Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 5

Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review
Part 5 - Range Tests
April 22, 2018

In this part of the review I show my range test results for the new Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle. My main goals for range testing was to get an idea of the accuracy potential for this rifle, find some ammunition that I could use to shoot out to 300 yards when dialing in my elevation adjustments and then actually feel like I could hit something smaller than a barn at 300 yards. Starting out, I was skeptical and thought that the 300 yard shot might be a little challenging, but after finding the ammunition that created tight groups and dialing in 14.5 mils, I put put lead on a 6" steel plate and it was very gratifying. I know... I just ruined the suspense of this part of my review, but I've got to tell you up front that I was extremely happy because I have never spent the time to see if I could dependably shoot that distance and hit targets with a rifle chambered in 22LR.

For my range testing, I actually spent five different sessions at the range due to wind, rain and life before I settled into results that I felt were representative of the rifle and not representative of me or other external conditions. The photo above shows one configuration I used during the testing.

The optic I selected was the Burris MTAC 4.5-14x42 Riflescope (discontinued by Burris) in a Mil/Mil configuration (turrets/reticle). I got an amazing deal on clearance from Cabela's on the scope ($200 with free shipping) and after range testing on this rifle I wish I had purchased more than one. I installed the riflescope using some value UTG 30mm Hi Pro LE Grade Picatinny QD Rings 22mm Wide for $21.80. I've used these value oriented rings on other rifles and have been pleased with their performance. The bipod shown is also a UTG Picatinny Rail 6"-8" Bipod. To install the bipod, I had to purchase a small section of M-Lok Picatinny Rail for $10. Later in my range testing I switched from the bipod to a Caldwell Rock BR Rest to try and get the smallest group sizes possible because I wasn't happy with my groupings using the bipod and felt I could do better.

I selected a variety of ammunition that I had on hand and also purchased some Eley and other CCI ammunition to see how they might perform in this rifle. The ammunition ranged from subsonic to high velocity to hyper velocity rounds in ranges from 32 to 40 grains. You can see most of the ammunition used in the photo below and all my range test data in the table that follows.

Figure 1

As you can see in the table, the CCI Standard Velocity knocked it out of the park with my smallest group size of 0.28" and the four 5-shot group average of 0.42". Following suit, the CCI Standard Velocity suppressed was also shooting great. Next on the list was the Eley Target which had a group average of 0.60" follow by Eley Subsonic coming in at 0.67". I was also impressed with the group average for the CCI Segmented Hollow Point coming in at 0.67" for that hyper velocity round. Overall I was pleased with groups and also found that value ammunition like the Federal Champion and AutoMatch was coming in with group averages of 0.85" and 0.89". The 18" barrel length allows the ammunition to come in relatively close to the manufacturer's specifications for velocity, but if you are planning to shoot at longer distances then you will need to chronograph the bullets you select to minimize any errors in your bullet drop calculations.

	Velocity (ft/sec)				Group Size²(in.)
Ammunition	Spec	Avg¹	Std Dev	Max Sprd	Max	Min	Avg
Aguila Super Extra 38gr Subsonic HP	?	990	22	77	1.34	0.70	1.05
CCI Standard Velocity 40gr LRN	1070	1029	16	59	0.56	0.28	0.42
CCI Standard Velocity 40gr LRN (Suppressed)	1070	1042	21	60	0.63	0.23	0.45
CCI Green Tag 40gr LRN	1070	1082	10	29	0.83	0.70	0.78
CCI Segmented 32gr HP	1640	1561	10	29	0.71	0.60	0.67
Eley Edge 40gr	1085	1067	20	53	1.06	0.58	0.90
Eley Match 40gr	1070	1062	11	33	1.51	0.50	0.91
Eley Subsonic 38gr	1040	1032	9	28	0.81	0.48	0.67
Eley Target 40gr	1090	1094	8	28	0.68	0.49	0.60
Federal AutoMatch 40gr LRN	1200	1158	23	77	1.05	0.73	0.89
Federal Champion 40gr Solid	1240	1222	19	57	0.97	0.67	0.85
Winchester Super-X 36gr HPCP	1280	1300	26	64	1.79	0.99	1.22
Total Group Average All 48 Groups =							0.78
1 - Average velocity measured about 10 feet from muzzle based on 10 shots 2 - Group size data based on four 5-shot groups at 50 yards from a bench HP - Hollow Point, LRN - Lead Round Nose, HPCP - Hollow Point Copper Plated

These next photos show some of my best groups for some of the ammunition I used. I also want to point out that only two of the types of ammunition I selected had group averages of greater than 1". From all this, I'm convinced that this rifle is capable of 1/2" groups or better with the right ammunition, shooter and weather conditions.

Figure 2 Figure 3
CCI Standard Velocity 40gr 0.28" Eley Target 40gr 0.49"

Figure 4 Figure 5
Eley Match 40gr 0.50" Eley Subsonic 38gr 0.48"

Since I had a bunch of CCI Standard Velocity ammunition because I have come to the opinion that it shoots great in most rimfire firearms, I decided to zero the scope with that ammunition. I plugged in the specifics of my rifle, scope and ammunition data into the Shooter program on my Android phone and started shooting longer distance targets. As I worked my way down the range shooting at steel plates, my confidence continued to grow as I went from 107 to 133 to 196 to 233 and then finally 306 yards where I dialed in 14.5 Mils and was hitting a 6" steel plate fairly regularly. That was an amazing 160" of drop being accounted for in my elevation correction and I nailed it.

You can see the video portion of this review below which shows me working my way down my range. I did actually make contact with a torso at 412 yards, but at that distance I was out of adjustment on my riflescope and using hold overs with my reticle.

Thoughts

I'm convinced that the Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle can group shots and be used to shoot 300 yards because I proved it to myself. I also feel this would be a great rifle to learn about shooting fundamentals and shooting at long range. I also need to spend more time with the hyper velocity ammunition so that I can try to hit even longer targets using my elevation turret for correction.

For more detailed photos and commentary, make sure you check out the other parts of this review and feel free to leave comments below. The following links are provided to help you see other parts of this review.

Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 1 - Introduction, Specifications and Summary
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 2 - What's in the Box
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 3 - External & Operational Features
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 4 - Disassembly & Internal Features
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle Review: Part 5 - Range Test

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