Kimber .22 svt accuracy problem

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piper235b

Guest
Hi, I'm a new member (Australia) & I have just bought a Kimber .22LR SVT and the accuracy is a lot worse than I was expecting so any help would be appreciated.

I bought it 2nd hand off a bench rest shooter, he said it had fired less than several hundred rounds of target ammo; it looked to be 'as new' so I have no reason to doubt him. He wanted something more accurate so he was selling it to buy something else. I want to shoot silhouette and 3 positional, so I don't need super fine accuracy, but this is the first "good" rifle I've bought so I was quite excited as I hoped it would shoot 1/2" or better without too much trouble at 50m (55yds) and less than 1" at 100m (110yds)

I put on a good scope and sighted it in Federal Champion target ammo, then punched out a group about 1/2" at 50m (55yds) which I was pretty happy with.

I then tried about 10 different standard velocity & target brands to see what it liked best. It didn't seem to like anything. As the day wore on the groups get worse, including using the Federal Target & Gold Medal rounds (Kimber recommend Fed Gold Medal for best accuracy). I cleaned the bore but no improvement. I was using front & back rests, at times there was a gentle wind but nothing significant. A cool day (end of winter here) so heating of the barrel by the sun wasn't an issue.

The groups at 100m (110 yds) were about 2 to 3" and all over the place - dreadful. It didn't seem to matter how it was held or what it was fed the groups became bigger as the day went on and often the centre of the group was 2, 3 or 4" away from where I was aiming.

My other gripe is the poor feeding from the mazagine, as each bullet is taken from the magazine, the primer rim scrapes the bullet below it leaving a bad scar along the top of the projectile; things were so bad at 1 stage I had lead shavings on the table below the magazine. When I realised what was happening I fed rounds into the chamber 1 at a time.

Any suggestions on how to get better accuracy?
Any solutions for the feeding problem?

Thanks
piper235b
 
I've always had better luck if I cleaned my guns between brands of ammo. Getting a mixture of different lubes in the bore makes your results variable. The other problem is each brand creates a lead ring in the throat differently causing again unpredictable results. You did mention you cleaned it. But I assume the original ammo than shot a good group still did not. I am guessing that one of the ammo's you used leaded up the throat and you didn't get it cleaned. A bore scope would answer that for sure, but maybe a dental mirror with a good light might help. Use a bore guide and brush with Shooters Choice Lead Remover or similar lead remover and try again. You may need to shoot a few shots of the ammo to lay down a layer of lube after cleaning before shooting for record. Keep some of the ammo that first shot good as a measure. Good luck.
 
Svt

I had two of the svt rifles at the same time I got on trade never could get the one too shoot the other shot ok nothing close to what I was looking for..Traded one and some cash for a nice 541s Rem.now I have a rifle that shoots..I would do the same If I were you The (svt) is a O.K. hunting rifle nothing more...
 
Tou didn't mention wind flags. Without flags and the ability to read them you won't have a clue what the gun is doing. Federal was always bad about leading the bore despite it's good shooting qualities
Don
 
SVT problems

I have one also and it is just crap as to magazine feeding and inserting the mag. I found the accuracy issue is directly related to the magazine problem as it causes your observed damage to the bullets.

Solution is to feed the rounds in singly after you thoroughly clean the barrel. This should cure your problem. There was a fellow over on http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/ that wsa giving away single shot adapters for these magazines. I got one and it works wonderfully. Sorry but I cannot remember his name. Check on the Kimber section of the forum and search magazine - this might turn him up.

BUT all 22's are somewhat finicky as to what ammo they like.

I bought mine for $250 and loved the looks. I would not buy another.

George
 
Kimber SVT

I bought a new one--tried it out, wouldn't shoot,sent it back to the factory twice,still wouldnt shoot and to make a long story short it was without a doubt the worst shooting gun I have ever owned. Good luck with yours.
 
One thing you need to realize is that you are using some pretty poor ammo.
You can see that just by the price.

Federal Champion and Gold Medal are not quality target ammo. In the states they sell for $2.65 and $3.85 a box. You are in the same class as high velocity hunting ammo at $2.82 a box.

Lapua Center X is $9.50 a box, Midas is $15.50, and Eley 10X goes for $16.00 a box of 50.

The groups you are seeing are about what you are paying for.

How tight are you running the stock bolts? Tuning them may help some.
 
A couple of fellows here have tried them, tinkered w/ them, one made a couple trips back to the factory.

Both were sold off in disgust.

When a fellow w/ a Wally-World Marlin (W/ Rifle Basix trigger) shoots better then a Kimber :confused: .....can you blame the Kimber owner when he cuts it from his herd? :(
 
Thanks to one and all for your information. I've picked up some good tips.

I think it's better to get rid of it now rather than experiment and muck about for 6 to 12 months, then sell it in sheer frustration. Pity, I thought I was treating myself to a "good" rifle.

So what do I replace it with? Your suggestions please.

I'm after something off the shelf, bolt action 5 shot, nothing custom built. Bearing in mind that I'm not a competition benchrest shooter, I want it to shoot less than 1/2" at 55yds and ideally <3/4" at 110yds with ammo at the cheaper end of the spectrum. It's be a waste to pump $20 a box ammo through the gun when I just want to hit the target, not get groups down to less than 0.1".

I want it for silhouette competition, which we shoot off hand & standing (no support; no slings) at 44yds, 66yds, 85yds & 110yds, (I guess it'd be similiar in the US); and for 3 positional which is shot at 33yds off hand & standing, 55yds sitting/kneeling, 99yds prone, (sling allowed).

There are 2 classes for rimfires, target rifles and hunting rifles. I'm leaning towards buying a target or varmit style rifle as I have a great hunting rifle, a CZ 452, but its' barrel drifts a bit when heating up and the POI changes, so it's not so good in the above competitions.

Thanks
Chris
 
Asking too much I think...

Hi Chris, I think you are asking too much. "I'm after something off the shelf, bolt action 5 shot, nothing custom built. Bearing in mind that I'm not a competition benchrest shooter, I want it to shoot less than 1/2" at 55yds and ideally <3/4" at 110yds with ammo at the cheaper end of the spectrum."
The Anschutz 54.18 MS Silhouette rifle was built to meet all rimfire silhouette requirements but it isn't inexpensive, and will still require good ammo. If you don't have the money for a rifle like that, consider one of the CZ .22 rifles which get pretty good reviews for accuracy. I put a Rifle Basix trigger in my CZ 452 Lux and that helped it's practical accuracy a lot. Is the limit for this sport still about 10 pounds ? If so, the CZ 452 American with the Rifle Basix trigger and a 12x or stronger mil dot scope should let you win your share of matches, provided you use good ammo. Play with different brands until you find what works best. With the mil dots, you can get to know what dot at what distance is on target and that allows you to switch the distances without adjusting the scope. Since you are not allowed sighters, it gives an advantage. Likewise to allow for wind deflection. Good shooting.
 
With QUALITY ammo a .500 group from one of my Cooper sporters means I screwed up badly. Both easily shoot down around .350 with wind flags and factory triggers.
You just are not going to get consistent sub .500 goups with hunting quality ammo, no matter how much you wish for it. The stuff is cheap because the accuracy level is based on the size of tin cans and soda bottles that it's shot at.
 
svt

If you take a Borescope and look at the barrel you will understand
 
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