Information on top tier 22 LR ammunition brands

[Walkalong]

Center X has gone up drastically over the past few years. Seven or eight years ago, I was buying it by the case for less than $10.00 a box. At that time, Center X was a few dollars per box cheaper than Eley Match.

Yep, but it's not alone in that.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

It all gets fuzzy, but I believe when I was paying under $10 a box for Center X, Eley Match was $12-$13. Now Center X and Match are about the same price.

 

[Legionnaire]

I did some digging through the ammo cabinet and came up with the following:

Eley Practice
Eley Club Xtra
Eley Target Rifle
Federal Gold Medal

I have the following on order from two different sources, should arrive this week:

Lapua X-ACT
Lapua Long Range
Eley Tenex
Eley Match
SK Rifle Match
SK High Velocity
RWS R50

Crazy busy week ahead, but hope I can get time to work through some of them this coming Saturday.

 

[maxxhavoc]

I try to keep at least 20-30 different kinds of 22lr on hand for new guns. 5-10 rounds of each is usually enough to start figuring out each rifle's "favorite food."

I have a Ruger 10/22 that usually goes to the line with Winchester ammo. It is it's second favorite ammo behind Wolf Match. Weighing the Winchester makes it a close race.
Ruger American? Aquila HV HP closely follows Eley Club.

My Tikka likes CMP Eley almost as much as SK match.

Just about every 22 I have shot likes different "food" and there is usually an inexpensive ammo that closely follows it's favorite which is 5-10x moe expensive. If you want to find "good enough" try Aquila HV and SV ammos. The Aquila SV shoots well in darn near everything. The old Eley primed was better, but the new stuff is pretty good too.

 

[Slamfire]

Lets talk guns!

If your rim fire does not have a match barrel and chamber, and you shoot in windy conditions, don't expect one hole groups.

You have to get the round counts up to really tell the difference between rimfire ammunition. At least for me, I am not a particular hard holder, nor am I consistent. Five shot groups are basically meaningless for consistency comparisons. The good stuff is more consistent. You pay for the Quality Control. Eley would not tell me what their sorting criteria at the end of the production line was, but Eley uses a dedicated production line for Red Box and Black Box. The best grouping stuff goes in the Red Box, and the not best grouping stuff goes in the Black Box. Both at the Eley and Lapua test ranges, your rifle gets tested with various lots, and you make the decision of what to buy based on 40 shot groups. It is real interesting to see the differences in group sizes at 50 and 100 meters. The best group at 50 meters is not necessarily the best group at 100 meter.

The lesser priced match ammunition does not cluster as tightly, and you can expect low velocity drop outs. Such as



An example of cheap match ammunition and good match ammunition.

Cheap match ammunition in an F Class rifle.




the shooter was disgusted with the sighter shot that fell 12 inches at 100 yards



He had enough of poor groups with cheap ammunition and purchased Eley Black Box. He is much happier now




Something that is true, for ultimate accuracy, you have to test different lots, and find the lot that shoots best in your rifle. The really good shooters talk to each other all the time about who is making good ammunition and if they find a great lot, they buy all they can. They of course, test, and then shoot the new stuff in club matches to see how it does. The really good stuff gets taken to the big matches.

The ex Club President, in his 70's, shot this group with some really old Match Ammunition.





and he used a M37 identical to this, prone, off a rest and bags, with the exception his rifle has an Eric Johnson barrel.

 

[Spats McGee]

Unless I am mistaken, THR member @LiveLife has compiled a fair amount of data on .22 ammo. Perhaps you'd share some that information here, @LiveLife?

 

[RainDodger]

The bottom line is, what does your rifle shoot the best? I compared a whole lot of .22LR in a CZ. Ahead of time, I came across some SK and I bought two bricks, thinking, "this stuff is supposed to be great." Yeah, it works fine, but it doesn't print better groups than Federal bulk 800 round range ammo in my rifle. Before you go crazy buying expensive stuff, try a little of each. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Walkalong]

Sometimes match .22s like a cheap ammo, but you will have more what the hecks with it than the better ammo. That loses matches in .22 Benchrest, and bites you in NRL-22 as well. Nothing worse than breaking the trigger on a good shot and have it fly into orbit for no reason. I had one with Center X in a match and when I finished the stage Matt asked .....What happened on that miss? That's a strange miss.....for you. Just a bad round that didn't fly like the others.

