Best 22LR for accuracy in 10/22

[mrb302]

I have an all factory 10/22 that is getting ready to get some customizing. I want to bench mark each step in the process to determine which modifications benefit the accuracy, and by how much. To do so, I need to go shoot some groups for a factory benchmark.

I'm looking for a very accurate factroy loaded cartridge. I have been shooting Remington brass plated "Golden Bullet" HPs, but I am not impressed with the accuracy.

I have read reviews that say the CCI MiniMag is very accurate and the Velicotor just slightly better.

Does anyone have recomendations on a better round at an affordable price?
Comments on the CCI choices?

I'm trying to stay away from Eley as it is more expensive and not available locally.

Comments?

 

[ArmedBear]

Subsonic ammo is more accurate than hi-velocity in a .22LR

Many aftermarket barrels have match chambers, which means no Stingers or other rounds that aren't the right spec for a match chamber.

Golden Bullets shoot very well in my stock 10/22. This suggests that our ostensibly identical rifles are different and "like" different ammo. When you change the barrel, it will again "like" different ammo.

Do you have a good scope already?

 

[Infidel]

There's no predicting what ammo any particular .22 will like; they are all different and often finicky. My favorite .22 (not a 10/22) doesn't like the mid-grade Eley types at all, does much better with CCI Standard, and really likes Federal 711B. Another rifle likes Winchester Dynapoints.

My favorite way to find out what a rifle likes is to buy a box each of several types that I think might work, then go shoot. I clean the barrel and shoot a box, judging it by the last 10-shot group from that box, then repeat with the other ammo types.

 

[jrobb45]

Try some Wolf Match Target, about $2.50/box.

jrobb

 

[mrb302]

Thanks for the response so far... I should have pointed out originally that I was going to buy at least 3 or 4 different loads and try them all. Just looking for suggestions.

Armed Bear:
The Remingtons in my rifle shoot great, but every 5th or 6th bullet jumps way off the group. This is from the bench shooting on bags. I can hold a two inch group (+/-) at 100 yards, but then one of the rounds goes 6 or 8 inches off the group. I'm sure some of it is shooter error, but they just seem a little inconsistant to me. So far I've put 400+ down the tube and this situation seems to occur regardless of temp, humidity, etc. I guess it could be due to age of the bullets, as they are getting to be a couple of years old now.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming.

 

[Fumbler]

Many people with 10/22s love Wolf Match Target and Federal Gold Metal.

I have had good luck with Remington Target 22.
Also try Winchester Dynapoints, they are the best cheap ammo.

As far as accuracy testing, you won't find a good benchmark load.
Your factory rifle may shoot Dynapoints well, but an aftermarket barrel may shoot crappy with it.
You should get a group of different ammo and test them all.

One last thing, I can already tell you a new barrel is going to make the biggest difference.
A Green Mountain heavy barrel brought my groups down from 1.75 to 1 inch at 50 yards.
A stock with proper bedding took it down to 0.75".
Headspacing the bolt didn't bring the best group size down, but it made the gun shoot the smaller groups more often.
A trigger...well a new trigger only helps if the heavy pull was a problem to begin with. I learned to shoot the heavy trigger and after I did my own trigger job (I suggest just buying the Volquartsen hammer) the groups didn't shrink, but it was easier for me to shoot the smaller groups.

Edited to add: If your factory 10/22 can shoot 2" groups at 100 yards then you have a special rifle. Don't change anything except the headspaced bolt and hammer (the headspacing will reduce the flyers you mention).

 

[hksw]

Wolf Match Target or Match Extra.

 

[mrb302]

Edited to add: If your factory 10/22 can shoot 2" groups at 100 yards then you have a special rifle. Don't change anything except the headspaced bolt and hammer (the headspacing will reduce the flyers you mention).

Opps... Too late!

I have (on order) a new stock, a Volquartsen hammer + hammer spring, Volquartsen bolt release, and a Volq. extended mag release.

I bought the 10/22 in stainless with the "deluxe" walnut stock (no barrel band). I really don't want to cut this stock just because it is real nice as it is.

I want to add one piece at a time to see how the accuracy improves. Once I get into the project, I'll start posting some target photos for comparison. I do not plan on altering any factory parts, so I can go back to stock if I want to.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Mal H]

The advice several have stated above that any particular .22 rifle will/might behave differently with the same cartridge from a particular manufacturer is spot on as far as I have found.

However, I did a fairly scientific test of several different cartridges, both premium and everyday plinking ammo. There were some surprises in the tests, at least to me there were.

The rifle and setup is 10/22 with a target bull barrel, 6-24X scope, 50 yards, bench rest. I tested it before adding a Volq hammer group and then again after adding the hammer. (I also added the very same items you are adding, but they usually don't contribute to accuracy.) The Volq hammer made some surprising differences in accuracy. I highly recommend it.

As you can see none of the groups are exceptionally good, all are at or over 1 MOA. My next move is to get a better barrel than the Ruger factory barrel.

The tests (all groups of 5 measured in inches CTC):

                                   Accuracy              Accuracy
Ammo                              Before Volq            After Volg

Lapua Multi-Match               .50                      .60
Eley Tenex                      .83                      .73
Fed Ultra Match 1               .83                      .55
Fed Gold Match 900B             .95                      .50
Win Super-X                     1.03                     .90
Win Dynapoint                   1.03                     .67
Eley Match XTra                 1.17                     .65

(The formatting probably won't line up due to font differences, but it should be obvious which is which.)

The only odd group was the Lapua Multi-Match, it got a little worse after the Volq was added, but the first group was exceptionally good, so a different test would probably show different results, but I'm not going to remove the hammer to prove it.

As you can see the Winchester ammo was right up there with the best when a good hammer is used to ignite it.

A real surprise was the Eley Tenex. It certainly got better with the new hammer, but nothing to write home about, so to speak. Obviously, it is premium ammo or the pros wouldn't use it as much as they do. The answer lies in the statement we started with, any particular rifle and any particular ammo, etc. 10 to 1 the Tenex is designed for tighter barrels and bolt actions, so I guess I'm not all that surprised it was only average in the 10/22.

Bottom line? Buy all the Dynapoints you can get your hands on.

 

[Infidel]

.... I was going to buy at least 3 or 4 different loads and try them all. Just looking for suggestions.

The fliers that you describe with Remington is a pretty common complaint against that ammo.

Some types of .22 ammo that I think, or have thought, worth trying:

Winchester T22
Winchester High Velocity
Winchester Dynapoints
Federal Champion Target
Federal Gold Medal Match
CCI Standard Velocity
CCI Green Tag
Wolf Match Target
Wolf Match Extra
Eley, all kinds, pick your price. I tried Club Extra and Target Rifle
Lapua Midas L and Midas M I haven't tried these, maybe won't. $$$

Dynapoints come up often in these discussions, as they are cheap and often shoot well. My older .22 likes them. But I just don't like cleaning copper out of a .22 barrel. Doesn't seem right, somehow.

Winchester seems a little hard to get right now from my usual sources (e.g., MidwayUSA). I have heard that their production is curtailed while they move to a different plant(???). I can't find T22 anywhere.