Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22LR Accuracy

I am interested information about what brand of 22lr ammo you consider the most accurate. Please give your opinion only on brands you have actually have used and please include rifle used. I am headed for a prairie dog hunt and plan to take a couple of rimfires with me plus the 223s.

I just shoot whatever I got out of my Marlin 39M. Most of it hits where I aim it. The biggest difference is how much noise it makes.

I'm not much help, I know. But I do like the Super-X 1330.

RWS SS HP has shot very well in both a CZ 453 and my current Ruger 77/22 RSI. Aguila Match about equals it, but no HP, of course.
Neither is cheap, though, especially the RWS. Standard velocity ammo doesn't shoot as flat as HS, but wind-drifts less.

.22s can be very finicky, and you really need to test candidates in your rifle. Most shooters seem to think that you have to shoot 10 rounds or so with each ammo type to "season" the bore with the different lube before test results will be accurate.

The other method is to buy a bunch of holler points and have at it. If I ever go p-dogging, I'll buy a Hummer.

That's a great idea. Hummers are known for consistent accuracy and will be easier to hit with at farther ranges.

For me it's Eley Tenex out of an Anschutz 1700/McMillan stock.

A close second is the same ammo out of a Clark Custom/Ruger 77-22 with Clark's mid-weight barrel.

RWS R-50 or Lapua Midas might be best in some rifles. There is no "most accurate". It depends on what a particular rifle likes. That being said, Tenex is usually as good as it gets.

Now for p-dogs, I would want a high velocity hollow point like a Lapua or Eley. The target ammo above is for paper only.

RS

I have a 10/22 Custom that will shoot 10 shots of damn near everything into 1/2" in at 50 yards... the better groups (cheap bulk) will go a 1/4" at 50 yards.

To answer your question, I bought a box of everything I could get my hands on when I finished with the gun. They all shot pretty good. I could get the best groups out of chap WInchester Wildcat White Box.

Off the shelf: Winchester Power Points and American Eagle hollow points in a Ruger 77/22 and an Anschutz. The $15+ a box of the target stuff does better, but I can't afford 10,000 rds of that when our spring ground squirrels emerge. Every 22LR though is it's own entity, so one needs to buck up, get a box of everything, and do his own research.

I've only shot Tenex out of three rifles and not much of it because of the price. Have yet to find anything that will match it in my Cooper JSR. Midas will come close but there again I ain't paying that much to feed it a steady diet of it. CCI standard velocity will usually stay in the .3's and sometimes a good bit better. The CZ453 I had or the Rem 504 did not care for it Tenex at all. The only thing that I would call accurate in the 453 were mini-mags, stingers and velocitors, the faster the better with that rifle. The 504, I had a couple thousand rounds of one lot # of Fed "match" ammo that it liked and I lost that in the flood, haven't searched for a replacement for it yet but the rifle is very picky. The CZ 452 that I have will shoot several different ammo's very well but I mainly just feed it CCI SV, except for an occasional flyer it will usually stay sub moa at 50 yards and right at or a hair below moa at 100 if it isn't windy.

Let your rifle decide what it likes then buy a bunch of it.

Try this.

http://www.championshooters.com/ind...virtuemart_category_id=41&Itemid=111


Look at their ammo selection also.

Some guns are more forgiving, but .22 rimfire guns are very unique as far as what any individual gun likes. It gets down to lot numbers on some.


Good glass with the correct parallax adjustment is paramount for top performance. I like fixed power scopes for .22 Long Rifle guns.

This should get you where you want without getting to crazy on cost. But not cheap. There are cheaper alternatives for what you want to do for a hunting rifle.

For PD's and gophers I really like the Federal American Eagle HP, they hit hard and out of my Cooper and CZ 452 group sub 1/2" five shot groups at 50 yds.

Here is an ad for the American Eagle HP's at $215 per case, of course there will be shipping on top of that but that is a great price.

https://www.outdoorlimited.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ae5022case

My cheap 10/22 I put together (18" KSA bull, floated hogue, and bx trigger) keeps SK Standard in the .330-.350 range consistently. For cheaper shooting I use CCI standard and they stay well under 1/2". I did bite the bullet last summer and bought about a dozen different high-end ammo loads and tested them.

