Interceptor vs AR Tactical vs Greentag

[tech30528]

So, here's the matchup:

Aguila Interceptor
40 gn solid
1470 FPS

CCI AR Tactical
40 gn solid
1200 FPS

CCI Greentag
40 gn solid
1070 FPS

Two different rifles. Although similiar in that they are both 10 22s with nearly identical internals (both outfitted with improved firing pin, hammer spring and 2 3/4 pound trigger setups, one is an adjustable overtravel, the other is not, the difference is barely noticable) the major difference is the barrels. One is a Majestic Arms 17" 1:16 twist aluminum, the other is a custom 16.5" 1:20 twist aluminum made by Clint Beyer of Beyer Barrels. They both wear 6x24 scopes, one a Barska, the other a BSA.

Originally the idea behind the custom twist was to slow down the spin on some of the newer hypervelocity smaller bullets and Stingers. That testing is still ongoing. But for today I wanted to test the Interceptors against my favorite bulk, the AR Tactical. I was interested to see how the faster round would group and to see if there would be any significant difference in grouping between the two barrels. The Greentags were thrown in to extend any trending curves should there prove to be any. one thing going for us today as a sort of control is that all three bullets are the same weight and type.

Ok. First, I weigh my bullets. Yeah, I know, a little obsessive, but if it can be assumed that the bullet castings are the same and the casings and primer load are consistant than any difference in weight could be atributed to powder load which will translate to speed variables. A while back in a different series of tests I determined that in high velocity 22LR a difference of just 55 FPS equates to 1 MOA in vertical stringing. Think about that. That's a lot of change. And it has been proven over and over again. I routinely change ammo and calculate the speed difference, make a scope adjustment and continue to stay in the red. However, in this test I threw in the GTs almost as an afterthought and didn't get to weigh them. I figured I would let them stand on their own as a "competition" ammo. But I did weigh the ARs and the Interceptors, and here is what I found.

 

[tech30528]

So in weighing the Interceptors I found that they were pretty consistant. They were spread out a bit farther than most rimfires I've measured, but not by much and the extremes were slight. However, it was enough that if you just shot them out of a box you might see some pretty good vertical stringing. I definitely recommend a small digital scale for anyone trying to tighten up their groups. They are cheap (mine was about $20) and are definitely worth it. Out of 500, here is how they spread out in weight by grain.

51.3 7
51.4 4
51.5 14
51.6 173
51.7 169
51.8 82
51.9 33
52.0 15
52.1 2
52.3 1

A little wider than most. I find with the AR Tacticals there will typically be 6-7 groups, about the same for Stingers. These are both CCI. The SuperMax bullets I've tested spread out abou the same as the Interceptors do, perhaps telling of the quality of the two company's production standards. So let's get to the targets. These were all shot today at 100 yards off of a pair of shooter's bags in prone position. There was occasionally a light breeze, but while the shooting position is exposed the target is down a wooded firing lane and is pretty well protected.

 

[tech30528]

First we have the Interceptors. There are 4 targets here. The first is with the 1:16 barrel as it was set up (it had been loaned out, no telling what it was set at when I got it back), the second is after a scope adjustment. The third is the 1:20 barrel, again as it was set up (was last used for Stingers at 100 yards) and the second after a scope adjustment.






The Interceptors seemed to have shot a little tighter in the slower twist barrel. Not by a lot, and they did reasonably well in the standard 1:16 twist barrel.

 

[tech30528]

Next we have the AR Tactical. Same deal here, first the 1:16 barrel as it was after the last round with the Interceptors, then adjusted. Then the 1:20 barrel as it was and then adjusted.






The AR Tactical was tighter than the Interceptor out of both barrels, but seemed to do better out of the 1:16 barrel.

 

[tech30528]

Next we have the Green Tag. Remember, I did not weigh this ammo, it is straight out of the box. Although in previous testing with subsonic ammo, it tested third out of 6 kinds losing to Eley EPS, and Midas Gold, but doing better than RWS, Wolf Match, and Eley Sport. Same deal, 1:16 barrel as it was, 1:16 adjusted followed buy 1:20 barrel as it was and 1:20 adjusted. Note, I overadjusted the last set. I was in the middle of adjusting the scope when my son walked by, said "Oh hi Dad" and inadvertently kicked my foot. So that set is high. Pay no attention to the center, just the group.






The 1:16 barrel again seemed to do a little better. In case you are wondering , the reason for building the 1:20 barrel in the first place was the idea that the horrible grouping I was getting with very fast and small bullets out of a 1:16 barrel was due to over spinning. Here you see that although all three of the these bullets are the same size, the two slower ones did better in the "normal" twist barrel while the faster ones did better in the slower twist barrel. But overall, not a bad showing for the Interceptor. I still have a few and will continue to test with them in pistols and different distances, but I'll stick to my AR Tacticals. I order them 1500 at a time from Cabelas, they come with a dry box for under $100. IIRC the Intercepors were a little more expensive, but not by much. I'd be interested to see how it does as a hunting round if someone would like to pick up where I am leaving off.

 

[tech30528]

But wait, there's more. I know how some of you guys like those high count targets for more consistant groups. I had intended to shoot two targets with 50 each, but only had 60 left of that weight so I shot 30 with each. These are AR Tacticals shot from both barrels. BTW thru this whole test I used a single 10 round magazine, so each of these has two stops for reloads. Enjoy, been fun playing.

 

[Sky]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

[hardluk1]

Should try them at 50 to 75 yards. The CCI AR will go sub sonic about 75 yards. The agulla may make it to 100 yards before going subsonic and makeing the bullets unstable. Is this also a barrel test?? Try some better match grade ammo to check the barrels, atleast the 1-16 barrel. wolf/sk federal 911b. These should shoot around 3/4" or less at 100 yards if the barrels are up to snuff. Is the 1-20 barrel useing a stringer chamber too? If yes try stingers and agullas supermax at 1750fps. Both at 100 yards will stay hypersonic. The supermax will shoot under 1" at 100 yards in a savage fb i have, not so with the stringers. not so. .

 

[tech30528]

Just weighed out my remaining 240 or so Green Tags in anticipation of shooting this month's bug shoot. They came in from 51.6 gn to 51.1 gn. Separated them by weight, we'll see how that works out this weekend.

 

[tech30528]

Here is the breakdown:

50.6. 10
50.7. 26
50.8. 71
50.9. 44
51.0. 69
51.1. 22

So I guess that's 242.

 

[tech30528]

Discovered something interesting yesterday. The combination of 1470 FPS and a 40 grain bullet means they punch holes thrum 1 1/2 steel drums at 25 yards. Most 22 rounds stay in the first barrel with a few punching their way out. But these are going thru 3 layers of steel every time.

 

[Sky]

Discovered something interesting yesterday. The combination of 1470 FPS and a 40 grain bullet means they punch holes thrum 1 1/2 steel drums at 25 yards. Most 22 rounds stay in the first barrel with a few punching their way out. But these are going thru 3 layers of steel every time.

I have not shot the 1470 fps only the 1740 but yes it makes sense....I posted in another thread that when using the 1740 fps Aquila that you basically had to re-zero if another type .22 ammo was to be used. Big difference between flight characteristics of the Aquila 1740 and the normal Federal 550 bulk box or CCI.

 

[tech30528]

I've tried the SuperMax on that, both the hollowpoints and the solid. Neither of them were really that spectacular although about half of the solids will break through the other side of the barrel. The 60 grain ones are moving too slow. But the combination of a 40 grain bullet and hot powder did more than I thought it could.