Accurizing the 15-22?

[Fullsteam88]

After owning my 15-22 for a week, and shooting it almost every day popping ground hogs, I am very impressed with the rifle. However, I do feel like my groups could be a little tighter with some work. I was wondering what things seem to be most popular in regards to changes. Here is my short list of ideas so far:

1. Trigger job
2. Free Float the Barrel
3. Somehow Tighten Up the Buttstock (very loose when extended)
4. Possibly Recrown the Barrel

Anyways, those were the things I was looking in to. What have you all done to tighten up your 15-22's.

Thanks,
FS

 

[Majorlk]

Trying to get better accuracy than 2.5 to 3.0 MOA is an exercise in frustration and wasted money. The 15-22 is a Plinker, not a match rifle. All you list are nice things but will not have any major impact on accuracy. Depending upon your shooting skills, a decent trigger will help somewhat. Ammo selection may have more effect than anything else.

Considering that most 15-22 shooting is done at 50 yards or less, that's sufficient accuracy for the majority of shooting that it is used for.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

You want accuracy with a 22? No problem. Buy a CZ 455 or Ruger 77/22.

 

[OldEagleEars]

As one who used to bust woodchucks and bunnies with the buckhorns on a Springfield 87A and never dreamed that something as accurate as a 15-22 would ever exist I would wonder if a decent scope wouldn't handle your situation better than a bunch of lily-gilding. Dial in a reliable zero, shoot enough to know your rifle's characteristics, and find an ammo that is reliable and meets your expectations should do you some good. There isn't any accessory in the world that will ever be as valuable to a shooter as more practice.

 

[Bat Guano]

I put a takeoff Jard trigger in mine--had to do a little fitting, but it gave me a very decent 3.5 pound pull. Much easier to shoot and call my shots with this, although the original 6 pound pull was better than many ARs.

Put on a Bushnell TR-25 (?) red dot optic for about $70.00 and she's good to go for what I do.

 

[Gunslinger808]

1. Trigger job
2. Free Float the Barrel
3. Somehow Tighten Up the Buttstock (very loose when extended)
4. Possibly Recrown the Barrel

For what you'd pay to get that done, just pick up a 10-22 and be happy.
And really, how much more free floated can you make a 15-22?

 

[Doc Robin]

The 15-22 is a plinker, a very fun gun to shoot. If you want accurate then buy a bolt gun.

Bill

 

[Kayback]

Try tighten up the barrel nut.

The 15-22 is a roughly 3 MOA gun. Wanting it to do more is like wanting a Fiesta to run at 800hp.

It can be done, but why?

KBK

 

[photoracer]

After owning my 15-22 for a week, and shooting it almost every day popping ground hogs, I am very impressed with the rifle. However, I do feel like my groups could be a little tighter with some work. I was wondering what things seem to be most popular in regards to changes. Here is my short list of ideas so far:

1. Trigger job
2. Free Float the Barrel
3. Somehow Tighten Up the Buttstock (very loose when extended)
4. Possibly Recrown the Barrel

Anyways, those were the things I was looking in to. What have you all done to tighten up your 15-22's.

Thanks,
FS

Out of the box it is about 4 MOA. Even the PC model with the match chamber and 18" barrel is no better than about 3 MOA.
Nothing you do to the barrel will help the issue. Things you can do:
1. Remove the handguard cap to free float the barrel.
2. Clamp a 6" long riser between the receiver and the handguard. this will help control the harmonics and whip of the barrel under fire.
3. Get Tacticool22s handguard removal tool set and replace the handguard with a metal free floating one. This will tie the barrel to a stiffer piece of metal and not just polymer.
4. Install and tune a Limbsaver Barrel De-resonator. This works surprising well but requires you to only use one type and brand of ammo in most cases. It damps down the barrel harmonics and barrel whip when firing.
5. Install a better trigger (up to $200) or at least a set of the JP low power trigger/hammer springs as that is the most cost effective ($10).

Of these 2, 3, and 4 work pretty good together. But 2 thru 5 combined will be the best of all worlds. Last but not least:
6. Get Lothar Walther to make you the same match barrel that Jerry Miculek uses on the 15-22 he has used on Impossible Shots. I have no idea what it would cost but likely more than the rifle itself.

 

[sithlord]

Biggest thing is to go out and learn your rifle, and how it shoots. Put several thousand rounds down range, and you might tighten up those groups without spending much on anything else. Even if you do all those things above (trigger, free float, comp barrel), you still need to SHOOT. In some cases, the rifle outperforms the shooters abilities.

I have a 4 MOA red dot, and I consistently hit clay pigeons and partial clay pigeons at ~100 yards (the range says 100, but it's probably 85-90). Picked this up from wally world:
http://www.championtarget.com/targets/clays/sporting_clay.aspx

Was hanging the minis at 50 yard range (probably 40-45 yards) and shooting them consistently while standing (bipod shooting was too easy, so I tried to make it harder). The minis are 60mm, or 6cm, or just a tad over 2".

Paintballs at 50 yards with a scope isn't too hard either (with the red dot, its somewhat hard since the dot fully covers the paintball)

Not using match ammo...

