Norma USA TAC-22 Ammo

[RedNeck Jim]

I noticed on the In Stock Ammo Thread that Midway had inventory on Norma USA TAC-22 subsonic ammo... in case quantities. I shoot a lot & just refuse to buy by the box or brick, as the shipping just kills you. I'm not familiar with this ammo, but since I shoot suppressed, I went ahead & got a case. What little I've been able to read about it seems real good... a little pricy but good ammo. Most folks say it feeds flawlessly and might be more accurate than the CCI Standard Velocity I normally shoot. I paid right at .11 each delivered, which is what I've gotten my CCI at recently. I understand this isn't cheap but I'm able to pay such a price & will do so to keep shooting.

Question is, does anyone have experience shooting this stuff? Can you state how you liked it. Also, since it is a bit faster than CCI Standard Velocity, did you have any issues with it cracking the sound barrier. That is an issue for those shooting suppressed.

[tomcatt51]

I have a case on the way, guess we'll find out.

[Taggure]

I just ordered 500 and will be trying it out as well. I am a bit worried about it in my 15-22 but we will see. Bullets.com has them in stock today for $5.95 for a box 50 with a limit of 1000 rounds
Bullets.com

[RedNeck Jim]

My case of 5000 will be delivered today. I plan on shooting this weekend but will have to shoot out my 13 25 round mags plus my 50 round drum 1st. At least I will reload them this weekend with the TAC-22 & hopefully have another shoot to give it a try.

[Taggure]

Let us know how they shoot

[dannybot]

Waiting...

[RedNeck Jim]

Received my case today & decided to go ahead & empty a dozen of my 25 round magazines & reload with the TAC-22. First impression is the packaging is very nice. Doesn't hurt to have a pic of a guy shooting a 15-22 on everything. I also really like ammo where the individual rounds are held in a plastic insert. This holder is much more substantial than CCI uses on their Standard Velocity, which I normally shoot.

The ammo looks great & everything looks nice & tight. Just like I read online, this ammo is a little greasy. Not bad at all & I sure wouldn't think it would hurt anything... and probably might help. After loading a few magazines your fingers are very slippery. Don't know if you would notice any difference looking at a single round. Where the CCI is a little waxy, these are a little greasy. Will shoot these tomorrow.

[mp15.22]

Its not bad at all. I had a couple of FTF, but otherwise they are good. They better be for the price that i accidently put on back order and shipped for $59 a brick!

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by mp15.22

Its not bad at all. I had a couple of FTF, but otherwise they are good.

How many rounds did you shoot? Also, were using your Slide Fire at the time?

I didn't shoot yesterday because my horses were in the pasture with my shooting range. I will shoot today.

[Side by Side]

I purchased 2000 rds from Mid South a few weeks back, also had a case backordered from Midway. Tried the ammo in my 15-22PC, worked great, not one problem, seems just as accurate as CCI Std Vel. if not more. I've also used this ammo in a Ruger MkII suppressed, also very happy with the results. Ammo is expensive, but from what I see others are paying for the junk ammo, this is a bargin.

[Side by Side]

Midway Ammo arrived last week, Included Free Shipping, That Helps!!!.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

That slippery lube sounds just like Wolf Match that I sometimes use in bolt guns for accuracy.

Have you tried it in one of your target guns to test accuracy?

[Gopher Slayer]

Looking forward to a report Jim.
I've never shot that stuff, but I like what I see so far.

Originally Posted by RedNeck Jim

I didn't shoot yesterday because my horses were in the pasture with my shooting range. I will shoot today.

I hate that.
It's cattle for me though. It takes about six weeks for 140 yearlings to finish off the pasture I plink in. That means every night for six weeks, I have a very annoying and curious audience gathering right next to me as soon as the first shot is fired.

[Vividia]

Good to hear that this ammo seem OK since I already ordered 1K to try LOL. Guess I will go ahead and order some more based on what I see here.

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

Have you tried it in one of your target guns to test accuracy?

OK, did some shooting with it today. Ran 300 rounds thru the 15-22 & 25 rounds thru the CZ, with no failures. No funny smells & all bullets stayed subsonic.

