Had a jam fest with .22’s today.

[Riomouse911]

I took my 1988- vintage Iver Johnson TP-22, SIG Sauer Mosquito, Browning 1911-22 compact and Glock 44 to the range today, along with a 325 round box of Federal Auto Match 40 gr RN.

I heartily admit that the TP can sometimes be picky with anything other than high speed .22 LR rounds, and today it showed it. Constant FTF, half-in-chamber stoppages, weak ejection and numerous multiple-strikes to fire. (I found three cases, I must’ve had 15. One was a three-peat.) I think I will do a full re-spring on this gun, I think it could use it.

The SIG, which is usually a gun that doesn’t jam, had issues with the Auto Match, too. Lots of weak ejection issues with cases almost falling out of the ejection port, the slide only locked open once on the last shot, two or three failures to catch the next round from the magazine, two FTF needing an re-strike, etc.

Browning had two weak fires that didn’t cycle the slide all the way and left the rounds in the mag, Glock only had one. Several weak ejections that hardly cleared my hands.

I fired the whole box of 325 just to be rid of it.

I didn’t shoot my best, the TP I only shot at 5 yards because the “sights” are non existent indoors. The others I shot at ten. I chunked a first shot with the SIG way low, the rest were ok-ish. The browning and Glock shot today about as well as usual. (No bullseye shooter, I!)

Are Auto Match rounds really this bad? I get it it’s bulk ammo, but if I was in a match with these turds I would run away. I was actually wishing I brought more reliable Thunderbolts or Wildcats with me!

Of course the guy two lanes over blasting away with a 16” AR-10 .308 with a side-discharging comp did his best to ruin the day for everyone around him, so between the jam fest in my hands, and the pressure waves from the comp, I couldn’t wait to pack up. (If he had shot better than his 6”-8” groups at 18 yards I might have felt better about having my fillings loosened. The guy flat stunk behind that rifle, period.)

Again, is Auto Match really Auto Crap?

Stay safe.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I've not noticed Auto Match being particularly bad, no worse than regular Federal red box or Wolf Gold. Certainly, it's performed better for me than WWB or Aguila.

Now the TP-22 I had was a hopeless POS, so Im kinda shocked that yours seems to perform well with HV rounds.....
The Mosquito also has a bad rep for wearing out prematurely and becoming a brick. I forget exactly what the issue was with them, but
Im sure you can probably find several threads here on the subject.

 

[Hillbilly Hydrographics]

I shoot them all the time in my semi auto rifles but only have revolver handguns in 22 which they run fine in. I cant speak on reliable function from semi auto pistols. For most part they all go bang for me even in my semi rifles. You might catch a dud or 2 in a 325 round box but i take that to be normal loss on bulk box rimfire ammo. All my shooters prefer and shoot best with remington thunderbolt even though its messy but i can get the 325 round packs of the automatch at local wally world so i grab a box or 2 everytime i have to go in there.

 

[Bwana John]

Again, is Auto Match really Auto Crap?

20 years ago Federal Auto Match was my go to for both semi auto pistol, and relatively accurate 22 bolt rifle.

The last box I bought didn’t even work thru a auto pistol, and showed abysmal accuracy in a bolt rifle

 

[Gordon]

Auto Match works great on suppressed good quality guns that don't have intrinsic issues. It is barely sub sonic out of 4-6" barrel with occasion crack from the later length. Suppressors lengthen the firing impulse so that helps I think . The ammo was designed for reduced recoil in rapid fire target matches .

 

[1-cavediver]

Federal Auto Match used to be decent but it has become a garbage bulk pack now. We have constant low power loads that won’t cycle for crap. I find Remington Thunderbolt and Remington Golden bulk packs are far more reliable. CCI Blazer 525 round bulk is pretty much 100% reliable in all our semi pistols and rifles and is my go to round. .

 

[9mmepiphany]

The only luck I've ever had with AutoMatch has been in a Ruger Mark II...everything else gets fed CCI MiniMag, except the S&W M-41

I've never seen a SIG Mosquito run through a whole box of ammo other than CCI MiniMags...that's what the factory recommended at the time

 

[sigarms228]

I shoot Automatch that I bought from Walmart 2-3 years ago and it shoots great for me, reliable and accurate in my Browning Buckmark, SW M&P 22 Compact, Marlin 99, and Ruger 22. It is a bit softer load however than CCI Mini Mags and such though.

Wichester Wildcat is the worst I have ever tried with frequent failures to fire with the firearms listed above though what fired was accurate. I think I bought from a Winchester bad batch that had poor priming and may have been a more isolated case, I don't know. On the other hand I have had pretty good luck with Winchester bulk pack 333 including excellent accuracy.

I do like to keep the chambers clean on my 22 rimfire firearms.

 

[TinNePa]

I’ve had nothing but good luck with the automatch. If any of my 22s choke on ammo, I put some automatch in them and they run fine. All my boxes are at least a few years old, butI recently bought some new that I’ll have to try.

My father in law had a hell of a time with a box of Browning 22, to the point where he threw the box on my table and said to try it out. I emptied the box with no issues in my own guns.

 

[Riomouse911]

Thanks for the input. I remember when Auto Match had a great rep with rimfire gun-gamers and this string of duds and wildly inconsistent performance was a surprise to me.