 

[Picher]

I know what you mean. My favorite match ammo was Lapua Center-X. But I couldn't get any for awhile and now it is pretty high priced I have been getting by with other stuff. I have a small stash I am hoarding for matches only. I haven't shot any for awhile.

I don't shoot any competitions and haven't for at least 10 years. I used to shoot Rimfire Benchrest, various informal Turkey Shoots and handgun silhouette. I loved Turkey Shoots the best and won quite often.

 

[warnerwh]

Anything and everything to know about the .22 you can find here: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/
Many many competition shooters. THR is the best gun forum but rimfirecentral shouldn't be ignored by anyone who is serious about .22's.

 

[cougar1717]

Ideal 22LR that works well in your individual rifle is very simple to write about, but may be difficult to find. It's more than just buying the most expensive ammo that a person can find. Sure, more expensive ammo typically provides consistency according to measurables, but this alone may not produce the best groups in your rifle. It can be frustrating trying to chase the absolute best ammo for your rifle. There are generalizations, but no easy answers.

Here are some opinions concerning the qualities of the kind of 22LR ammo you may want to look for if you want to shoot the smallest groups:
1) The headstamp is typically RWS, Eley, or Lapua (or their other sub-brandings)
2) Typically 40gr lubed lead. (Usually no plating or hollowpoints)
3) The extreme spread (ES) of at least 30 shots out of your rifle is in the mid 40's or less (ie 45fps maximum spread, but less is better; 30's if you can find it)
4) The ammo has a velocity range that works well in your barrel. Some rifles prefer v's closer to 1000fps, others 1100fps. The shooter doesn't know without testing consistent ammo. For example, you have found your ideal ammo over the summer, but then you go to the range in the fall and the groups are now not that good. The ammo didn't change, but it's 40* cooler and the same ammo doesn't generate the same velocity at that temperature.
5) Visual inspection of the ammo shows consistently molded bullets that are concentric, with even drive bands, consistent crimps, no or minimal skirting, no or minimal gouges.
6) Consistent brass, priming, ignition. Unfortunately, these are likely unknown until fired. (The brass can be measured to some extent, but without disassembly the amount of priming compound and it's distribution is unknown)

I have an incredibly small group of five rounds at 50 yards with Federal Automatch. Does that make it good ammo? - no. It's just that those five shots were lucky, but not repeatable. Consistent, repeatable results come from consistent ammo, but unlike reloading where that can be assembled - you're always chasing the manufacturer's best offerings and lot numbers in 22LR.

 

[tominboise]

Ideal 22LR that works well in your individual rifle is very simple to write about, but may be difficult to find. It's more than just buying the most expensive ammo that a person can find. Sure, more expensive ammo typically provides consistency according to measurables, but this alone may not produce the best groups in your rifle. It can be frustrating trying to chase the absolute best ammo for your rifle. There are generalizations, but no easy answers.

Here are some opinions concerning the qualities of the kind of 22LR ammo you may want to look for if you want to shoot the smallest groups:
1) The headstamp is typically RWS, Eley, or Lapua (or their other sub-brandings)
2) Typically 40gr lubed lead. (Usually no plating or hollowpoints)
3) The extreme spread (ES) of at least 30 shots out of your rifle is in the mid 40's or less (ie 45fps maximum spread, but less is better; 30's if you can find it)
4) The ammo has a velocity range that works well in your barrel. Some rifles prefer v's closer to 1000fps, others 1100fps. The shooter doesn't know without testing consistent ammo. For example, you have found your ideal ammo over the summer, but then you go to the range in the fall and the groups are now not that good. The ammo didn't change, but it's 40* cooler and the same ammo doesn't generate the same velocity at that temperature.
5) Visual inspection of the ammo shows consistently molded bullets that are concentric, with even drive bands, consistent crimps, no or minimal skirting, no or minimal gouges.
6) Consistent brass, priming, ignition. Unfortunately, these are likely unknown until fired. (The brass can be measured to some extent, but without disassembly the amount of priming compound and it's distribution is unknown)

I have an incredibly small group of five rounds at 50 yards with Federal Automatch. Does that make it good ammo? - no. It's just that those five shots were lucky, but not repeatable. Consistent, repeatable results come from consistent ammo, but unlike reloading where that can be assembled - you're always chasing the manufacturer's best offerings and lot numbers in 22LR.

