HD Tactical

RUGER PRECISION RIMFIRE .22 LR Model #8400

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  • DustyDog

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    (NOTE: Not a proper review; just posting here at the request of another user! : )

    First issue I noticed was that the buttstock was WAY too flimsy... ESPECIALLY with the rear monopod attached. Looking through the scope, it was if the thing was sitting on a BLOCK OF JELLO! : ) This is a problem only on the rimfires, as the centerfire stocks appear to be all-metal. The skinny part of the "chassis" directly behind the receiver is weakened further by being hollowed-out for storage of the trigger-adjustment wrench. I got around this by IGNORING the buttstock altogether, and using a "rear" support under the pistol-grip (visible in pic).

    Curiously, the the .22 Charger that I bought shortly thereafter quickly fell RIGHT INTO PLACE, VERY nearly matching the accuracy I could achieve with the Precision. I WONDER ABOUT THE SCOPE (Barska Point Black .223 6-24x40 #AC11392), though I DID try a cheaper Simmons .22 scope early on with no noticeable improvement. Note that I'm not blaming the rifle YET, despite having had it for over 1-1/2 years, and having tried nearly ALL the high-end match ammo. Wolf Match Extra (don't confuse with their TARGET Extra!), actually an Eley product, may have given the best groups overall. I keep having breakthroughs (the buttstock, bipod location, eyeglasses, parallax tricks), but they never seem to resolve the issue over the long term.

    Knowing what I know now, I wish I had sprung for the Savage heavy-barrel .22 LR with the green laminated Boyd stocks (around $400) that were showing up at Walmarts only... apparently an exclusive that doesn't even appear on the Savage website. A big draw for me with the Precision was the ability to use the 10/22 mags... of which I had several. BUT, I wouldn't give up the Precision at this point UNTIL I had an alternative in-hand that has PROVEN to be better! Who knows? Maybe I just got a "bad" rifle? Or is it a loose element in the scope? THAT would TOTALLY fit with what I've experienced. I even checked early-on to make sure the barrel-nut was tight : )

    Photo 1: The Precision .22 LR with the "adjustable pistol-grip rest" (Amazon door stops, actually : ) The 40-yard target is visible in the "tunnel" above the handguard (white bleach jug at the upper-left corner of the board)

    Photo 2: Best-ever 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero 3-shot group with the Precision shooting SK Rifle Match. 2-inch dot, nice group, but also DEAD-center, just NEVER very consistent. Of course, we're dealing with .22 LR ammo, but...

    Photo 3: The .22 Charger

    Photo 4: One of the good groups with the Charger shooting Eley Action, 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero (aiming at the lower 2-inch dot), 1-inch dot, FIFTEEN shots (3 relays x five shots ea.). I circled the first five shots, one of which was DEAD-NUTS; after that, there was no cardboard left to mark. That's 15 shots, almost COMPLETELY in ONE quadrant of a 1-inch dot : )

    I've since set up a 100 yd. distance at the house, which is much more definitive. The goal is a GUARANTEED first-shot hit on a cantaloupe @ 200 yds. with the Precision, which seems within reach... just took more work than I expected.
     

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    Longtooth

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    Photo 2: Best-ever 40 yd. distance/100 yd. zero 3-shot group with the Precision shooting SK Rifle Match. 2-inch dot, nice group, but also DEAD-center, just NEVER very consistent. Of course, we're dealing with .22 LR ammo, but...
    Was It more the ammo or just the quality of the rifle? - In your opinion?
     

    ls1_guru

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    Keeping tabs on this one. I have a RPR .22LR, can see the stock being designed to not be as structurally sound as something with more recoil given the caliber. Never noticed the scope walking around, seems to be pretty consistent 1-1.25 MOA with common ammo. Have a few dozen rounds through it. Vortex 4-12x40mm Scope.

