Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer, Must Have .22s?

I would love to own an Anschutz 1710. I have a 64 action Anschutz 1416, 2 CZ 452's, a CZ 453, and a Winchester Wildcat that was given to me. All are 22 LR.

Had an Anschiuz 54 sporter for many years for gopher shooting, which of course was VERY accurate.

But eventually found it fed rounds unreliably from the magazine when the rifle was tilted even slightly (and yes, from more than one magazine). Eileen also used it, and often got "pinched" when inserting the magazine into the rifle--and which only held 5 rounds, which ain't much on a hot gopher field

All of which is partly why she eventually got a Ruger American Rifle in .17 HMR. Along with the .17's greater effectiveness in the field, it also uses the excellent 10-round rotary magazine originally developed for the 10/22, which not only holds twice as many cartridges but has never pinched her.

Mule Deer,

Is there a particular .22LR ammo that you keep on hand to test rifles for accuracy? Or maybe a particular selection of ammos?

I tend to be a bit random, as in taking the T22 to the range yesterday. I've only got a couple of rifles that really prefer it, and tend to save it for them
But now I've identified a 3rd little carbine that likes it...

Have around I keep a wide variety of .22 LR ammo on hand, in order to test what shoots best in a particular rifle. For years my favorite hollow-point load was the Winchester Power-Points made in Australia, but since then have found CCI Mini-Mags are most consistent, though also have several bricks of Armscor HPs that have shot well in various rifles. Bought a couple boxes to test during the Obama shortage, and they did so well I bought more. But haven't tried any recently.

Also have a wide variety of target loads, from both American companies and various European firms. Have basically found that different rifles prefer different kinds--and even different manufacturing lots. This isn't new news--but the big thing I find somewhat astonishing is how few "average" shooters put out wind flags even when testing .22 LR ammo at 50 yards. Without flags they're basically wasting ammo.

Currently out of the Armscor stuff, but I bought quite a bit during the later Obama term. Only place that sold it here went out of business after some 50 years.

I noted that it generally performed right along with CCI Mini Mag HPs. Felt almost like a traitor saying it, but it was true...

Yeah, the late 7x57Steve (who I knew personally) said the same thing.

One of the local stores has some bricks of the Armscor .22 LT HPs, and have been tempted to buy some, just to see if it shoots as well. Might do that, since I just gave a brick of the older stuff to my brother.....

The very same fly rod losing, noodle up the nose, brother?

Yep!

I bought a few bricks of that early WW PP, and in a custom 77/22, it shoots 10 in a dime or nickel. At 50y.......GOOD Stuff, heard mixed results with the latter production. Like you, and others, I have come to view the CCI MM as a go to, perhaps not the BEST, but GOOD and consistent as you say, in most/many arms, and always very reliable and good solid velocity. I had very good results with their AR Tactical. I believe they improved or lightened up the amount of lube they coat them with and have read it's an improvement. There are many options out there, but some no doubt are hit/miss and production runs...lots vary as we know. CCI no doubt is one you can count on.

Wasn't 7X57Steve the guy that posted all the great load data, years back? Been a lot of links to those pages.

Hadn't heard that he'd passed.

Edit; Campfire Greatness...

How true. That's why I take most reports of rimfire accuracy with a grain of salt, even most published reports by gun writers. Tomorrow my son and I will shoot in our club's informal "shoot what you brung" .22 match. He will probably win it. We will use my homemade wind flags, and they will be the only ones on the range.

This is just one of those things that doesn't enter the awareness of most shooters. At a range where I used to shoot and serve as a RSO, benchrest became popular and several shooters bought expensive rifles, and burned lots of expensive ammo "practicing". I saw first hand how wind was affecting their groups, but most attributed it to ammo, maybe their scope, and kept going down that rabbit hole.

A International Palma competitor at our club stated "The wind is your friend." At our range the wind swirls, it can be to be different at 100, 200 and 300.

Surprised to see there’s no Remington 541/580-series And no Win 52/75 on the list.

I still kind of want a Win or Browning 52 but there sure aren’t many willing/motivated sellers and I’m not an overly motivated buyer.