Author Topic: .22 LR As A Sniper Round (Read 2391 times)

lgm270 · « **on:** March 09, 2008, 06:20:44 PM »

Check out this thread where tactical rifle competitor uses .22 LR Savage Mark II as understudy and demonstrates accuracy and penetration power of .22 LR at 250 yards.

Interesting experiment that shows what can be done with this humble, affordable cartridge.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=503007&gonew=1#UNREAD

Shooter973 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2008, 03:13:14 PM »

The Israeli's have been using suppressed 10/22's for years for riot control. They study the rioters and pick out the leaders and then plink them in the chest. The riot usually falls apart when the leaders are hauled off to the hospital. The don't try to kill them just collapse a lung and get them hauled away. Works like a charm...... We should do the same thing here in the States...

Cheesehead · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2008, 03:55:14 PM »

I have also heard they shoot the most forward males in the genitals, which makes the rest retreat quickly.

Cheese

kevthebassman · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2008, 04:22:41 PM »

The .22lr has killed countless gang-bangers, innocent bystanders, and others, as well as it's fair share of deer.

Quote from: Shooter973 on March 10, 2008, 03:13:14 PM

The Israeli's have been using suppressed 10/22's for years for riot control. They study the rioters and pick out the leaders and then plink them in the chest. The riot usually falls apart when the leaders are hauled off to the hospital. The don't try to kill them just collapse a lung and get them hauled away. Works like a charm...... We should do the same thing here in the States...

Off topic: As completely fucked up as our government is, you actually suggest that we shoot our own citizens in the streets? That would be just great! We could have our own little Tiananmen Square! It would probably go over just as well as the Kent State shootings.

Keith L · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2008, 09:54:44 PM »

Lets be very careful about this thread. This is primarily an outdoors site, and this forum is to discuss rimfire rifles, not shooting each other. Now it is starting to become an argument. If this trend continues the thread will be removed.

StrawHat · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:53:20 AM »

I have not done the testing this fellow has done but I was told the exterior ballistics of the 22 LR were close to the exterior ballistics of the 45-70 I was shooting.

Being cheap and wanting to practice a lot, I started using a Ballard 22LR during my practice sessions.

It certainly opened my eyes as to what could be expected from a cartridge dating to the middle of the 19th century!

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #6 on:** March 11, 2008, 04:40:03 AM »

I haven't heard about this use for the .22. I would suppose that the Aquila 60 gr. low-velocity .22 would be a good choice for this as well as backyard pest control. With a low noise level and fairly high energy, it would be a natural. My dealer does not have any, but I asked him to pick some up so I can try it. I wonder how long this will be around before the liberals consider it a sniper round and try to ban it.

Graybeard · « **Reply #7 on:** March 11, 2008, 05:07:16 AM »

Back when I was doing a product review of a whole bunch of different types of .22LR ammo I included the Aquila 60s in the test. I did not even have enough adjustment in the scope to zero it to 100 yards using them. I can't imagine trying to use them beyond that distance as at some point your intended target wouldn't even be in the view thru the scope you'd have to hold so high above it.

They were also the least accurate round tested. Since that test I personally have considered them to be about useless. I'll never own another round of that ammo.

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #8 on:** March 11, 2008, 05:54:26 AM »

Bill,

Thanks for the info. Maybe my dealer shouldn't order a carton if I will only make a 1 box purchase and stick him with the rest. I guess I'll wait for next month's Syracuse gun show and pick a box up there. If I like them I'll have him order then.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #9 on:** March 11, 2008, 06:06:21 AM »

Graybeard,
Do you have the results of your tests? And can you post them? I heard the Federal bulk pack round nose solids are the best penetrators.

dscp · « **Reply #10 on:** March 11, 2008, 06:34:33 AM »

RAMBO ,
I too have contemplated the versatile 22 in military type actions . Even an unsuppressed 22 really make little noise next to REAL military rifles . A small ,trained group could unsuppressed a medium/small town with little fuss . AS well as any personnel in the way . Just got in my new 22 cal air rifle ( about 1,000 fps ) and am anxious to see what the close range effects are .
dscp

Badnews Bob · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2008, 06:49:07 AM »

The Agulia SSS's where designed by the Israelis for 100 yard suppressed sniper rifles, They use a 1 in 7 or 8 twist and won't stabilize well in a standard .22 twist, They are very accurate out of the right barrel and hit hard out at 100 yards. They would be great for small game but I don't think I could justify the cost of building a .22 for just one round.

