Author Topic: 22 Ammo... What Kind and What For? (Read 1894 times)

myarmor · « **on:** September 06, 2009, 02:37:23 PM »

So I know all of us have shot 22's for a long time, but I am just curious for conversation sake if you grab a box of value 500pk and use it for everything and in between, or choose a specific load/brand for your application?
If so what do you like and what for?

-Aaron

45-70.gov · « **Reply #1 on:** September 06, 2009, 03:50:24 PM »

what ever is on sale

use to favor solids over hp
either will kill small game....solids for just in case extra penatration is needed
but that was way back when

i always have the quiet CBs on hand
and the shot shells.......buy both in in 500 cartons too

fr3db3ar · « **Reply #2 on:** September 06, 2009, 03:55:08 PM »

Personally I tried a lot of different ammo to find what my gun shot best...then I modify it if necessary for the task at hand. IE: MY CZ and 10/22 both shoot CCI SV very well. So I use it for target and hunting as well by making it into HP for hunting.

That being said, I found that my CZ also likes the Win 333 out to 50 yards....so it's good for hunting as well.

ironglow · « **Reply #3 on:** September 06, 2009, 04:29:33 PM »

I use various ammos for various tasks
punching paper..usually CCI standards
hunting 50 yards or under..CCI or Aguila subsonics
hunting out farther..CCI Mini-Mag hollow points

For bulk ammo, I usually use Feds or Win Xperts HP..If I were confined to just one all purpose .22 LR round..it would have to be CCI Mini-Mag .22 LR HPs

c1skout · « **Reply #4 on:** September 06, 2009, 05:05:13 PM »

I was watching a shooting program this week and they showed footage from CCI making 22 ammo. They also shot a bunch of different styles into ballistic gel to show how differently they work. It was all pretty interesting. I wish I would have taken some notes on which ammo to use for what game, it sorta makes my head spin when I look at all those choices from all the different companies and I end up buying whatever bulk stuff is on sale.

TribReady · « **Reply #5 on:** September 06, 2009, 05:34:21 PM »

Aaron,
Of course, you just need to try different brands and see what groups the best.
Personally, in my hunting rifles, out to 50-60 yds, I like the bulk Walmart Federal Valu-Pak. There's also a 550 round Federal Champions, that work well also.
I'm just getting started on 22 Silhouette shooting. Still a long way to go, but so far Remington Thunderbolts are in the lead. Many of the guys at that are having good results with Winchester Wildcats (used to by for 49 cents at the local hardware store back in the day)
Have fun sorting it out....hey, that's half the fun

ironglow · « **Reply #6 on:** September 07, 2009, 03:00:08 AM »

I should have said, I also use CCI standards for squirrels and for under 50 yds on other small game & varmints, the subsonics would be hollowpoints...plus 50 yds is just a nominal figure. Of course, the ideal is, for a hunting round to be most effective, it should be a HP that expands to the max and expends all it's energy ..just inside..the varmint. Under 50 yds the high velocity rounds will often go clear through my usual varmint (groundhogs)..so a subsonic that expends just before exiting is better (IMO).
TribReady;
I find it interesting that you would be using thunderbolts & wildcats... My experiences concerning accuracy were different with those two rounds. I used to jokingly say "wildcats are just about as controllable as their namesake" and "thunderbolts..sure enough, never hit twice in the same place"...
But hey, "I can't argue with the trapping style...if the skins are on the wall".. If they do the trick for you, that's great. I have never shot silhouettes, but I presume those two rounds have a couple things going for them..low cost and a full 40 grains..and I suppose HV over standard velocity is also important.

c1skout;
I sure would like to see that CCI video, I would even like to own it..sounds very informative.

spruce · « **Reply #7 on:** September 07, 2009, 04:40:14 AM »

I have to admit I'm not too fussy when it comes to .22 ammo. Mostly use it for plinking so just try to buy whatever is on sale.

My preferred load for squirrel is Rem standard velocity solids, of which I have a good supply, and my favorite squirrel rifle stays sighted in for that round.

When going out for a plinking session and shooting up odds and ends of partial boxes or leftover boxes from bricks I sometimes just dump them all loose in a tupperware container so I don't have to deal with the empty boxes at the range, and it's also more convenient to load from.

Nothing scientific here - usually just simple fun when I shoot my .22's!

greg916 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2009, 09:42:18 AM »

My favorite are all from CCI. I mostly shoot short hp, then stingers, followed by mini-mags and cb caps.

Graybeard · « **Reply #9 on:** September 07, 2009, 09:52:02 AM »

I find myself buying and using three rounds primarily but two others occasionally.

