Ruger Impact .22 sighting-in question

[tstocka]

So I just picked up one of these little beauties from my local Wally world.
Nice looking gun.
In sighting it in yesterday with iron sights (20 yards out), I found that I was unable to get it to shoot high enough without maxing out the elevation adjustment on the rear site.
Nothing obviously wrong with the rifle. All screws are tight and it seems to have plenty of power.
From a benched rest, I am able to get a nice tight 1.5" group with the open sights. I was able to dial in windage but wish I had some play left over for elevation.
Is this typical or should I take it back and exchange it for another?

[Can-o-cide]

It's quite common, and if you exchange it you're likely to get no better. With a scope, you can shim it so that you don't over adjust the turret. I believe the impacts come with a scope, right?

[tstocka]

It's quite common, and if you exchange it you're likely to get no better. With a scope, you can shim it so that you don't over adjust the turret. I believe the impacts come with a scope, right?

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the rifle came with a scope although  I wasn't planning to put it on right away. The gun has a pretty nice trigger pull. I was surprised on how crisp it was. I'll probably just keep it and put on an upgraded scope down the road a bit if its performance stays consistent.

[Can-o-cide]

The nice thing about the impact is the picatinny rail. I paid about $75 for a Hawke 2-7x32 AO scope with a mildot reticle. I personally feel 7 power is all I need, since I can't hold a rifle steady enough to require more magnification. I also like iron sights, but airguns now have fiber optic sights for the most part which I loathe. If you are just going to be shooting close range, and don't want to spend $75 on a scope you don't feel you need, I would go with a NC star red/green reflex sight (they call it a dot sight though). Its all metal, and it costs $20 on AG depot. I ordered through amazon prime and it was $21.54 with free shipping....

[oconeedan]

Look down the barrel closely, and see if you can see a bend in the barrel.  I know others have posted about straightening a barrel, I have no personal experience here. 
I would also try different pellets, it may be simply that pellet in your rifle.

[tstocka]

The nice thing about the impact is the picatinny rail. I paid about $75 for a Hawke 2-7x32 AO scope with a mildot reticle. I personally feel 7 power is all I need, since I can't hold a rifle steady enough to require more magnification. I also like iron sights, but airguns now have fiber optic sights for the most part which I loathe. If you are just going to be shooting close range, and don't want to spend $75 on a scope you don't feel you need, I would go with a NC star red/green reflex sight (they call it a dot sight though). Its all metal, and it costs $20 on AG depot. I ordered through amazon prime and it was $21.54 with free shipping....

I actually love fiber optic sights. I've never owned  a reflex sight but I think that it would be better than a scope for the type of shooting  that I will be doing. Thanks for the suggestion. How easy are they to see in full sunlight? 

[tstocka]

Look down the barrel closely, and see if you can see a bend in the barrel.  I know others have posted about straightening a barrel, I have no personal experience here. 
I would also try different pellets, it may be simply that pellet in your rifle.

Definitely no bend in the barrel. I'm heading out for a camping/shooting weekend this Saturday to really put this thing through the paces. Right now I've got a tin of Benjamin Discovery 14.3 gr lead pellets. I plan on grabbing some alloys before I head out.

[Can-o-cide]

For the reflex sight I have, the green is dimmer than the red. On the lowest intensity setting in 0 cloud cover/full sunlight, I can just barely see the green but can easily see the red, and with both colors I can see the target through the dot. The dot is a little big, but I can see through it, so for accurate shooting I just center the bulls eye on the dot. I can stack pellets doing this. The dot is a good size for off hand shooting, especially at cans. I honestly haven't tried the higher intensity settings.

[DanD]

So I just picked up one of these little beauties from my local Wally world.
Nice looking gun.
In sighting it in yesterday with iron sights (20 yards out), I found that I was unable to get it to shoot high enough without maxing out the elevation adjustment on the rear site.
Nothing obviously wrong with the rifle. All screws are tight and it seems to have plenty of power.
From a benched rest, I am able to get a nice tight 1.5" group with the open sights. I was able to dial in windage but wish I had some play left over for elevation.
Is this typical or should I take it back and exchange it for another?

If you are happy with the gun except for the barrel droop, you risk getting a worse rifle on exchange. Bending a barrel is an easy and effective way to get everything pointed in the right direction without the need for shims, special scope mounts, or modifying the front sights. Simply set your sites or scope in the middle of adjustment, then wedge the barrel between two solid objects, and give it a few firm tugs or pushes. It is best to work toward the breach end so you don't end up with a curve in the middle or muzzle end. Shoot a group at your zero distance to test new point of impact. Repeat as necessary. The master of R9s, nced,  has been known to use the crotch of a tree as his barrel bending jig. I wrap my barrels to protect the finish, and wedge them between parallel metal braces on a farm implement. I once paid gunsmith to straighten a barrel, and he made a jig and used a hydraulic press to accomplish the very same thing as a makeshift wedge and a tug.
That said, do what you are comfortable with. If you would prefer to modify your front sight or buy a dropper scope mount, that will also get you where you want to be. Enjoy the journey!

[tstocka]

So I just picked up one of these little beauties from my local Wally world.
Nice looking gun.
In sighting it in yesterday with iron sights (20 yards out), I found that I was unable to get it to shoot high enough without maxing out the elevation adjustment on the rear site.
Nothing obviously wrong with the rifle. All screws are tight and it seems to have plenty of power.
From a benched rest, I am able to get a nice tight 1.5" group with the open sights. I was able to dial in windage but wish I had some play left over for elevation.
Is this typical or should I take it back and exchange it for another?

If you are happy with the gun except for the barrel droop, you risk getting a worse rifle on exchange. Bending a barrel is an easy and effective way to get everything pointed in the right direction without the need for shims, special scope mounts, or modifying the front sights. Simply set your sites or scope in the middle of adjustment, then wedge the barrel between two solid objects, and give it a few firm tugs or pushes. It is best to work toward the breach end so you don't end up with a curve in the middle or muzzle end. Shoot a group at your zero distance to test new point of impact. Repeat as necessary. The master of R9s, nced,  has been known to use the crotch of a tree as his barrel bending jig. I wrap my barrels to protect the finish, and wedge them between parallel metal braces on a farm implement. I once paid gunsmith to straighten a barrel, and he made a jig and used a hydraulic press to accomplish the very same thing as a makeshift wedge and a tug.
That said, do what you are comfortable with. If you would prefer to modify your front sight or buy a dropper scope mount, that will also get you where you want to be. Enjoy the journey!

Do you remove the barrel from the rifle when you do this?

[DanD]

Nope. I leave the rifle assembled. I am careful not to apply too much force on the wrist of the stock.

[tstocka]

Nope. I leave the rifle assembled. I am careful not to apply too much force on the wrist of the stock.

Thanks for the reply. I may give that a try.

[tstocka]

So i Spent more time with the rifle this weekend. For whatever reason, it stopped shooting high and settled in real nice. I was able to dial down the elevation to about the halfway point. Strange how initially it was shooting so high
I put about 300 rounds through it and can easily kill a can from 75' from a seated position. I was actually able to call out a specific part of a can roughly the size of a half dollar and hit it pretty much hit it every time.
This was with open sights using Benjamin hollow point lead pellets.
My cousin has a porch on his cabin and it rained so much this weekend that much of our shooting was done from there.
My cousin was so impressed with the rifle that he stopped at Walmart on his way home today and picked one up for himself.

[DanD]

Glad the rifle settled down. I love it when a problem solves itself.

[oconeedan]

That is good!  Maybe there was a burr on the crown or something that got smoothed out as the rifle broke in.