Graybeard · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2008, 07:03:48 AM »

Rimfire Rifle ammo review:

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/producttest/rimfirerifle.html

Revolver Rimfire ammo review:

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/producttest/rimfirerevolver.html

DCRthe3rd · « **Reply #13 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:06:51 PM »

For a brief time I used the Agulia SSS's as my load for backyard groundhogs , shot them from a cheap savage mk2 I got from dunhams with a tiny pencil type 4 power I believe scope that came with it , my groups on the 25yd line with these was under a nickel in size for a clips worth , much better than my usual American eagle loads , the only loads that shot better that I tired were the cci shorts , no comments on the Agulia SSS's past 25yds tho as I do not know

torpedoman · « **Reply #14 on:** March 11, 2008, 04:33:24 PM »

22lr subsonic rounds are usually more accurate than any other load i think its due to the closer attention paid to the powder charge when they are made and also due to the fact that they do not break the sound barrier

shotgun31 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 12, 2008, 05:10:53 PM »

Sometimes the Germans sniped with 22's during WW2.

I say that because my father served with 3rd Army, and had personal experience with SS snipers using 22's. He got a 22 LR Erma military training rifle from a pair of German SS snipers in Paris and sent it home. My father was in an Ordnance unit, and as he told it, one day he was towing a broken down 1/2 track back to their repair site. They were flagged down by some MP's who said they were taking sniper fire, and one had thought he saw a brick move in a wall in a blind alley. The Ordnance units traveled with everything that would fire loaded, and his 1/2 track mounted a quad 50. My father said he got on the 4X50 and opened up on the wall, then the MP's assaulted the building. The Germans didn't survive the quad 50. The MP's gave the rifle to my father, he sent it home.

The rifle is in my gun safe; extremely accurate, and extremely quiet with standard velocity 22's. I'd expect it would be very effective.
Shotgun

Guy Pike · « **Reply #16 on:** March 14, 2008, 02:31:13 AM »

The closer one is able to hunt, the easier a .22lr would be to kill with. Ancient wisdom, but true enough. Oddly, with the human targets available in S.E. Asia all one really had to do was sit still long enough and a target would walk right by! Not sniping but great fun none the less. When a murderer was holed up in a local motel, the SWAT team was called in including a sniper. The State police SWAT team leader{a good friend} went to the office and phoned the perp. After realizing that he had no chance, he surrendered. No shots and effectively one kill! The crowd of spectators were mightily impressed.

Jack Ryan · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2008, 06:44:45 PM »

Quote from: Shooter973 on March 10, 2008, 03:13:14 PM

The Israeli's have been using suppressed 10/22's for years for riot control. They study the rioters and pick out the leaders and then plink them in the chest. The riot usually falls apart when the leaders are hauled off to the hospital. The don't try to kill them just collapse a lung and get them hauled away. Works like a charm...... We should do the same thing here in the States...

Not true.

They expirimented with them with the intent to use them as non lethal means of suppressing riots and the results proved to be much more lethal than they intended.

Those kinds of thoughts are exactly why the people who formed this country thought it was important the people remained armed themselves. As protection from a government that decides shooting their citizens is the best way to "protect" them.

Jack Ryan · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2008, 06:48:43 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard on March 11, 2008, 05:07:16 AM

Back when I was doing a product review of a whole bunch of different types of .22LR ammo I included the Aquila 60s in the test. I did not even have enough adjustment in the scope to zero it to 100 yards using them. I can't imagine trying to use them beyond that distance as at some point your intended target wouldn't even be in the view thru the scope you'd have to hold so high above it.

They were also the least accurate round tested. Since that test I personally have considered them to be about useless. I'll never own another round of that ammo.

Shooting them from a barrel with appropriate rifling for the round makes a huge difference in the accuracy. They are very usefull for short range medium sized pest control such as beaver eradication.

Jack Ryan · « **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2008, 06:52:05 PM »

Quote from: Badnews Bob on March 11, 2008, 06:49:07 AM

The Agulia SSS's where designed by the Israelis for 100 yard suppressed sniper rifles, They use a 1 in 7 or 8 twist and won't stabilize well in a standard .22 twist, They are very accurate out of the right barrel and hit hard out at 100 yards. They would be great for small game but I don't think I could justify the cost of building a .22 for just one round.

I have a barrel with the faster twist intended for the Aquilia SSS round and it is very accurate with the rest of my standard 22LR amo as well.

This group was shot from the SSS barrel using Wolf target amo.

Mikey · « **Reply #20 on:** March 17, 2008, 02:22:36 AM »

The 22lr is used fairly widely by police units in NYS. They use silenced 22s on drug raids to take out street lights so drug dealers can't spot them (supposedly) and to eliminate guard dogs.

Many folk tend to forget that the old standard velocity 22 lr loads were the original target loads and they were subsonic. Many also forget that this old round has more 'carry' to it than a lot of other rounds and is pretty darn effective on small game out to considerable distances. This also makes it effective on other soft body targets.

While I do not advocate this type of (near covert) police action, unless it absolutely and irrevocably necessary, it is already in fairly wide use, I believe. Mikey.