Thompson Center T/CR22 - Real world 25/50 Yard 22LR ammo comparison break in

In the spirit of "Real world plinking 25 yard 22LR ammo comparison with hot barrel (Ruger 10/22 Collector #3 break in)" thread where a new Ruger 10/22 Collection #3 break in and every 5/10 shot groups were documented comparing 20+ different brand/weight/lot #s of ammunition at 25/50 yards, I ordered a Thompson Center T/CR22 based on accuracy reviews.

T/CR22 is Ruger 10/22 "compatible" 17" firearm that can accept 10/22 parts such as magazine, etc. and was designed and built with greater accuracy in mind, starting with integral picatinny rail for mounting optics, fiber optic front and ghost ring rear sights, last round bolt hold open magazine, etc. - https://www.tcarms.com/firearms/semi-automatic/t-cr22

I got the OD green MagPul stock model that is similar to MagPul Hunter X-22 stock for 10/22.

I also ordered Monstrum cantilever quick release scope mount to replace Mizugiwa cantilever quick release scope mount that is showing wear after several years of heavy use for my various AR/PCC/AR-CMMG 22LR/10-22 Take Down and 10-22 Collector #3 testing (BTW, really like the QR lever mechanism on Monstrum scope mount way better than Mizugiwa scope mount and Torx head bolts were used instead of Allen head bolts).

T/CR22 with Monstrum scope mount and Bushnell Dusk & Dawn AO 6-18x50mm



Quick release levers are beefy and easy to operate

While bottom of T/CR22 looks similar to 10/22, difference is a lever on the magazine that must be pressed to load the first round (for last round bolt hold open).



This lever must be held down to load the first round which takes a little getting used to but once you load the first round a few times, it is easy to angle the back of round to insert and then straighten out the round to load normally. The clear rear cover shows how many rounds are loaded in the magazine.

Range Test #1 (Round Count 0) - No cleaning or lubing was done to the firearm. It was shot straight out of the box after the scope/mount were installed. Caldwell steady rest was used for the front and plastic ammo boxes/roll of blue tape was used for the rear on top of the truck tailgate.

Following ammunition were tested on this trip and most bought within 1 year with Federal blue box/old red box/field pack bought within 2 years ago

• Federal 36 gr CPHP Value 525 round blue box - Bulk pack
• Federal 36 gr CPHP Walmart 550 round red box (old box) - Bulk pack
• Federal 36 gr CPHP Walmart 550 round red box (new box) - Bulk pack
• Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack 275 round - Bulk pack
• Aguila 40 gr CPRN - Boxed
• Aguila 40 gr Lead RN - Boxed
• Federal 40 gr Lead RN Auto Match - Bulk pack
• CCI 40 gr Lead RN Standard Velocity - Boxed
• CCI 40 gr Lead RN Blazer - Boxed
• Federal 40 gr Lead RN Champion - Boxed
• Remington 36 gr CPHP Golden Bullet - Bulk pack
• Remington 40 gr Lead RN Thunderbolt - Bulk pack
• Winchester 36 gr CPHP 555 round - Bulk pack
• Winchester 36 gr XPert - Bulk pack

BTW, picture below shows old (Left) and new (Right) Walmart only 550 round boxes



10 rounds of Federal 36 gr CPHP (Walmart old red box) were used to zero the scope at 25 yards.



Left target: (These were shot essentially as initial "burnishing" rounds to smooth the barrel surface)

• Four 10 shot groups of Federal 36 gr CPHP (blue box) were shot.
• Four 10 shot groups of Federal 36 gr CPHP (old red box) were shot. I had one misfire that fired on the second strike.

Right target:

• Six 10 shot groups of Federal 36 gr CPHP (new red box) were shot. I had one misfire that fired on the second strike.
• Two 10 shot groups of Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack were shot (4 more groups on next target)

Initial impressions - While I didn't expect much accuracy as the barrel broke in, some very small 5 shot groups were forming with Federal (red box) ammo. And unlike 10/22 Collector #3 testing, Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack produced some very promising tight core groups.




Left target:

• Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack - I shot 4 more groups to make sure the first 2 weren't flukes. Last group formed a very small 5 shot group. Nice.
• Federal 36 gr CPHP (Walmart new red box) - Shot as confirming groups. These are definitely smaller and consistent groups than 10/22 Collector #3 groups.

