Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 ammo suggestions

All.... I am looking for suggestions as to where to start my trip down the rabbit hole on potential .22 rimfire accuracy.

I know better than to buy the Remington Thunderbolts or Golden Bullets and bank on accuracy.....I also figure that Lapua is the benchmark to which all others are measured. What I don't know is where to start with perhaps the SK or any other brand of consistent, uniform ammo??? Now, I am not shooting 100 yards, ( but I want to work that way ) and I don't have Vudoo or any other high end rifle... ( I also want one of them ) but rather I ask for suggestions for types of ammo to invest in... . I like CCI and have a few boxes of the Green Tag ammo.

I am not hunting with this, but rather having fun & learning stuff.

SK Match???

Any other brands / types to purchase?

Thanks in advance.

BTW: rifles are: Remington 581 with a 541-T barrel, a original 541-T which does not suffer from the 'cold bore flyer' issue, a Ruger American

all have decent scopes & are more " hunting " rifles rather than benchrest / target rifles.

and yes, I do want a Vudoo but my budget will not allow it right now.

Thanks for shopping.....

burt2506

Lapua CenterX and Pistol King are two good ones to try, along with RWS-50, and perhaps a couple other RWS products, Rimfire ammo is so specific to the rifle that it's really hard to just pick some.

I know a guy who won the Rimfire Nationals one year, and has since given it up because of the ammo "chase" trying to get good lots of the stuff, and hoping that expensive stuff will shoot. Lord only knows how much ammo is stashed in his basement even now, as this lot or that lot didn't measure up.
He finally just quit and went to exclusively centerfire, as he could at least control the ammo aspect of it.

I know Lapua Pistol King ammo is REALLY good in my CZ 452, but at $12/box, I'm not going to bother. And Pistol King is relatively "cheap" compared to Midas or some of the others.

In my mind 22 ammo falls into roughly 3 categories.

20-30 a brick bulk fodder. Some of which some can be pretty impressive in certain rifles, but is in general not consistent and is more of an anomaly to have a batch that truly shoots well.. In this category I personally have good luck with CCI blazer and standard velocity and also Aguila SV shines a bit for me

45-70 a brick. This is where you really need to spend time shopping and shooting to find your huckleberry. I think norma TAC and TAC match are hugely overlooked and for the price are hard to beat. SK standard and SK rifle match are 50-70 and are very good but you will get occasional fliers. They are capable of phenomenal groups tho. Personally I can live with that because the next step up is a steep one. In this price range I have not had much luck with the eley products like sport or target. Lapua center X is great stuff but is also 110-120 a brick..

The next batch is top of the line eley and lapua. Eley match and tenex will definitely be a step up in consistency as will lapua Midas+ but these are anywhere from 160-220 a brick and that’s just not realistic for a lot of people. The difference is there but it’s worth is up to the individual.

I think the best value for one to be able to shoot a lot and hone their skills without handicapping themselves in the ammo dept is in the middle category. A case of TAC or SK will go a long way towards teaching you what you and the rifle are capable of

Since you're not hunting, no need for hollow points or High or super-fast ammo. CCI Standard Velocity is also a "Standard" for practice, plinking, and informal target shooting for many, many shooters. It won't be as consistant as real match ammo, but you'll likely get fewer flyers and duds than with anyone's bulk ammo, plus it is almost always decently accurate in most rifles. If you're not only shooting groups, but practicing from various positions, it may be all you need. Loads travelling slower than the speed of sound drift less in the wind than HS stuff too.

Be sure, when evaluating ammo, to fire ten or so rounds with each new variety before shooting for "record". Most rifles need some seasoning with different lubes to do their best. Actually, ten is a minimum, and running a snake or solvent patch through first may speed up the process.

Enjoy the process; this is all fun and games.

Definitely heed what pappy said about at least 10 rounds to recoat your bore when switching brands.
It’s a real thing and part of the learning process of what does what and why.
Don’t just rattle those 10-15 off either. Make them precisely aimed shots and you’ll see The difference between your first 5 shot group and the third or fourth.

I've been burning up a lot of .22 ammo since the Covid virus landed. I have a bullet trap set up 30 yards from the picnic table on my back deck and shoot from it almost daily. CCI is the only .22 ammo I buy anymore. Standard velocity for targets out back, Mini - Mag hp's for hunting and CCI quiets for times when my city slicker neighbors down the road are occupying their vacation home. The CCI standard velocity will literally shoot one ragged hole for 7 shots out of my old Marlin bolt action from 30 yards. I don't bother to measure the groups but all shots would fit under the head of a standard size thumb tack and the Mini-Mags and Quiets do just about as well. Since I have no interest in benchrest competition, that's as accurate as I need for anything I'm going to do with a .22..

