Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Winchester Power-Point accuracy?

Like many, I have been impressed with the accuracy of Winchester Power-Point .22 LR hollow-points since they came out.

But have been getting reports lately that the accuracy had been falling off in recent lots, so bought a new brick at the local store and tested it in my CZ sporter--50 yards, 3-9x Burris Compact with AO, wind flag out. Averagee for 5, 5-shot groups was right at .5 inch, with 4 shots usually in .3 to .4. (Either a bad wind read, or "the nut behind the bolt" must have caused the fliers.) This seems sufficient to me, and about what I have come to expect in accurate .22 rifles ever since Power Points arrived.

Anybody else have anything exceptional (either way) to report?

MD

I started shooting them some years ago after reading the write ups about their debut in Oz. For my money they are the
very best in accuracy and they way they hit those little varmints.

Worth the extra cost.


Not to get side tracked, but I've had the worst luck with Federal 22s,
I just wont buy them anymore. Lousy accuracy.

In the high velocity hunting line I count on three for results and am seldom disappointed. The Eley high velocity hollowpoint is nearly always my number one accuracy champ. The Power Point is always right there in the running. And the CCI Small Game Bullet can hold it's own. Usually a new rifle or handgun will do it's best with one of these three. I haven't noticed any decline in the Power Point, but I'm working on a lot number in which I bought 2,000 rounds and haven't used them and it's not a real recent number.

Of the various brands that I tried in my 1710 Anschutz and tuned up Ruger 10-22 , Winchester Power Points has the best groups. The larger HP causes more tissue damage than other rounds that I tried.

Of high velocity hollow points, the only round that will outshoot (at least in my rifles) the WW PP is the Eley HV HP. PP's usually inside .4" (five shot groups) @ 50. I've still got a few bricks from a couple of years back, so can't comment on current production.

Now, if we can get WW to manufacture the subsonic non-copper washed version that's sold in other parts of the world....

After comparing about 7 brands of ammo in a single session, I settled on Win PP's for both an Anschutz and a Ruger 77/22. Can get 10 in a dime at 50 yds with the Anschutz and have to go to a nickle with the Ruger. I compared Remington, CCI, Federals, and some forgotten speedier rounds. The high velocity stuff did indeed go about 150 to 200fps faster, but they were all over the place. 1Minute

Win. PPs are a very, very good performer in all of my .22s. I don't normally go for the paper-punching test; just sight 'em in and start sniping squirrels, but the PPs never have let me down. CCIs, and esp. Federals, on the other hand - SUCK!

The only .22s that I use other than the PPs are Remington .22 CBee Shorts in a single-shot .22. SUPER accurate, deadly inside of 35 yards, and silent enough to allow for follow-ups on those rare misses, and multiple target/squirrel acquisition without spooking the rest.

It sounds like we have a consensus here. Thank you one and all!

MD

I hate to sound like the lone dissenter (hiyo silver away), but I have never had any luck getting those Power Points to shoot for me. Usually always Winchester ammo of any form has been the poor grouper in my rimfires. Uh, with the exception of Remington Golden bullets. My current .22 long rifle is a Kimber Classic, and it will engrave the rifling into the bullets at chambering with MOST ammo, from any CCI to Eley to Wolf/SK/Lapua, but ALL Winchester ammo is a loose enough fit to not engrave. Best as I could measure with a micrometer the other ammos bullet diameters are closer to .224'', the Winchester runs from .222'' to .223'' in diameter. Last SuperX and Power Points I shot in this rifle grouped over an inch at 50 yards, while CCI Minimags hit 5/8'' average. SK Match and Match 500 will do sub half inch. Too bad for me, Power Point has a giant hollow point and the 40 grain bullet should hold more velocity at range than the lighter CCI 36 grain hollowpoints. Of course they all suck compared to my .17 M2............. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> M2 ammo is a lot more costly though.

Phillip--

Thanks very much for the dissent. Oddly enough, Power Points shoot very well in my own Kimber Classic, around .4 at 50 yards. I'm going to have to do some bullet measuring and see what's up. Of course, rimfire ammo always varies from lot to lot, but my experience so far (starting when PP's were first sold here in the USA) is that they have been remarkably consistent.

