Have I found the dirtiest .22LR ammo out there?

Jerseykris · Oct 24, 2018

I went to the range this past weekend to shoot off some old shotgun ammo.

I also had my freshly cleaned Savage 64 that I picked up slightly used a few weeks ago with me.
I had some Sellier & Bellot 40grn subsonic on hand that I got on clearance earlier this year. Never tried that brand before.
Only put 100 rounds downrange. They were accurate enough at 50yrds, but nothing to write home about.
But my rifle was filthy by the time I was done. Most of the rounds put a good puff of smoke out there, and there's powder residue, grit & grime on everything - rifle, clothes, the gun case even after a quick wipe down.
Gave the rifle another cleaning when I got home. After just those 100rnds, it looked more like it had a few thousand rounds run through it.
Filthy, filthy stuff.
I've shot a lot of other brands (CCI, Winchester, Federal, Wolf, etc).

Looking for some feedback on some other filthy brands that should probably be avoided unless circumstances or price make them worthwhile.

easy · Oct 24, 2018

How did it smell after firing? Possible that they are actually filled with black powder?

Jerseykris · Oct 24, 2018

It really didn't smell any different from my other .22 ammo, both while shooting & cleaning afterwards. It also didn't have any peculiar or unusual primer aroma, like Aguila sometimes has.

Fine Figure of a Man · Oct 24, 2018

I bought some during the "shortage" that came in a two tone orange box, Century maybe? I used and/or gave it all away. Very dirty stuff.

Mn Fats · Oct 24, 2018

Jerseykris said:
Looking for some feedback on some other filthy brands that should probably be avoided unless circumstances or price make them worthwhile.

Thunderbolts are ones I avoid.

S&B has always seemed to be fine for me. Ive never tried the subsonics though. Maybe that plays a part.

George P · Oct 24, 2018

Subsonics I have typically found to be a tad dirtier than the supersonic stuff (even the cheap stuff)

highlander 5 · Oct 24, 2018

+1000 on Thunderbolt ammo even had some that the case ruptured,scared the life out of me thought my pistol blew up.

Browning · Oct 24, 2018

Looking for some feedback on some other filthy brands that should probably be avoided unless circumstances or price make them worthwhile.

Avoid this stuff. Even if it's thrown in as part of a gun deal.

Junior .22LR ammo from Russia. This stuff is the worst stuff I've ever shot. Duds galore, bullets getting stuck in the barrel after not having enough powder, you name it.

Will sometimes work in a revolver.

darkcloud · Oct 25, 2018

Remington Thunderduds are the worst I have come across.

someguy2800 · Oct 25, 2018

highlander 5 said:
+1000 on Thunderbolt ammo even had some that the case ruptured,scared the life out of me thought my pistol blew up.

I had one rupture in my buckmark. A piece of it came out the left side and cut my thumb pretty good. Golden bullets on the other hand I have always found to be good ammo.

Odd Job · Oct 25, 2018

These were the dirtiest I found:

Second place is Remington Thunderbolt.

Riomouse911 · Oct 25, 2018

Odd Job said:
These were the dirtiest I found:

View attachment 809023

Second place is Remington Thunderbolt.

Oddjob, I had some lead bullet Magtechs...after about 200 of those things they gunked up my Mk II so bad it stopped going into battery without a push on the bolt. By far the dirtiest .22 LR rounds I have ever encountered.

hdbiker · Oct 25, 2018

Just for fun I did a ammo test a while back using .22 Rem Golden Bullets, Federal High Powers, CCI Mini Mags, Win Super x, and CCI Blazers. All were 40 grain solids, fired in 3 different .22 rifles. ten round groups for each rifle with each brand of ammo. The most accurate was the CCI Blazers, BUT they were noticeably the most dirty !!! hdbiker

highlander 5 · Oct 25, 2018

Interesting on the Russian ammo my only complaint with the stuff is whatever they use for bullet lube,stuff would run even if it got remotely warm.

Riomouse911 · Oct 25, 2018

highlander 5 said:
Interesting on the Russian ammo my only complaint with the stuff is whatever they use for bullet lube,stuff would run even if it got remotely warm.

Sadly, with the wacky situation going on over there its probably congealed grease. :what:

Picher · Oct 25, 2018

Best inexpensive ammo for me has been Federal Bulk "Target Grade Performance" ammo. I did have one batch that wasn't as good, but most have been really great. It's usually on sale at Dick's and WalMart. It won't group under 1/2" at 50 yards, unless you get a phenominal batch, which I've never gotten, but it shoots pretty nice.

ColtPythonElite · Oct 25, 2018

Picher,

Sounds like you are referring to Auto-Match....Yes, it is pretty good for bulk ammo.

MedWheeler · Oct 25, 2018

ColtPythonElite writes:

Sounds like you are referring to Auto-Match....Yes, it is pretty good for bulk ammo.

I agree. Haven't really tested it in anything real precise for accuracy, but it's run some guns well that are supposed to be P'sOS (according to the 'net gurus!) like my Taurus PT22 and my Mossberg 702.

TTv2 · Oct 26, 2018

S&B .22 LR is ammo I'll never buy again. I've never seen a .22 bullet just fall out of the case before, but it happened with S&B. Ammo didn't shoot that well either.

Rimfire isn't S&B's strong suit.

Odd Job · Oct 26, 2018

Riomouse911 said:
Oddjob, I had some lead bullet Magtechs...after about 200 of those things they gunked up my Mk II so bad it stopped going into battery without a push on the bolt. By far the dirtiest .22 LR rounds I have ever encountered.

On second thought I think mine were also the lead version. they had very unreliable ignition too.

Browning · Oct 26, 2018

highlander 5 said:
Interesting on the Russian ammo my only complaint with the stuff is whatever they use for bullet lube,stuff would run even if it got remotely warm.

Was it Junior .22 ammunition or just some other Russian made .22 ammo?

This stuff has a somewhat whitish waxy coating on it. Probably why it gums up semi's.

Picher · Oct 26, 2018

ColtPythonElite said:
Picher,

Sounds like you are referring to Auto-Match....Yes, it is pretty good for bulk ammo.

Right...I just quickly looked at the front of the box and didn't check the vertical writing. I had remembered it being called Auto-Match, but thought they'd changed the name.

351 WINCHESTER · Oct 26, 2018

Browning said:
Avoid this stuff. Even if it's thrown in as part of a gun deal.

View attachment 808999

Junior .22LR ammo from Russia. This stuff is the worst stuff I've ever shot. Duds galore, bullets getting stuck in the barrel after not having enough powder, you name it.

Will sometimes work in a revolver.

I see you spared no expense in getting the brass cases. Mine are steel.

Jerseykris · Oct 26, 2018

Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback and suggestions.
I've had bad experiences with Thunderbolts too, they've really earned their bad reputation.
I'm not familiar with a few of the brands you guys have mentioned, so I'll now know to probably avoid them when I see them.

Labguy47 · Oct 27, 2018

Another vote against Remington thunderbolts. With Rem SVs a close second

Have I found the dirtiest .22LR ammo out there?

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