Information on top tier 22 LR ammunition brands

Tenex

Whatcha shootin' whisler? Eley Sport is mid-range ammo at best.

These are all pretty much top tiers:

whisler said:

Eley & Lapua and SK

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22LR ammo is fickle as all get out. Competative shooters take great pains and cost to identify particular lots of their preferred 22LR ammo, and then purchase as much of that same lot as possible. Even then, the manufacturing process is so full of variables that there's no guarantee that it will perform well. When they're out of ammo, they begin the search for the elusive lot all over again. Around the 22LR circles, the saying goes, "You pays your money, you takes your chances".

Look here for both Eley ammo (all sorts), and a service to find the best lot for your rifle….

https://www.killoughshootingsports.com/

High end .22lr target ammo supply has been hit or miss but getting better. Each line has several levels of performance. Most all of it is made on the same line (per manufacturer) and the best performing lots are graded the highest, second best the next, etc.

High end target ammo costs $15-20 per box of 50. Subsonic, of course. I like RWS Rifle Match, Lapua Pistol King and Biathlon, but that's only because the lots I've bought have shot OK in my rifles. It's not $20 ammo but it's pretty good. You might get lucky with a lower price ammo shooting well in your rifle. After all, there's always someone who buys bulk ammo and then "stacks them in one hole all day long", but I've never been that lucky.

Lower performing ammo manifests itself as flyers. It's hard enough to shoot benchrest targets with the wind and my own technique, without adding flyers from the ammo.

For my 2¢ there is expensive 22lr and inexpensive 22lr.
Some of that ammo is alleged to be made to higher standards than the other.
And, the printing on the box may have little to do with any of that.

It's my observation that your 22lr in your hands may not care a whit how many kwatloos your threw down for the ammo.

I have, at present, five different 22lr, each has a "favorite" ammo, and no two match. And, I have yet to find one ammo that all five will run to an "average" sort of performance. Often to not even "minute of 2 liter soda bottle" sort of average.

Like many others, I'm underwhelmed by "thunderduds" but mostly for their annoying habit of being as "click-thud" as surplus Turkish 8mm ammo.

But, that's my 2¢, be careful how you spend it.

CapnMac said:

For my 2¢ there is expensive 22lr and inexpensive 22lr.
Some of that ammo is alleged to be made to higher standards than the other.
And, the printing on the box may have little to do with any of that.

It's my observation that your 22lr in your hands may not care a whit how many kwatloos your threw down for the ammo.

I have, at present, five different 22lr, each has a "favorite" ammo, and no two match. And, I have yet to find one ammo that all five will run to an "average" sort of performance. Often to not even "minute of 2 liter soda bottle" sort of average.

Like many others, I'm underwhelmed by "thunderduds" but mostly for their annoying habit of being as "click-thud" as surplus Turkish 8mm ammo.

But, that's my 2¢, be careful how you spend it.

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I would say that describes the experience most people have with their 22lr rifles. Everyone of my 22lr rifles prefers a different brand/type of ammo.

Though I would say that CCI Standard and CCI Mini Mags has been the most consistent across all rifles I own. They are not always the best but definitely aren't the worse either.

I had to laugh at your comment about thunder duds since it is a true statement. I put that stuff in the same category as surplus Pakistani 303 ammo. I had similar experiences with Federal Auto-Match back during the Obuma 22lr shortages, it wouldn't even cycle properly in my Ruger 10/22 or Marlin Model 60. Both rifles are known to eat pretty much any ammo you feed them.

I shoot rimfire benchest regularly. In my experience, in the Eley line you have to step up to Match or better for good results. In the Lapua line, you need to step up to Center X or better. Even then, you have to find a lot number your rifle likes.

12Bravo20 said:

your comment about thunder duds

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A bro nagged me into going in "halvesies" on a bulk order of the thing during the "ammo panic."
That was a miserable time. None of my 22s liked the stuff even in "the good times."
The only 'polite' thing I could say about it was that, unlike the Turkish 8mm, there were no hangfires.
Mind, once you know, there's that same dilemma a person has with that partial case of 8mm. Hard to sell that stuff if you're honest about it.