Right target:

• Aguila 40 gr CPRN - As expected, produced some tight small groups. As to 9 O'clock flyer on the 4th group, I must have sneezed. I had one misfire that fired on the second strike.
• Armscor 36 gr CPHP - (Currently the cheapest 22LR ammo you can buy) surprisingly produced tight, consistent groups. Very happy to see this.

Left target: (Thinking the new barrel was sufficiently burnished with copper plated bullets, moving on to lead bullets)

• Federal 40 gr LRN Auto Match - As expected, produced very promising groups.
• CCI 40 gr LRN SV - As anticipated, keeps on producing consistent groups. Due to slower velocity, notice lower POI below POA circles from bullet drop.
• CCI SV and CCI Blazer were two best shooting ammo for my 10/22 Collector #3 thread. Very promising second group and look forward to 50 yard testing.
• Federal 40 gr LRN Champion - I was happy to see smaller groups as it did not produce small groups with 10/22 Collector #3.

Right target:

• Remington 36 gr CPHP Golden Bullet - I was glad to see these as while 10/22 produced consistent groups, size were "meh". Out of T/CR22, these were very promising groups, especially tight 5 shot initial groups.
• Remington 40 gr LRN Thunderbolt - Nice tight groups and no misfires. Instead of "Thunderduds", I am going to start calling these "Thunderbirds".

Left target:

• Aguila 40 gr LRN - Aguila LRN produced #3 smallest groups after CCI SV/Blazer with my 10/22 Collection #3, usually single hole groups. Very happy to see second small group.
• Winchester 36 gr CPHP - After seeing dismal scatter patterns with 10/22 Collector #3, I was very happy to see tighter more consistent groups.
• Winchester 36 gr LRN XPert - Same.
• Federal 36 gr CPHP Walmart new red box - Shot two confirming groups.

Summary (Round count 600):

Very happy with initial break in testing and 25 yard groups. Had 3 misfires but they all fired on second firing (Walmart old and new red box CPHP and Aguila CPRN). All rounds fed reliably from the magazine and last round bolt hold open worked great. May do a light cleaning and lubing with plans to do 50 yard testing on Range test #2.

I will check the Torx bolts on the Monstrum scope mount for tightness and do some 50 yard testing with 10/22 Collector #3 using the new scope mount.

Plan to do 50 yard testing with more accurate ammo from 25 yard testing and further expand testing with these:

• Winchester M22 40 gr black CPRN
• CCI Standard 40 gr LRN (new blue box)
• CCI MiniMag Target 40 gr CPRN
• Federal Match 40 gr LRN
• ELEY Sport 40 gr LRN

MCMXI said:

I would have a hard time with the scope being mounted so high above the comb. What kind of a cheek weld are you getting with that setup?

Click to expand...

It is a comfortable "natural" cheek weld with eye lining up with the scope and shooting hand on the pistol grip. But the cantilever mount moves the scope too far forward for good field of view. You can see from the pictures that I have the scope moved back as far as I could.

BTW, the Monstrum cantilever Quick Release mount is primarily for AR/PCC/AR-CMMG 22LR testing (that do need cantilever mount to move scope forward) but I wanted to test on the T/CR22 and also on the 10/22 Collector #3 for comparison using the 6-18x50mm Bushnell scope.

Along with QR mount, I ordered Mizugiwa fixed cantilever scope mounts so I will be doing some scope/mount shuffling with my other scope mounts/rings in coming days/weeks as I have several Leupold/Trophy/Minox/CenterPoint 3-9x40mm/3-12x40mm/4-16x40mm scopes I want to test before using fixed mounts to "permanently" assigning the scopes.

Depending on the results, I anticipated buying more scope mounts/rings.