    RUGER PRECISION.jpg
     

    Jhunter

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    Could shooting off the bipod be causing issues? Make sure loading the bipod doesn’t cause the rail to touch the barrel sometimes. Center fires don’t seem to be as finicky as .22’s when it comes to harmonics. Lots of variables
     

    DustyDog

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    Was It more the ammo or just the quality of the rifle? - In your opinion?
    I think we can eliminate even the inconsistencies of the .22 ammo due to the results with the Charger, along with previous experience with a Mark II 10" STS Bull Barrel (see bottom of post). Next most likely issue is the scope, but, long story : )

    I have only recently had a couple of epiphanies:

    1. Maybe two weeks ago, I noticed on my .223 bolt gun that the marked distances on the parallax drum (same scope as on the Precision) didn't jibe with minimal parallax. At a measured 100 yds., I was getting minimal parallax closer to the 150-yard setting. THIS tightened the groups on both guns. The difficulty I've had with setting parallax is that it can be nearly impossible to move your eye around the viewable area without disturbing the rifle or the bench, but I finally noticed the discrepancy; I learned NOT TO GO BY the markings... at least on THESE scopes... even at a precisely-measured range.

    2. And this is key, I'm BLIND AS A BAT! (without my glasses : ) I screwed up my eyes with welding burns about 22 years ago. Went into the job able to read the Bible on the head of a pin and a standard street-sign from a 1/4-mile away; left two months later and couldn't see CRAP! Felt like I had SAND in my eyes. (Note that I would never RUB them though, having done a lot of machine-work in the past : )

    But about a week ago, I realized that I CANNOT use my progressives for long-range scope work. I was looking through the DISTANCE part of the glasses (+2.50) at a scope that was INCHES from my eye... my diopter settings were screwed out like 1/2-inch! (I was always wondering: What happens if I unscrew the eyepiece COMPLETELY? : )

    SO, I switched a single-power set of +3.50 readers, and noticed an IMMEDIATE improvement. The diopter is now in a more sane range, AND, it appears that minimum parallax now more closely coincides with FOCUS, as previously minimum parallax put the target OUT of focus. Only problem, if I have to take off running, I need to swap glasses first or I'll break my neck! : )

    I'm on a budget... scratch that.. I WISH I had a budget to BE on, because I might spring for a high(er) dollar scope to settle the issue once and for all. As I told a customer at a firearms dealer I worked at 30 years ago: I may end up living out of a shopping cart one day, but you can BET my 9mm will be RIGHT THERE under a blanket in the toddler seat! The customer replied: "YEAH, guy! Tried to steal MY coat hangers, did you?" : )

    BUT CAN IT BE THE RIFLE?

    I recently purchased a new-production Mini-14 Tactical... wanted a Mini for THIRTY YEARS, and I'm GLAD I waited! Started shooting about 20 rounds a day until, around the 80-round mark, I noticed the flash hider was GONE! Thick brush out in front of me, and since I didn't know how far those things normally fly, I though I'd never find it... but I DID.

    I had probably checked for tightness by hand during initial inspection, and after it flew off I looked at the threads on the barrel and they looked VERY GOOD though not PERFECT, so when I found the hider I went to put it back on. Got to about 2 ft-lbs. and thought I felt the threads SKIP. Looked INSIDE the hider and there WERE NO threads, only a fine, helical scratch. The black coating was STILL THERE in the lands between the "scratch", so I measured the I.D., which was only .005" less than the major thread diameter spec. It appeared to me that they MUST HAVE tried to thread an oversized hole, and I figured there must be more than one of these hiders out there (mass-production).

    Called Ruger and told the rep what had happened and about my concerns that there were more defective parts out there... even offered to return mine so they could inspect it. They blew me off ("Yawn... no need to return the old one, and where do we send the replacement?").

    Received the new replacement... EXACTLY like the old. Nice, black finish on the I.D. save for the fine, helical scratch. Measured EXACTLY the same: I.D. only .005" smaller than major thread diameter (should be getting MINOR diameter measurement of about .030" smaller).

