22lr ammuntion test

[dmd1911]

Thought I would share my ammunition test...comditions were 54 degrees..light wind...75 yds from rest ....cimarron 1885 low wall ...26 inch barrel....double set triggers
RWS R50.  .579
SK Rifle match.  1.300
RWS Target Rifle.  1.305
Eley Target.  .900
RWS Rifle Match.  .628
Eley Tenex.  .457
Eley Biathalon.  .713
Remington club xtra.  .920
Match eps Eley.  .684
CCI Green tag.  1.145

These groups were all five shot groups....with the first five being fouling shots....Just FYI for you guys

[cwlongshot]

Fun times!!

I have done this a couple times with two of my rimfires. Both where done form a solid rest on a indoor range. I would very much like to do it for all my guns...

I have always found best accuracy with TenX ammo until a few years ago when I discovered the EPS ammo.. Now this is best for accuracy in all the guns I have fired it in.

CW

[Graybeard]

Any time I'm serious about shooting to see what kinda accuracy an ammo wll shoot in a .22LR rifle or handgun I first five 50 shots of that ammo and then do the groups. I can't explain the science behind it but can tell you that if you do that the test groups you fire after using 50 rounds of the exact same ammo will be smaller than if you don't.

[cwlongshot]

Any time I'm serious about shooting to see what kinda accuracy an ammo wll shoot in a .22LR rifle or handgun I first five 50 shots of that ammo and then do the groups. I can't explain the science behind it but can tell you that if you do that the test groups you fire after using 50 rounds of the exact same ammo will be smaller than if you don't.

I do simular Bill!! Only I dont go to 50 I shoot 10-15 into the ''bank'' THEN shoot for group. DEFINEATELY different results happen when I dont!!  Its like there is still residue form last manufacturer in barrel and it defineately adversely effects accuracy!

CW

[ironglow]

  I don't fire that many preparation shots..  Why?  Well, I use my guns for hunting and sight them in for that purpose.  I have never been in the field hunting, where I figured the game would wait until I fired so many "warm up" shots.
   I have never shot targets in competition, does one get that many warm up shots, even in competition?

[cwlongshot]

  I don't fire that many preparation shots..  Why?  Well, I use my guns for hunting and sight them in for that purpose.  I have never been in the field hunting, where I figured the game would wait until I fired so many "warm up" shots.
   I have never shot targets in competition, does one get that many warm up shots, even in competition?

Some disciplines yes they are called "sighters".

The reason for shooting before is to get more stabil results.

CW

[ironglow]

OK;
  Some different than I am accustomed to..

[Graybeard]

  I don't fire that many preparation shots..  Why?  Well, I use my guns for hunting and sight them in for that purpose.  I have never been in the field hunting, where I figured the game would wait until I fired so many "warm up" shots.
   I have never shot targets in competition, does one get that many warm up shots, even in competition?

I'm not talking warm up shots. I'm talking season the barrel with that ammo. If you always use the same ammo then the barrel is seasoned to it already. This is when changing to a different ammo than what you have been using.

Back in my competition shooting days where all matches were shot freehand I used a lot of ammo. Most times I shot Winchester plated solids for matches. To sight in for the matches I'd sit at the bench with the most solid rest possible and dial it in dead on at the appropriate distance. Then I got up on my feet and shot a 50 shot group and examined it for POI as compared to POA. If needed I'd make an adjustment and shoot 20-50 more and continue to make adjustments in that manner until my freehand groups eat the center out of the target. Then that gun was sighted in for competition.

[dmd1911]

More FYI...the RWS Rifle match shoots very well...and will match the Tenex Eley at 200 yds..at less half of the price..the Tenex being about $38 per 100...the RWS is about $17 per 100...in my particular rifle

[ironglow]

GB & CW;
   Thanks for the info, I never featured that it took that many shots to season a barrel.  Does that mean you usually have some rifles "dedicated" to certain rounds..such as with a favored squirrel rifle?.

[cwlongshot]

GB & CW;
   Thanks for the info, I never featured that it took that many shots to season a barrel.  Does that mean you usually have some rifles "dedicated" to certain rounds..such as with a favored squirrel rifle?.

YES ABSOLUTLY!! I even go so far as to buy same lot numbers once i find a accurate brand and type!!

In my compatition guns I buy 2-3 cases, enough for a year so I don't have to re site during the season!!

Seasoning is much better wording than I came up with but that's exactly what it is and yes it makes all the difference in the world!

CW

[Larry L]

My Anschultz shot the Eley real good. But in search for the best, I ran across CCI Sub-sonic ammo. Out shoots any match ammo I've tried. Makes my Kimber 1911 think it's a target pistol with groups under 1/2" if I can at 25 yds. Hitting the little swinging targets at 25 yds is no problem and they're only an inch round. Cycles the Kimber about 90% of the time. Just bought some Agulia sub sonic to try.

[Richard P]

For as long as we have been using the 22-rf and as many millions of rounds we have put downrange you'd think we ought to have a set template on all of this. We'd know how often to clean and how many foulers (or seasoners) it will take to make a barrel settle and how many rounds to be included for a test to be judged ''valid'' as a sample. rp

[cwlongshot]

My Anschultz shot the Eley real good. But in search for the best, I ran across CCI Sub-sonic ammo. Out shoots any match ammo I've tried. Makes my Kimber 1911 think it's a target pistol with groups under 1/2" if I can at 25 yds. Hitting the little swinging targets at 25 yds is no problem and they're only an inch round. Cycles the Kimber about 90% of the time. Just bought some Agulia sub sonic to try.