Long, long ago, a buddy of mine was at the Kmart, and they had gotten in a batch of the CBC "Black Widow" rifles, the Brazilian copy of the Nylon 66 They were some ludicrous 80s price like US$59.95, around $64 out the door with tax. He was gushing over his, so I got one a couple days' later. Serial numbers were around a hundred apart. Mine was perfectly happy with Win solids. His would not group to less than "minute of truck" unless he fed it Eley TenX. It was not technique, either, it shot as badly for me as it did for him. Go figure.

I have some SK Rifle Match, SK HV Match, Eley Target, and Norma Tac to try in my Savage MkII once I get a good day with cooperative weather for a trip to the range. I want to see how those compare to CCI Mini Mags at 50 yards and then push all out to 200 yards to see what is best at long ranges. Out of all the ammo I have tried so far in my MkII, the CCI Mini Mags shoot the best at 100 yards or less.

Here is a five shot group at 50 yards with Mini Mags.

I haven’t found Center-X in stock anywhere.

Many years ago now, I started Rimfire Benchrest competition at my Augusta, Maine shooting club. I tested lots of ammo brands, then lot numbers. I sent to my favorite supplier for about 8 different lot numbers received from my favorite supplier of Eley and, after testing them the day I received them, ordered about 5,000 rounds of two particular lot numbers of Lapua, by using electronic ordering. I got an answer back a few hours later, saying that they didn't have any of the numbers I selected left!!! I chose a couple of more numbers and they didn't have any of those either. I stopped shooting Rimfire Benchrest when I ran out of ammo that year.

You need to test higher end ammo to see what it likes. Higher grades of Lapua, Eley, SK, CCI and Norma work best for me in various rifles. Some have match chambers and need match ammo. Others are not so fussy. I have tested many brands and grades. Unfortunately my target rifle likes the expensive stuff.

Picher said:

Many years ago now, I started Rimfire Benchrest competition at my Augusta, Maine shooting club. I tested lots of ammo brands, then lot numbers. I sent to my favorite supplier for about 8 different lot numbers received from my favorite supplier of Eley and, after testing them the day I received them, ordered about 5,000 rounds of two particular lot numbers of Lapua, by using electronic ordering. I got an answer back a few hours later, saying that they didn't have any of the numbers I selected left!!! I chose a couple of more numbers and they didn't have any of those either. I stopped shooting Rimfire Benchrest when I ran out of ammo that year.

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I know what you mean. My favorite match ammo was Lapua Center-X. But I couldn't get any for awhile and now it is pretty high priced I have been getting by with other stuff. I have a small stash I am hoarding for matches only. I haven't shot any for awhile.

LOL!

CapnMac said:

But, that's my 2¢, be careful how you spend it.

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Nice shooting with that Vudoo!

Walkalong said:

A test at 50 yards from the other day.
View attachment 1140796

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Excellent! The real fun part is trying to do that again, and again, and again!

12Bravo20 said:

I have some SK Rifle Match, SK HV Match, Eley Target, and Norma Tac to try in my Savage MkII once I get a good day with cooperative weather for a trip to the range. I want to see how those compare to CCI Mini Mags at 50 yards and then push all out to 200 yards to see what is best at long ranges. Out of all the ammo I have tried so far in my MkII, the CCI Mini Mags shoot the best at 100 yards or less.

Here is a five shot group at 50 yards with Mini Mags.

View attachment 1140798

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CCI Mini Mags have been very consistent in my Savage MkII out to 100 yards. I still need to see how Mini Mags and the other ammo I have does out to 200 yards or further. I want to get into long range shooting with 22LR as my disabilities allow me.

Center X has gone up drastically over the past few years. Seven or eight years ago, I was buying it by the case for less than $10.00 a box. At that time, Center X was a few dollars per box cheaper than Eley Match.

I found Wolf “Match” and “Match Extra” to be pretty good stuff, supposedly the same as SK just a different importer.
Kinda funny when someone does not know that “Wolf” has premium .22 when they are used to Wolf being bottom tier Com-Bloc, steel case/jacket, Berdan type ammo.

I do believe that Wolf 22LR ammo is now made by Eley.

12Bravo20 said:

I do believe that Wolf 22LR ammo is now made by Eley.

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It is. From what I have seen through my testing and witnessing others, the Eley made Wolf isn't as accurate as the SK made Wolf.



I wouldn't consider the SK made Wolf to be top tier, either. While it will often shoots good, it seems to have enough flyers in a box to ruin a good card.