Range Test #2 (Round Count 600) - Chamber was swabbed with Q-tip and bolt brushed with Hoppes #9 solvent (Like my 10/22 3000 round testing, T/CR22 barrel will not be bore brushed but inspected for leading and patched with Hoppes #9 solvent only). Due to some sand/grit that entered the magazine to make it less smooth/reliable, magazine was disassembled using a Torx bit, wiped dry then reassembled. Caldwell steady rest was replaced with Lead Sled Solo but MTM Tactical Range Box was used on top of Lifetime folding table. Groups were shot at about 40 yards paced out (Due to shooting location - Will look for 50 yard spot for next range test) and around 300 rounds of Armscor CPHP, Federal CPHP and lastly Aguila CPRN were used to continue the "burnishing" of the new barrel, zero the scope with some plinking fun and warm up the barrel. 10 shot groups were shot rapid fire without barrel cool down (As fast as I could load the magazine).

Following ammunition were tested on this trip (I did not experience any misfires on this range test):

• Federal 36 gr CPHP Value 525 round blue box - Bulk pack
• Federal 36 gr CPHP Walmart 550 round red box - Bulk pack
• Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack 275 round - Bulk pack
• Federal 40 gr Lead RN Auto Match - Bulk pack
• CCI 40 gr Lead RN Blazer - Boxed
• Aguila 40 gr CPRN Eley Prime - Boxed
• Aguila 40 gr CPRN Aguila Prime - Boxed
• Aguila 40 gr Lead RN Pistol Match Eley Prime - Boxed
• Aguila 40 gr Lead RN Eley Prime - Boxed
• Remington 40 gr Lead RN Thunderbolt - Bulk pack
• Winchester 36 gr CPHP 555 round - Bulk pack
• Winchester 36 gr Lead HP XPert HV - Bulk pack

40 Yard groups



Left target:

• Federal 36 gr CPHP (blue box) - This group size was typical from previous 10/22 and T/CR22 50 yard testings
• Federal 36 gr CPHP (Walmart only red box) - Group opened up from 525 round blue box ... Those that think Walmart 550 round red box is the same rounds in different color box ... I am not sure whether that's the case as I am consistently getting larger groups.
• Federal 38 gr CPHP Field Pack - As expected, group size shrank (With my 10/22 Collector #3, this ammo did not produce consistently tight groups)
• CCI 40 gr Lead RN Blazer - With the exception of a flyer, was happy with the tight group (With my 10/22, Blazer would often produce small groups on par with CCI SV)
• Remington 40 gr Lead RN Thunderbolt - I was expecting smaller core group with flyers but got a scatter pattern.
• Federal 40 gr Lead RN Auto Match - Group began tight but started vertical stringing.
• Winchester 36 gr CPHP 555 - I had hoped for a smaller group based on 25 yard testing.
• Winchester 36 gr Lead HP HV - Like the CPHP version, definitely higher velocity as indicated by elevated group and greater vertical stringing with Lead HP version.

Right target (Barrel remained hot without cool down):

• Aguila 40 gr CPRN Eley Prime - The new mount and scope were zeroed final with Eley primed Aguila and 10 shot group produced was tight and on point of aim. After the previous Winchester groups, I was relieved scatter/vertical stringing may not be the shooter.
• Aguila 40 gr CPRN Aguila Prime - Like Federal blue box vs Walmart red box, I am starting to form an opinion that ELEY prime process may be better.
• Aguila 40 gr Lead RN Pistol Match Competition Eley Prime - The "Match" ammo comes in Pistol and Rifle (I believe the difference is mainly velocity) and I was looking forward to testing at longer distance than 25 yards which showed good promise. First 5 shots produced very tight group but subsequent shots opened up the group (I know, I know ... all shots matter).
• Aguila 40 gr Lead RN Eley Prime - This was a surprise as 10/22 consistently produced smaller groups with Lead RN over CPRN.
• Aguila 38 gr CPHP Aguila Prime - This was first time testing this ammo and I was expecting smaller group size.
• Aguila Pistol Match #2 - I was getting sore/stiff after 5 hours of point shooting pistol/AR instruction to my SIL (I have spinal stenosis and fell recently on dog slobber kitchen floor and still recuperating) and wanted to end Range Test #2 with Pistol Match and CPRN Eley Prime confirmation groups.
• Aguila Pistol Match Eley Prime #3
• Aguila CPRN Eley Prime #2

Summary (Round count 1060):

Range Test #2 for T/CR22 confirmed many ammunition findings from 10/22 Collector #3 testing while producing smaller groups with larger selection of ammunition. Look forward to smaller groups as trigger breaks in further.