I am a horrible one to check accuracy... even when using bags on the CZ. I seldom shoot like that and when I want to check accuracy, normally get a better shooter than me to do the task. But since folks want some info quickly, you get shaky Jim.

35 yards, shooting 2 magazines leaning against the Gator.




Shooting 5 groups of 5 from the CZ. 1st group was the center target & the flyer was because I forgot to take the suppressor off of the 15-22. Does show how a suppressor changes the POI.







I really like this ammo. I would say very similar to CCI Standard Velocity. It will take a better shot than me to determine if it is more accurate than the CCI.

[mp15.22]

Originally Posted by RedNeck Jim

How many rounds did you shoot? Also, were using your Slide Fire at the time?

I didn't shoot yesterday because my horses were in the pasture with my shooting range. I will shoot today.

I shot X2 25rd mags. The slidefire was on, but did not go beezerk at the range. I had to zero in my 15-22 and spikes.

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by mp15.22

I shot X2 25rd mags. The slidefire was on, but did not go beezerk at the range.

Makes me wonder if the Slide Fire could be a factor? You earlier stated you had a couple of FTF, yet still thought they were good. Granted, I don't know how many magazines you shot (X2 ?) but I haven't experienced a FTF since I put on my CMC trigger... maybe 5000 rounds ago.

I just don't experience failures with my 15-22. I do keep it clean & only use good ammo, but if I experienced multiple FTFs in a single shooting, I would be concerned.

[RFtinkerer]

I got 2 bricks and shot some Sunday. I am used to precision fire off of stable bipod and sand bags with my dedicated bolt 22, so the accuracy eval is difficult for this. I shot off high bags due to the large mag (need a 10 round), but, at least at 50 yards it seems decent enough. I really believe it could be better than CCI SV if put to a real test. Maybe I'll try it in the bolt next. I just have too much fun with the 15-22...

[mp15.22]

Originally Posted by RedNeck Jim

Makes me wonder if the Slide Fire could be a factor? You earlier stated you had a couple of FTF, yet still thought they were good. Granted, I don't know how many magazines you shot (X2 ?) but I haven't experienced a FTF since I put on my CMC trigger... maybe 5000 rounds ago.

I just don't experience failures with my 15-22. I do keep it clean & only use good ammo, but if I experienced multiple FTFs in a single shooting, I would be concerned.

I think my 15-22 works just fine...

[tomcatt51]

Originally Posted by RedNeck Jim

I really like this ammo.

Shot enough to see if the greasy feeling stuff it's lubed with is going to crud up the chamber?

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by tomcatt51

Shot enough to see if the greasy feeling stuff it's lubed with is going to crud up the chamber?

Barrel is spotless. Chamber & bolt face have the normal crud associated with shooting 22lr. I will not hesitate to buy more of this ammo.

[OldEagleEars]

Did it say anywhere on the packaging where this Norma ammo was manufactured? It's a Swedish company so I'm curious if the folks back in the Fatherland are keeping up the quality. I know their major commercial product, hunting ammo in higher calibers; is considered some of the best.

[RedNeck Jim]

I can't see any country of manufacture on the packaging.

[Stan O]

Originally Posted by OldEagleEars

Did it say anywhere on the packaging where this Norma ammo was manufactured? It's a Swedish company so I'm curious if the folks back in the Fatherland are keeping up the quality. I know their major commercial product, hunting ammo in higher calibers; is considered some of the best.

It's made in Germany

[Magneto]

I have heard it is made by RWS.
The headstamp would seem to verify that it is.

Steve

[bcbasslet]

does it work in a model 41? does anyone know? [eg eley won't ramp into /eject from a stock 41]

[68sixspeed]

Originally Posted by bcbasslet

does it work in a model 41? does anyone know? [eg eley won't ramp into /eject from a stock 41]

I ran about some through my 41 with issues...Model 41 jamming on Norma ammo?

and a few hundred in my 15-22, no issues. I did wipe some of the excess wax/lube off them first, otherwise no complaints, grouped as good a CCI standard velocity.

