Best and worst bulk 22LR

[rpenmanparker]

FWIW, the standard velocity Aguila shoots significantly better (accuracy wise) in both my Sako P04 and my Tikka T1X. So be aware that you are buying what you really want after testing lots of different ammo.

I can honestly state I have yet to have a dud Aguila round. That's pretty good for an economy priced .22 ammo.
I seem to remember reading somewhere a few years ago that Aguila is manufactured by Eley in Mexico. I could be wrong, but that might be a reason for their surprising quality.

Maybe but I don’t think so. They also have a plant here in Conroe near Houston. And I know someone who knows the family. Mexican, yes. Eley, I don’t think so. They do use Eley’s priming method in rimfire cartridges.

 

[Poper]

Maybe but I don’t think so. They also have a plant here in Conroe near Houston. And I know someone who knows the family. Mexican, yes. Eley, I don’t think so. They do use Eley’s priming method in rimfire cartridges.

Definitely "Eley Prime" - Whatever that means. Maybe Eley primed cases?

 

[RA40]

Finishing off the last of the aged Aguila SE high velocity bought in '93. Have had very few duds among the 5K rounds of this last batch. The recent Federal American Eagle within 300 rounds I've pitched about 15 of them. If they don't go bang, I rotate them to get another chance. One took four strikes before it went off.

So far in recent test bricks the CCI Blazer has done well for me. I have been buying Aguila in the standard and high velocity with continuing good results. These current ones are much cleaner than the 90's stuff.

 

[LiveLife]

Who makes the best bulk 22lr and what is the avoid unless there is no other choice 22lr?

For me, Remington Thunderbolt produced inconsistent ignition (Different "pop" sound) and more misfires than other 22LR I have shot over the decades so now I avoid it.

To me, the "best value bulk 22LR" is Federal 36 gr CP HP 550 round "Walmart only" red box. It's the same stuff as 525 round blue box "Value Pack" but cheaper. It's not as accurate as Federal 38 gr CP HP 275 round Field Pack or Aguila but for 20-25 yard plinking, it's plenty accurate for "minute-of-soda can" even when shot out of ARs with CMMG 22LR conversion.

There's 22LR for sale thread in "Rifle Country" category and currently Armscor 36 gr CP HP can be bought for $16.49/500 with free shipping - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...30-for-500-rounds.825048/page-6#post-11109240

Below is comparison 50 yard 10 shot groups out of 10/22 Take Down of Federal 36 gr CP HP Value Pack, Federal 38 gr CP HP Field Pack, Aguila 40 gr CP RN (Eley Prime) HV and Aguila 40 gr CP RN (Aguila Prime) HV - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...10-shot-challenge.848356/page-6#post-11109178

 

[P5 Guy]

PMC Sidewinder has done well for me.

 

[rsrocket1]

As most have said, it depends on the gun. I thought it would be no contest between Federal 555 bulk and CCI Std Velocity but I wanted to see it for myself. At 25 yards with my Marlin 924 bolt gun, the results were what you'd expect:



But then I tried a bunch at 50 feet with my 10/22 using open sights.



The Automatch 325/box was the best for the 10/22.

Lately, I've been trying out the Winchester M22 ammo from Walmart ($40/1000 in 2 boxes of 500 each) and have been getting just as good groups as the CCI Std Velocity rounds in my SW22A-1 at 50 feet so I've been using that ammo in my weekly informal pistol matches and they work just as well as the CCI but with a bit more recoil but considerably cheaper.
So what you need to do is to buy a box of each, try them out and choose what ammo meets your needs at the price you are willing to pay.

