22 LR Ammo - recommendations?

[RLS@home]

Okay, so I've now got a heavy barrel Ruger 10/22 rifle w/ a Nikon 4x scope - just itchin' to do some shooting... I've looked at the vast array of ammo available from match grade to cheapee hunting rounds, subsonic to hyper-velocity, trunctuated cone to hollow point, etc. Gotta admit, I'm lost as to where to start. I don't have unlimited range time or budget so I would appreciate any direction you guys or gals are able to provide based upon your experiences with the different types.
My goals are to have an accurate, reliable, effective ammo for plinking and hunting small game. I won't be doing any match shooting and really can't afford $15 / box ammo, and I'm not sure that subsonics would be ethical for hunting...? In the regular priced - standard ammo I see everything from ~ 1100 fps to 1500+ fps in solids and hp's of different configurations.
Long story short - what have you determined to be decent ammo year to year, gun to gun?
thanks,
Randall

[BUGEYE]

one of the most reliable is the cci mini-mag. they very seldom misfire.
my personal favorite is the federal auto-match.

[RLS@home]

I should add that I liked the stated ballistics on the Remingtion (I believe) hyper-velocity stuff - at about 1500 fps & only about a 4" drop @  100yds w/a 50yd sight in... Don't know how this stuff is for accuracy & reliability, or if it's harder on a gun barrel.
Seems like it'd make a nice round for hunting...?
Randall

[Keith L]

You won't hurt a .22 rimfire barrel with any ammo.  The only way to find out what shoots well is to try it.  Every gun is different.  So go shooting and have some fun.

[Lurker]

Every time I acquire a new 22 rifle, and that has been over 20 times, I buy a box of each of the popular brands of 22LR ammunition. I shoot enough out of each box so that the rifle, will tell me what it likes and what it does not like.

Bill

[SteveHawaii]

Every time I acquire a new 22 rifle, and that has been over 20 times, I buy a box of each of the popular brands of 22LR ammunition. I shoot enough out of each box so that the rifle, will tell me what it likes and what it does not like.

I do the same thing.  Usually, the more I shoot a semi-auto, it's appetite for ammo grows, till finally I can shoot most anything in it.  I use the CCI Mini-Mags as my gold standard.

[saddlebum]

I also think the CCI Mini Mags are the best. But I get almost the same results from the Federal 550 brick ammo that you can get at Walmart. The ballistics on the two are exactly the same according to the makers. I can switch from one to the other without a change in point of impact. I was going to post links from their websites to show you, but for the life of me I can not bring up their websites. I do think that the hollowpoint expansion on the Federal is not  quite as reliable as the CCIMMs. I may be a little bias toward the CCIMMs since they have been my favorite for 20yrs.
This is my experience with my 10/22 22''. Yours may vary..............

[Victor3]

Another vote for CCI Mini Mags as the best all-around-round. For plinking, I like CCI Blazer since it's less expensive and works good in my guns.

As far as velocity goes for hunting, IMO a standard or sub-sonic 22lr is more than enough for squirrel and cotton tail. For jack rabbits (see pic to your left ) I use some form of HV HP for a clean kill since they can be tough buggers. Those are all I hunt with a 22 so don't know about other animals.

If you decide to try for accuracy, HV rimfire ammo isn't generally very good. My favorite semi-cheap target ammo is Wolf Match Target. Shoots better in more of my rifles than anything else I've tried in its price range.

[PowPow]

I did the "one box of everything" test on my 10/22 and CZ at the same time.
The winner was the $10 box, but a very close second was CCI Blazers, which were the least expensive.
CCI Velocitors were the best in the hypervelocity class.

[SAS98M]

I've got a 10/22 that I "hotrodded" a while back-hammer/sear,trigger job,bolt mods,buffer etc... and it tears up the CCI Velocitors. They are really accurate(at least in my set-up). I recommend them highly.  Just my 2c.    Shane

[dks7895]

I have had very good results using the Winchester 333 and 555 bulk packs from Wally World in all my rimfires.  CCI Mini Mags are great, but kinda pricey. 

[SM Bob]

Mini Mag HP's, American Eagle Hi Velocity HP's, Aguila Hi Velocity HP's, Winchester SuperX Hi Velocity HP's

                                 Robert

[semperfi1970]

A good standard velocity round is all that is needed in my opinion. 40 grain round nose bullets do the trick every time for me. I have shot water jugs with hollow point .22lr ammo from 25 yards to 200 yards and am less than impressed with the results. If you plan on shooting inside of 100 yards the with the hyper velocity ammo you will get ok expansion. Hollow point high velocity ammo stops expanding after 75 yards into water jugs, standard velocity expands out to 40 yards. Shoot a milk jug or two and try it out. The .22lr is a potient little round but high power by no means so in  my opinion leave the hollow point .22lr ammo alone. If you want a good all around ammo that doesnt break the bank stick to the standard velocity 40 grain round nose varity. More accurate and quieter than high velocity but a tad more pricy depending on what you buy. I have dropped 12lbs woodchucks out to 200 yards using standard velocity ammo, with high velocity ammo I doubt I would have hit it at all. One can use high velocity ammo with good results but seldom will it repeat like standard velocity, its the first shot that counts the most not the 4th or 5th after you walk them in on target with high velocity.