[photoracer]

I ran some in my custom AR 22, the one with the Taccom alloy sleeved barrel and just a preliminary opinion, but I agree it might be more accurate in a semi than CCI-SV. Seemed to shoot pretty well and consistant. Have not tried it as yet in either of my 15-22s. I have 2 bricks of it. Also recently acquired some Armscor 36g HV and also some ATI Scorpion (also actually the same Armscor 36g HV), 2 bricks of each for about $.08-.09/rd. I also found CCI-MM (36g) for about $.11/rd and have 1000 coming, and a local guy is selling me 8 100 rd boxes of CCI-MM (40g) for $.08/rd.

[cjt50]

Ran 100 rounds thru my 15-22 PC version. The stuff is greasy, but it did not effect function what so ever. Cycled all 100 rounds perfectly. Thing that amazed me more was this rifle printed very well with the stuff. When I did my part, I was getting 1/2" groups at 25 yards using a Nikon P-22 scope.

Best groups out of this rifle to date. I'll pay the premium for ammo to get that kinda of performance outta a 15-22 (Performance Center)

[Vividia]

So far I have used the Norma TAC-22 in:

2 different 15-22s, one with and one without a suppressor
Savage Mk II FVSR, suppressed
Ruger 22/45
Ruger 22/45 Lite, suppressed
Winchester 62A
Walther P22
S&W M&P 22, suppressed
S&W 617 (6" 10 shot)
Romanian M69

Here are my thoughts:

I wondered about the oily feel of it, and have seen reviews online where people complain about it gunking up their firearm. This is NOT my experience. In fact, quite the opposite.

I have found in EVERY case with the guns listed above, that if I started out with a clean gun, the gun stayed cleaner, and was far easier to clean afterward. In most cases, some swipes with a boresnake was all that was needed if I wanted to give it just a "lick and a promise" and the major cleanings are more infrequent now than they were.

One day, while testing a half dozen different kinds of ammo through the Sparrow, I shot a total of 100 rounds, mostly non-Norma, and the suppressor was full of gunk, which I expected.

What I did not expect was that the next time I took out the Sparrow and threw 200 rounds of Norma through it, that it still looked clean. Making the Sparrow easier to maintain is a HUGE plus, in my book.

Maybe the cleanliness has to do with the oil on the rounds, maybe not, but I for one won't be wiping it off. Start with a clean gun and let it do its thing.

It might be fun, though, to drag out the Chrono and measure it with and without the oil wiped off to see if it makes a different in velocity.

I also have found that it groups well in all platforms. Another plus, and the most important one.

With the ammo scarcity (real or Memorex), most people are hogging up all the CCI, Federal and Winchester, even the Remington. I bought my first brick of this because I could find it. Not being as well known, it seems to get passed over in favor of the big names. Now I have a bunch more because I like it.

It is said that most things in life are a compromise of desire versus achievability. I haven't found anything yet that is a compromise in the Norma.

So, color me a fan.

[rt11002003]

I've been using TAC-22 for several months, fired approx. 1,000 rounds. Used it in a Hammerli Xesse Sport, Model 41 S&W, a Anschutz/Savage rifle and several other .22 handguns. Didn't care for the oily feel, but paper towels keep my fingers clean. Haven't seen any difference in the cleanliness of my guns. I think I had a couple of FT feeds, in the Hammerli.

Yesterday I fired 100 rounds thru the Model 41. At 10 and 15 yrds, it fired within a 3/4 inch bull; well, a couple cut the outer edges. All the way up to 35 yrds (max at my indoor range) the groups were within 1&1/4 inches, except I have to admit to a couple of fliers.

I like the TAC-22. A little expensive, but all the .22 ammo is these days. I discovered a box of .22 long rifle (Remington) the other day that I had bought 45 years ago for $0.98 a box. Fired it thru the Anschutz/Savage; it worked flawlessly.

