A Day of Rimfire Shooting - 22 LR and 22 WMR - East Ridge Outdoors

A Day of Rimfire Shooting - 22 LR and 22 WMR

I wanted to get out to the property for a day of rimfire shooting. I couldn’t decide between rifles, so I brought both.

It added a bit of extra packing, but not much.

What I Brought

  • Henry .22 LR
  • CZ 457 in .22 WMR

For targets:

  • paper targets and a staple gun for the .22 WMR
  • a resetting steel target for the .22 LR

Ammunition:

  • 100 rounds of .22 WMR (2 × 50-round cases)
  • 462 rounds of .22 LR (3 × 154-round cases)

I packed:

Unpacking for a day of 22 LR and 22 WMR shooting at the property

That gave me enough .22 WMR for target shooting and plenty of .22 LR for the rest of the day.

Starting with the .22 WMR

I started the day with the CZ 457 on paper targets at 50 yards.

Steel and Paper Target Setup for Rimfire shooting

This is where I like the .22 WMR — a bit more range and accuracy. The added power makes it fun too.

I put 30 rounds downrange, working through 5-shot groups and still getting a feel for the new rifle.

The rifle is capable of putting together quarter-sized groups — I’ll just need a bit more practice before I match that.

Target from CZ 457 sight in

Switching to .22 LR

After that, I moved over to the Henry — just iron sights — and set up on the resetting steel target. I placed it at 25 yards.

Shooting 22 LR and 22 WMR rifles at the property

At that distance, I like to shoot free hand — closer to a hunting scenario.

I worked through a full 154-round case here, and by the end, it was getting noticeably harder to keep things steady.

So I backed the target up to 40 yards and went back to the bench. Slowing things down, I worked through another 100 rounds.

At that distance, the targets are definitely more challenging to hit. And I’m never completely sure if a miss is from my aim or just the inconsistency of bulk .22 ammo.

Regardless, I went back to free hand shooting to finish off the rest of the case. My best estimate puts me around 40–50% from this range while standing. Not winning any awards, but it keeps things fun and interesting.

Finishing the Day

I was about to pack up when I noticed that the .22 WMR case still had 20 rounds left. Figured I might as well extend the fun a bit longer.

Instead of setting paper targets back up, I grabbed a couple of empty plastic water bottles and set them on the ground at about 50 yards.

Simple targets, but good enough to replicate rabbit or squirrel hunting.

Once again shooting free hand, I finished off the last rounds and called it a day.
With the scoped rifle, better ammo, and the added accuracy of the .22 WMR, I got through those 20 rounds with only 1 or 2 misses.

Final Thoughts

I'm glad I decided to bring both rifles for the day.

They each bring something different:

  • .22 WMR adds range and rewards precision
  • .22 LR keeps things light and keeps you shooting

Getting ready for a day of 22 LR and 22 WMR shooting

A good combination for an afternoon.

I’ll definitely be doing this again — only question is which rifles to bring next time.

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