match .22lr options

[proven]

so i headed to the range today to try out several different .22lr options of match grade ammo. i had a few different boxes of locally procured ammo trying to see what my rifle liked the best before i order in bulk.

the rifle used was a cz455 varmint.
dip 25 moa base
seekins precision low rings
swfa ss10x42 sf
dip aluminum magwell
harris swivel 6-9 bipod
triad stock pack
trigger is factory but i have a yodave kit waiting and can't decide between tha or just dropping in a timney



the ammos tested were all 40gr lead round nose. sk biathlon, wolf mt, eley team, and lapua center x.



first, i apologize for not taking pics of the tagets. i didn't think of writing this until after the fact, and there weren't any real standouts anyway. all groups were shot at 50 yards from a bipod and rear wedge bag. conditions were mid 80s with 5-10 mph winds from the southwest (half value). all five shots were shot in a comfortable cadence and typically under a minute unless waiting for a lull in the wind.

although all easily held groups under .75 inches and closer to .5, i was not impressed with the lapua center x. i've read some great things about this ammo and yet it cost the same as the others and didn't have quite as tight of groups.

the wolf is great ammo for the money. at roughly half the cost of the others it held it's own just fine. my only complaint is it had more "flyers" than the rest, so it loses a point for consistency.

the sk biathlon and the eley team were a tie. both held the tightest groups of the day often with three or four shots through the same hole and touching the rest. i couldn't choose one over the other at this point, and will have to try them both again.

if you can put up with the flyers (perhaps 1 in 15) the wolf is a great choice for practice. i shot this out to 300 yards with great results.

however, the consistency of the sk and eley are much nicer. alas, you pay for it.

next time i'll take pics of the targets and try to find a clear winner, or at least have fun trying

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

the YoDave kit worked well for me on my 455 American. playing with the action screw torques really woke the rifle up for me. i found a refurbished Utica torque-driver on ebay that seems to do a good job.

that rifle provided me several pans of squirrel and gravy last year.

 

[TonyAngel]

proven, I am into my second season of shooting a couple of local precision rimfire matches. I shoot a customized Remington 40X with a Jewel trigger in a McMillan stock. Not tooting my horn or anything, but my rifle is a real shooter and I get many offers from guys trying to take it off of my hands.

The first thing that you have to know is that all of those types of ammunition that you used can vary greatly from lot to lot.

What you have discovered regarding Wolf Match Target is right on. It is good ammunition that does usually shoot well, with each different lot characterized by the number of fliers that you'll see on average from a box. The fliers can also be characterized by how far they fly out. We are just finishing up getting rid of a horrible lot of Wolf that was actually showing every other box or so having up to around 4 rounds that would drop an 1" or more at 50 yards. We just started a new lot, but I missed the match and don't know the lot number, but I got reports that it shot very well.

Personally, I think that the best bang for the buck ammunition for times when it really matters has been Eley Black Box. If you call a retailer like Killough Shooting Supply, they'll sell you a test brick containing 10 different lot numbers. Find the one that your rifle likes and order as much as you can afford; but like I said, this is for when it really matters. At $130 a brick, it ain't exactly plinking ammo.

For practice or having fun, I burn up a lot of Wolf and SK Standard Plus. They're both the same ammo. I don't know of anyone that takes the time to notice lot numbers for ordering purposes, so the only advise I can give is that when you find a lot that shoots well, get a case of it.

Otherwise, when I'm just going out and doing non precise shooting for fun at things like golf balls at 100 yards, I just use CCI Standard Velocity. I look for it in the paper boxes and it can be had for around $5 per 100.

I've also found that a lot of ammo that shoots well at 50 doesn't necessarily shoot well at 100 and vice versa. For 50 yard matches, when I can bring my own ammo, I shoot ammo in the 1060 fps range. For 100 yards and out, I try to find stuff as close to 1100 fps as I can, while staying subsonic. If you shop eley at places that pay attention to lot numbers, they will have the lot number and velocity spec for the ammo.

Just as a point of reference, so that you know my perspective, when testing ammo at 50 yards, I'm looking for a lot that will shoot 1/4" groups at 50 yards all of the time. At 100, I'm looking for ammo that will shoot 1" almost all of the time. At 200 yards, I'm looking for near MOA most of the time. My qualification of 1/4" at 50 "all of the time" is because it's really pretty easy to shoot that at 50 when you're just practicing because there's no pressure and on a mild day reading the wind isn't that difficult.

When you get out too 100 and beyond, reading the wind becomes exponentially more difficult, so I have to settle for "most of the time." I'm just not that good with shooting a rimfire that far in an outside environment.