Thanks again,
MD

I'm running low on .22 LR Federals (I have one handgun and two rifles that love the American Eagle HP's) and for the fun of it will try the Winchester PP's next time . The brand my guns don't seem to prefer is Remington for some reason.

I just brought another brick and checked them out this morning in my ULA .22. At 50 yards they grouped about 1/2" or less. didn't even have to touch the scope from the settings of the previous brick that I bought almost year ago. I would guess they are still pretty good.


Lefty

Phillip--

Checked some bullet diameters. My two lots of Power Points measure .224" just in front of the case. Wolf target ammo also goes .224", while Eley Match EPS goes .225".

Some other stuff was .223" or less, notably a batch of CCI Velocitor. Wonder if that's part of how they get it going a little faster?

You may have a bad batch of Power Points.

MD

In the 80's I hoarded CCI Stingers because in my 10-22 they were a little more accurate than Power-Points, but this spring the stash ran out. Current production Stingers shoot poorly in my gun, so they've changed something. Good thing I kept my stash of Power-Points!

C&B

I had the same experience with whatever Federal called its extra-velocity Long Rifle round in the mid-80's. The original shot like crazy in my old Marlin Modle 80, as in a little over an inch at 100 yards. The next lot wouldn't average 2"!

MD

Mule Deer,

I think they were called "Spitfires" if I remember correctly. They shot good in my Marlin 60 in the mid-80's.

May have gotten some rejects, but I have sampled them several times from different stores around since getting the Kimber in Feb '02 , so what I tried came from very disparate lot numbers. I looked back at some old notes from the CZ 452 Classic .22 that I had from 1999-2002, and it didn't do very well with the Powerpoints either. It shot consistantly well with CCI Green Tag/Standard Velocity, CCI SGB, Eley Club Extra, and best of all with Eley Pistol Target of all things, grouping those easily in the .3's at 50 yards with nothing more than a 4x fixed Leupold on it. It shot terrible groups with ANY hyper velocity ammo. In my Kimber, the Velocitors will usually hold approximately 1'' groups at 50 yards and 2 to 2-1/2'' at 100 yards which is pretty mediocre. I dug out a box of Wolf Match Target which I had stowed in the gun junk drawer, had ten shots left in it. Shoved one patch down the bore to get out the Minimag residue, and sat down at my backyard bench and fired two groups of 5 @ 50 yds. with these last ten rounds, both groups were less than a half inch. I need to try some of the SK high velocity hollowpoints as they are made by the same company which makes the WMT, SK Jagd undt Sport Munition of Schonebeck Germany. I guess ya'll gun writer and industry guys would know a lot more about who makes what than I do though! Looks like my best bet would be to just order up some Wolf or SK Standard Plus for the Kimber, use it up to 75 yards, and use the CZ 452 .17M2 for longer distances. I like to watch the bullet holes appear in the target magically at 100 yards with those .17's, almost no recoil jolt at all.

Those .17's are amazing, aren't they?

The Velocitors I have one had meaure from .221 to .223--and shoot pretty poorly as well.

Don't know why you should be getting undersized Power Points in your neck of the woods unless it is a commie plot (put together by the few commies left) ot to undermine the sovereign state of Alabama. Maybe somebody from farther north can find some good Power Points and send 'em down.

MD

JB:

I bought a brick of Power Points in late April. I took them on a trip to the Sierras and I was terribly disppointed.

Why?

Becuase my buddy's Browning Buckmark would not shoot. I had him convinced that he should sell it to me for $100.

Then he tried my Power Points and he started hitting what he was aiming at (and the gun stopped jamming also).

Then, he refused to sell me the Browing. Now it is a "gem" that he won't part with!

My loss, but I can confirm that WW Power Points shoot great and are worth the money.

BMT

BMT--

What a sad story!

On a side note, tested some Velocitors (after lightly bad-mouthing them here) in a new .22, a CZ 452 I bought just last week. It shoots them almost as well as it shoots Power Points! Only reason I can figure is a nicely tight chamber, especially toward the front. The Velocitors in my lot vary from .220-.223 in diameter just in front of the case, and spray all over the place in most other rifles. But the chamber if this CZ is evidently tight enough to prevent gas-cutting or bullet tilting or all the other ills that can beset a .22 bullet in a generous chamber.

And they do go 1400 fps! Will have to try them on live targets now....

MD