Back when I was shooting a lot of silhouette competition I found the standard Winchester plated round nose to be about as accurate as anything short of match ammo in all my guns. It just plain worked and brought the trophies home thus I tend to buy it by the case of 5000. I also buy the Federal bulk packs at Wal-Mart and some times it's as accurate in various guns but it's more a plinking than serious load for me.

CCI Mini Mag HPs have never let me down in any .22LR and are always accurate and hammer squirrels with authority. Their SGB is nearly as accurate and also hammers squirrels with authority and these two are my squirrel medicine. I always keep some of their Stingers around as well and when they shoot accurately in a .22LR gun it tends to make it darn close to the .22 mag in effectiveness but not all guns shoot them accurately. I seldom buy anthing other han those five.

Skunk · « **Reply #10 on:** September 07, 2009, 09:57:26 AM »

Mine seems to like just about anything, but if I had to pick one plinking, target/practice, bulk pack, I'd probably go with Wolf Match Extra. Of the better quality ammo, it really likes Lapua Midas +, RWS 50, and Eley Tenex, about equally as much. I'd have to give the edge to the Lapua stuff though.

Graybeard · « **Reply #11 on:** September 07, 2009, 10:03:25 AM »

That you even know how that stuff shoots in your gun means you have a lot more money than me to spent on .22LR ammo.

Skunk · « **Reply #12 on:** September 07, 2009, 10:17:11 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on September 07, 2009, 10:03:25 AM

That you even know how that stuff shoots in your gun means you have a lot more money than me to spent on .22LR ammo.

My knowledge of how the Lapua Midas +, RWS 50, and Eley Tenex shoots in my rifle is based on one box of 50 rounds each.

Ah, but it was a glorious 150 rounds. Wish I could afford to buy that stuff by the bulk packs. Way out of my price range too. Just had to try it at least once to see what all the hoopla was about.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** September 07, 2009, 10:29:49 AM »

I used to shoot NRA SB Rifle Silhouette competition against folks who used stuff like that. At our local range one guy had perhaps the first of the Anchutz silhouette rifles I'd ever seen. He used top of the line match ammo only in it.

It was always fun to whip his butt thoroughly with our much lesser rifles and ammo. I beat him many times using my Weatherby MKXXII semiauto and CCI Mini Mag HPs. I beat him one day using a TC Contender single shot and the CCI Mini Mags. Generally speaking to beat him meant you were match winner but some times my best friend and shooting partner Billy Doss now deceased and I both would come in ahead of him. In fact one of us almost always did.

Skunk · « **Reply #14 on:** September 07, 2009, 11:05:03 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on September 07, 2009, 10:29:49 AM

Generally speaking to beat him meant you were match winner but some times my best friend and shooting partner Billy Doss now deceased and I both would come in ahead of him. In fact one of us almost always did.

Good story GB. That guy was probably thinking the same thing about you and Billy - "to win the match, I'll have to beat GB and Billy." I've read some of your other shooting stories about you and Billy Doss, and it sounds like you guys practiced and trained more often than most and were seriously dedicated to winning (and having some big time fun

). That's what it takes to be competitive and to that end you guys were often the winners.

Couple things I noticed about the so called "top quality" ammo was that it did more consistently give tighter groups, but, not really by that much. The thing it did seem to do better was not throw fliers. Of the 150 rounds shot, I had no noticeable fliers (not that all groups were perfect by any stretch of the imagination). With the Wolf and Centurion bulk ammo, I'll sometime get a shot that is 4-6 inches out of the bullseye. I have a brick of CCI Mini-Mags that the daughter is working on getting rid of for me. I'll have to give them a more serious look before she shoots them all up.

Graybeard · « **Reply #15 on:** September 07, 2009, 11:34:13 AM »

I don't think I've ever found a more consistently accurate .22LR standard price range ammo than the CCI Mini Mag HPs. Their solids do not seem to be quite as accurate.

Billy used to use the Winchester Wildcat unplated ammo and I used the plated slightly higher priced ammo but in those days I bought it by the 5000 round case so it wasn't that much more. He ususally bought a brick or two at a time at the local store. I got mine at gunshows and we ended up paying nearly the same. Yeah we practiced regularly. One summer we put all our empty cases in a five gallon bucket that we fired from revolvers. Naturally the semiautos tossed them away and we didn't pick them up to add. We ovr flowed that bucket before the summer ended. We usually went thru more than 5000 rounds per summer.

