ONE of the criteria that I have required to satisfy what I refer to as "good" subsonic loads, is putting 5 consecutive shots on the target without a 'flier'. I haven't been able to do that. However, when one is working alone and not in a test facility, there is always the nagging thought about some form of "operator error" when one gets a flier or fails to achieve a specific goal like "5-in-a-row". It's always good to find 'corroborating evidence' from an independent source.

I bought a new rifle - CZ 455 .22 RF - and it had a 'test target' with it.  (I know, I know. I said I wasn't going to buy any more firearms. I have a disease. Don't condemn me, pity me.) Here are pictures of the 'test target' that they supplied with the rifle:





Notice the flier. One shot in 5, and very similar to the 5-shot groups I have recently shot in my subsonic project. (Although I don't think the RWS ammo was subsonic.) What this says - or screams - is "AMMO". In other words, the fliers are due to variance in the ammo, not the rifle or the shooter. Good to know. Kinda like it's good to get a medical diagnosis that you have a disease. It's good to know exactly what's wrong; just not good to know that it's actually a disease. Still it's 'nice' to know that the professionals are seeing the same sort of 5-shot groups.

I'll keep you posted on the progress with my quest for a CONSISTENT, "fast" (1050+ f/s MV) and relatively precise, subsonic cartridge.

Paul

I always knew we were perfect Paul, it's the ammo we turn out that's messed up. You just proved it. It's my reloads fault that there's that 1 in 5 chance I may miss that prairie dog . . . . I will have to talk to my reloader . . .

RJ

:D:D:D:D:D

Right you are, RJ!

Paul

MAYBE, just maybe if I were to load yours and you were to load mine we'd eliminate ALL of our fliers, then they would become your fliers and mine would become yours and yours become mine WE would never miss because all of our fliers would be eliminated because -1+1=0 . . . . .

No, wait, did that make sense?

RJ