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.