Plan to do 50 yard testing with the Lead Sled Solo instead of the MTM Tactical Range Box (Couldn't find where the Lead Sled was moved to as we are anticipating out-of-state move soon) so stay tuned (And my back should be feeling better by then too).

jmr40 said:

I'd like to see how it does at 50 yards to get an apples to apples comparison to what I'm used to seeing.

Click to expand...

I plan to do 50 yard testing with the Lead Sled Solo instead of the MTM Tactical Range Box.

Point of the thread is to provide "real world" comparison of ammunition under less than ideal conditions as trigger and rifling breaks in/wears over several thousand rounds.

LiveLife said:

I plan to do 50 yard testing with the Lead Sled Solo instead of the MTM Tactical Range Box (At 40 yards)

Click to expand...

Range Test #3 (Round Count 1060) - Muzzle crown build up was cleaned with Hoppes #9 solvent but the bore and action were not cleaned.

Caldwell Lead Sled Solo was used for range test #3 but I wanted to eliminate the rocking movement of the center pivot bar so I stuck a roll of blue painter's tape in the back with a twist of the tension knob and presto, no more rocking movement.



Since range test #2 was done only at 40 yards due to availability of shooting spots, range test #3 was measured out to 50 yards with tape (Not paced) and shot off truck tailgate of wife's Ram truck (After C5 Z06 got traded in with promise of C8 Corvette by wife but that plan got replaced with Tesla for retirement but now I am looking hard at Ford Lightning unless GM/Hummer or FCA come up with better EV trucks).

With round count surpassing 1000 rounds for T/CR22 and 3000 rounds for 10/22 Collector #3, I am concluding the ammunition comparison tests with nod to Aguila 40 gr CPRN (EleyAguila Prime) for consistently producing smaller 10 shot groups compared to other "bulk" commercial 22LR (boxed or loose).

I am planning to replace T/CR22 factory barrel with KSA 16.5" bull barrel that has micro groove rifling and looser Ruger target chamber than Bentz match chamber to work better with commercial "bulk" 22LR than tighter spec match 22LR. I am also thinking about installing T/CR22 factory barrel in 10/22 Collector to see if there is any difference in group size. I will start a new thread outlining the "accurizing" steps for T/CR22 and 10/22 Collector #3 (As this thread is about factory accuracy) while using the Burris FF 6.5-20x50mm scope - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...20x-50mm-169-9-shipping.893341/#post-12061424

Range test #3 also earmarks my last shooting session before I get cataract surgery of right eye (shooting eye) later this week (Cataract surgery of left eye was done 2 weeks ago now with 20/20 vision and 100% light transmission thanks to Vivity Intraocular lens implant).

My preferred shooting spot that's well protected from winds by tall trees was taken so I had to set up 50 yard shooting in an open spot but today was very windy and I ended up resetting my target board like 20 times (I got a lot of walking exercise though).

Note: If you notice elongation/oval bullet holes, due to high winds knocking over target repeatedly, I had to bend the cardboard backing so copy paper targets were at an angle.



Summary (Round count 1100): After initial 7 rounds with cold barrel, I wanted to adjust the scope vertical but I think I over adjusted for the next 10 shot group (And could that one hole to the left be due to high winds? ). And of course, many shot groups start out with tight 5 shot groups around 1/2" in size but subsequent shots open up the group ... perhaps reality of factory trigger and/or "bulk" ammo?

Since I am running the myth busting "Real World" 50 yard challenge (essentially modified paper "Know Your Limits" challenge), I wanted to give it a practice try with my "bad" blurry cataract eye before the surgery - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/myth-busting-“real-world”-22lr-50-yard-challenge.895021/



I think the same gust of wind pushed the 2.0" circle shot to the left. And I have no idea what happened with the 1.0" circle shot going high (I must have sneezed or something).

As to trigger break in, after 1000 rounds with no initial cleaning/lubing, trigger pull has lightened to consistent 4.5 lbs with clean smooth feel down from 6 lbs out of the box.

Like with 10/22 Collector #3, I plan to do a complete strip down and clean/lube the T/CR22 and recheck the trigger pull but only dry patch the bore while cleaning the chamber with Hoppes #9.

