.22 ammo for the most accuracy

[dutch pirate]

I'm shooting an Appleseed shoot in 10 days and I am going to use my 10/22 for the 25m AQT. What kind of ammo should I start with to find the best accuracy? I know each gun likes different brands of ammo, but what should I start with when trying to find some good stuff?

My thoughts (without any real basis for them):
*Walmart Bulk Pack is probably too cheap to be good enough.
*I have thought about getting CCI minimags but does hotter=more accurate?
*I know I will need to try some different ammo, I just want to make an educated guess as to where to start.

Anybody have any suggestions or experience with this?

 

[El Tejon]

Try Green Tags.

Buy a bunch of high end stuff and see what works in your rifle, then buy a bunch of it.

 

[aka108]

Try several brands in standard velocity rather than high velocity.

 

[cracked butt]

Look for standard velocity stuff, it often tends to shoot better, though each rifle is different.

For low cost, federal champion bulk ammo is pretty good.

For midrange prices, try Federal gold medal and Wolf MT

The high end stuff that costs over $10/50 is probably past the point of diminishing returns in a 10/22, some of the ELEY stuff is slightly under this price point.

 

[VAshooter10]

Most 10/22's will like either high or standard velocity ammo. They will malfunction with one or the other, especially after they get a little dirty. First find out which the rifle likes (the one that functions best) and buy a good brand. I have two 10/22's that I loan out at Appleseeds to students, yes I am an Appleseed Instructor. One of them likes CCI Mini Mags and the other likes CCI standard Velocity. Switch them and you get malfunctions.

As far as accuracy, I don't think it matters at 25 meters. Just about any ammo will shoot into a half inch at that range and that will be all you need at an Appleseed. I have had students feed my rifles just about any brand you can name and as long as they stayed with the standard or high velocity that the rifle liked they shot tight groups and did not have malfunctions.

Make sure your magazines drop free and your bolt release works easily because you don't want to spend all your time trying to change mags or get the rifle to go into battery. Get a military web sling not one of those civilian carry straps and you will be all set.

Have an enjoyable Appleseed and shoot well.

VAshooter

 

[BamBam-31]

I get great results w/ Wolf .22 ammo in pretty much all my .22's. About $35 per brick nowadays, good thing I stocked up when they were barely over $20 a brick. (Big secret: Wolf doesn't make it, it's repackaged Lapua ammo!)

 

[Furncliff]

In my Marlin 60 I like this:

~16$ for 350.


Or Aguilla match rifle: ~$35 for 500.

 

[mavracer]

+1 on trying the FED automatch

BTW there's only 325 in the box

 

[Ifishsum]

I've tested CCI Mini-Mag (my long time go-to .22LR ammo) against Green Tag, Wolf MT, Eley 100 and a couple other "premium" .22 cartridges in 5 different weapons and could come up with no appreciable difference in accuracy in any of them. They are all pretty much factory guns - a 10/22 Carbine, a Remington 597 std, a Remington 597 LS/HB, a Sagave MKII, and a Ruger MKII Target model. Rifles at 50 yds, the pistol at 50 feet. Honestly I was kind of disappointed but I'm also glad I don't have to spend that much $ on ammo to get the most out of my .22s -

If you really want to shine, trade your 10/22 for a 597

I've never seen the Federal Automatch before, I'll definitely have to try some of that if I can find it.

 

[Slamfire]

I took my standard 10/22 out and shot every brand of ammunition that I could find. Still have the targets. Out to 25 yards, most ammunition shot 10 shot groups around an inch. Some stuff, like Stingers and hypervelocity ammo, shot much larger, say two inch groups.

In my rifle, it liked Federal Hipower the most.

I decided to have the rifle rebarreled with a Volquartsen barrel. I called Mr. Volquartsen and talked to him. What I recall is that the chamber fit is extremely important to rimfire accuracy. When I received the Volquartsen barrel, ammunition was basically a push fit into the chamber, did not rock if you pushed on the edges of the rim, and the unfired case had to be shot out as they were too tight for the extractor to remove.

The Ruger barrel, you could rock the cartridge in the chamber indicating there was a lot more clearance. The unfired case would drop out of the chamber under gravity.

The Volquartsen barrel shot much better. Match ammunition shot about half the group sizes they shot in the Ruger barrel. Ammunition that shot best in the Ruger did not necessarily shoot best in the Volquartsen barrel, though the match barrel shot everything, except Stingers and Hypervelocity stuff, in smaller groups.

What I concluded was the Ruger 10/22 barrels are not match grade, they are designed not to be fussy about ammunition. Match barrels shoot ammunition in tighter groups than non match barrels. Also, each and every barrel has a preference for what ammunition it prefers.

The last statement was confirmed by smallbore shooters. In their case, each brand and every lot within each brand ammunition shoots different.

 

[Wildfire]

+ 1 On Green Tags.

Hey there:
Hotter is not always more accurate. Usually just the opposite.
The green tags run at 1050fps. The are sub-sonics. These are very accurate in the 10/22s as a rule. They will cost you more. But , if entering a target shoot the cost should not be an issue ever.
This is all I ever shoot from my Rugers.

