Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Federal AutoMatch ammo any good?

I found a pretty good deal on Federal Auto Match 22LR.

Pros/cons?

I bought a bunch, but traded it or gave it away.. Check with Bruinruin..

I guess it is "good", depending on the definition of good. It is probably the best plinker ammo for accuracy, but not on the same level as semi match stuff like SK or Norma TAC. I would say it is a good bang for the buck. It is widely available here for 18-20 bucks a carton of 325 rounds.

What Terryk said.

My impression is that current production isn't as good as the pre-shortage lots.

I'll still buy it if the price is right, but with lowered expectations.

Paul

My last carton was underpowered. The pre-shortage stuff shot well in my 10/22s and my Walther P22. The P22 is especially finicky with ammo, but it cycled reliably with the old AutoMatch ammo..

I've bought 3 boxes of it over the last 6 months or so from 2 different sources. I've burned up 2 of the boxes and haven't opened the third box yet. It's just as good as the old stuff from what I can tell. I still keep a watchful eye on it though, as I know someone here had problems with it. So far I've been damn lucky as it's all shot very well from my Ruger 10-22 and Ruger mkII target pistol... I'll be shooting a rimfire challenge with it in 2 weeks.... We'll se how it does there..

Ditto. It's shot well out of my Kidd 10/22 and Ruger MKII, MKIII. No complaints.. yet. No more duds than anything else.

I think it's great stuff, I shot a 10 shot group at 25 yards using an open sighted Winchester 62a pump, group measured eight tenths of an inch.

It works fine for me. Reasonably accurate for about $.06 a round which is what I paid. For the semi-autos I shoot in steel matches, I prefer ammunition with copper washed bullets to avoid wax buildup. I would rate Federal Automatch as good plinking/practice ammo.

Somewhat accurate out of a Savage 19 bolt action. Not too good out of another dozen or so rifles. Many FTF out of several boxes bought at different times/places. Even tried re-positioning the duds to strike in a new place 360° around the rim and still would not fire.

I haven't bought any new Auto Match in seven or eight years, but have a few thousand stashed away. I've found it to be quite good in a semis custom 10-22, a 541-T, and a repro 52. It seems to shoot as well as anything costing less than $8 per box at fifty yards with the exception of the occasional flier. When I happen to get five good ones in a row, groups will often be less that a half inch.

I've avoided buying any of the new stuff because I already have plenty, because the price is often too high, and because of the rumored drop in quality.

It shoots good in my Ruger 10/22s and semi auto pistol. Accuracy is better than most other low cost 22 ammo. It fires in all my 22s without a problem. My Bolt action Savage rifle does not particularly like it for accuracy. Good for plinking but the bolt action Savage shoots CCI target 40 gr at 1050fps much more accurately.

I'm running it thru a CZ452FS with good groups. If the groups open up it's not due to the ammo. Disclaimer, I'm shooting ammo from several years back, not the current production.

just finished sitting on the bank of the crick running a brick of automatch thru the pistol at sticks, bubbles and patches of foam drifting by. not one bobble.....

Damn fine Friday afternoon if you ask me...

Auto Match is almost always available at the Walmart Store a block and a half from my shop. We keep it on hand for test fire ammo and have never had a problem of any kind.

Feeds and fires through semi autos, bolts, pumps, pistols or rifles.

It will not reliably run any of my auto loaders. It seems underpowered to me. I get lots of FTEs with it. I have tried it in three rifles and two pistols, all with the same results. All of the firearms are in good condition and run just about any other brand without issues. Given a choice I don't think I will purchase any more. I wrote Federal a letter describing the problem and they did not respond.

I was with my 10 year old daughter the other day and she was helping me shoot up a box of automatch. She said "dad, I don't want to stop until the whole box is gone"!! I had just opened the box too...

Everyone I talked to mentioned how for them, the word "match" in Auto Match was correct.

Dick's advertised that they had some so bought two boxes. First 22 I had bought in years and it hurt to pay that much.

I shot it in a 521 and a Mossberg 44US(a) and it has displaced Remington Golden Sabre as the most inaccurate ammo fired out of both guns.


Many have great success with it.

Hopefully Aguila Super Extra(?)will become available again in my lifetime and shoot as well as the partial brick I have left!

A 10/22 and two bolt guns said "Whaddidwedo to pizz you off?." Gave the balance to a friend who likes it just fine. Mileage varies from gun to gun.

This!

Good ammo from my experience. Shot a lot of the old production and recently a few bricks of the newer packaged rounds. Not a hitch and accurate from a SW 22 Victory, Win 67 and Ruger SP.

I had 6 boxes of it from 2013 and one from this year, opened one old box and the new one, both were so dirty and smokey shooting I gave them all away! I did get 500lbs of whelweights and a canvas tent in exchange! LOL!

I'm surprised to read the different results guys report in this thread. I've had generally good results in my .22's and never and FTF or dirty parts or carbon build up. It isn't my first choice, but I wouldn't shy away from it if it is available based on my results.

Bob

Surprising or just strange? I've never had any kind of problem with it. Even in sub zero temps where other brands of ammo wouldn't even fire..

I like it for fun plinking ammo in our 10/22's they all go bang!

Same. Good stuff.

I have run Automatch and other Federal ammo through multiple rifles and pistols in the last year, a 22/45 this past weekend and it's the most *consistent* for sure, the least accurate of any brand or type with the exception of Remington bulk.

I bought a couple of cartons and had as many malfunctions with it in handguns as I did with regular Federal bulk pack. It was better than Remington but that isn't saying much. I sold the remainder off at cost after shooting a half of one carton.

I wish folks would let us know whether they're referring to pre-panic production or post-panic production, whatever their opinions and experiences might be. I do think that the stuff sold years ago was pretty good---and especially for the price at that time. It could well be that the Auto Match made in the last several years just isn't as good...but it's hard to divine that from all the comments.

Iv'e had better then expected accuracy with post panic in my cooper M57 and don't see a lot of difference between the pre panic but I don't spend a lot of time trying to wring out good groups with Automatch in my cooper mostly just pinking with the 10/22!

I've had zero issues with any of it.



Travis

I bought some a few months back and tried it my Ruger 10-22, it seemed to shoot ok, accuracy was about average compared to other ammo that I tried. Where it really shined was in my Winchester 62A pump, it put 10 rounds into less than a inch at 25 yards.

AutoMatch works great for me

A 1956 Marlin 39A will shoot smaller groups with FAM than other ammo tested which included Win PP, CCI MM, CCI MM HP, and Wolf MT. Seems that each firearm likes what it likes and it takes some fun to find out what it is.

I had a total of 7 boxes, some from 2013 and some from spring 2016, two or three lots. I tried some from each year. All were very dirty shooting! I ended up giving/trading it all away earlier this summer.

Good stuff, zero problems with it in my Smith M&P 15-22.

I've ran it though a Glenfield Model 25 and a Zastavas CZ99. They both shoot it very well. For inexpensive bulk ammo, I have nothing negative to say about it.

Granted it's not Federal Premium Ultra Match. But for what it is and the price point, it's good stuff.


Jeff

I just finished off a box of it in my Ruger MK II, not a single malfunction. It ran fine thru 2 semi auto rifles and a Single Six as well. The MK II is the only 22 I have that likes the stuff accuracy wise. I think I bought that box in late '14/early '15. Two more waiting to be opened.