[happy]

I bought 1000 rounds of TAC-22 made in Germany. I guess I am the lone person that has had trouble with this ammo. It is greasy, and my M&P 22 pistol does not extract about 1 time each magazine. Pain in the rear. Don't know the cause of the failure to extract. Have to push the spent cartridge out with a cleaning rod. The M&P 22 just eats all other ammo. Only problem has been the Norma. Will buy NO MORE.

[johncal]

Could be because it is a pistol and it is a sub-sonic round. The pistols can't generate the same amount of back pressure as the rifles can. This can be noted by the fact that the bolt is hollowed out on the pistol to make it lighter and aid in the bolt cycling fully.

My guess would be that the sub-sonic charge is just a hair above borderline for the pistol. As you can see, none of the guys with the rifles seem to have any real issues. I know I haven't had any with mine. But I would definitely say in your case the decision not to buy more would be the proper one.

[Vividia]

If you hung a suppressor on the pistol I wonder if it would generate enough back pressure to cycle properly. Do you have the same problem with other subsonic ammo, or just the Norma?

I have now run over a thousand rounds of this without a single FTF/FTE in any of my platforms, but I don't have an AR style pistol so can't comment on that.

[Just another 22 shooter]

Saw this thread had resurfaced this morning.Looked like it was goint be a nice day, so i decided to dig out some of the Norma Tac 22 and put it on paper. My 1022 Clark Custom really likes it and the 1522 might be convinced to shoot it.



The 1st target top left was shot with clean barrel 1522. I know the 1522 is no match gun, but this was bad even for it. A quick check and tightening of scope mounts proved to help immensely. Second target on top proved to be better..15 shots with 13 close together.
Bottom 3 targets were shot in order as numbered. 5 shot groups. I had a wind quartering toward me, left to right at about 10-15 mph. Distance was 50 yards.

[Ram84]

Just got myself 500 box of Norma tac 22.lr ammo can't wait to see how not fired ive been pigeon held for last 6 mnths without ring able to shoot due to ammo bs. Can't wait to see how it performs and to see how it performed for yall

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by Ram84

Just got myself 500 box of Norma tac 22.lr ammo can't wait to see how not fired ive been pigeon held for last 6 mnths without ring able to shoot due to ammo bs. Can't wait to see how it performs and to see how it performed for yall

Plenty of ammo out there. Go buy a case. I got another case last month from these folks.

Ammunition In Stock 22lr : Norma tac-22

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I've fired close to 900 rounds through my 15-22 so far and most of it was Norma Tac22. Other than it being really greasy it has seemed to be pretty good ammo so far. I've heard the grease is due to being made overseas and serves to protect the ammo from corrosion. I pick mine up at Midsouth Shooters (I live just a couple miles from their warehouse) to avoid shipping costs. It's $0.60 cheaper per 50 round box than at the local gun stores. In fact, many of them but theirs from Midsouth at a dealer discount and then sell it at a markup.

[johncal]

Here's some shooting results using the Norma Tac22 from today.

This shooting was done at 50 yards with my Grip Tripod at a bench. 25 rounds per group. Large Grids are 1" I use a Sightmark Reflex Sight with a magnifier so the dot is just a tad large. I think I would be a little bit tighter with a higher powered dedicated scope but I like the versatility of the reflex sight. It's a lot of fun blasting away at 15 yards or so.

The first group was low and to the left as you can see.

The second group was aimed at the top left corner, but I did a little bit of eyeball compensation

The third group was aimed at the top right corner. I did a little more eyeball compensation.

I believe it was shooting a little low as the temperature was quite cold. Also, I could have sighted it in a little better but with frozen hands I wasn't going to pull out the tiny Allen wrench!

As you can see I tightened up a bit with each subsequent group. This is the tightest groupings I have gotten with this rifle. The Norma gives me much better consistency and a good 1" tighter groups than with any other ammo I have used. It's just quality Ammo.

Also, the gun fires very consistently and much more smoothly with this ammunition. Also, since it is "subsonic", it is very quiet. My daughter who has never fired a gun before in her life was shooting a 3" group by her third grouping. My son in law was almost as accurate as me. All in all we fired 300 rounds with no failures whatsoever.... as usual with the Norma.

