The Glenfield 25, continued

Part 1 of this story begins here.

After experimenting with an offset scope mount, I found an even better way to scope the Glenfield 25 I've been restoring- a long eye relief scope. To be specific, it's a BSA Deer Hunter 2.5x20 Rifle Scope DH25X20 that lists for about $65, but that Amazon has for under $38. Optimum eye relief is 4", which works perfectly on this rifle.

Magnification is a modest 2.5x. I usually like to put a 4x or 6x scope as a minimum on a .22, but I thought the lower magnification might be appropriate for a woods small game gun. Light, fast target acquisition, and enough magnification for up to perhaps 30-40 yards max. I took it to the range today to sight it in at 25 yards.

These were my first two groups, using CCI Standard Velocity ammunition. The first three groups measured 0.5", 0.625" and 0.875", which equates to between 2 and 3.5 MOA.  Not bad, for a 2.5x scope and a budget .22; certainly minute-of-squirrel accuracy. I shot a total of ten 5-shot groups with the standard velocity ammunition and got similar results.

I then switched to Mini-Mags (this is supposed to be a hunting gun, after all) and got some very similar groups- and a couple with wide flyers, like this group:

Four of the bullets would be in a tight cluster, and then one would be an inch away from the group. I'm not sure if that was the ammunition, the cold weather (it was about 22F) or me. I might try some more accuracy refinements, like epoxy bedding the barrel and action. That's kind of excessive for an inexpensive  .22 like this, but it might be fun. 

When Sears Sold Ammunition

Found while cleaning and organizing the basement. I think all these go back to the 1960s, and were purchased by my father for his old Winchester Model 06 rifle. Not only do we have genuine Sears "Ted Williams" brand .22s, we have an example of the now-obsolete .22 Long cartridge.

The .22 Long was a holdover from the black powder days (1871, to be exact), and combined the 29 grain bullet of the .22 Short with a larger powder charge- 5 grains of black powder versus 4gr in the Short. It was obsoleted by the introduction of the .22 Long Rifle in 1887, which combined the heavier 40gain bullet of the .22 Extra Long with a heavier powder charge, but they kept making and selling Longs well into the late 20thC.

In a way, the 22 Long is still around in the form of the CCI CB Long and similar low-powered .22LR cartridges that combine a 30 grain bullet and a very light powder charge with a standard Long/Long Rifle case- although these modern low-powered rounds average around 30 ft-lbs, and the original Long had a muzzle energy of 67 ft-lbs.