22 LR Ammo?

[deerhunter61]

I was just wondering what type of 22 LR ammo everyone shoots? Does anyone shoot competitively with the 22 LR? If so what type of ammo do you use? Does it matter? What is the difference?

I just purchased a CZ 452 and took it out today for the first time to shoot it. It consistently shot 5 shot groups of an inch at 50yds but the best was about 3/4 inch at 50 yards. After I sighted it in I fired 7 different 5 shot groups and 1 ten shot group. All of the 5 shot groups were an inch or better and the ten shot group was better than an inch and a half so would this be considered good? Is there ammo out there that will perform better? I shot Federal today.

Thanks,

 

[scrat]

look in the general discussin board there already is a thread about 22lr amo

 

[mio]

i dont shoot any compititions with mine. hunting i use cci mini mags and on occasion cci stingers. the mini mags are the more accurate.

 

[mgkdrgn]

My Remington Nylon 77 will gladly eat anything I feed it ... so I feed it what ever is on sale. I'm currently working my way through 5000 rounds of CCI blazers.

When I get down to 500 rounds or so I start looking for a good price on 22lr. I'll buy 2500 or better rounds and put them away for a rainy day, I'll use them eventually.

The 22 conversion for my Glock26 is a little pickier ... so it gets fed CCI Mini-mags pretty much.

 

[bhk]

Your rifle is capable of greater accuracy than most .22s currently made and deserves the right ammo to bring it to its full potential. Unfortunately, every rifle has its own particular tastes. CCI standard is economical and seems to do well in many rifles. Most match shooters end up with mid to high grade Eley or Lapua. This can be expensive stuff, but it is fun to see what your rifle can really do. It might though, take some time for you to learn all the correct bench techniques required to make this ammo really worth it. Practice with quality, cheaper stuff until you really feel comfortable with your skills - then go for the high dollar stuff.

The .22 benchrest shooters really get into this stuff. They will try lot after lot of their favorite brand and grade - and then buy tons of the lot the works best. Some even prefer Eley made on a particular machine in England, knowing their rifle prefers ammo made on that machine (still comparing lots, of course). If memory serves me correctly, Eleys best ammo is made on four machines. Codes stamped on the ammo box give info about the lot, machine, and date of manufacture.

If you are just shooting for fun and not for tiny groups, you have any number of choices that will make you happy. CCI standard and mini-mags do well in lots of guns, and many are quite pleased with the quality of Federal's bulk pack ammo available at Wal-Mart.

 

[dagger dog]

A super buy on very accurate .22 lr ammo is Agulia, their Super SE Extra is Eley primed, It shoots very well in the Wylde chambered .22 Target bbls. They run it in batches and it is available through Cheaper than Dirt, or some times you can find it at your local gunshops or gunshows. It's loaded with a 38 gr hollow point lead lubed bullet to sub sonic velocity.

It is a real sleeper for the price, usually under 20 bucks per 1/2 K.

 

[SGW42]

All of my .22s get Federal 510, because that's what my Ruger pistols like, and the rifles don't mind one bit. Federal 510 has been the best compromise between accuracy, consistency, availability and price.

I'd call myself a "serious plinker." :grin:

I use Federal bulk pack when plinking less seriously or getting a few rounds off on my lunch break.

Other than that - oddly enough, my Remington 581 just loves CCI .22 Short. I feed it a few treats each range trip it gets.

 

[aka108]

If you want decent accuracy at a reasonable price you might want to try Eley Sport or Aquila standard velocity. You will get a flyer now and then but overall decent stuff if you are not in competition.

 

[Dookie]

look in the general discussin board there already is a thread about 22lr amo

Different question, different topic.

For hunting with 22lr I prefers CCI subsonics, accurate, very quiet, and very effective.


for target I use S&K, Eley, Wolf MT.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Just prior to purchasing my long-awaited stainless Marlin 60, I asked about .22 ammo,as well. Seems the Federal bulk-pack from Wally-world is very popular,very economical,and so far, I'm happy with it,too. From what I'd read, i could expect a little better accuracy from the Mini-Mags, but at 5 times the price,again, no complaints with the Federals.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Dookie,

Those look really nice ..... what did you fire them into? I'd like to do some similar comparisons with my 22 ammo.
--------------------
Different question, different topic.