I dunno, but messed around with the idea a little.

Ruger 10/22 Deeeelux, full length bedded with an aftermarket trigger. WW Power Point



T/C Contender w/Millett SP-1 sight shooting CB Shorts thru a short match chamber: This was done after a thorough cleaning to check/set zero.



T/C Contender w/Douglas LR Match barrel twisted 15". It's the only gun I have that shoots CCI SV with any precision.



The 513T does OK with Norma Tac, but is a bit scary with Wolf ME/MT or SK Standard Plus





A 513S with a Shilen barrel seems fond of Wolf ammo, at least out to 50 yards. This is 10 shots.

The best ammo currently is Lapua Midas +, Lapua Center X, Eley Tenex or Eley Match. These are the ammo that the top rimfire benchrest shooters are currently using in their full custom rifles. These expensive match ammo will only realize their true potential in rimfires with high quality custom barrels and true match chambers. When I was competing in rimfire benchrest I used Eley Match in my heavy and sporter class rifles and my rifles were chambered by my gunsmith with reamers set up specifically for Eley ammo with the EPS bullet. The ammo I bought was selected by lot # and there was great variation between lots. To be acceptable for use in rimfire benchrest the rifle/ammo combo needs to be able to routinely shoot groups in the .1" (or less) range and have no "flyers" that take the groups out to anything more than .25" (the size of the IR50/50 target ten ring).

I also have a very good Cooper 57M sporter that does best with Lapua ammo like Midas and Center X. It shoots my best Eley ammo very poorly. It's also the ammo Cooper used to shoot the test target that the rifle came with. If you do not have a rifle that has a true match chamber I would not spend the money on the real expensive stuff and try either the Wolf Match Extra or SK Rifle Match. It's really good ammo but just has a few little flyers that keeps it out of top contention for big rimfire matches, but a lot of good non-competition rifles shoot it very well. I have shot some really tiny groups with it in my Cooper and bench rifles. The bulk ammo or high volume ammo lines are going to be hit or miss as to what your rifle may like and they are not capable of shooting consistently well unlike the better match ammo. You should try the Wolf and SK ammo. You may be very happy with them.

My Springfield 1922 M2 and Winchester pre-A custom sporter both shoot all 50 rds. of CCI blue box Std. Velocity into one ragged hole at 50yds..

I agree, Wolf or SK best all around groups for the buck in most quality guns.

1minute's advice is the best. Buy what you would consider using based on cost and then try it. All guns seem to have preferences.

I too get consistently best results with Eley Tenex, with R-50, Gold Ultra Match, and Lapua Midas a close second (and often surpassing the Tenex). (Winchester 52's, M2 Springfield, Martini, and BRNO sporter.) The thing with Tenex (and the rest) is the aforementioned variation from lot to lot. Experiment until you're satisfied and then go back to the store and buy every round they have of that same lot.

My best hollow point groups have come with WW Power Points. My 40X shoots 0.3" 50 yard groups off the bench with Eley Match.

DLALLDER: You are going to have to include ONE more attribute to that "accuracy" question if you are going to be Hunting Prairie Dogs with said ammo!
And that very important attribute is "lethality"!
Many munitions are inherently accurate in many rimfire Rifles (and pistols) but they are very much lacking in "lethality".
I have settled on the current manufacture Winchester 40 grain Power-Points (hollow-points) as they do indeed provide a significant amount of lethality and very good accuracy in MANY of my heavy barrel (accuracy oriented!) Rifles and pistols.
Including the following Rifles of mine:
Remington 40X
Remington 541-T
Kimber 82-G
Kimber M-22 Hunter/Silhouette
Ruger 77/22 V/T
Sako P94-S
I have used the 40 grain Winchester Power-Points with much satisfaction to Hunt Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels, Jack Rabbits, Wild Turkey and have even killed a few large Rock Chucks recently with them.
Sadly over the decades I have witnessed a couple of people who have tried to kill Prairie Dogs with 22 L.R. ammo that may have been accurate but was not worth much in the lethality department.
Be sure to try the Winchester 40 grain Power-Points before your Hunt.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

For hunting lethality in a .22LR

Just the other day I shot CCI Velocitor's out of a new Annie and scope.