Some good info posted, decide just how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and take it from there. I suggest that you get some CCI std vel and use it to learn technique before moving up to higher dollar stuff - shooting small groups with 22's can be a humbling experience and the learning curve can be long.

As mentioned the CCI std vel can be very good, especially for a value for the dollar ammo. After that try some of the low to mid end SK ammo. I bought a couple of cartons of SK Magazine (their low end bulk-packed ammo) last year and it outgroups any ammo I have ever had including high end SK, Lapua, and Ely - sure wish I had bought a case or two of that same lot, but you just never know until you try it.



drover

I have a bolt action that loves Eley Match and Eley Contact. It won’t feed CCI SV.

I have a semi auto that loves Eley Contact (haven’t shot Eley Match in it). It also likes CCI SV and though it doesn’t shoot it as well it’s a lot cheaper! And it still shoots pretty great groups at 50 yards with the CCI.

Neither rifle likes Lapua Center X. Not saying the Lapua isn’t good ammunition but every rifle is unique.

Every rifle is different. My CZ liked RWS Target Rifle and Rifle Match about the same. My Anschutz hates RWS Target Rifle real bad. The Aussie made Winchester Subsonics seem to do well in many 22s in this neck of the woods as well as the lower priced Lapua (can't recall the type).

Norma Match is very good bang for the buck in my opinion.

Start buying small boxes of 50 and see what your rifle likes. That is the only way you are going to know what is accurate in your rifle. We can all suggest our favorite ammo, but that doesn't mean your rifle will like it, just because ours does. Here's a little test I did with a Ruger 10-22 a few years ago:


Notice the most expensive ammo, shot the worst in my rifle. On average, I've had great experience with the SK standard ammo. Also, 2 of my target rifles actually really like Norma match as well.


These targets were shot with iron sights at 50 yards^^^

Don't be afraid to try some cheaper stuff too. Like american eagle. That ammo is generally very accurate in all of my rifles and it is bargain priced..

Lots of good feedback so far


My input is that before you start stepping up to the higher grades of ammo like Eley Match, Tenex, Midas+ you need to ensure everything else is in order.

Stable bench, bags, proper scope, and of course technique.

The pricy ammo throws fewer fliers... period. As was mentioned earlier, shoot 10+ foulers between swaps, and don't be afraid to clean your barrel if things don't look right.

We have taken proven guns...with proven ammo...where things were not repeating....cleaned them...shot foulers....and everything goes back to good.

Brothers and I have led quite a few friends from the 10/22 and CZ world to 54, 52, 40X, and Vudoos.

Without exception, the combo of the right gun, the right ammo, the proper setup and teqnique puts smiles on faces.

For modestly priced ammo, Norma TAC and Norma Match is a staple. It shoots way above it's price point.

Norma match is some pretty good stuff. Funny thing is I found some for $5.00/box yesterday. I also scored a voodoo soft case for my new AR15. The case looks like new, but I snagged it for $50.00. They are $190.00 new.. If I run across more Norma match for $5.00/box, I'm snagging all they have. Its actually hard to find in the stores around here...

BSA...$5/box for Norma Match is a great price...care to spare some?

I'm running low.....

Seeing is believing. It really happens, unless the "new" ammo shoots worse than the previous batch!😛

I wish I could, but they only had 4 boxes and I was wondering where in the hell I was going to get more!!!!


Sorry my friend..

Guys,

THANK YOU for the input & information.... I have much to learn and improve on in every aspect of my shooting. I just want to get more trigger time. I am on the lookout for Norma Match, SK Standard as well as more of the 'standard velocity' offerings from CCI.

Again, thanks for the suggestions.


Down the rabbit hole we go......lol

burt2506

BSA, beautiful rifle. Winchester 52? Which series?

Paul

There be many options. CCI SV is a good plinker in most of my guns.


Wolf MT/SK Standard Plus were the same thing last time I picked any of it up. Don't know if SK is still making the Wolf MT or not.


Some guns just gotta be weird, and you find what you find when you try it.
Take my 10/22 for example....


If you're determined you could always load your own.

save your ammo you are going to need it all soon.. remember a shot in the ear is a good shoot'' even by a 22 rimfire.