 

[tube_ee]

The first rule

is that there are no rules.

Buy a bunch of ammo, from a bunch of manufacturers, at a bunch of prices.

Shoot it all.

Whatever groups best is whatever groups best.

Whatever groups best for the money is what you'll probably shoot the most of.

.22s are about as picky as Martha Stewart choosing a doily.

--Shannon

 

[PattonTime]

.22 Ammo

I think the Federal AutoMatch is the best bang for the buck period.

It shoots well in every thing I try it in and I have recomended it often.

To me, anything more expensive defeats the purpose of shooting rimfire

plus I also think it shoots better than I can.

P.S. Yes , it is also all I use in my revolvers and singleshots too.

I say , if you you have to ask , AutoMatch is all you need !

And you can even buy it at WallyWorld !

 

[bogie]

Buy six-seven different brands. Shoot it all on a calm day. Go back to the store, and buy the remaining stock of the lot number that shoots best.

 

[ClemY]

I have had good luck with Federal Gold Metal Match.

 

[wanderinwalker]

I think VAShooter is on to something with the 10/22s (and .22s in general). Some like HV, some like standard velocity.

As for something to just grab and go shoot, I suggest Mini-Mags. Haven't tried CCI Standard Velocity yet, but Mini-Mags are my go-to when checking out a new "field" .22. My 10/22 will shoot about as well as it is capable at 25 yards and 50 yds with 40gr Mini-Mags. (Which isn't to say wonderful; 1/2-3/4" 10-shot strings at 25, while the average at 50 is more like 2.5" for 10.)

And lot-to-lot variations can be huge even in a field-grade .22. There is half a brick of Federal 750 sitting around here that is absolutely infuriating to shoot. It's OK at 50-feet from my pistols, barely passable at 25 yards, and at 50 yards from my 10/22 it looks like I'm shooting buckshot! Very annoying, from ammo that has otherwise been pretty consistent.

Bam-Bam 31, I believe Wolf .22 ammo is repackaged SK. (Wolf MT was identical to SK Standard in performance in a Walther KK-100 I got to "play with".) Is this company related to Lapua?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

You might have good luck with

Federal Match
Aguila Match
CCI Green Tag
pretty much any Eley
Wolf Match Target

You just have to grab 4 or 5 and find one that your gun likes.

 

[cracked butt]

Bam-Bam 31, I believe Wolf .22 ammo is repackaged SK. (Wolf MT was identical to SK Standard in performance in a Walther KK-100 I got to "play with".) Is this company related to Lapua?

WOLF and SK are made by Lapua IIRC.

 

[csmkersh]

Wolf MT is made in Germany though. Good, but expensive when compared to bulk or Winchester DynaPoints.

Fired on a lightly windy day, 80ºF and on 50 yard line​

 

[rangerruck]

if you have access to any of these; Eley, Aguila, Golden Eagle, CCI standard or green tag, or American Eagle red box (federal's low line) . these are all exceptionally accurate, and all reasonably priced, except when you get into the higher end eley. these are all 100 yd groups. 5shot or more.

 

[Afy]

Here is what I have tried in my Cz

Eley Shilloutte
Eley Club
Eley Tenex (Ultimate EPS)
Lapua Midas L
Lapua Midas M
Lapua Pistol King
SK Match
CCI Standard
CCI Stinger
Velocitator
RWS Match
Federal
Remington Gold
Blazer
Winchester

Best results Lapua Midas M. For some reason my rifle doesnt like Tenex which is supposedly the best ammo for .22lr. The CCI Standards perfrom better than tenex... go figure.

Also when trying out ammo, shoot 10 shots minimum. I shot the CCI Stingers after the Tenex and found my first group to be exceptionally accurate.

 

[MrBorland]

Doesn't look like anyone's mentioned it yet, but I've had good luck with Federal 714 target, sold exclusively at Dick's. Reasonably priced, and preferred by my CZ rifles and S&W revolvers, from which it's nearly as accurate as the more expensive match-grade ammo.

 

[csmkersh]

While the 714 may be good, it's a house brand and not cataloged by Federal. The Federal Champion 510s and the Federal American Eagle 5022 are moderately priced and fairlly accurate ammo. In "your" rifle, they may be golden and they may be trash. Ya gotta try 'em and see.
​

 

[scott22]

As much as I love THR... man you would get much better results searching (or asking) rimfirecentral.com for the answer. Just beware, once you go there your 10/22 is going to become a money sink! Although many people did answer the question very well here (as always).

 

[MCgunner]

#1 Eley Tenex
#2 RWS Target

Every gun differs, but these, especially the Eley, have given awesome groups. Eley turned an ordinary Mossberg 152 with accuracy on par with my 10/22 into a friggin' match rifle, no other mod, but the ammo. I was a bit in disbelief, but it did. I haven't tried it in the 10/22, though. It's expensive. It worked no better than the RWS in my Remington M512X. However, that thing is gawd awful accurate with danged near anything, so that's not a good test. LOL