Range Test #4 (Round Count 1100) - Muzzle crown build up was cleaned with Hoppes #9 solvent but the bore and action were not cleaned.

LiveLife said:

I am planning to replace [scope] with Burris FF 6.5-20x50mm scope - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...20x-50mm-169-9-shipping.893341/#post-12061424

Click to expand...

Got the scope mounted with new rings on the T/CR22 and did some reference 50 yard groups in preparation for the "Myth busting dirty vs clean 22LR barrel accuracy" thread.

Barrel has not been cleaned intentionally during the 1100 round break-in and was only mopped with Hoppes #9 and dry patched with Viva paper towel (Chamber and barrel crown were cleaned with Hoppes #9 when needed).

Unlike Range Test #3, today for Range Test #4 was sunny with no wind. And like Range Test #3, Lead Sled Solo use was continued with roll of blue painter's tape still stuck to stabilize the rocker arm.



"Dirty barrel" reference target #1 - 50 yards:

• CCI SV 40 gr LRN #1 - Reference group #1 was sub 1" with flyer
• CCI Blazer 40 gr LRN - Sub 1" group
• Federal Champion 40 gr LRN - 1.75" group
• Federal Game Shok 40 gr CPRN - At 1", this is the smallest group I have gotten so far with this ammo
• CCI SV 40 gr LRN #2 - Reference group #2 was shot to verify accuracy and slightly larger than 1" group with flyer
• Federal Auto Match 40 gr LRN - I do get flyers with Auto Match and 1" group with two flyers
• Federal Field Pack 38 gr CPHP - Group size just under 2"
• Federal 550 Value (New red box) - This is the latest Walmart only packaging with solid red color box and pretty typical 2" group

"Dirty barrel" reference target #2 - 50 yards:

• Aguila (Eley Prime) 40 gr LRN #1 - Sub 1" group
• Aguila (Eley Prime) Pistol Match 40 gr LRN #1 - Slightly larger than 0.75" group
• Aguila (Eley Prime) 40 gr CPRN #1 - 0.75" group with flyer
• Aguila (Aguila Prime) 40 gr CPRN - 1.75" group
• Aguila (Eley Prime) 40 gr LRN #2 - Reference group #2 was shot to verify accuracy and 1.25" group size
• Aguila (Eley Prime) Pistol Match 40 gr LRN #2 - Slightly larger than 0.75" group
• Aguila (Eley Prime) 40 gr CPRN #2 - 1" group
• Aguila (Aguila Prime) 38 gr CPHP - Slightly smaller than 1.5" group

"Dirty barrel" reference target #3 - 50 yards:

• Remington Thunderbolt 40 gr LRN - "Thunderdud" continues to produce 100% reliable primer ignition for me with 2" group
• Winchester 555 36 gr CPHP - Winchester ammo haven't been producing good groups for me and 2" is pretty good
• Winchester XPert 36 gr LHP - I am surprised that I got sub 2" group
• Federal 525 Value Blue Box #1 - Federal Value bulk packs were shot to further verify accuracy at the end 1.25" group
• Federal 550 Value Red Box (Old) - This is the old Walmart only packaging and sub 1.25" group with two flyers
• Federal 525 Value Blue Box #2 - This is a new box I opened and respectable slightly larger than 1.25" group size
• Federal 550 Value Red Box (New) - New Walmart only red box shot to verify accuracy with 2" group.

Summary (Round count 1500) - Barrel will now be cleaned for the new myth busting "Dirty vs Clean" barrel testing and looking forward to the results. Trigger pull has decreased from new 6 lbs down to less than 4 lbs now.

Range Test #5 (Round count 1500) - 50 yard "clean barrel" testing. Factory trigger went from above 6 lbs out of the box to slightly less than 4 lbs. Barrel bore was cleaned with 20 minute Hoppes #9 soak mopped twice at 10 minute mark and brushed twice with copper bore brushed from chamber to muzzle (Hardly anything came out). After couple passes with Viva paper towel, patch came out clean. No sign of leading of barrel before/after cleaning bore. Muzzle crown had caked on fouling build up which was scraped and cleaned with Hoppes #9.