BCall · « **Reply #16 on:** September 07, 2009, 12:29:59 PM »

When I was shooting SB silhouette with my dad, we used to shoot Winchester T-22's. They used to shoot very well, but after some time, it seemed that the quality went downhill, and the accuracy wasn't consistently there. When Federal came out with the Gold Medal Match, it cut group sizes at 100yds in half in his 40x, with none of the fliers T-22's seemed to have. It was so expensive he saved it for matches, and continued to practice with the Winchester's. Now that the Federal is no longer available, If I am serious about group size I now use Wolf MT, as it has been consistently the most accurate in my rifles. I mostly shoot the Federal value packs though, much cheaper, and decently accurate in all of my guns.

At our height, my dad and I burned through roughly 2 cases of 22 ammo every year, then SB silhouette slowly dwindled to very few matches, and our shooting slowed considerably. He still has a full smallbore silhoutte range he built on his property, and we still shoot, but not nearly as often as we once did. I don't think I have ever beat him. Billy

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** September 07, 2009, 12:35:28 PM »

I agree on the T-22 it once was fine ammo but then for some reason was not. Used plenty of it and seen plenty of it used. My test to see if ammo met by requirements was could I consistently take off the turkeys with head shots from the bench. IF so it was good enough to shoot a match. If not I tried something else.

myarmor · « **Reply #18 on:** September 07, 2009, 06:49:08 PM »

It's nice to stir the pot a bit, and see what everyone likes or dislikes

Me and my brother went on a kick and would shoot 1000rds each weekend, through my Savage bolt action, and his 10/22 carbine respectively. For the Value Pack offerings we found the Federal's were the most consistant over all (though with the lube on them they didn't cycle well in the 10/22) , followed by the Remingtons... seems the Winchesters were every where. The smaller Federal "Match" bulk value pack shot very well and very consistant in both actually.
We also went through varing brands including Stingers, Vipers, Agulia Hyper Velocity (damn near 22 mag velocities and loud!... but dirty) as well as other CCI offerings. I believe CCI has the highest consistancy of what I have tested(minus the very good Federal Match 22LR ammo) followed by Federals offering. I have not been able to shoot other Match offerings, such as Lapua, Eley, Wolf, etc... so I regret I cannot speak about them... though anything Lapua I have shot or reloaded is Superb quality!

ironglow · « **Reply #19 on:** September 08, 2009, 05:13:05 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on September 07, 2009, 10:03:25 AM

That you even know how that stuff shoots in your gun means you have a lot more money than me to spent on .22LR ammo.

I'll have to "ditto' on that one GB..

I also have to ditto on the CCI Mini-mag HPs..just the best all round cartridge, and still in the category to fit my wallet. I must consider CCI as the top rimfire mfg in most all categories..but I'm a hunter, plinker..not a paper puncher.

....Aguila is no slouch either.

bobg · « **Reply #20 on:** September 08, 2009, 06:09:05 AM »

I have used Winchester Super X for years. I was happy with the one inch groups i got at 50 Yards. Found a box of PMC target. This stuff will shoot a 5/8 inch group at 50 yards all day. The local 22 match shooters had a shoot at our Rod and Gun club. Most of them were shooting CCI. Not sure which one though.
bobg

ironglow · « **Reply #21 on:** September 08, 2009, 08:24:03 AM »

The PMC .22 LRs were good, but alas we cannot get it any more. But we can find Aguila..(same thing). BTW, their .22 mags arenm't bad either, believe they are made by Mag-tech.

kevinsmith5 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 27, 2009, 11:20:09 AM »

I used to shoot CCI HPs in my youth, but as all I shoot with the double deuce is squirrels and rabbits I have given to solids to reduce the mess it makes of the meat if I can't get a head shot. Right now my general purpose is a 500 round brick of Thunderbolts. I also have a 500 round brick of Aquila Supre Colobri for yard shots (great quiet ammo for head shots in the pecan tree).

I might try the Aquila Hypers on some coyotes at my brothers chicken farm though.....

ironglow · « **Reply #23 on:** September 28, 2009, 01:25:24 AM »

I suppose for a person involved in hardcore competition, lapuas might make a difference, but for me being a hunter I could buy 50@ Lapuas for $13.49 or 100@ CCI sv rounds for $7.59. For hunting, sighting in & plinking...thaty's just too much difference for perhaps a 1/16th inch better group at 50 yds.

Even greater when one buys a brick of 500;

Lapuas.....$124.90

CCI sv......$ 38.97

BTW: a brick of Hornady .17 HMR V-Max....124.67

Good source of info.... http://www.22ammo.com/index.html

Cottonwood · « **Reply #24 on:** November 05, 2009, 07:11:36 AM »

I'm not fussy about what my TOZ 17 Russian bolt action 22 LR eats, and its not fussy about what it shoots either. Them Richardson Gophers still get tagged, and drop with a whop sound.