 

[Majorlk]

Out of the box it is about 4 MOA. Even the PC model with the match chamber and 18" barrel is no better than about 3 MOA.
Nothing you do to the barrel will help the issue. Things you can do:
1. Remove the handguard cap to free float the barrel.
2. Clamp a 6" long riser between the receiver and the handguard. this will help control the harmonics and whip of the barrel under fire.
3. Get Tacticool22s handguard removal tool set and replace the handguard with a metal free floating one. This will tie the barrel to a stiffer piece of metal and not just polymer.
4. Install and tune a Limbsaver Barrel De-resonator. This works surprising well but requires you to only use one type and brand of ammo in most cases. It damps down the barrel harmonics and barrel whip when firing.
5. Install a better trigger (up to $200) or at least a set of the JP low power trigger/hammer springs as that is the most cost effective ($10).

Of these 2, 3, and 4 work pretty good together. But 2 thru 5 combined will be the best of all worlds. Last but not least:
6. Get Lothar Walther to make you the same match barrel that Jerry Miculek uses on the 15-22 he has used on Impossible Shots. I have no idea what it would cost but likely more than the rifle itself.

Even with all this, you still have a polymer upper and lower to detract from the accuracy. If one is going to spend all the money described here, just buy a Volquartsen in the first place.

 

[Beuford T. Rimfire]

...just buy a Volquartsen in the first place.

Oooooh.... I'd love a new Volquartsen Fusion! (But that'll probably never happen. At least not until my kids are out of college!)

Expanding on what Majorlk just said about polymer reciever/handgaurd - be aware that any stress you put on the handguard in one direction or another can be transferred to the reciever. This may only effect accuracy a little, or if you are using handguard mounted sights it could change your POA/POI quite significantly as range increases. If you have not removed your handguard end cap, then this stress also gets applied to the barrel. Always try to use consistent holds on the rifle for best accuracy. One example of this, is shooting from a bipod and applying downpressure to the handguard to stabilize the rifle. If you zero this way, your POI will change when you aren't applying that pressure any more. Same goes for using a sling to support the rifle and pressure to one side of the rifle.

 

[Majorlk]

Oooooh.... I'd love a new Volquartsen Fusion! (But that'll probably never happen. At least not until my kids are out of college!)

Sell them to gypsies.

 

[RPeacock1128]

Sight that puppy in with a quality optic and stay with the same ammo. Learn how the rifle shoots and live with it. If I can hit a paper plate size target consistently with a red dot I'm happy. It's a fun rifle to plink with and accessorize - anything more is a waste. My 9 year old son has the time of his life shooting the 15-22 -- that to me is worth everything....

RP

 

[roadkill45]

Out of the box it is about 4 MOA. Even the PC model with the match chamber and 18" barrel is no better than about 3 MOA.
Nothing you do to the barrel will help the issue. Things you can do:
1. Remove the handguard cap to free float the barrel.
2. Clamp a 6" long riser between the receiver and the handguard. this will help control the harmonics and whip of the barrel under fire."


Having gone through the picture thread several times over the past year, i have not seen this in a picture once. it makes sense, but it seems that no one wants to take a pic and post it if they have done so. i have an extra riser that i'm going to cut in half lengthways and paint black so that it goes under the field of view of the EOtech. Just have not done it yet.

Has anyone done this mod? does it improve anything? does it change you POI/POA? i don't think it would since you are not really doing anything to the barrel, just stabilizing the plastic handguard to the lower. Speak Up!!!!

 

[Drag]

You want accuracy with a 22? No problem. Buy a CZ 455 or Ruger 77/22.

Or this... my tactical distance trainer:

Savage MkII FV-SR 22LR
Nikon 3-9x40 EFR
Harris S-BRM Bi-pod

 

[Majorlk]

Has anyone done this mod? does it improve anything? does it change you POI/POA? i don't think it would since you are not really doing anything to the barrel, just stabilizing the plastic handguard to the lower. Speak Up!!!!

I did it initially, but it did nothing that I could really measure because I had already enlarged the hole in the fore end cap and free-floated the barrel. Also, I don't have iron sights on my 15-22 and the scope is mounted totally on the receiver, so there's nothing to "stabilize".

 

[my_mp15-22_s&w]

There is a U tube video of one doing a trigger job with his trigger assembly.

 

[moosedog]

Before you go spending a ton of money on things that you may not need, try different brands of 22 ammo.
22 rifles are usually ammo particular. It may be hard to acquire a large selection right now, but i'll bet finding the right ammo for your gun will be do the trick. Then practice.
One weeks worth of practice is hardly enough to get used to a gun.

 

[roadkill45]

I did it initially, but it did nothing that I could really measure because I had already enlarged the hole in the fore end cap and free-floated the barrel. Also, I don't have iron sights on my 15-22 and the scope is mounted totally on the receiver, so there's nothing to "stabilize".

same with mine, it's totally free float with the EO and 3x on the receiver. i was just wondering if anyone had seen any improvement, since there was talk about it but had not seen any responses on positive improvement. once you FF it that and ammo are about the only thing that is going to improve the front end. triggers not being said. i have CMC in mine and am totally impressed and satisfied with accuracy, just seeing if anyone got a little more out of it with the mod. it's a jack rabbit taking machine.