22 Rossi vs. 22 Mossberg

[MRMCR]

So a few weeks back , I was doing some target shooting  and we were shooting a 22 Rossi rifle and a 22 Mossberg rifle.....same caliber same box of ammo yet the Rossi pretty bounced right off the plywood target  while the Mossberg had much more power.....guns had equal barrel lengths and we shot from the same distance.......neither gun looked heavily used...so why did the Rossi sound and penetrate so much weaker.....is it just a cheaper made gun ??   Hope this isnt a dumb question ?? or have an obvious answer.......weight wise the Mossberg is heavier.......

[Buck154]

That is weird. Should be close to the same cause of the same ammo 

[1957Buck]

Bore Warn. Rifling Worn, Dirty Barrel.  All have to do with Compression Velocity. Do you see Residue in the Chamber in front of the bolt?  Had a match 22 cal Win. that I had the Barrel inside Chromed to Correct Dia. Don't hear much of that today.  Very expensive today and not many can do it. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by 1957Buck

[mazzgolf]

I don't know much about ballistics, but what 1957 said sounds like something to look at - compression or pressure in the gun's chamber could be bad . If the round can't seat properly in the chamber, and you don't get full compression/pressure when the round fires, you will lose velocity. But, if that happens, I'm betting you would notice something "Bad" - like flames coming out of the chamber But seriously, if the chamber is so fouled up that it can't properly shoot the round forward through the barrel at full velocity, that pressure has to go "somewhere" else - I would think the gun would sound "funny" when it goes off, or it would look funny, like flames or smoke or something coming out of all the wrong places.

Just a guess - but if its the same box of ammo, you gotta think it is something like that.

[MRMCR]

I figured it was a compression problem ....but no smoke or fire out of barrel........the Rossi does have a 5 bullet magazine.....perhaps that is the difference.....I was only loading single shots, but my friend did try the magazine and it is jammed....the sound of the Rossi when fired was much quieter than the Mossberg.....

[beaverman]

how did the Rossi group?  I would suspect the bullet was wobbling when shot from the rossi thus keyholing and more likely to not hit the wood straight on.  Unless you had an extremely oversized chamber or a barrel that is bored too big, or worn out allowing blow-by when the bullet obturates you shouldn't see too much difference in velocity, unless gas is getting passed the bullet in the barrel.  

[MRMCR]

We are not the best shots so the grouping test would be tough......but that would make sense if the bullet is wobbling.........