Well I did it again--Range report added April 13th

[Yak Angler]

Another handi is heading my way, this time its a .22lr sportster youth model as i like the shorter stocks. Should be at my door in a few days and i think tomorrow i will pick up a scope rail for it as i don't beleive it comes with one an i know my local shop carries them.
 
Was really debaiting the last few weeks if i should get the .22lr or the .22 mag as i don't have a .22 mag and already have other .22lr's but all my other's are bolt guns and i want this one to breakdown so i can stow it in my hiking pack. Since i already have a great shooting .17hmr sportster which is very close to .22 mag performance i thought i would be better served with a .22lr so i can shoot anything from cb caps when i want to keep things quiet all the way up to CCi velocitors for close range varmint duty and if want something with more punch i can always use the .17 or one of my centerfires.
 
I must say the bolt guns are starting to get pretty lonely these days 
 
 
 
 

[YRUpunting?]

You'll like it.  I've some how managed to acquire four 22LR sportsters.  Still not sure how it happened.    The last one was a gift this past Christmas, it was the only new one I have.  It was very tight lockup and I had to do the ejector tune in the FAQ to get it to eject. 

Since it's going to be a pack gun don't forget to sight in the open sights before you scope it.  If the scope goes bad or gets damaged you'll only need to pop the scope and base off and have a functioning rifle.

One of mine likes a 36gr bullet, another 40gr, one shoots about anything (it's a VP) and the other seems to be finicky.  I've not shot it enough to find anything suitable.

[Yak Angler]

I'm definitely looking forward to getting out with it, should be similar in size and weight to my .223 superlight which has worked out very good just with .22lr versatility on the smaller critters, may even try for squirrels with it this year.
 
I'm sure i will have something on hand that it likes to shoot but the best part of a .22 is the ammo cost and endless selection of loads, definitely plan on having the open sights shooting well before putting on the scope or red dot. Might even try a shotgun scope or other compact style of scope mounted infront of the hammer to keep the pack length to 20" which is the length of the barrel as the receiver and stock make up the shorter of the two halves.

[YRUpunting?]

Once you have it in your hands please post a comparison to the 223 Superlight or PM me with your thoughts.  I'm itching to order a 223 superlight and I'm basically assuming it will be very close to my 22lr sportster in weight, handling, etc.

[Yak Angler]

I will definitely post a comparison to the .223 superlight once i have it early next week I have included a link to the recent write up i did in the centerfire forum regarding the .223 superlight
 
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,272275.0.html
 
If the link doesn't work i think I found it on page 2 or 3

[gcrank1]

In light of your 17 on hand I think you did the right thing in this choice. I suggest you play with it some as a light, handy open sight gun as the 22LR is at its best at open sight ranges anyway.

[Yak Angler]

I might try it open sights for a while, might even put a pistol grip and try that for a while as its not like swapping the regular stock is much of an issue, I did pick up the scope base for it today incase i decide to mount a red dot or compact scope, what ever i decide the overall length of the barrel needs to remain the same, this won't be an issue with the red dot but might become an issue for a scope depending on what i can find.
 
If anyone has any small say 4 power or less scopes mounted ahead of the hammer I would love to see some pics to get an idea on looks and functionality.

[stewmagoo]

I too am debating on my first Sportster. I have been tossing the 22lr and 22 Mag. I have plenty of 22lr bolt guns and have one 22 mag. I just hear so many good things about the 22lr. But... With the 22lr being outrageous in price and availability I'm leaning towards the 22mag.   Oh heck one of each. Lol. Keep us updated.

[Mad Dog]

Hope you like your .22 Sportster as much as I like mine.  I'm just waiting for the weather to straighten up so i can get out and do some shooting with my new scope/set up I did to it, this winter.


Mad Dog

[cwlongshot]

I have one LR and two Maggie's in H&Rs. The LR was one of THE worst shooting LRs I ever owned... I fiddled with it and I stalled a limbsaver donut on the barrel... Wala!! Instant good shooter!!

My first Maggie was a Varmint HB and was a good shooter. My buddie talked me outta it and later I replaced it with a std contour but much older Maggie barrel this one really likes one of my favorite bullets. The Federal 50g HP. My last Maggie is a VP rechambered and chopped to 16.25". It shoots Winny 34g HPs into one hole at 50 yards!!!

I like the mag far better the The LR. Mag ammo may not be as outrageously priced its hens teeth around here. So be sure you get something to feed this new rifle!!

Good luck,
CW

[Yak Angler]

I hope my new toy arrives tomorrow, should be a fun set=up when im done with it
 
Sorry to hear of all the problems you guys down south have with ammo availability right now, no such issues up here everything is still available at the price its always been in my area.
 
bulk ammo $ 20-25 per box
individual 50-100 round cci packs run anywhere 5-8 dollars depending on what type
 
I usually buy a few of something everything i go to the gun shop anyway and over the years it seems to build up faster than i can use it with two young kids at home keeping me busy. Even though i will buy more the next time i go there i probably have 5 years worth on hand anyway at my current rate of depletion

[Yak Angler]

My new sportser youth arrived today, I have it all cleaned up and ready to go to the range for saturday morning.
 
