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Military Firearm Restoration Corner

Effect Of Colder Weather On Point Of Impact


FC

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I don't think the cold weather would effect it that much. Distances aren't that great. I'd suspect different ammo first. Even different lots, etc., can do it. Also, the angle up or down can have a big effect.

 

Clean the gun and re-zero.

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I have some old .22 ammo, and the accuracy isn't very good. I pulled out some two year-old ammo I have in the house for sighting in. I'm sighting in at 75 yards, level. One is a Henry lever action with a Leupold scope, and the other is a Chipmunk rifle. Both are accurate. I'm trying to figure out what is going on.

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I have a 1960's Sears 22 made by Savage. I sighted in the Chinese clone scope with Rusky match grade 22RF and it prints a pretty cluster bench rested at 50 yards. Few years ago I purchased an old metal 1st Aid kit container with a hodge-podge of various 22's. Unless I match up the 22's with head stamps. The bench rested shot string can go 2-3 inches above or below POA.

 

If you're shooting high or low I'd suspect ammo. If your hitting right or left I'd say scope.

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If you sight it in and are using the same ammo:

When you sighted in did you do so from a rest?

If so and you are firing freehand that can make a difference.

Also if you wear glasses when you are hunting...did you wear them when you sighted the rifle?

karl

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I got to handle but not shoot a Henry 22 lever action. I left feeling depressed as I couldn't afford to buy it. If I recall correctly it was in the 400 range. I was really impressed how smooth it operated.

 

In the 70's I had a 22 lever action made by Hi Standard sold under the Western Auto Revelation name. It was incredibly accurate but the action was junk. It constantly jammed. I tried to get Western Auto to take it back but best they did was send it off somewhere. Got it back and it still jammed. It was during my days as an auto parts salesman. We were under contract with Phoenix area Western Auto company owned stores to sell them brake fluid and some other items. I was stuck with the rifle not wanting to risk PO'ing a store manager. I dumped it at a gun show for parts after my temper got the best of me bending the lever.

 

I swore off lever action 22's after my junker and my then best shooting bud having to return his Marlin 22 Mag twice. Both were terrific shooters but constantly got hung up chambering a round. After handling the Henry I had a sudden paradigm shift. The Henry also has the appearance of a high-end 1950's rifle. High polish blue and beautifully grained and finished walnut wood. The home based FFL I usually do business with. Is a Henry stocking dealer. Seems like he always has a Henry conveniently placed for me to see in an attempt to twist my arm.

 

Tony next time you have the Henry out, how about a few pictures.

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Good thought on ammo. With a Gamo pellet gun, pellet brand made a big difference, even left and right. It only liked gold plated.

 

I didn't use glasses for the Chipmunk initially, but kind of need them for 75 yards. Bench rest front of gun only. I think my natural tendency is to hit right, and I tried to fight that.

 

I have some ammo I loaded about 2006. Yes, in the garage year-round. I wonder how long it will be good for? .30-30 seems to be holding out okay. I moved my powders indoors, but I don't really like having it in the house.

 

We're out of town. I'll try to remember to get pictures. I have the brass Henry. Yes, very smooth. There's a creep in the trigger. Iron sights aren't worth a flip. They sell a cantilever scope mount. Too unstable, so I drilled through the rear, tapped the receiver, and inserted a stabilizing bolt. That did the trick, and it was easy. Much better accuracy with the Leupold scope. That's why I was amazed, and depressed, when I kept missing the squirrel. They run, so not easy to hit anyway. I may need to hide and wait. Darned things won't use the boxes I put out. Nope, fix their holes, and they make new ones.

 

One last thought- when I shot Jr. NRA, position of the stock on my shoulder was critical to shot placement. I don't think bench rest mates with how you aim when you hunt.

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I'm with Doc on the scope mount issue.

To jump slightly off topic. Something I discovered years ago with 22RF ammo. Seems like the cheapie standard velocity stuff gives better shot to shot accuracy than the so-called hyper velocity, mini-mag or what ever name it is given to indicate a higher than standard velocity.

 

A member of my gun club, a big time 22 shooter, collector and in his younger years an avid long range competitor. He claims 22RF hollow points are more accurate at long distances. His theory being the hollow cavity moves the bullet's center of gravity rearward and improves bullet stability.

The 22 guy got me hooked on Eley (now Remington) brand match grade 22's. The Russian match grade is a close second in a rifle but I didn't see any improvement in a revolver. Eley did and I assume still do. Have match grade ammo specifically for rifle and another for pistol. Once you're spoiled by it you will likely become hooked on it as I did.

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BTW beautiful rifle. I hope to have a Henry 22 sometime in the future. Rarely do I see them on the trading block. The few I have seen on Backpage. The seller usually asks more than the retail price or trade something like a Glock, 1911 or S&W revolver plus cash.

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I got up at 3 this morning because I couldn't fall back asleep. I went out to the kitchen, turned on the light, and lo and behold, there's a possum in the dining room! Dang it! It got through the dog door. I shot it with the Henry. I hit it behind the mouth and it bled to death on the floor. I couldn't let it escape to come back again. The bullet went into the baseboard. Aw heck, I was going to mop the floor today anyway. Nasty mess of coagulated blood and fecal matter. I have to stop throwing scraps out for the crows.

 

That mount is as stable as it's going to get. Cantilever wasn't solid enough for me. It's been a pretty accurate rifle since I added the scope, and the iron sights just aren't good enough. Anyway, I'm sighted in now. Too hard to focus at dining room range, but I had a picture of a blurry possum head.

 

I shot Ely match ammo when I was shooting 100 yard .22s when I was a teenager. I really liked it. I think it was $2.00 a box back then.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I park my winter car, a Y2K RAV 4, over away from everything else. It sat for a few months. I went to start it and it was missing, hitting on 3. I limped it over to the shop to see what was going on and a squirrel had built a large nest on top of the motor, eaten most of one spark plug wire, started on another and eaten the wires between the ballast and the HID headlights. It cost me over a hundred bucks to buy a new HID headlight set and a spark plug wire set, plus the time to vacuum out the nest and the half gallon of acorns. I went looking for squirrels around there. We are borderline "war on squirrels."

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Friend of mine had what he presumed was a squirrel pack his pickup's air cleaner with nuts, flower buds, seeds and items he couldn't identify. Back in the late 60's working in auto parts. Every now and then we'd get a rebuilt generator that a mouse got into and ate the insulation off the wiring. If we opened the box and found mouse turds we didn't bother to test it, just sent it back .

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