For many years most considered the Eley TenX as the rimfire ammo. But in the past ten years or so a number of other makers offer some great bullets!! My current to to is Eley EPS but RWS rifle is great as is the better Federal target offerings. BUT the tell all is the opinion of your gun IT decides.

As has been said, its not the goal it's the journey. Getting there is ALL THE FUN!!

CW

[oldhunter]

Any time I'm serious about shooting to see what kinda accuracy an ammo wll shoot in a .22LR rifle or handgun I first five 50 shots of that ammo and then do the groups. I can't explain the science behind it but can tell you that if you do that the test groups you fire after using 50 rounds of the exact same ammo will be smaller than if you don't.

Another example that foreplay can also be useful when shooting.

[guzzijohn]

It all goes to show how touchy most rimfires can be. My 1976 Marlin 39A will shoot most ammo pretty good but loves standard velocity Federal and CCI Stingers. Both will group around a 1/2 at 50 yards. My old Remington model 34 that I bought in high school for $14 and has had stock repair and many of 1,000s of rounds through it does not really care what you feed it, it will match the Marlin and that is without a 4X Weaver to help as I have on my Marlin.
GuzziJohn

[Ladobe]

I did similar testing to get "possibilities" for most of the rimfires I've owned after my yourth of having to shoot whatever I could get on the ranch.    Usually a couple of 10 shot groups from a clean barrel, sometimes more on those that looked the most promising.   After narrowed to the 2-3 I'd probably be using I got more into shooting long strings to see what set in the a barrel best.    Then I set about sorting the ammo by rim thickness, later sometimes even weight and concentricity as well depending on what it was going to be used for (although not the 5mm) for the best consistent accuracy.   Buy rim was more than enough for even long range hunting.   Sometimes I went the extra for match shooting, and I started buying rimfire ammo in very large quantities all from the same lot number.    While I shot a lot of match, hunting was my game for the lions share of all the shooting I did all my life with all firearms, much of it long range.   So only by rim became mostly standard on the rimfires, "my" sorted lots used accordingly for what I needed the most of for their uses.  And it carried over into all the 17HMR and 17HM2 firearms as well.  It was really worth the time and effort when I started buying custom barrels with custom chambers especially, but by rim helps any rimfire even with a SAAMI chamber.  I saved a lot of extra cash from the "target" ammo I had been buying when I could improve almost any ammo myself, even bulk pack, and it would shoot as well or more than good enough for a fraction of the cost.   I did the extra for all the cernterfire I loaded, so the RF's deserved the same to me, so did the game shot.

[anweis]

Any time I'm serious about shooting to see what kinda accuracy an ammo wll shoot in a .22LR rifle or handgun I first five 50 shots of that ammo and then do the groups. I can't explain the science behind it but can tell you that if you do that the test groups you fire after using 50 rounds of the exact same ammo will be smaller than if you don't.

I can't explain either, but it is absolutely true. The test above is not valid. Most likely all of the ammo above would have shot 1/2 of those groups if properly "settled" as described above. Or, he just needs to buy a CZ, Cooper, or Anschutz.  Actually, the more a particular ammo is fired, the more accurate it becomes (.22 LR). I have bulk Winchester ammo that shoots better groups than that (0.3" at 50), but it is fired in a barrel that has not been cleaned for at least 4,000 rounds of that ammo and i have fired nothing else.
It probably has to do with the grease on the  bullets.

[SHOOTALL]

interesting read ,

[Bob Riebe]

Thought I would share my ammunition test...comditions were 54 degrees..light wind...75 yds from rest ....cimarron 1885 low wall ...26 inch barrel....double set triggers
RWS R50.  .579
SK Rifle match.  1.300
RWS Target Rifle.  1.305
Eley Target.  .900
RWS Rifle Match.  .628
Eley Tenex.  .457
Eley Biathalon.  .713
Remington club xtra.  .920
Match eps Eley.  .684
CCI Green tag.  1.145

These groups were all five shot groups....with the first five being fouling shots....Just FYI for you guys

I revived this thread as it is very interesting from ten years ago.

[Graybeard]

It was/is very interesting. What to me was most interesting is I read the full thread top to bottom. As I read I thought the same thoughts that I had posted way back then before I got down to my posts.

I also enjoyed reading Ladobe's post, he passed away a lot of years ago and is much missed. He had a lot of knowledge he shared with our members.

I do wish I had asked the OP what sighting equipment was used scope or irons. Dunno why I didn't ask it back then.

[Lloyd Smale]

some anal people clean there guns after every range session. ME? i rarely put a brush to a barrel. Many good pistol shots will tell you a gun doesnt even settle in till at has between 50 and a 100 rounds through it after a cleaning. Especially true with cast bullet loads or lead 22s. The lead will fill the small imperfections in your barrel. Only time ive cleaned a pistol barrel in the last 20 years with a brush is to get lead out before i sell the pos that leads the barrel. That advice came to me years ago by glen fryxell and that man forgot more about shooting the all of us here combined know.

Any time I'm serious about shooting to see what kinda accuracy an ammo wll shoot in a .22LR rifle or handgun I first five 50 shots of that ammo and then do the groups. I can't explain the science behind it but can tell you that if you do that the test groups you fire after using 50 rounds of the exact same ammo will be smaller than if you don't.