Match Grade Ammo

[Off in the Bushes]

What are the pros and cons, of match grade ammo for .22LR.
What is the underlying differences?
It this ammo produced in the same factories as the standard cheap gopher ammo?
Can you use it for gophers? Is less lethal, more wounded critters?
What are some of the brands that you have had success with?

[elkhunter11]

Match ammunition is subsonic, and is made to higher standards. It is considerably more expensive, and you need to find out which specific load your rifle prefers. You can use it for small game, but it is not as effective as higher velocity hollow points. Some of the common brands are Eley, SK, and RWS.and there are several loads made by each manufacturer. You can buy the lower end loads for around $7 per box, but you can easily spend $20 per box. I am using loads that run $7-$8 per box now, but I bought them a few years ago by the the case of 5000 , so I paid around $5 per box. These loads generally produce 1/4" to 3/8" five shot groups at 50m, in my Anschutz match rifle, and 3/8" to 1/2" in my Cooper.

[6.5 shooter]

Hollow points for gophers, solids for paper. Find the one that shoots best in your rifle for your intended purpose.

I have never really noticed a huge difference between match, target and standard ammo except the price..but I don't shoot thousand dollar rifles where it may make a difference. Where you will notice a difference is in how clean one burns compared to the other... When you shoot your ten shot groups at 100 yards compare the bore between the $3.50 ammo and the $15.00 ammo I think you will find a difference there and in the gopher fields where firing a thousand or more rounds a day is the norm, it makes a huge difference.

[260 Rem]

A chap I trust to know about match performance with 22 rimfire told me that outfits like Eley have several machines that make ammo and the one that is used to make the high end stuff is the best machine.
One variation to watch for is rim thickness ... there is a tool for sorting. Differences in rim thickness = headspace result in variations in performance.
Solids are more consistent than hollow points so they make up the bulk of match ammo.
And, as mentioned, are subsonic (about or under 1050 FPS) to avoid any upset during the transition zone.
My higher end 22s, Volquartzen and Anschutz “like” the more expensive solids so I use them for gophers and they work fine to 100M. The bullet diameter to gopher diameter ratio is pretty high so they don’t need to mushroom. No different than big game. A head or boiler room hit kills ‘em dead. A deer might make it 10 yards, a gopher that makes it a foot is generally down the hole...dead.

[dave99]

I shot tens of thousands of rounds of Lapua Polar (winter) and Lapua Master (above 0 degrees) for years in shooting competitions and practice. Also shot some RWS and Eley.

The difference in chambering and accuracy between premium target ammunition and the cheap stuff was significant. On a model 1827 Anschutz, the feeding with cheap ammo was horrible.

Any target .22 ammunition is appropriate for gophers too, IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Off in the Bushes]

So when you guys are buying your match grade ammo are you buying bulk like 5000 rounds at a time? Where did you find the cheapest prices? Are you having it shipped or picking up locally.

Is 50 rounds enough of a sampling to determine if that is the brand of ammo you rifle prefers, or are you better off with 500 rounds samples.
What type of target are target shooter shooting at 50M and 100M for completion?

[darren32]

I don't go thru that much of it so I order it from TESRO in 500 round bricks.
Not sure if it's the best price but it's easy.

I have a rifle that like Lapua X-ACT and most of the others are good with SK Rifle match (which is substantially cheaper)

https://www.tesro.ca/lapua-x-act-ammunition-22lr.html

https://www.tesro.ca/sk-rifle-match-...tion-22lr.html

[darren32]

This may be a good sample pack for you

https://www.tesro.ca/22-rimfire-ammo...-high-end.html

[colroggal]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

A chap I trust to know about match performance with 22 rimfire told me that outfits like Eley have several machines that make ammo and the one that is used to make the high end stuff is the best machine.
One variation to watch for is rim thickness ... there is a tool for sorting. Differences in rim thickness = headspace result in variations in performance.
Solids are more consistent than hollow points so they make up the bulk of match ammo.
And, as mentioned, are subsonic (about or under 1050 FPS) to avoid any upset during the transition zone.
My higher end 22s, Volquartzen and Anschutz “like” the more expensive solids so I use them for gophers and they work fine to 100M. The bullet diameter to gopher diameter ratio is pretty high so they don’t need to mushroom. No different than big game. A head or boiler room hit kills ‘em dead. A deer might make it 10 yards, a gopher that makes it a foot is generally down the hole...dead.

Yup. Hitting a gopher with a 40 grain .22 solid is about the same as shooting your deer with a 2 bore.

Colin

[Big Sky]

Don't forget about CCI SV.

In my rifles, I find it to be more accurate than the comparably priced Eley and SK.

[Parker Hale]

This is what I found. I have a CZ455 Heavy barrel with thumbhole stock, an excellent shooter when I'm doing my part. I tried 3 different match grade rounds in it, CCI Green Tag, a Federal I believe and can't remember the last one (will double check these when I get home from work). While all 3 performed reasonably well none were as good as the cheap Federal auto match rounds. These cheap rounds held tighter groups and were more consistent as well.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes

So when you guys are buying your match grade ammo are you buying bulk like 5000 rounds at a time? Where did you find the cheapest prices? Are you having it shipped or picking up locally.