Today was sort of a “junior gun” day, shooting the rimfire versions of other guns. I haven’t fired a shot through the TP or the Mosquito in ages, I have so many other options that these two have fallen to the bottom of the rimfire handgun totem pole. It was a fun exercise to dust them off and put some shots through them, even with the jams and lack of consistency.

Stay safe.

 

[Riomouse911]

I’ve had nothing but good luck with the automatch. If any of my 22s choke on ammo, I put some automatch in them and they run fine. All my boxes are at least a few years old, butI recently bought some new that I’ll have to try.

My father in law had a hell of a time with a box of Browning 22, to the point where he threw the box on my table and said to try it out. I emptied the box with no issues in my own guns.

Yes, that stuff is NOT good. It jammed in my Browning auto-22, my Glock 44 and was tough to insert in my S&W revolvers. I definitely will not buy those again!

Stay safe.

 

[drband]

Last box of auto match I had was jamming every other round in my Remington 550-1. I wrote Federal CS with the lot # and they sent me a check to replace the whole box.

 

[tominboise]

I got rid of the automatch I had, after I had a similar experience in a couple of Ruger MKII's. Life's too short to deal with that. I won't buy anymore - the boxes I had I bought from PSA several years ago during the rimfire shortage, so maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[Gumby0961]

I got rid of the automatch I had, after I had a similar experience in a couple of Ruger MKII's. Life's too short to deal with that. I won't buy anymore - the boxes I had I bought from PSA several years ago during the rimfire shortage, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Funny I had the same problem today with my Ruger MkII. It was having the same problems you described, and usually never jams. I think she needs a good bath, at least accuracy was ok

 

[SterlingBullet]

people have been complaining about Auto Match on several forums in the last year.

 

[jstert]

Last box of auto match I had was jamming every other round in my Remington 550-1. I wrote Federal CS with the lot # and they sent me a check to replace the whole box.

i too called and then wrote federal about its lousy 22lr automatch ammo. enclosed copies of box and walmart receipt. never got a reply. automatch is indeed autocrap.

 

[hemiram]

I have one 325 round box of Automatch in my pile of .22. I had two and the first one was just awful. We ended up shooting it in revolvers and except for the dud every other cylinder (one out of about 18-20 rounds), it didn't push us into just leaving it for someone to "score". We were checking barrels a lot in case one of the bullets decided to stay after it was supposed to leave. We didn't have any, but we did have a fair number of bullets exit the barrel at such a slow speed they barely made it 30 feet before they hit the ground. My "golden bullet" experience was about the same level of bad. It's going to be interesting to see what is good and bad about the half dozen or so boxes of different brand .22LR I have to shoot.

 

[wnycollector]

I only use Automatic in my revolvers and Marlin 795 rifle. Both my Ruger Mk3's, Beretta M9 22 and Sig P250 22 choke on it. I bought a case cheap at Walmart and I'm slowly going through it. I find Blazer to be much more consistent in all of my 22's.

 

[PzGren]

I had bought bought a couple dozen bulk packs of AutoMatch a little over a year ago and had no more problems with it than cheap bulk packs usually give. I expect 3 to 5% needing more than one strike with half not firing at all. When I can find Geco Pistol I buy that as training ammo.

 

[1KPerDay]

It’s sad to see Federal quality drop. Automatch used to be a go-to. Last couple boxes I’ve tried are as bad as Winchester garbage. I don’t buy it anymore.

 

[Charlie98]

CCI

I don't shoot a lot of .22... not anymore, anyway. Part of that is because of substandard ammo I've tried to shoot, turning my firearms into Jammomatics regardless, including my normal favorite Remington Viper HV, which I used to buy by the case. The one holdout on .22LR ammo is CCI... which I never have problems with. Yea, it costs a little more, but it certainly makes a shooting session more enjoyable not having to fight the ammo.

 

[Riomouse911]

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with it, I thought it was odd how badly these performed. I remember people loving these rounds, that’s why I grabbed some when I saw them recently. Looks like this, and the Browning stuff, will be a no-buy for me.

Blazer is a surprisingly good round in almost all of my .22’s, in a few it is a bit more accurate than CCI SV. I am down to maybe 300 left of those. I saw some Thursday at the Sportsman’s Warehouse, they opened one last year about ten miles from me. It was $49.99/500, but I didn’t really want to spend another $55 bucks (tax!) to put another brick on the shelf to sit while I work my way through the stash.

Stay safe.

 

[bannockburn]

When Auto Match first came out I found it to be a decent quality .22 and a notch or two above most bulk pack ammo. But after awhile I started seeing a lot more dud rounds than I use to and accuracy was not all that great either. Gave some of it away to the kids and haven't used it since.

My two top .22 performers are Wolf Match Target and CCI MiniMags.

 

[doubleh]

Auto match used to be fairly good but several years ago I decided Federal started putting their ordinary bulk ammo into an auto match box and you got fewer rounds for more money. The only 22 ammo I have found worse is anything with the Winchester name.

I used to really like Remington GBs and then they turned into total junk. Supposedly that problem has been taken care of and I bought one 100 round box to try out which I haven't managed to do yet.

 

[thunderbyrd]

it must be 22 crapout season. took my colt-walther 1911-22 out to shoot the other day for the 1st time in about a year and got about every kind of malfunction there is. i was shooting what i assume is called remington golden bullets. i had no CCI with me, just remington stuff. it was awful.

i have found several brands of 22lr that work well, but the only one i really trust is cci minimags, either 36 or 40.