This range test was used for "Myth Busting - Dirty vs Clean 22LR barrel accuracy" thread - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...g-dirty-vs-clean-22lr-barrel-accuracy.897763/



Due to forecast of rain, I decided to start out with Aguila 40 gr CPRN (which has consistently produced smaller groups during 3500 round 10/22 and 1500 round T/CR22 testing) instead of testing various brand/weight ammunition tested for baseline "dirty barrel" groups for Range Test #4.

• While I expected larger than "dirty barrel" groups, initial sets of groups fired to verify scope zero showed more erratic barrel whip/harmonics that probably showed as odd vercial/horizontal/angled flyers, dispersion, scatter and stringing as shown in above four groups. (I think this was anticipated as many shooters reported poor accuracy until barrel bore got "seasoned" again to produce accuracy level of "dirty barrel")

While Federal 525/550 round blue and red bulk boxes have not produced smaller groups, I wanted a reference comparison as if cleaning of barrel had any impact.

• To my surprise, cleaned barrel produced more overall consistent group size with third group producing surprisingly tight 5 round group that opened up (Yes, 5 shot group is indeed subset of 10 shot group). Had I stopped at 5 shots, I would have had 1/2" group.

• Just as I got excited that shrinking group size trend was due to "seasoning" of cleaned bore, fourth group opened up deflating my hope of achieving sub 1" 10 shot group with Federal "bulk" ammo. Still quite happy with "relatively" smaller group size achieved with cleaned T/CR22 barrel as cleaned 10/22 barrel did not do as well.

With occasional rain drops falling on my head, I wanted to test as many different ammo but when I looked for the ammo can with CCI SV/Blazer, I realized that ammo can was not packed so I decided to test another lead round nose other than Thunderbolt which has been shooting erratic in both 10/22 and T/CR22.

• While group size of Aguila 40 gr Lead RN Pistol Match was not remarkable, "scatter" pattern was more diffused and consistent. (Will do more testing after the rain particularly compared to CCI SV and Blazer Lead RN which produced very small groups with "dirty" barrels.)

With time running out before rain, I decided to do quick verification groups with Aguila 40 gr CPRN (Eley and Aguila prime).

• Aguila prime group started out with tight 1/2" 5 shot cluster that opened up
• Eley prime group started out with surprising sub 1/2" 5 shot group that opened up

Summary (Round count 1650) - At this point I am not sure if further reduction in core group size was from cleaning of barrel or from factory trigger further breaking in from over 6 lbs down to 4 lbs after 1000 round count to now slightly below 4 lbs after 1500 round count. And as many posted that I may be seeing re-seasoning of barrel after cleaning the bore.

While "factory stock" testing of T/CR22 has concluded with around 2000 rounds shot, my range test findings from the "Accurizing ... on the cheap" thread may prompt me to replace the KSA bull barrel back with factory barrel to test with Volquartsen 2.5 lb hammer trigger kit before resuming my "Accurizing ..." thread testing.

I thought the extreme outlying "flyers" I saw in some of the groups during the 2000 round testing, sometimes that came from nowhere unexpected (Meaning, I knew I did not pull/push the trigger to cause it ... so I thought), especially when flyers were not left/right dispersion.

I reasoned these extreme outlying flyers were from barrel harmonics/whipping and even considered using barrel tuners to minimize flyers but since this was "real world ... factory" thread testing many different ammunition, I decided against it.

But during range testing of KSA bull barrel for "Accurizing ... on the cheap" thread where 16.5" bull barrel should have eliminated the barrel harmonics/whipping scatter, I noticed telltale signs of me pulling/pushing the trigger (T/CR22 trigger under 4 lbs after 2000 round break in) to induce flyers, and not necessarily left/right dispersion - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...izing-22lr-on-the-cheap.898035/#post-12130561

So perhaps the extreme outlying flyers I saw may not have been from barrel whipping but rather from trigger pull/push moving the muzzle? To test this theory, I ordered Volquartsen 2.5 lb hammer trigger kit to see if these outlying flyers disappear with factory barrel.

If that's the case, at $40 for the kit, it's a nominal cost for the price of a box of ammunition to significantly reduce group size for "factory" T/CR22.