Is 50 rounds enough of a sampling to determine if that is the brand of ammo you rifle prefers, or are you better off with 500 rounds samples.
What type of target are target shooter shooting at 50M and 100M for completion?

I can not base my advice on high volume RimFire ... but will share my opinion based on that limited experience.
First, I would do comparison testing in the same sitting to insure similar conditions (both environmental and set-up). I typically run a minimum of 10 rounds of the “test” ammo through the barrel before shooting groups to insure the bore is conditioned with the “new” lube. This would be particularly important if a bullet with a wax lube was being followed by a test with an oil based lube or vise versa. So, my initial comparison test would require a minimum of 50 rnds. Ten fo wash out the other lube, followed by a minimum of five 5 shot groups.
Second, the type of lube on the bullet could well dictate the volume I would purchase. I base that on experience with a copper wash lube on (I think it was Winchester Power Point) that a buddy brought out of storage after 5+ years... that would not chamber because of a “crust”/corrosion that had developed on the bullet.

[Off in the Bushes]

Originally Posted by darren32

This may be a good sample pack for you

https://www.tesro.ca/22-rimfire-ammo...-high-end.html

With a $110 difference between the high end sampler and the mid range is it worth the extra cost?

[Deer Hunter]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

Don't forget about CCI SV.

In my rifles, I find it to be more accurate than the comparably priced Eley and SK.

X2 on the CCI standard velocity. Also I have had good accuracy with the federal champion brand as well

[pikergolf]

I have tried about 10 different premium cartridges for my CZ 452, the most accurate was Elley 10x. I got about 1/2" groups with it. CCI mini mags will do 5/8" average at quite a cost savings. Only problem is they really, really open up at 100 yards. I'm guessing it has something to do with going sub sonic in that 100 yards.

[darren32]

Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes

With a $110 difference between the high end sampler and the mid range is it worth the extra cost?

I don't have any idea. Hard to predict what the gun is going to like. If you are planning on shooting a lot I would look for the least expensive that works to your satisfaction. At 50 cents a round Lapua XAct is pretty prices rimfire.

I have some stuff I tried but don't really use, I may be able to put together somewhat of a sample pack for you. I will check what I have on the weekend and let you know.

OH, SK rifle match is made in the same factory as Lapua XAct LOL.
It even looks the same.
Smells like the same powder to me too.....
IMHO the SK rifle match is really good for the money.

Thanks

[Off in the Bushes]

Originally Posted by darren32

I don't have any idea. Hard to predict what the gun is going to like. If you are planning on shooting a lot I would look for the least expensive that works to your satisfaction. At 50 cents a round Lapua XAct is pretty prices rimfire.

I have some stuff I tried but don't really use, I may be able to put together somewhat of a sample pack for you. I will check what I have on the weekend and let you know.

OH, SK rifle match is made in the same factory as Lapua XAct LOL.
It even looks the same.
Smells like the same powder to me too.....
IMHO the SK rifle match is really good for the money.

Thanks

Cool, thanks

[Bushrat]

In my opinion unless the gun has a match chamber you quite often won't see much gain in accuracy between standard ammo and match ammo especially in semi autos which are generally chambered and throated on the loose end of saami specs to aid extraction and functioning of those type of rifles.

[elkhunter11]

The load that I find that works fairly well in many rifles, is SK Standard Plus. And it is still reasonably priced, compared to many other loads. What you need to decide, is what level of accuracy you are trying to obtain, and what you are willing to pay to achieve that accuracy.

[260 Rem]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

The load that I find that works fairly well in many rifles, is SK Standard Plus. And it is still reasonably priced, compared to many other loads. What you need to decide, is what level of accuracy you are trying to obtain, and what you are willing to pay to achieve that accuracy.

I use SK Standard Plus in my Volquartzen.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

I use SK Standard Plus in my Volquartzen.

It worked well in my CZ, and Cooper rifles, an RWS load works better in my Volquartsen, and in some of my Anschutz rifles. The SK Standard Plus also did well in a friends 10/22 target, but he had to polish the bolt to get it to cycle them.

[Off in the Bushes]

So when you are trialing a brand do you clean the rifle after every shot, or every 10 shot group. When trying a different brand, like going from Sk to Eley would you clean it, or would clean it going from Sk standard plus to Sk magazine.
With the higher cost of this ammo I wouldn't want to repeat the test.

[darren32]

Originally Posted by Off in the Bushes

So when you are trialing a brand do you clean the rifle after every shot, or every 10 shot group. When trying a different brand, like going from Sk to Eley would you clean it, or would clean it going from Sk standard plus to Sk magazine.
With the higher cost of this ammo I wouldn't want to repeat the test.

Just like 260 REM said in post 12.
10 to clean out the lube then 5 @ 5 shot groups.
No cleaning in between for me.

[Off in the Bushes]

Was just in the Canadian Tire south they had a bunch Eley ammo. I know that is going to be a stop later this summer.