    E-mailed Ruger CEO about the issue, and got a call from a rep the next day. I explained (as I did to the CEO) that it looked like a serious issue, since if I got ONE on a new rifle, and ANOTHER shipped from the factory, there must be a BUNCH of those defective hiders floating around. They sent a label to return the original and the defective replacement, and promised to involve technical personnel to inspect the NEXT one they were going to ship, as well as to check the bins for any others, which is what I recommended on the FIRST call. (asked a couple of weeks later, but they acted as if they "didn't know" what the reseach yielded)

    Moral of the story? ANYTHING is possible, so I can't really speak on the rifle YOU may end up with... it may turn out to be an ABSOLUTE JEWEL, like the Mark II pistol I had 30 years ago... the one my BROTHER scammed me out of!

    I'd have to photograph the target I still have, but picture this: A 2-inch black target square, with a 1-inch white dot in the center, 10 shots @ 100yds. shooting Green Tag, 4x Simmons scope on a B-Square mount (BEFORE my eyes got burned). There were 3 in the white dot, 5 in or on the edge of the black, and two a little high (1/2' and 1-1/4") but still within windage-wise. That pistol SPOILED ME! I don't think I can match that on the Precision... YET! : )
     

    DustyDog

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    Could shooting off the bipod be causing issues? Make sure loading the bipod doesn’t cause the rail to touch the barrel sometimes. Center fires don’t seem to be as finicky as .22’s when it comes to harmonics. Lots of variables
    Thanks A LOT for reminding me about some of the stuff I left out of my "extensive" reply : )

    LOCATION of the bipod (front-to-back) on the handguard DOES seem to make a difference AND it seems to vary with the ammo used, so I am CONSTANTLY experimenting with location until I find the best combination... it's just that there are 1,000 possible. I'm actually about to order additional rail sections so I'll have more choices than just front/middle/rear of handguard. No possibility of contact between the barrel and handguard (as long as it's not falling off), though. And I HAVE tried shooting off of a bag placed under the receiver to remove ALL stress on the handguard, though that just seems to reduce stability... no definitive improvement.

    I've tried various muzzle devices in addition to the thread-protector, INCLUDING the heavy MAC-thread Cobray "Megaphone" which now lives on my Mini-14 (see pics; probably sounds like a .50 cal. downrange now, so... PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE! : )... didn't seem to help the Precision so much, but after 20 with/without cycles on the Mini, I DEFINITELY saw an improvement in group-size, though it did LOWER the POI. (while I was waiting for my replacement factory hider to come in for the Mini, I thought "What the hell, I've got this COBRAY MEGAPHONE! : ) Now I need another spare... specifically the Cobray, since they're so heavy... but they seem RARE AS HEN'S TEETH!

    I've also gone back-and-forth between mag-feeding and hand-feeding rounds on the Precision (I indicate this on most targets along with the bipod position), in case the bullets are being dinged when feeding from the mag. I guess I could settle that once and for all by cycling 10 rounds from a mag without firing, then inspecting the bullets to see if any got dinged.

    Variables INDEED : )
     

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    ls1_guru

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    I guess I'm trying to see how bipod placement on a floating rail with nothing contacting the barrel would affect things other than more stability if it is mounted closer to the muzzle.
     

    DustyDog

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    Keeping tabs on this one. I have a RPR .22LR, can see the stock being designed to not be as structurally sound as something with more recoil given the caliber. Never noticed the scope walking around, seems to be pretty consistent 1-1.25 MOA with common ammo. Have a few dozen rounds through it. Vortex 4-12x40mm Scope.

    View attachment 151389
    THAT could very well be my main problem at this point: BARSKA vs. VORTEX : )
     

    DustyDog

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    I guess I'm trying to see how bipod placement on a floating rail with nothing contacting the barrel would affect things other than more stability if it is mounted closer to the muzzle.
    Harmonics... they are a STRANGE BIRD : )

    And even a supercomputer may not arrive at an accurate simulation... it's just "the proof in the pudding".
     

    ls1_guru

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    THAT could very well be my main problem at this point: BARSKA vs. VORTEX : )
    Wouldn't surprise me. Never had good luck with Barska. The Vortex was on this rifle when I got it, previous owner was original owner and bought it all new together.

    Harmonics... they are a STRANGE BIRD : )
    Oh I completely agree there, if anything it would be dampening at this point if nothing is touching the barrel. Dampen too much isn't good either, some stuff still has to move.
     
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