So I hadn't really sighted in my Ruger Mark IV .22 rimfire after adding the suppressor. It did change point of aim a bit. I decided to sight it in today.
For the gun geeks out there, this is a Ruger Mark IV .22-45 Tactical model. It's called a .22-45 because of the Colt 1911 .45 style grip angle. This "Tactical" model comes with both the top and bottom rail and is a little heavier than the "Lite" versions (I prefer the weight and rails of this model). It has a Vortex Venom Red Dot scope mounted on top, custom TandemKross grips, and of course, upgraded internal Volquartsen springs and flat trigger. The suppressor is a SilencerCo Switchback. The suppressor can be configured in three different lengths. It is pictured at the longest length.
For grins and a stable shooting platform to sight in, I decided to mount my Atlas Bipod to the bottom rail today. It just quick clips on and off, and the lower rail can also accept Picatinny lights, lasers, etc. should one choose. I will sometimes mount an O-light to it for quiet night varmit removal.
Anyway fairly happy with how it performed. Here is the first 10-shot group at 15 yards, which held nicely, but a little low. This is my preferred sighting in distance for this weapon/sight. If I zero here, it holds constant out to 25 yards and shoots about an inch high at 7 yards.
This is the second 10-shot group 15 yards after adjusting the sight, more on-center, but a couple fliers.
Then I decided to move out to 25 yards. This opened up quite a bit, but would still get the job done. First pic above is 10 shots at 25 yards. Second pic below is 30 shots at 25 yards.
I ran out of staples and wasn't able to change targets, so just kept adding them. I found it strange that there seemed to be almost two different groupings, one around the center and one near top right. This was with same aim point for all. Since it was suppressed and I wasn't wearing ear muffs, I could distinctly tell a difference in the sound with some shots being much louder than others. Most were still in a 3 inch zone of that middle inch square, so definitely melon capable at that distance.
I'm not positive that there was a difference in velocity since I wasn't measuring, but will check that out in the future. Perhaps the suppressor is getting dirty and needs to be cleaned by now. It's been a few hundred shots, but I"ve packed away most of my cleaning gear so it will have to wait until our move.
So far loving the suppressor. No accuracy comparisons yet vs. the muzzle brake, but will do some as ammo becomes more available.
Enjoy!
@ksteem
Nice gun. My wife loves her Ruger MkIV lite and even lets me shoot it every now and then. Better not let her see this suppressor lest we spend even more money on accessories :-)
Heh, or better yet, let her shoot one with the suppressor. It's an incredible difference. More so outside hunting and plinking than at the range where you still need ear protection. Will likely end up having to buy one for her, but the smile on her face and increased budget money for others is well worth the cost!
Looks like Minimags are just on the border of being supersonic with a 4.4" barrel: http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/22.html Standard Velocities should stay consistently subsonic.
That pistol with the suppressor mounted looks like something out of Star Wars
Thanks for that link, interesting info. Holds right with my theory that using the 1 or 2 inch shorter Suppressor config may be just enough to keep them quiet. I really prefer the 40 grain Mini-Mag Hollow Points for general overall use. And I like the look of the pistol with the middle length configuration better as well.
Yes, it does look a bit like my own Star Wars Blaster!
I was just thinking about it and the bullets being just on the border of supersonic might be causing your distinct groupings too. Transonic aerodynamics make things complicated and could be bringing your point of impact to two different places depending on if they go supersonic or not. If it's the hollow points you want/need for pests, CCI makes subsonic HP and subsonic segmented HP rounds, if you can find them.
I think you're right about the groupings. I couldn't see the hits well enough at that distance to tell if the louder sounding ones were the ones going high right, but now I think about it, the count of them feels about right. I'll have to check this distance out again with different ammo. Always something interesting with different loads and weapon combo's!
I like being able to stay with the same ammo on multiple configs/weapons if I can, it just keeps things simpler than switching around ammo. CCI Mini-Mags are my normal go-to because they seem to work at least well or better than average in just about anything I put them in. As you state, there may be some differences this time that will cause me to choose special ammo for this which is different than my favored rifle ammo.. which is ok. My rifle seems to like the higher speed Velocitors anyway :)
Stingers get the hype but Velocitors are where it's at for high energy 22lr (a bit of an oxymoron :P)
By the way, I don't know if you're in the market for more, or if they're even still hard to find, but CCI's own retail website has some Mini-Mags in stock.
Thanks I will check again. That's where I bought my last batch, but they were out for quite a while. I agree, the few rifles I've tested in were all much more accurate with the Velocitors than the Stingers... and I had no problems with them feeding in 10-22's. The new 10-22's even come with a disclaimer not to use Stingers due to the slight variation in case length.
Love the Ruger target guns.. All your accessories makes it that much fun to have..
Yes, I am in absolute love with the Mark IV version. The older models shot well, but were a Pain in the Ass to take down and clean. This model with the single button push to take down and remove bolt for cleaning are a dream!
Oh wow this are stunning pictures and cool... you are doing well.
Thanks, using the bipod at this range feels a bit like cheating, but it sure makes for a solid hold to setup the sight!