Magazine Size and Group Size

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  • Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,876
    I thought for a while to come up with magazine related accuracy factors . I did , but they're so off the wall to not be worth typing out .

    Overwhelming Probabilities :

    1. Shooter error . Either muscle fatigue a nd eye strain , or simply the more shots fired , the more opportunities to have an oppsie .

    2. Rimfire Ammo . The inherent random vagaries , plus the rummored and semi- acknowledged slippage in Quality Control during the era of non- stop maximum production .
     

    duckslayer

    Active Member
    Feb 3, 2009
    554
    southern dorchester county
    I am in a group where we shoot a lot of rimfire groups. Out to 300 routinely and occasionally to 400. 10 shot groups are hard to put together and even CenterX shows that unexplained flyer somewhere in the string. I do feel that it is more of them the 1st shot out though. Also if you feel something that seems off when you chamber the round it’s likely to be a flyer.
    And in answer to your original question if something about that magazine is damaging the last round it would be related. Only answer is try to repeat it
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,662
    Not Far Enough from the City
    50 yard groups for measuring the abilities of me and my rifle. I wouldn’t say I put together 10 really good shots, more like 10 decent shots. As long as I’m sub MOA with 10 I’m happy. <0.5” at 50 isn’t too tall an ask for mid range ammo off a bench. Starting to plink at 100 so I can learn to read wind better. That’s really tough for me right now.

    10 shots inside of 1/2 inch at 50 yards would make me smile too. It's not a given, bench and bags notwithstanding.

    I agree with Biggfoot44 and his mention of both shooter and ammo consistency as being primary to what you're seeing. To that I'll add the wind you mention. Even at 50 yards, a 10mph crossword will move a "typical" 22lr bullet by 1 to 1.5 inches. Add to that reality the fact that wind is typically variable. And because it tends to be variable oftentimes in both speed and direction, there's that challenge of what is truly significant variability as well, in trying to keep within your desired 1/2 inch at 50 yards goal.

    With these thoughts in mind, 100 yards is a different game entirely, albeit a whole lot of fun. It becomes exponentially more challenging. That same 10mph wind (if consistent) will mean approximately 5.5 inches of bullet drift. And a "typical" 50 yard sight in distance with a "typical" 1250fps round will also mean approximately 5.5 inches of bullet drop. And every possible sighting or mechanics error is being magnified by doubling your distance.

    Not an insignificant role is played by a 22 being.....well.....a 22. In many ways, you begin to be able to visualize the physics associated with lobbing mortars, and especially once outside of 50 yards. Even with the most capable rifle and shooter, there's a whole lot going on when the round is 22lr.
    Good Luck and have some fun with it!
     

    ralph.mclean

    GOC (Grumpy Old Cop)
    Jan 27, 2018
    236
    Edgewater, MD
    Stupid question time. I was at the range earlier and shot an outstanding 5 round group using my 5 round magazine. Followed it with a more typical 10 round group out of a 10 round magazine that had a flyer from hell on the last round - 1.1 inches low and right. I marked my mags so I can track it in the future since this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a discrepancy between magazines and accuracy. Can magazine size affect group size? Is it more likely to come up with a softer spring?

    The more rounds you shoot, statistically, the greater chance of a flyer.....

    Also, more rounds mean more fatigue. Both physical and mental.
     

    tidalbass

    Member
    Feb 4, 2011
    14
    Carroll County
    small mag - small groups

    Most likely fewer rounds in the magazine slowed you down. It let you take your time instead of rushing to put all 10 downrange, and that WILL shrink your groups.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,876
    Fundimental Rule of Marksmanship :

    Just because a gun might hold a buncha rounds and cycle quickly , doesn't mean you have to shoot quickly . You still have free will to shoot at the cadence you choose to .

    Aim and squeeze each round as if it is the Only you will have opportunity to fire .
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,371
    Hampstead
    One round every 10 seconds? That’s pretty slow really. Are you on the scope for all 10 of those seconds, for all 10 rounds? That fatigued my eyes and I’m only reading this. I would guess some shooting form muscle or eye fatigue by the time you get to that last round. I’m not saying do a mag dump, but you should be able to speed that up just a little bit, and as long as you keep your proper form and fundamentals I bet you’ll get rid of that last shot flyer.
     
    Last edited:

    Chat-Bot

    Disinformation Governor
    Oct 17, 2020
    4,627
    под скалой
    Most likely fewer rounds in the magazine slowed you down. It let you take your time instead of rushing to put all 10 downrange, and that WILL shrink your groups.

    it-was-cold-out-its-shrinkage-i-tell-you.jpg
     
    Mar 6, 2019
    67
    One round every 10 seconds? That’s pretty slow really. Are you on the scope for all 10 of those seconds, for all 10 rounds? That fatigued my eyes and I’m only reading this. I would guess some shooting form muscle or eye fatigue by the time you get to that last round. I’m not saying do a mag dump, but you should be able to speed that up just a little bit, and as long as you keep your proper form and fundamentals I bet you’ll get rid of that last shot flyer.



    I’d have to guess at this point, but I’d say less than half the time I was behind the scope. Shoot, bolt back, reset rifle and breathe, on scope, on target, bolt forward, tune aim, shoot. If I don’t fire within 2 or 3 breath cycles I come off the scope and reset mentally. I shoot for small groups at a comfortable pace. No breaks during strings but I’ll take a break now and then or do something silly like getting 5 rounds off quickly into the middle of the berm.

    I took apart my mags and feel is not real. My “trouble” mag spring was visibly slightly longer than my two okay mag’s springs. I expected it to be shorter. I’ve switched to plinking ammo for now so I can save my decent ammo for matches. I haven’t seen any fliers outside of what I typically expect of plinking ammo since taking my mags apart.

    Maybe it was me, maybe it was break in, maybe it’s something that’ll show up, or maybe I got my bad rounds out of the way early. ES/SD seem consistent enough for rimfire. I’m just gonna keep shooting and pay attention to any uncalled fliers. I’m guessing that’s all I can reasonably do.
     

    danimalw

    Ultimate Member
    YMMV,

    What I learned from my tricked out 10/22 (volquartsn barrel, kidd trigger, B&C kevlar stock). Whenever I insert loaded mag into empty rifle and pull bolt back and let it fly, that shot will be a flyer compared to rest of magazine cycling on its own. So, while the difference is minor, it's enough that during matches that the first round is always wasted as a practice so I don't risk a point.
     

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