Excellent write up. I would add, Good ammo can't be made into great ammo by measuring, weighing or sorting by some physical characteristic. It's all built in, or not, by the company that made any particular lot.

 

[12Bravo20]

I've seen plenty of people drive themselves crazy searching for the most accurate 22LR ammo. Even with the best ammo for your particular rifle can change how it shoots between different lots. As mentioned, the higher priced European ammo has better quality control and usually has a lower ES which helps with consistency and accuracy.

As @cougar1717 said, some rifles will do better with standard velocity (sub sonic) ammo while others do better with high velocity ammo. My Savage MkII BTVLSS does best with CCI Mini Mags out to 100 yards compared to all the different ammo I have tried so far. I do have some premium ammo to test against CCI Mini Mags at distances past 100 yards.

My best suggestion is to find the brand and type of ammo that shoots the best in all weather conditions/temperatures and stick with it.

 

[3Crows]

If I had a rifle that would not shoot the ubiquitous CCI Standard and CCI MM decently then I would not have it. Which is why I do not have such a rifle.

 

[Picher]

You need to test higher end ammo to see what it likes. Higher grades of Lapua, Eley, SK, CCI and Norma work best for me in various rifles. Some have match chambers and need match ammo. Others are not so fussy. I have tested many brands and grades. Unfortunately my target rifle likes the expensive stuff.

Yeah, I noticed that also. Unfortunately, sometimes what you're paying extra for may not be ammo that has better components, but ammo lots that tested better, when made. It's kinda the same thing, but perhaps with more "flyers" than the premium stuff.

 

[Picher]

I have recently gotten into shooting a 22 bench match and have just been shooting what I have on hand, mostly Eley Sport. As my skill increases (assuming it does), I would like to move into better target ammunition. I am familiar with Eley & CCI and have heard of Lapua and SK as better grades but are there others that I should look at down the road?
Appreciate any info.

Rimfire Benchrest match shooting is a game that not only takes a "one-hole rifle", but the right batch of finicky match ammo, determined by testing various brands/models/batches of the best ammo for YOUR rifle. It involves testing, testing, and more testing!!! It gets expensive and even frustrating when you can't get the batch that shoots best in YOUR rifle. Centerfire ammo is much more consistent than rimfire, but when you get that fantastic batch, you always wish you'd have bought more of it.

I remember when I stopped shooting that sport. I had just ordered about 8 test lots from my favorite supplier, ran out and tested them that day, then called in the supplier to order a big bunch of it. NO! It was all gone!!! Okay, my second-best? NO again!...All gone! Okay, I tested about 5 lots, so listed the others...NO they were all gone!!! So, so was I. When I ran out of good ammo, I quit the "sport".

 

[whisler]

I tested what ammo I had in stock against each other. Eley Sport, Norma Tac 22, CCI Green Tag, CCI Mini-Mag, Federal Rifle Match (very old stock, made in England?), and Eley Bench Rest Gold. The Eley Bench Rest Gold is very old stuff I got from a college rifle coach, and I don't think it is sold anymore, at least under that name. The Eley Sport was last place followed by Mini-Mags. The rest were much closer. The old Eley BRG stacked 3 of 5 on top of each other; not bad for me but also not available. CCI Green Tag looked very good but no luck finding any yet. I picked up CCI SV and Fiocchi SV to try but haven't tested yet. Will try to find some of the others suggested without breaking the bank. Thanks for the input!

 

[Legionnaire]

Here's the summary table from my ammo test today. Bergara B14R unsuppressed at 50 yards.