Anyone ever shot 22rf made in Russia?.

[Frank46]

While this may be a dated subject, has anyone shot any of the 22rf made in Russia?. About 20 years ago much of this 22rf was being imported from Russia. To the best of my knowledge there were 4 grades
Junior brass and steel case.
Temp next higher grade all I ever saw was brass cased.
Sniper next higher and all I ever saw was brass cased.
Olympic all brass cased.
I heard some good reports from the long gone "Precision Shooting" magazine. All I could find available at the time was both brass and steel cased Junior. I opted for the brass cased stuff because there were at the time reported extraction problems with the steel cased ammo.
I have an old BSA model 12 or 12/15 single shot target rifle based on the martini action. One of these days will get around to getting it dated but I've had it for almost 35 years.
Testing consisted of 4 brands of ammo. Russian Junior, Winchester T22, Remingtom match and CCI green tag.
All shooting was done at 50 yards with the British target sights that came with the rifle. I fired 50 rounds of each brand at each target cleaning after each brand had been fired.
Here is the order I ranked the 4 brands
Russian Junior
Winchester T22
CCI Green Tag
Remington match
Since this was sort of an informal test no scores were listed because I was interested in the core grouping. By core grouping I mean the same area where the majority of the shots landed and no sight adjustments were made during the test.

While none of the 4 levels of the Russian ammo has been imported in many years there were attempts by some of the shooters on the Rimfirecentral.com site to look into having a shipping container brought in. That didn't pan out so supplies were basically left to what was already in this country. Occasionally one will spot a brick or two of one of the 4 grades at a gun show. The Olympic was basically the same as the best grade 22rf that Federal made at the time complete with the dimple in the base of the case. I'm down to just a few bricks
of the Junior so when this is gone it's really gone. Maybe do another test with some surplus Sellier & Bellot czech 22rf I found not to long ago, in fact I forgot I even had it. Just thought you'd like to hear what I did. Frank

[growr]

Frank,
I've fired thousands of Russian Temp in NRA 3&4 Position smallbore..indoor and out. I used Temp to win the State outdoor prone match in 2009 with a 1599/1600.
Last year at the State Indoor 50 ft. match I was able to shoot a 200/20X prone score with my Temp ammo as well.

In my 1813 Anschutz as well as my 52 Winchester it shoots as well as Eley Tenex.

Federal thought very highly of Olymp ammo and had some of the US Olympic shooters get some for comparison....Federal shortly thereafter released their version of the same cartridge called the UM-1, rounds that did not quite make the UM1 quality control were labeled as 900B.

Many lots of 900 B were just as consistent and accurate as UM1. Much like Eley Black Box shooting as compared to Eley Tenex.

Was the Remington ammo 6600 Match? If so, it was produced at a time when both Winchester (Mk3&4) and Remington 6600 Match were quite on par with any Eley Tenex or RWS R-50

Like you my Temp supply is dwindling and it would be fabulous if somehow it could be imported again.

The Russian Junior Brass was also a pretty good round, but needed a very strong firing pin spring for consistent detonation. Our juniors used it in club guns ( Remington 513 and some cut down 52 Winchesters).

Accuracy at 50 feet was usually 10 ring in prone. Would always give at least a 9 if you did your part. Quite on par with Winchester T22, CCI 0032 Standard velocity, etc)

At 50 yards/meters would always could be counted on to deliver at least an 8.

If I could find some Russian Olymp/Temp I would pounce on it as I am down to a 6000 round case and then it too is gone forever.

Hope that helps...

Randy

[DWalt]

I have fired maybe a brick of Junior, still have two unopened bricks (10 boxes, paper wrapped). The last brick I bought was about two months ago at a gun show for $40.

Maybe 3-4 years ago I fired several boxes at 50 yards from my Winchester 52B (Unertl 10X scope). I don't have any records left, but it grouped as well as anything else I have tried. I seem to remember that the Junior MV was significantly lower than everything else, don't know the exact MV, but below 1000 ft/sec. I do not remember any extraction problems with Junior.