For hunting with 22lr I prefers CCI subsonics, accurate, very quiet, and very effective.


for target I use S&K, Eley, Wolf MT.

 

[cliffy]

.22 LR CCI Velocitors

In my Ruger Mark III Competition pistol, 40 grain hollow point CCI Velocitors really are accurate and about as potent as a 6 7/8" barrel can become. Paper Targets don't stand a chance against these rimfire hyper-loads. For hunting, I'd estimate lots of dead squirrels. CCI Stingers are lots of fun and accurate enough for any hunting scenario regarding Rats, Squirrels, Chipmunks, and thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels. Shooting at an Adult Woodchuck with a .22 rimfire is akin to shooting at one with a .177 caliber through .22 caliber Air Rifle. It can actually be done, but never pretty. This is why .22 caliber centerfires were designed. Cliffy

 

[Dookie]

Dookie,

Those look really nice ..... what did you fire them into? I'd like to do some similar comparisons with my 22 ammo.

I used a big ol' laundry detergent jug, had three or four of them lying around. I shot about four into each, making my way down.
CCI mini mags sailed right on through.
I really wish PMC would make the Zapper hollow points again, best shooting and great hitting.
MIL-DOT is correct about the Feds, I used to buy them until they went over the price of blazers, not in WW, but at the regular stores.
cliffy. I hear what you are saying about the velocitors, love them.

 

[rangerruck]

first off, don't use remington, or cci bulk; trust us!
federal and winchester bulk could be top notch for you, you just have to see.
Now then, the best ammo's go something like this, in no particular order
you will just have to buy one box of each, of each diff kind, by each diff
mfgr;
Eley(also Aguila, golden eagle)
rws
dynamit nobel
cci
wolf(also sk, lapua and ?)
remington(orange box and yellow box, made by eley)
and a sleeper; red box American Eagle, Federal's cheapy line.
Federal-diff types
winchester-diff types.

Generally , those first 5 will be tops, though the cheapy american eagle
is a real sleeper. check this 100 yds group, through a marlin mod 60
wwith a Barska 6x24 scope. It is a 5 shot group, with one flyer!

 

[ftierson]

The 'best' .22LR ammo varies over time by manufacturer and, within manufacturers, by lot number...

The only thing that you can really do to guarantee the 'best' ammo is to buy several different types and, when you find one that works really well, go back and buy a bunch of it...

Forrest

 

[NotSoFast]

Each gun is different. I just picked up my Savage Mark II FV today and the dealer recommended I try several different brands to see which is the most accurate in my gun.

I also have an Advantage Arms conversion and it only works reliably with high velocity rounds. CCI Mini-Mags work great and I am about to try the Remington Golden Bullet 36 gr. in it next - as well as in the Savage.

So buy a box of several different brands and try them all. All you can do is have fun.

 

[sarduy]

i use the Federal Gold Pack 550, and i have about 10,000 rounds of it

 

[Dookie]

first off, don't use remington, or cci bulk; trust us!

Why should we trust you?
Best is subjective, for most people who shoot a box of golden bullets, blazers, xperts, fed 550's are the best. Why? Because they are cheap, fun to shoot, and can hit the pop can nearly every time.
For others the best is a good hunting round, mini mags, yellow jackets, velocitors.
And then you have the target crowd who need the best for them, and that is a very good quality $20 box of Tenex or RWS Match.

If you hit what you are aiming at, and it makes you happy, that is the best.

And I like American eagle, but no matter how good that group is, it's still a flyer, called or not, it's how big your group is. You show me proof on the same piece of paper that AE will group like that multiple times in a row, and I will convert.

 

[Afy]

I use any of these dependent on what I trying to do out of my Cz.

 

[dirty habit]

My little 1400? Anschutz loves CCI Minimags and my silenced 10/22 only ever gets Winchester Subs through it. Both real accurate rifles but the Anschutz is spooky with how good it is...and the Minimags knock the rabbits and magpies for 6...

