TargetTalk

now that the .22 short guns are nearly a thing of the past, can anyone comment on the accuracy potential of the .22 short? I have an old walther osp, and I was thinking of putting the top on my gsp to shoot for NRA style indoor matches, but my osp barely will hold an inch at 25 meters. Is this typical accuracy of .22 shorts? It sure was fun shooting the shorts in international rapid fire, but I guess I'll have to play another game to have fun with my gun. I'm not sure if my barrel is good enough for slow fire at 25 yards.

Based on some extensive 25m indoor testing with OSP Walthers a couple years ago, if yours holds in inch with .22 shorts its a keeper. We tried a dozen lots and types of match ammo through several OSP barrels and most averaged around 40-45mm groups (1-3/4 inches) for 10 shots, with the 50 shot composite groups well beyond 2 inches. Some longer barrel designs like the FAS do a little better, but it's no tackdriver.

Hi,

I used an OSP in an informal NRA type gallery summer league. At 50', it is the hot setup. You will give up a couple points on slow but most people make them back on timed and rapid. Scores in the 290's are easily attainable.

I find that most shooters have a very hard time adapting to the shorts in the gallery leagues. The porting gives a lot of blast and flash around the shooter. At most ranges the shooting ports are confined with low ceiling height and as such, the blast from the ports seems more promounced. Also, when you put a 2Lb or 1Kg trigger unit in it, the effects of poor hold and trigger control are magnified because of the slow bullet speed.

I have found that most shooters need to be scoring at least a 95% level before it will do no harm to their scores. For the top shooters, after they get used to it, it adds consistancy.

I find that at 50' if you throw an 8 or a 9 in slow, it's you, not the gun. The bullet moves very slowly compared to a non ported LR gun. I have my best slows when I shoot it like my AP and use my "middle of the shot" technique where I treat the breaking of the shot as the middle of the shot process and continue to hold. If you get sloppy with your hold and followthrough, you will get 5's and you won't know where they came from.

As for ammo, at 50' I use CCI target. I tried Aguila but it's a lot dirtier and the lot I had was running a 17% failure rate so I sent it back. If you want, you can also try CCI CB shorts, the OSP's will run them but they are much dirtier, less accurate so slowfire is out of the queston however, they will hold the 10 ring in timed and rapid on the 50' target. They hit low so you have to "Think high" when you hold and they will drop in. You will have to hold even better using the CB's as they will fly if you don't do your part.

My 2 Cents,

Tom

G'day I'm wrestling with the same "now what" with my FAS601. I decided that I would plug up the ports, get a local gunsmith to extend the sight radius and have a play with it in the 50 meter free pistol match - a discipline I have never shot, nor could justify the expense of the firearm, but now .....The blocked ports should give it some extra zip down range and hopefully the projectile will get through dry targets :-)

Cheers

Peter, Melbourne Australia