[rockquarry]

I bought several different grades of the Russian ammo, probably not long after it became available in the '90s (?). I thought there were five or six versions but I may be mistaken. I don't recall being impressed with any of it.

Why is it no longer imported?

[les.b]

I distinctly remember when the "Junior" steel cased 22 was being imported in the 90s. Came in an inexpensive green pasteboard box of 50. And the "bricks", if I remember were heavy clear plastic wrappers. I still have about 10 or 15 of these boxes, plus.....one of those standard Russian wooden crates like the AK ammo came in, with, if I remember correctly holds something like 6,000 rounds. Still unopened. (I'll check one of these days, but it is near the bottom of a big stack, in yhe back of the storeroom, and I don't feel like moving all those other crates to find it.

That dates to when there was talk of cutting off the Russian supplies, and prices were ridiculously low, and we were "buying cheap, and stacking deep"!

But yes, I have shot a bunch of it. It shoots OK, but if I remember, it must have some graphite in the lube, as it was dirty to handle, and left some residue behind. But it shot fine, and I still shoot a little from time to time.

Also got to shoot it when visiting with the Moscow police back in 1998, they use 22 bolt action rifles for marksmanship practice:



This is me, May of 1998, my first trip to Russia with the Moscow Police. I can't remember the exact model that this rifle was, but it was one that was being exported to the US at that time. Regular 22 LR, and also got to shoot some of their more exotic firearms the same day

Best Regards, Les

[DWalt]

"And the "bricks", if I remember we're heavy clear plastic wrappers."
All my Junior bricks, and others I have seen, used sort of light tan heavy paper wrappers, not clear plastic.

[Just another 22 shooter]

My recollection of the Russian Junior is that it was cheap...less than $6 a brick in the late 80s. It shot very well in my Clark Custom 10-22. But it had very heavily lubed bullets; it would noticeably build up around the breach after just a few rounds and attracted powder fouling, making them the dirtiest ammo I ever shot through a 22. I don't think I finished the only brick of 500 I bought; probably gave them away.

[crankyoldlady]

"Junior" in the yellowish box is pretty good stuff but avoid anything in the green box. It is by far the dirtiest 22LR I have ever encountered.

[les.b]

Originally Posted by crankyoldlady

"Junior" in the yellowish box is pretty good stuff but avoid anything in the green box. It is by far the dirtiest 22LR I have ever encountered.

You are absolutely right, and like I said, I still have I think, 6,000 rounds of it!! The good news is, I have very little money invested in it. Still sealed in the original wooden crate. But you are right, it is exceptionally dirty, and you don't even have to fire it to get dirty...just handling it leaves your fingers dirty. But if I remember, it shot ok, just had to do some serious cleanup.

Best Regards, Les

[Frank46]

I'd like to thank those who took the time to post their experiences regarding the Russian 22rf ammo. I only have a couple bricks in the light tan paper wrapping and one brick of the dreaded "sniper" so when it's gone it's gone. Think Skip Otto did some importation of the Russian 22rf years ago but have neither heard of any being brought in lately or any plans to do so. And with the sanctions against Russia don't think we will be seeing any in the future. Again thanks for your responses they are very much appreciated. Frank

[growr]

Enjoy this fine ammo! Especially the Sniper.....Would like to find some more Temp or Sniper.

Randy

[.455_Hunter]

I got a 50 rd box of the steel case Junior in the early 90's. After needing a welding rod to extract each of the first five rounds out of my Remington single shot, I gave up.

[DWalt]

Originally Posted by .455_Hunter

I got a 50 rd box of the steel case Junior in the early 90's. After needing a welding rod to extract each of the first five rounds out of my Remington single shot, I gave up.

Strange. Until recently I had a Remington 510 single shot rifle. I had occasional extraction problems using brass-cased ammo, but none at all with the Junior. In fact, most of the shooting I did with the 510 was with the Junior ammunition for that reason.