Originally Posted by Paul39
Be careful of labels vs. prices. That link to the Western T22 looks like the older stuff you favor. Some of the other Winchester T22 might be the newer, less desirable version.

I try to keep pretty good tabs on current price trends, and what it is worth is a personal decision. As a ballpark, I'd say you should expect to pay retail about $25-30 per 500 for the garden variety bulk stuff, like the Federal American Eagle I just got from Sportsmans Warehouse. The 325 pack of Automatch I also got from SW was about $18-20, IIRC. I passed on some Aguila at about $8-9 per 50.

For some of my shooting, the lower grades of imported target ammo like Eley Target at about $5 per 50 fill the bill. Moving up, Eley Club is about $8. Some of the Mexican stuff is linked to an association with the British Eley brand. Eley Sport is made in Mexico, and some of the Aguila seems to be Eley primed.

Also in the $5-6 range is SK Standard. Another import in the same price range is Norma TAC-22, both German. Some of the Euro brands seem to be made in the same factories, but with different brand labels, e.g., SK=Wolf, Norma=RWS, or so it appears. Headstamps are the same.

One thing that is happening to the market price of .22 ammo, is that the scalper price of cheap US made bulk ammo is approaching the cost of some of the lower grades of imported ammo, which makes the latter a better deal. $50 to as much as $80 for a brick of bulk US made .22s is insane, IMO, but some are asking and others paying that price.

Here's a pic of British/Mexican cooperation, and with a web address of EleyUSA.:

[Linked Image]


Isn't that the lowest grade of Eley? Never shot that but I would think it would be barely above american bulk.

I usually shoot Eley Club and I'll still get a flier out of the group about every 20 rounds or so. I'm talking 1/4" at 50 yards out. It's still minuet of squirrel head but not in the single hole group of the other 4.

I shot competition in the 80's and always used Eley Tenex. It wasn't that it would shoot a better group than some mid grade target ammo, but it was much more consistent over hundreds of shots. If you got a flier with the Tenex, you knew it was you. With the mid grade ammo, you would do just as well unless you happened on one of those fliers that couldn't be explained, and they happened consistently with the lower grade ammo.