The questions was asked as to how it compares size wise to my .223 superlight compact. The dimensions are the same for overall length 33" , barrel is 20" , weight is actually a tad lighter at only 5.2lbs according to my trigger pull scale, the reason for this i think is the barrel is just slightly thinner in profile. Trigger pull is a tad heavy at 5lbs. I am going to shoot 100 rounds through it saturday and re-test it. Since this is a hunting gun anything 4lbs or less i will be happy with so if it doesn't break in on its own, I will polish it down a few pounds with some 600 grit paper and a touch of anti-seize for lubrication which has worked well for me on other h&r's.
 
All in all my first impresions of this gun are very good, it was exactly what i had hoped for with the red dot mounted on it and if I can get groups around 2" or better with its preferred ammo at 100 yards i will be content with it.
 
I will post a range report as soon as i can

[YRUpunting?]

Yak,

Do the Sporster and the 223 SL have the same factory sights?

YRU

[Yak Angler]

The front sight is the same style but only about 2/3rd's as high on the sportster as it is on the superlight. And the rear sight on the sportster is a semi-buckhorn design with the the little notched ramp that controls elevation and you have to drift it in the dovetail for windage. The superlight rear sight is a williams design that uses set screws for all adjustments and it is mounted to the barrel with set screws instead of a dovetail.
 
Let me know if you want some pictures of the sights

[Yak Angler]

Range report
 
Was able to get out and do some indoor shooting today at my local club. Distance was 25 yards with a little bit of target shake caused by the exhaust fans in the range. Overall i am just blown away by the accuracy of this little .22 rifle. In todays testing i used 7 different types of .22 ammo, all ammo was tested for 4 groups but not back to back. All groups were 5 shot groups. below is the average of those 4 groups
 
AE Bulk pack 38 grain HP--.75"
CCI Mini-mag .85"
CCI Stinger . 91"
CCI Velocitor . 93"
CCI Subsonic 40 grain HP-- 1.00"
CCI Standard Vel 40 grain RN-- 1.2"
CCI CB Long 1.5"
 
A few flyers or pulled shots have impacted the size on the CB Long's , a few of the test groups were .3" and one flyer out making them 1.5". Same went for CCI SV some of the 5 shot groups if you take away the one flyer are at .5"
 
The part that makes this most impressive to me is i was only using a red dot and a cheap red dot at that. It has a 5MOA Dot which basically means at 25yards anything less than a 1.25" group is MOA performace due to the size of the dot in relation to covering the target. All seven ammo types exceeded this mark if the flyers are removed. Keeping in mind that when holding the dot over the target it is not a precession tool and i doubt my Anschutz target .22 would do any better when using it for groups.
 
I am still undecided as to if i will leave the red dot on this barrel or purchase a compact scope and mount it infront of the hammer. Can't wait for weather to allow some 100 yard testing in a few weeks once the outdoor range dries out from all this rain we have been getting here
 
 
 
 

[hoytcanon]

I made a Sportster .22 LR/.22 WMR swap barrel set and put them on a straight-grip walnut/rosewood mannlicher stock set... they can both shoot pretty good with the Skinner peeps and Firesight ramps... I truck them around in my pack for small game and fox/coon/coyotes... as we walk the trails for grouse and bunnies, we stop to predator call every now and again and swap to the WMR barrels. 

[HWB13]

A couple of you think the same as I, why decide on which one when you can have all 4, my barrel swap is 22lr, 22 mag, 17 hmr , and 17hm2.  when testing ammo check out the CCI 22Quiet.  If you can find them they are great step up from the cb's and still quiet enough to take out the pesky ground hog in the backyard in town.

[Yak Angler]

The CCI Quiets are on order at my local gun shop but i don't think they have received any yet. If they are as quiet as the cb long but with the better bullet ( i think the quiets come with 40 grain hp's ) they would be a great low noise option for small game at close range.
 
Been to busy with other hobbies the last month or so to get out and do any shooting, maybe this week i will try and sneak out to the range

[HWB13]

they are slightly louder than cb's but sounds like a low power paintball gun, but hit much harder than the cb 40 gr aat 700 plus fps.  good stuff  slightly diff poi than standard 22lr.  my sporster was 1.5 low and right.  put the crosshairs on the nose of a standing ground hog and slipped it in right behind the ear.

[Yak Angler]

Sound's like they are worthwhile trying though, i will pick up a few boxes this summer to try out once i see them on the shelf.

[Yak Angler]

My local shop finally got in the cci quiet 40 grain segmented hp rounds, picked up 3 boxes which given all the other .22 ammo i have and the single shot rate of fire in the handi im sure they will last me a while. More importantly they shot excellent at both 25 yard and 50 yards with tight groups at both ranges even in the windy conditions yesterday. This rifle if it has a preference for bullet weight as slight as it might be is towards 40 grain offerings. Even at 100 yards only using a 5MOA red dot sight i was getting groups of 5-7" consistantly for 10 shots with cci 40 grain sv and velocitors.
Very happy with this little h&r .22 rifle

[HWB13]

Thought you would like them, have fun

[Graybeard]

Let's bring this one back up and see if folks might want to talk more about it.