I was out shooting today with my ruger 10/22 and Savage BTV, they both love the Federal standard velocity target ammo and CCI standard velocity, both rounds are 40 grain round nose. I swear by 40 grain standard velocity .22lr ammo for sorta serious target and  chuck hunting.
Here are some pics of various high velocity groups at 50 yards and some groups with standard velocity and match grade ammo(wolf ammo was shot with a slite breeze). You will see the standard velocity almost mirrors the match grade ammo. There is also a 200 yard group using Federal standard velocity target ammo that I could not repeat with high velocity ammo of any quality. The 200 yard was from a modified 10/22 and all 50 yard targets were from a Savage BTV with a 38x fixed power scope, 15oz trigger job and a laped bore. For $4 to $7 more a brick I choose the standard velocity  40 grain round nose ammo without the silly copper wash .  There are folks that get exceptional accuracy with high velocity ammo out of there guns, I wish I owned one of those guns as all of mine hate high velocity ammo.

[semperfi1970]

additional pics.

[Dand]

Impressive Semper!  That's fine equipment you have too. thanks for sharing.

[Bugflipper]

Generally speaking subsonic ammo is more accurate than hi-vel ammo. When the bullet goes from super to sub sonic it is upset slightly which opens groups up. And yes regular subsonic rounds are ethical for hunting. The cb or colibri type rounds would be a little light for my taste, but normal 22 lr subsonic is okay. I use them on all small game hunting along with varmint hunting groundhogs, raccoons and opossums. Bear in mind there are quite a few animal control agencies that use the 22 subsonics for deer control. Not saying I would want to hunt a deer with any 22lr. Just saying they have plenty of power for small game. I have used them exclusively for quite a few years.
If you have a bentz chamber you should do alright with the run of the mill subsonics like rem, aguilla, cci, win or pmc. If it's not too high wolf is usually about the best for the money. A suggestion I would have is to look into barrel lapping. You can tighten up groups a good bit. In many cases a cheap ammo will be good enough for what you need if the chamber and crown are good and you lap. http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,227365.0.html

[Ranch13]

I use the remington bulk pack of golden bullets in my 10-22 with excellent results to 200 yds +- for prairie dog control. They also work well in the other 22 rifles and pistol.
 For match work I really like the Aquila rifle match, or the bulk boxes of federal champion.

[saddlebum]

Generally speaking subsonic ammo is more accurate than hi-vel ammo. When the bullet goes from super to sub sonic it is upset slightly which opens groups up. And yes regular subsonic rounds are ethical for hunting. The cb or colibri type rounds would be a little light for my taste, but normal 22 lr subsonic is okay. I use them on all small game hunting along with varmint hunting groundhogs, raccoons and opossums. Bear in mind there are quite a few animal control agencies that use the 22 subsonics for deer control. Not saying I would want to hunt a deer with any 22lr. Just saying they have plenty of power for small game. I have used them exclusively for quite a few years.
If you have a bentz chamber you should do alright with the run of the mill subsonics like rem, aguilla, cci, win or pmc. If it's not too high wolf is usually about the best for the money. A suggestion I would have is to look into barrel lapping. You can tighten up groups a good bit. In many cases a cheap ammo will be good enough for what you need if the chamber and crown are good and you lap. http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,227365.0.html

Thanks for your post Bugflipper!
I have recieved so much flack for being a promoter of fire lapping in the past on this site that I hesitate to even mention it anymore. As you mentioned, the results can be dramatic and very satisfying. And contrary to the belief of some, it does not harm barrels. It greatly improves them if you follow Veral's instructions and use his lapping compound. Testimonies from Veral's customers who have used his method show that everything from cheap rifles and handguns to expensive target guns show marked improvement in accuracy and ease of cleaning after lapping the bore smooth, opening up tight spots and taking the rough edges off the rifling.
To the uninitiated, keep in mind that we are talking about microscopic amounts of 'polishing' and Veral's lap compound is NOT the same thing as valve gringing compound. (i have read stories on this site) Because of this, it can take quite a few rounds through the bore to properly lap a stainless barrel. I almost gave up on a brand new stainless rifle barrel last year because it took so many rounds to get the desired results. I lost count because I was feeding it one round at a time to keep the magazine clean. But it was pushing 100 rounds I believe. It is a tack driver now that rivals some 'target' rifles. Keep shooting at a target until the groups quit getting smaller. It is my belief that you would have to be persistant and intentionally try to 'over lap' a barrel using Veral's method. If that is even possible.

[semperfi1970]

Saddlebum, I too lap all barrels i own. I have never fire laped a bore as I like to leave the last two inches of any barrel choked as much as possable. Try polishing your chambers as well, just stay out of the throat when radial laping.

[RLS@home]

Wow all - this post has generated more good info than I would have thought!! Many thanks for sharing your knowledge...
Hope to get out shootin' this weekend. I think I'll concentrate on the standard velocity offerings for now and Semper made a great case for the round nose variety. I am intrigued by the benefits of lapping a barrel, may have to explore that a bit also.
Good stuff,
RLS