Done with Rem Thunderbolt. For real this time!

[Caliper_Mi]

OK, so I've sworn off Remington Thunderbolt ammo for the last time! I have never liked it that much, but have been lured back by $1.50/box ammo sales now and then. :banghead: Well, this last batch I got is the most inconsistent I have experienced (and that is saying something!)

I was plinking with my Ruger 22/45 in between testing various hand loads at the range yesterday and had a darn-near squib round. I shot the round, heard no report and could see the bullet as it went to the target, then bounced off. The bullets path had a visible arc in just 15yd, like a weak airsoft pistol or something. Tried to find the bullet, but it was lost in the sand somewhere... The empty case was still in the chamber with the hammer down. In a rifle, I'm pretty sure that this would have been a squib.

In addition to this near-dud round, I had 1-2 rounds in every mag with a noticably weak report or a dud. Just very, very sad. For the slight extra cost, I really am sticking to CCI Blazers now that have never given me a single weak round or dud!

 

[45_auto]

Every .22 I own (about a half dozen pistols and a dozen rifles of various brands) loves the cheap Federal bulk .22 ammo, $15/550 at Wal-mart. Never had any problem at all with it.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

I agree with 45 Auto. My Marlin shoots it all just fine. Doesn't matter what it is.

 

[Furncliff]

For Christmas every year I ask for a brick of some expensive target rimfire. It's a real treat and can be an eye opener for your guns true potential. It doesn't need to be super expensive like the Lapua. Wolf Match Target or SK Standard Plus or their pistol rounds, maybe CCI Green Tag, they all work really well.

 

[ball3006]

Remington 22 ammo is good for at least three duds out of a box of 100. Once you understand that, all the rest falls into place. The cheap line of Federal works just fine for me and is accurate too.....chris3

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I remember Remington from the 1960s as good .22 ammo. The decline of Remington .22 ammo is sad. maybe they need to replace some worn out machinery, or hire back some operators who know what their doing, or both. My last .22 LR purchases though have been CCI Stinger, Aguila SSS, Winchester SuperX and the only bargain bulk pack was Federal.

 

[bergmen]

A few months ago I took the kids to the range for a .22 blast-a-thon. We had other guns with us but we wanted to shoot all of our .22's mostly.

We had Federal and Remington bricks. I always specialized in Federal but Remington became more available after the .22 ammo drought.

Anyway, only with the Remingtons we were getting occasional weak muzzle reports and FTF's. I stood at attention and made sure we didn't have any lead plugs in bores (it was me and 3-4 of my kids).

After one of the FTF's, my step-son pried the bullet off to have a look-see. What we found was interesting:

A good solid dent in the rim-

At the point of firing pin strike, no priming compound-

It's a little hard to see but there is a "C" shaped coating of priming compound and a good sized gap right where the rim dent is.

I still shoot the Remingtons I have left (conscious of failures) but won't buy any more.

Dan

 

[Odd Job]

I was done with them the first day I tried them.
The only thing I have tried which is worse is Magtech (for .22LR).

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I tend to reload misfires like that so the firing pin strikes opposite the first dent. Most of them do go bang second time around. I just don't like handling cartridges with dented primers after a misfire. Even after counting to thirty.

 

[Ky Larry]

Remington won't fix there rimfire ammo as long as they are selling all they can make. If it sits on the shelf, they will fix it. I won't buy any more until they improve their Q.C.

 

[bergmen]

Remington won't fix there rimfire ammo as long as they are selling all they can make. If it sits on the shelf, they will fix it. I won't buy any more until they improve their Q.C.

And if they do, they need to publicly announce that they have. Otherwise the company gets scratched off my list permanently.

If they handle their ammo line the same way they have handled the Marlington/Remlin issue, they are doomed.

Dan

 

[whetrock]

I gave up on Remington's 22lr ammo a while back. Now I use CCI Blazer nearly religously in all of my 22's it's by far the best bulk ammo I've found.

 

[Vaarok]

It's bulkpack 22 ammo. It also happens to be the most accurate of all the bulkpack in several of my rifles, and the only stuff that reliably cycles my Erma EM-1. I buy a brick, pour it into a jar, and burn through it. It's not self-defense ammo, misfires are two whole cents, it's about as accurate as anything else, and they usually go off a second time around. I don't worry too much about it.

 

[CharlesT]

I use CCI Blazer almost exclusively. It works well in everything. Even a super picky High Standard.

I can get 5000 rounds for $170 from my LGS so....... WIN!

 

[FROGO207]

I gave up on the REM .22 about 4 years ago. Nothing runs worse in any of my .22's. The thing is I had a brick if old Thunderbolts that were about 15 or so years old. So I shot some of them recently and they were more accurate than the CCI's or the Lapua that I like now. I am sad that such a fine company has gone down the tubes so to speak as of late.:banghead:

 

[bannockburn]

I was done with Remington rimfire ammo years ago when I was getting 5 to 6 duds per 10 round magazine. Totally useless ammo.

 

[Clipper]

It's also the dirtiest ammo I've ever used. After a couple of boxes, my MKII was so packed with crud I needed a dental pic to remove it from the corners of the barrel/reciever joint.

 

[Micro]

I bought a brick 'cuz it was cheap. I figured, "it's Remington, it has to be at least okay." Not so. It is filthy ammo. My Marlin Model 60 jammed frquently on it. I shot one and a half boxes out of the brick then put the rest of the brick in the "misfire" bin at my club.

.22LR is too inexpensive to buy cheap stuff. I now shoot only CCI Mini Mags. Its consistent, reliable, extremely clean, and nothing I own jams with it. At a little over $6 for 100 rounds, it's still cheap.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I've been shooting Remington Golden Bullet bulk for over 25 years, in about 15 separate guns(autos, bolts, levers) I've probably gone through 10 or more 500 round cartons and can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of duds I've had....plenty accurate for me as well.

Switched to CCI Blazer because it is cheaper in my area...just as accurate too.

 

[Red Cent]

You learn fast to not use Rem ammo in fast shooting competition. Very unreliable.

Agree with Federal bulk. My 10-22s and the MKIII love 'em.

 

[Marlin60Man]

They jam a good bit in my Model 60 and are insanely dirty, but other than that they are a lot better in my experience than the Federal Champion bulk when it comes to cosistency in shots.

Still pretty crappy though. I'm probably going to get some Mini-Mags next but I've still got a brick of thunderbolts

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble with Thunderbolt. A couple of my MK Targets don't care for it. I have a 10/22 that will feed it, but shoots the worst groups with it when compared to the other bulk stuff. Now, I do have a Colt semi-auto rifle that eats it like candy and will shoot tight groups with it...I always say I won't ever buy anymore Thunderbolt, but end up bringing home a bulk box when it is on sale for cheap.

 

[JohnnyK]

Thunderbolt SUCKS! I bought 1 brick.... no more!

 

[igousigloo]

I see Remington on the downhill slide almost everywhere I look!

 

[Hypnogator]

I Feel Your Pain

I bought a brick of Thunderbolts -- wish now I hadn't.



Third time wasn't charm for this one! I had 4 failures to fire out of the first box of 50 rds in my Ruger MkIII. Three of them fired the second time. This one didn't.

Moreover, had a good half dozen "ploops" that caused jams instead of "bangs".

Not real pleased with the brick of Winchester Wildcats I bought from Cabela's (great wooden box with them, though), but they're ultra-reliable compared to the Thunderbolts.

Needless to say, will use both the Thunderbolts and Wildcats for range fodder, will carry CCI Mini-Mags for desert use.