used, and how the author was so pleased with half to three quarter inch groups at fifty yards. Ironically I had done some thinkin' about taking the plunge recently. You know the article title; I'm sure it's been used more than once..."Once in your life you owe it to yourself to get a real top-of-the-line rimfire..."
Then I decided to take out my old 69A with a steel Weaver K4 - both from the fifties I suppose, and shoot some groups. I had never really done much more than sight in this little squirrel rifle.
Well after a couple of hours at the shooting bench and covered with rimfire brass cases, I left for home without any further thought of spending nearly a grand on another rimfire- quite content with a healthy stack of fifty yard groups between .200 and .800 and an average and standard deviation (I am an engineer so yes, I had to calculate some statistical measures) that says I am more likely to shoot about a .600 group than anything else.