The inside of the chamber was very greasy after shooting, but the greasiness made clean-up very easy. Basically most everything just wiped off. It took very little cleaning oil to get it spotless.

Now, off to buy another Brick or 2.

[rweller68]

wow this ammo is gooey..

did someone say they washed the ammo off somehow before using it?

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by rweller68

wow this ammo is gooey..

did someone say they washed the ammo off somehow before using it?

Can't imagine why one would want to wash the ammo. The ammo shoots great and is accurate. The oily finish hurts nothing & might actually help.

[rweller68]

I have one of those yellow speedloader devices for my Ruger 22/45. I dumped two boxes of Norma in it and off to the range i went. I was able to load the mags 10 times, however, toward the end it was all gooey and the rounds were difficult to shake into position for loading. Fortunately the ruger will eat anything so i'll stick to the cheap federal stuff for the 22/45.

Was just wondering what that goo was and if it would make my m&p 15-22 even more prone to jams (it arrives to S&W tomorrow to hopefully resolve the major FTE issue it has)

[RedNeck Jim]

Originally Posted by rweller68

Was just wondering what that goo was and if it would make my m&p 15-22 even more prone to jams (it arrives to S&W tomorrow to hopefully resolve the major FTE issue it has)

I have shot almost a case of this thru my 15-22s this year, and the ammo causes me no failures... at all. I keep reading about folks having several failures each time they shoot but I just don't have any of any sort. Only times I had failures with this was when I tried a 4.5" barrel on my SBR build but soon found out that barrel length was too short to reliably cycle the action when using subsonic ammo.

Yes, the rounds are greasier than "normal" but it sure doesn't hurt anything and the gun shoots cleaner than normal with it. I see the oil as a good property... not some fault.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Sounds like the "goo" that's on Wolf Match ammo. That be good goo.

[GerryB]

...and it went so well I just ordered a brick of them! These rounds are really accurate. Goo and all! If you don't like them I'll buy them from you. They work great in M&P. I wish I could find them in brick form locally. I wouldn't have to pay the shipping.

Gerry

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Originally Posted by GerryB

...and it went so well I just ordered a brick of them! These rounds are really accurate. Goo and all! If you don't like them I'll buy them from you. They work great in M&P. I wish I could find them in brick form locally. I wouldn't have to pay the shipping.

Gerry

I buy my bricks of Norma locally.

I fired 50 rounds today after 325 of Federal. I still have about 3000 of each.

[Vividia]

As I said in an earlier post, I started with clean guns and it performs flawlessly. I can't think of a single FTF/FTE in any of the guns in my list, including the M&P22 that someone else had trouble with. Suppressed, not suppressed, no problems.

In my opinion the "goo" helps keep the gun functioning smoothly. A quick lick or two with a boresnake is about all the cleaning that is needed after several hundred rounds. The goo seems to trap the crud that 22 throws out and makes it easier to remove cleanly without much effort.

IMO the Norma is the best ammo you never heard of.

[JGR_LV]

Still using it in target rifles, on my third or fourth brick. Shoots one-hole groups out to 25 yards from a Winchester 52B and a Remington 513T. It might do that further out, but that's about the limit for my aging eyes with iron sights. Let's just say it shoots closer than I can hold at 50 yards with iron sights. It also appears to shoot well in a pre-Mod. 17 K-22 with a 6-inch barrel. It functions fairly reliably in a Ruger 22/45 5.5", but I generally shoot cheaper, higher velocity ammo in that anyway.

[brucev]

I bought some of the Norma TAC.22 ammo, but I didn't get to fire any of it! My daughter came home for a visit and in two trips to the range she managed to go through three bricks in the 15-22. My thumb got so sore loading magazines for her that I put tape on it so I could keep loading. That girl can hurt a ammo can full of ammo! And, she can really hurt targets down range! The TAC-22 feed, fired and ejected like it was made for the 15-22. I think she may have had maybe 10 rounds out of the 1,500 fired that gae problems. This was almost certainly because I was so tired of loading magazines that I made some errors. There were no failures to fire or eject. HTH. Sincerely. brucev.