.350" - .223" = .127" 5shot, 50yrds. Actually about 55 yrds. (50 meters)

Velocitor's are the king in .22LR performance. Beats out Stingers at 50yrds. Equals the .22 SV @ 100yrds.
Full 40gr bullet @ top speeds



Note: I would never shoot Stingers in a match chamber. Never had good accuracy from them anyway.

Note #2: The Browning equivalent to the Velocitor sucks as far as accuracy comparison. Waste of good money.

I have a couple of other questions. First, do you clean the barrel like you would a center fire? Do you use bore guides and where do you buy them, never seen any 22 lr but that may be because I never needed one. Second question, how do the Savage bolt action 22lr rifles shoot? Are they worth buying or is it better to spend the money on a different brand? I lied I have a third question! Some of the 22 ammo that has been mentioned, I never heard of much less shot. Where can it be bought or ordered? Thanks. Daniel

As to number 1, I usually only clean my .22s if accuracy falls off or if I want to test for accuracy with a different ammo so the new lube can prep the bore. Not sure how much difference it makes. Of late I've been using a bore snake with solvent, being very careful to prevent the string from rubbing against the crown. No doubt the boys with fine match or custom barrels have other methods. It used to be said that the steel in .22 barrels was soft and easily damaged; don't know if that's the case now, but it probably depends on the rifle.

For my .22 CFs, I use a guide or drilled-out case with a .17 rod and nylon brush with patches and a carbon .22 rod for full-caliber (usually nylon) brushes. The bore-snake gets used for removing oil from the bore or a quick wipe.

Ammo Seek can help you find stuff, or go to Midway, Graf's, or Champion Shooters for the fancy stuff. Better sit down before you look at the prices for some of it! Again, the .17 HMR performs very well and is fairly cheap to shoot.

Most people will tell you cleaning the barrel of a rimfire regularly isn't important. In fact some folks have done tests between a seasoned bore and a clean one and the seasoned one seems to do better. Savage heavy barrel rimfires are the best value going. I just placed my first ammo order with Outdoor Limited. Their rimfire prices are the best I have found online, as is their selection.

The ammo that is the most consistent in all 4 of my .22 rimfires is CCI SV LR. I have a Marlin 39a, 2 10/22s and a H&R Sportster.

As for cleaning, I run a .22 bore snake through them 1-2 times per yr., that's it.

Eley tenex. Grandfather gave me a brick years ago. I used to plink with the stuff before I finally figured out what it was.

I am seeing a lot of recommendations for match and standard velocity ammo in the replies. If I am reading your post correctly you plan on using the 22's to shoot PD's, if that is the case then you need to go with a hollow point high-velocity ammo - not match or standard velocity ammo.

The round nose standard velocity will kill them eventually but the great majority will die down their hole. 22 LR is marginal for PD's at best, especially larger ones, about 75 yds or so is the effective killing range even using high-velocity hollow points, even a PD deserves as painless death as possible.

As far as cleaning a 22 I am in the camp that favors a Boresnake.

drover

I bought some of these with my most recent order and am looking forward to trying them. Federal Hunter Match.

https://www.federalpremium.com/ammunition/rimfire/bullet/hunter-match/hunter-match/

I'm not a bench rest guy but my 10-22T that I had cut to 16+" with CCI velocitors will bang my 3" gong at 100 yards with boring consistency. My 12 year old has no problem doing it. Scope is a Leupold 4x with heavy duplex reticle. That scope just got moved to a different rifle so am planning to order same scope with a German 4 reticle to replace it

As to cleaning it's pretty much an annual type feel good thing for me. Extremely dry climate here with little to no worries about moisture induced corrosion. With every cleaning though, it seems each one of my units needs a run of about 20 to 25 rds down the barrel before accuracy/precision settles in again. Early on, I'd clean, head to the range, and chase zero for 20 or 30 rds. In the end, the scope would end up precisely on the settings I started with. Obviously, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Given the small surface area of 22 slugs, I think it takes quite a few rounds for them to put down whatever substances they carry for the entire length of ones barrel.