The Federal and Winchester bulk ammo has been the "worst" in terms of accuracy for me but I still like it for informal plinking out in the mountains. I can still throw out an empty soda can and chase it out with multiple shots with either the 10/22 or the pistol (but not with the Federals in the pistol because I get about a 10% dud rate with that ammo and gun). At 25 yards I can still knock over shotshell hulls with the bulk stuff. This is a good thing because I still have a file cabinet drawer full of the stuff from before the rimfire shortage.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

I used to think these were all the same cartridge until I noticed they all have different “load numbers”:

 

[sota]

without confirmation from Federal themselves, I've taken their "Load" number to mean more just a product packaging code, then an actual ammo load.
having all three boxes you show myself, I can say they don't shoot any differently amongst themselves. if I had the means (equipment) to, I'd pull the bullets and weigh each of the components to see if there's any statistical significant deviation. I doubt there is though.

 

[Craig_AR]

Years ago I learned quickly that, as others have already said, Remington 22LR was not only filthy, but also was good for at least one FTF on every 10-round magazine. Gave up on them right away. I settled in on the Federal 550-round bulk boxes at Walmart, which at the time were only $9.95. Those worked really well, at least until they become unavailable during the Great 22 Shortage. Im finding those again, even at a permanently inflated price, and remain happy with them.

Just this week I ran into a related comparison of Winchester and Federal, detailed in the thread I just started at
22LR Bullet a Wee Bit Too long

 

[LiveLife]

without confirmation from Federal themselves, I've taken their "Load" number to mean more just a product packaging code, then an actual ammo load ... I'd pull the bullets and weigh each of the components to see if there's any statistical significant deviation. I doubt there is though.

I do have the equipment to pull the bullets and weigh the components as I did on this thread - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/factory-rounds-pulled.706260/

But I doubt that will help with 22LR comparison as 22LR rounds are powder charged in bulk and normal powder charge variance would overshadow any difference in powder charges (5:40 minute mark of video shows bulk powder charging)



And many OEM ammunition manufacturers buy powder in large lots and just lot-to-lot variance alone would negate any attempt at comparing pulled components.

IMO, different load numbers of Federal 22LR 36 gr CP HP, whether 525 round Value Pack blue box or Walmart only 550 red box (And perhaps even American Eagle) are loaded using the same 36 gr CP HP bullet with same lot batch of powder, so same rounds in different packages.


I am planning to test whether sorting 22LR by loaded weight and rim thickness will improve accuracy.

This video shows sorting by loaded weight improves accuracy



Sorting 22LR by rim thickness using a .223 case (There are several rim thickness tools available) but thought I give this a try to see if I could shrink my group size



And some even resize factory 22LR to improve accuracy. Not sure if I will go to this length but will see how sorting by weight and rim thickness goes first.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Definitely "Eley Prime" - Whatever that means. Maybe Eley primed cases?

No, it is a method of priming rimfire cases. They use that method.

 

[LiveLife]

"Eley Prime" - Whatever that means.

it is a method of priming rimfire cases.

In 1979, ELEY developed the world’s first and only automated dry priming system called "ELEY prime" - https://www.eleyammunition.com/about/

In 1988, ELEY receives the Queen’s Award for Technology for the development of ELEY prime.

In 2010, ELEY is used to win 100% of gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi

In 2012, ELEY ammunition takes 14 out of 18 medals at the London Olympic games

In 2014, ELEY wins all gold medals at the World Championships in Granada, Spain

In 2018, Aguila switches from "Eley prime" to "Aguila prime".


In my testing, "Aguila prime" 22LR produced comparable groups to "Eley prime" 22LR.

Comparison #1 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...10-shot-challenge.848356/page-5#post-11107894

Comparison #2 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...10-shot-challenge.848356/page-6#post-11109178

 

[Charlie Martinez]

For my S&W 41 I always liked Remington Target until they became hard to find. Then I tried CCI SV & I'm happy with it so far.
For my next lot I might try Aguila SV. I have heard many good reports & the price is lower than CCI.
Federal Target delivers very consistent accuracy in my bolt action 22 & my 22 revolver but does not cycle reliably in my 41.

 

[Dewey 68]

Went to the range today and put 200 rounds of Thunderbolts through my Buckmark without one problem. I've had them for a while, they were from a brick of 500 but in the smaller boxes of 50. Maybe I'm just lucky?