Several people have asked me how well the
Kingston Armory M1-22 rifle
shoots. As anyone with any experience knows, choice of ammo and the
eye's (mine) ability to distinguish sights and target will have some
small influence on the results. So...
I have been shooting a lot of Winchester High Velocity 40 gr. RN
stuff purchased about 1986 and stored inside in U.S. Army ammo cans. I
had several bricks of it. Some I had used in rimfire silhouette but
when that went away I quit shooting it in preference for Power Points of
SGB modified Dynapoints for hunting. I also shot a quantity of Golden
Bullets (Remington) hollow points. So, when I got this rifle I thought
semi-auto+hivel ammo=fault free function. That's been mostly true,
until I got the gun dirty enough to hiccup now and then. So this old
Winchester ammo is what I used to shoot the rifle and provide some idea
of its capabilities.
The sights. They are GI, literally. I think they use either new old
stock (or parts therefrom) or new manufacture replacements. The rear
sight base is made just for the 10-22 receiver profile. That means you
have a peep rear and a thick post front sight. Some people need to
learn to shoot these, I've been shooting them for years.
However, my eyesight can be a problem. I've worn glasses since I was
6, bifocals since I was 55, and have known I had cataracts for 2 years.
Sometimes I can't focus on anything much less see the target after
focusing on the front sight.
Let's not talk about physical conditioning. I am NOT the infantry
stud I might have been (in my mind) some 15-18 years ago! When I first
stepped to the line with the rifle I thought I must be standing on jello
everything was weaving around so much. Things have improved.
Why shoot the gun off-hand (standing, unsupported)? Because we are
going to have a golf ball shoot under those conditions (no slings
either). Also, because we should be able to shoot this way and might
need to.
So how well does it shoot with me behind the butt? I can pretty
consistently shoot 30% on a golf ball at 50 yards. I did 70-80% on a 4"
diameter disk this past Thursday. Off the bench it is practically a
sure thing on the golf ball at 50 yards. I own every miss. It is all
me.