 

[9mmepiphany]

i usually start any new .22 with minimags becasue they've always bee very consitent for me.

if the gun shows promise, i'll try it with some Wolf Match

 

[cliffy]

If MiniMags were all that was available . . .

CCI makes the best .22 LR Rimfires available, but MiniMags aren't necessarily the end-all of accuracy. CCI Stingers have their place, as do CCI Velocitors. Velocitors are accurate, powerful, and designed to pop squirrels. Eley Ammo frightens my rifle, due to its dubious quality primers. Fragmented glass does not belong in primers! How does this aid accuracy? CCI has the real key to accuracy, although I don't reload rimfires. Give me a .223 Remington case, and I'll reload it to better than factory specs. One gets what one gets with .22 Long Rifle Rimfires! Love those premium CCIs! Cliffy

 

[deerhunter61]

Thank YOU!

I want to thank each of you for your feedback and also to ask you to keep it coming! I played golf as my hobby for a long time and unfortunatley due to arthritis decided it was time to look for a different hobby. I have hunted for quite a few years and just this past December started reloading for my hunting riflles. It was only this past Saturday when I bought the CZ 452 and then on Sunday took it to the range to sight it in and then shoot it a little did I realize just how much fun it is to shoot 22lr. So I am a novice and need all the help I can get. I love to shoot as well as possible with each gun I own.

I do not own a target rifle. Of all of the long guns I do own 2 are shotguns, 1 is a Mosin, 3 are 22 LR and the rest are hunting rifles. Again that being said I simply love to shoot each gun as good as the gun is capable of shooting. So any feedback you can give that will help me shoot these guns better the more I like it!

Thanks!

 

[rangerruck]

No, dookie, I still disagree with you through more than anecqdotal evidence. I have fired at this point so many over 100,000 rounds by now, I just don't count any more. Remington bulk and cci bulk are the worst, hands down. also remington ammo is generally the worst loaded as far as crimping goes, is the most inconsistent in speeds, and is generally the dirtiest, along with cci blazer, coming in next. Go over to the rimfirecentral croud and ask, this will be the answers you get, from dudes who have been in the rimfire game, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. i myself test out 22's regularly and i have proly over 100 diff types of 22 , having boxes of every type of Aguila, eley, remmy, cci, and others that are made, and I keep up this type of inventory at all times. I test out rifle types of all diff models, at diff ranges, not only for myself, but for friends, and others at the range. I test out their rifles as well. I TELL them what works best, it is not triumph of the subjective.
Those ammos that I have recommended are over 80% 0f the time, the best working ,and most accurate rounds. Remmy bulk and their other variants are generally the worst, stinkiest and dirtiest. Time and time again, through rifles I test, or through other's testimony on RFC, they will say, " you know, I was really surprised by American Eagle ammo..."
So trust me, I would not lie to anyone here, or steer them wrong, and want to send you to proly the ammo that will work best , for 90% or more of the people here, without wasting a bunch of money, or making their rifles a complete muck farm , in the action and bore.

even with that flyer, that group is still an inch, at 100 yds; lemme show you some of the other groups , with the other ammos i was talking about.








the above two are remmy box, made by eley.



these were all done the same day, with the same mod 60.
all at 100 yds.
this is but a fraction of the ammo that I shot that day, these are just some of the best groups. generally i go through a minimum of 50 diff types of ammo per day, when I am
testing.
usually when i test ammo, this is how i do it, with all test rifles, and spend a whole day, or two doing so.
This is typical, of these ammos' pictured, be they best, or close to it, with all rifles I am testing,
for family , friends, range folks, or what not, whatever rifles they bring me.
Notice there is no good pics of remmy bulk, cci bulk, or any of the individual remmy ammos.

 

[kamagong]

I also have a CZ 452. It's the only rifle I own at the moment.

The primary appeal (for me) of the .22lr is the ability to pull the trigger for a couple of pennies. So I use Federal Bulk. True, it's not match accurate. But it's inexpensive and accurate enough for my purposes.