 

[proven]

thanks for the info on killough shooting supply, tonyangel! i understand the importance of lot numbers, just wanted to see if there were any standouts among these that are locally available. the prices on these locally were better than i could find online, so i figured if i could find a standout, i'd head back to the shop and buy it up.

it's intersting to hear about eh wolf flyers. most of the ones i had were .75" away from the rest of the shots. and interestingly, the wolf shot better at 100yds than the eley with a 5 shot group just over an inch.

it's amazing how much more the wind affects your shot from 50 yards to 100 and beyond. i try to do my best at reading the wind, but have a ways to go. especially beyond 100. 300 yards was quite challenging.

neuservrrat, playing with the torque specs does seem to offer some variance. what have you found to be the sweet spot? most seem to like about 20 -25 in/lbs. the yo dave kit may get installed, but i'd like to find out if the timney has the same grooved shoe as the timney on my 700. i'd be sold if it did. honestly the factory trigger is pretty decent. breaks clean with just a bit of creep.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

so far, the best groups have come with 20 in-lbs on each screw. i'm still tweaking on it. i can't bring myself to buy the high dollar ammo like you competitive shooters. minute of squirrel head is good enough for me and it'll do even better than that.

i would like to put the DIP heavy bottom metal on mine. always seems to be backordered and is pretty pricey.

 

[TonyAngel]

proven, you might want to check out the rimfire section at sniper's hide. You'll have to do a bit of searching, but there's a guy that got his CZ shooting really well; although it did include the replacement of the stock barrel with a Lilja.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

that's a good point. the new offerings from Lilja for the 455 are very exciting and barrel replacement couldn't be any easier than on the 455.

 

[velocette]

Something to note, Wolf, SK and Lapua are all made by Lapua. (read the label on the box)
The Wolf Std + & Match extra and the Wolf match & std are all made on the same machines & are all exactly the same. The difference between the SK or Wolf match ammo & the less expensive of their offerings is Lot # testing.
the match stuff shows slightly more consistency by lot. It is still the same but that lot # tested slightly better.
As far as fliers are concerned, ALL .22 rf ammo has fliers. Some brands more than others, but they all have 'em. (I've seen the oblong hole in the target shot during a smallbore match with Eley Tenex)
That said, the best ammo I ever used is Eley Match, black box. Consistently it shoots best in every .22 rf rifle I own. (5 of them) I have not used Eley Tenex as I cannot afford to pay that much for .22 ammo.

Roger

 

[Pete D.]

Ammo

May I suggest that you try a few more brands and types. Whenever I get a new .22, be it a rifle or pistol, I try as many brands and types as I can afford, at least a dozen. From budget .22s at $5/100 to high end stuff at ten times that. Whatever I can afford. Maybe you will never shoot the expensive stuff again but it is nice to know how your gun will do with it.
Pete

 

[proven]

velocette, well i'll be. they are all marked the same. the sk leads are a slightly lighter gret than the lapua and the wolf (which look identical). the eley leads are lighter also, much the same as the sk, but with a different head stamp, obviously.

as for flyers, i'm sure no brand is immune, but with the wolf they were apparent rather quickly. i'll give the black box a shot.

pete d, as i said this is only what was available locally. i also tried federal match which was junk.

 

[Pete D.]

Understand

pete d, as i said this is only what was available locally. i also tried federal match which was junk.

Yeah, I understand that. Just suggesting is all.
What I find amazing after years of doing this is how differently different firearms will perform with various types of ammo. That Federal match ammo (922a) became my rifle match ammo. The lower grade Federal 711 shot nearly as well and was my go to pistol match ammo for years. I tried their Ultramatch and it was no better than the lower priced stuff in my guns.
A couple of fellows that I am in touch with shoot steady Master class pistol scores with CCI Blaser
I have heard very good reports about the Wolfe ammo and the .22s from SK Jagd. Haven't shot any yet.
Best of luck in your research.
Pete

 

[proven]

thanks pete d. just goes to show, every rifle is different. when shot side by side, the best i could get with the federal was about 1.25" at 50 yds, where as the wolf would easily stay around .5. you never know though, which is why i'll pick up a few brands for my next range trip.

 

[Wildcat_Charlie]

We are just finishing up getting rid of a horrible lot of Wolf

The last 3 or 4 bricks of Wolf I've bought were pretty bad actually. I've been shooting EPS Black Match in matches. It's a lot more consistent in my CZ but my Savage likes Wolf best when it's the good Wolf ammo.

Just as an example I was in a LGS recently and saw a box of Match Extra on the shelf. The price was $2.30 which tells you how long it's been in that store. I bought it (of course) and brought it home and like magic my targets looked far better. I wish Wolf was still that good. When I first started shooting it I was amazed by it. Now I'm mostly aggravated with it.

I bought a new brick of Match Target yesterday though. It's better than what I've been shooting from Wolf but not by a lot. But I also noticed my CZ had the stock pressed against the barrel too. Apparently I'm going to have to watch how that rifle goes back together. I haven't even had a chance to try it since I adjusted the stock so I'm hoping for the best.

I almost had my hands on a 40X with a Timney trigger and a Shillen barrel not too long ago. I couldn't get the money together quick enough though. Oh well. I've been looking at an Anschutz 64 lately. But of course I'd much rather have a 54.