As to being instantly lethal, yes on the hollow points. I think even a field mouse can make it to cover when one is shooting solids. I'm mostly a Beldings ground squirrel shooter, and one for sure hears the hits and notices that they get tossed about with hollow points. With solids, one hears little, and if none of the central nervous system is damaged, they'll make it home.

Have fun,

Bore snake only is my regime. Solvent then a light coating of preservative. Usually around 2 to 3 hundred rounds or when you see the accuracy degrade. If you are out in the cold, place your gun in a room temperature case before coming in to a warm house. Leave the gun case closed for at least over night. That will help keep condensation out of the bore. Most .22 Long Rifle guns need about 30 rounds shot through them after a thorough cleaning to get back to where they shoot the best.

Like someone already said Savage makes some good .22's for the money.

Now if can find an old West German Savage-Anschutz 54 sporter....

.....never mind.

I have found that the Marlins with the Micro-Grooved barrels are more forgiving with different brands of ammo. But I do not know about buying a brand new late model. Some one here might know.




Try some CCI Velocitor's in your new gun.

DALLDER,

I am a big fan of CCI Subsonic 40gr HP. I have used it in a bunch of different .22's, some match rifles, most hunting rifles. All of them shoot it very well.

My current favorite, and most accurate repeater I own, is a Ruger American Rimfire Compact with a fixed 8x Leupold scope. I have shot 5 shot groups with this rifle and the CCI ammo that are under 1" @ 100 yards, but most groups run just over 1". I have used these bullets on raccoons, possums, squirrels, and crows. They work really well.

Here is the link to really good prices for the ammo; LINK

Ed

I've had good luck with Wolf Match Rifle, and great results with Federal Premium Ultra Match. Best for me has to be Eley Tennex

Savage rimfires are good.
If I was buying a rimfire rifle for prairie dogs, I'd surely look at a 17 HMR.
Probably a Marlin XT-17V, or one of its variations, which come with both 4 and 7 round mags. I've seen these heavy barrelled rifles new for about two bills. Or a stainless laminated model for a bit more. Even with the heavy barrels these are relatively light and handy rifles.
https://www.marlinfirearms.com/rimfire/xt-series/model-xt-17v

If I didn't mind spending about 3 or 4 times as much, I'd get a Ruger 77/17 in 17 WSM maybe.
http://www.ruger.com/products/77Series7717/models.html

But if you like one of the Savage models I'm sure it would be a fine and accurate rifle.

CZ's have a large following over at Rimfire Central, so there must be something to it. I love the little centerfire 527, but have never looked at a CZ rimfire.

For my bench rifles and Cooper 57M, I will clean after every box of shells and I use a bore guide and a quality one-piece cleaning rod (Dewey 20 cal rod). For my standard 10/22 and other utility grade .22s that don't have match chambers I am less fussy as they are not capable of the type of accuracy as my competition rifles. For them I will use a bore snake and not clean as often and it won't make much difference. The last thing you want to do is damage a bore. That will cause more accuracy problems than clean vs dirty. As to where to find the ammo that you haven't heard of; just google it and places to purchase them to try will pop up. As to the best reasonably priced decent .22, I would go with the CZ. They are quality rifles with the only downside for me is that the safety is backwards to what most of us are used to.

Shooting PDs with ANY 22 Long Rifle ammo will result in wounded Dogs going down the hole, especially this time of year when they are grown.

I went on a hunt last year with 2 guys who insisted on using 22s, so I did also. We were shooting out of a Suburban, slowly driving thru towns.

This wasn't at long range and to miss a PD would be very unusual for me. I head shot every one I could but even then, still lost some down the holes. This was with WW Power Points. I'm not making a right or wrong judgment on using 22s --- but it's not for me. I generally use 3 .223s and enjoy it much more than rimfires. I DO shoot Richardson's Ground Squirrels with a VQed 10-22 and enjoy it a lot.