Range Report: Space Gun Fun

I went to Turners before the range so I could pick up a selection of .22 ammo to see if my new space gun preferred particular ammo. Unfortunately they were quite cleaned out (as they usually are), so I just picked up some CCI .22 LR JHP since I had read that they worked well in the G22.

I arrived about 30 minutes after the range had opened, so there weren't that many people there. When I showed up toting the Walther rifle case that came with the G22 I got some raised eyebrows from the employees there who had only seen me bring in pistols before.

"Got somethin' new?"
"Yep!"
"Walther? Got a G22 in there?"
"Yes sir!"
"I know a few people who have those. They love them. Great for plinking!"
"Yeah, it was kind of a hard sell. It's so impractical. But this particular model was discontinued so I got it at about $100 off."
"You mind me asking what model that is?"
"... Well, I'm a little embarrassed to admit..."
*opens case, revealing a Git-R-Done G22*
"Ha! For $100 off, I woulda picked up a pink one!... *pause* Well, maybe..."
"Yeah, I was thinking about giving it a paint job"
*At this point an older gentleman sitting on the bench got up, and walked over to take a peek*
"Hey, did you get that from Turners? I think I saw that one, I almost picked it up! Was that the one for (price)? Yeah, they had those in the corner for the longest time, and when I saw that one, I was this close to picking it up. Gotta love those .22s, you can go out for a day on $10, and you don't have to worry about any sore shoulders or ammo! Just great fun plinking all day!"
"Yeah, this is my first .22, so I'm looking forward to some cheap, fun plinking. You know, this is my first time out with it, so if you're interested in shooting it off a bit you're more than welcome."
"Oh, we're just leaving, but if I catch you again, I might take you up on that offer! *A woman walked in from the hallway to join the man* See, honey? This is what I was telling you about. No recoil, cheap to shoot, lots of fun!" *The man exits into the hallway*
The woman watches her husband disappear into the hallway, turns to us, and says flatly with a dry smile;
"The latest toy he's trying to convince me he needs."
*I smile broadly*

I smiled because it was exactly like a kid trying to convince his mom she should get the toy for him. Not so say she was in charge of him, but he was so much like a kid, excited about a new toy. When else can you see a late 50's Texan-looking guy in a cowboy hat truly excited about something?

But enough people-watching...

Loaded the magazines, set rear sight to the lowest setting, set the target to the minimum distance, took aim unsupported, and fired off five shots. The trigger was sloppy in all aspects, and it seemed to be shooting high. 40 rounds later I had the sight set to 5 with a 6 o' clock point of aim, dead on at 50(?) feet, and the trigger seemed less sloppy. Once settled in I tried to get my groups as small as possible. I fired off the remaining rounds supported on my elbows on the naval-high tray/bench (while sticking my ass out like an idiot). My groups got smaller but not as small as I would have hoped. When my 100 rounds were used up, I had two 2nd stage failures to feed. The rounds were half in the barrel straight, slight pressure to the bolt put them fully into battery (odd failure to feed). After the failures I realized that people found they needed to clean out their G22s, because they came from the factory with some kind of odd grease, and when I switched it from righty to lefty, I didn't take the opportunity to oil it (dumb).

Not too bad, all things considered.

I returned to the counter and asked what kind of .22 they had; the employee recommended some Remington Cyclone because they were pretty hot, and helped cycling problems. While I wasn't too concerned about the failures, I was interested in getting something hotter into my gun.

50 rounds of Cyclone got me my best group; 9 in one inch, and one flyer put me at one and a half inches. Pretty damn good for me. I found the Cyclone seemed to shoot more accurately through my G22 (might have just been me, but I'll find out when I pick up more CCI). One failure to feed, same as before; my baby needs oil.

Plinking is a new experience for me, since this is my first .22, and I can honestly say that it is a helluva lot of fun. There's just something different about it. Not worrying about recoil, flinch, or the cost of rounds is just freeing. Not to mention the ability to make some great groups! It's different. In a good way. (A very good way)

I should like to pick up an inexpensive scope to free me from the blurry target, and really find out what kind of accuracy I can get out of my funky plinker.

I really look forward to bringing my space gun back to the range.