Dstyles75
Member
I found this post in another forum and found it very interesting.
"...All 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 LR ammo use very soft ... almost pure lead in their bullets (BHN5). This is necessary to force bullets to expand (obturate) in the bore to get a good seal. Without a good bullet-to-bore seal, pressure is lost when it "blows by" the bullet. Not only does this reduce velocity, it also causes the bullet to melt a little on the circumference and turn to lead vapor. Some of the lead vapor remains in the bore, solidifies, and collects in the bore's striations causing "lead fouling". As fouling builds up with each round fired, accuracy gets continuously worse.
With "bare lead" bullets, a heavy wax like lubricant was used on the bullets to prevent fouling. This works great in all types of 22 rifles and handguns except "blow-back" action semi-autos where some of the wax mixes with powder residue and is blown back into the action, which causes malfunctions. Wax lubricants were used since 22 rimfires were invented and are still used by some manufacturers. Wax lubricants have one serious disadvantage ... it melts when exposed to heat or rubs off the bullet when handled. The biggest improvement in 22 rimfire ammo was a technique called "washing" which is very similar to plating but results in a much thinner brass or copper coating on the bullet. All 22 rimfire lead bullet you see that are brass or copper colored use the "wash" process. Some look dull and some have a heavier coating making them look shiny. Copper or brass washed lead bullets are still very soft so they will obturate but because the thin coating is harder than lead, it tends to control fouling better in the bore. Many ammo companies use a dry powder lubricant or light wax lubricant on their washed bullets to reduce fouling even more. The down side to washed bullet is the plating actually adds weight to the bullet and because the wash process is far from perfect, there can be a notable difference in weight with bullets in the same box of ammo.
Traditionally, standard production 22 rimfire barrels often have rough bores with lots of striation marks (scratches from the machining process). As each round is fired, these striation marks work like a file and remove a little of the bullet's circumference. After several shots, the striation marks fill in with copper or brass coating, leaving a nice smooth surface that enhances accuracy. Many people will fire a half dozen fouling shots from a clean bore to "condition" it before competing or sighting in a scope. If the bore has excessive striation marks, fouling will build up, even with washed bullets and are especially bad with "bare lead" bullets.
Nearly all "match grade" 22 LR ammo uses traditional bare lead bullets with a light lubricant and are loaded to standard velocities (1140 fps in a rifle) and use 40 gr bullets. Using bare lead allows the manufacturer to keep the bullet weights exceptionally uniform, which keeps muzzle velocity more uniform, and in turn makes accuracy better. You would think this very expensive ammo would shoot better than non-match grade ammo but that is rarely the case with standard production 22s. Match grade 22 rifle, pistol, and revolver barrels have polished bores. If you inspect the bore on a clean match grade barrel, you will not see any striation marks ... just a very shiny surface that looks like it was chrome. So when you shoot bare lead match grade ammo in a match grade barrel, there are no striation marks to cause fouling.
So here's my recommendations: if you have a standard production 22 LR rifle, pistol, or revolver ... you will likely get your best accuracy and minimal fouling with copper or brass washed bullets. If you have a match grade barrel, your best accuracy will be with match grade "bare lead" ammo. Bare lead non-match grade ammo such as Federal Champions, Remington Thunderbolts, or Winchester Wildcats are not recommended in newer guns with low round counts unless the bore has been lapped and polished. After a 22 has been fired thousands of rounds and has been cleaned frequently, striation marks eventually wear thinner and don't foul as much so bare lead bullets may work OK. Don't waste your money on match grade ammo if you have a standard production barrel.
The "normal" ammo stocked by most stores is "high velocity", which is available with several different bullet weights ranging from 32gr to 50gr with 40gr solid points or 36gr hollow points being the most common. HV ammo with 40 gr bullets are rated at 1255 fps from a rifle barrel. Stores that maintain a large inventory of ammo usually stock "standard velocity"(ie CCI Green Tag), which are rated 100 fps slower than HV ammo. Nearly all "match grade" ammo is also "standard velocity" and with rare exceptions, are only available with 40 gr bullets. Hyper velocity ammo uses lighter weight bullets, typically from 26gr to 32 gr and can reach velocities as high as 1650 fps (CCI Stingers).
Gun manufactures such as Ruger, design their 22 LR rifles, revolvers, and pistols around "high velocity" ammo .... specifically with copper or brass washed bullets. As such, they don't waste any time polishing the bore and they use recoil springs in semi-autos that are designed for the thrust of HV ammo. It is not unusual for semi-autos to malfunction with "standard velocity" (or match grade) ammo because the weaker ammo does not develop enough thrust to cycle the slide or bolt. It's also very common to see match grade barrels with tight chambers intended for match grade ammo with .221" bullets. The standard for 22 LR HV bullet diameter is .222~.223" or .221" for match grade, however it is not uncommon to to find bullets as fat as .224". Bore diameters in standard production rifles and handguns is .221~.223" whereas match grade bores are usually .221". One notable exception is a Ruger Single-Six where bore diameters are .224" to accommodate 22 Mag ammo with .224" jacketed bullets. Further, the long accepted barrel twist rate for 22 LR pistols, revolvers, and rifles is 1:16 and was geared for 40 gr HV bullets.
Because there can be a couple thousandths difference in bore diameter and chamber diameter from gun to gun and bullet diameters can vary from brand to brand and even lot to lot, it becomes quite a challenge to find ammo that best matches bore diameter to bullet diameter for optimum accuracy and chamber diameter for best function. This is why you frequently see comments like "22s are ammo fussy" and it is very true. Using a bullet that is too fat will often result in failures to feed plus they are more likely to foul an undersized bore. Under sized bullets will feed better but because they don't get a good seal in the bore, they will also foul the bore and won't be as accurate.
Just for grins, I measured several of my 22s and here are the results:
10/22 Carbine, made in '74; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 TD, made in 2012; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 DSP, .223" bore; .225" chamber
10/22 with Green Mountain match grade barrel; .221" bore, .223" chamber
MK III Slabside Competition; .222" bore, .224" chamber
MKK III Target Bull; .222" bore, ,225" chamber.
S&W Mod 18 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 17 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 41 pistol; .221" bore, .223" chamber
Ruger OM RSS5 Single-Six (22 LR only); .222" bore, .224" chamber, .224" throats
Ruger NM Single-Six (22 LR/22 Mag); .224" bore, .224" chamber (22 LR), .224" throats
Savage Mark II Target rifle; .223" chamber, .222" bore
CZ 452-E2 rifle; .223" chamber, .221' bore
Marlin 39A rifle (micro groove rifling); .224" chamber, .223" bore
As you can see, there is quite a variation in this small sample. For the rifles and handguns with .221" bores, match grade ammo shoots best. For all others, CCI Mini-Mags seem to shoot quite well and cheap Federal bulkpack 22s are great for plinking. Years ago I went on a quest to find the most accurate ammo for each of my 22s. It didn't take long to give up because I would need a lot of different ammo and since then, I have accumulated even more 22s."
The original post was on a Ruger Forum and the poster's name was "IOWEGAN". I saw he was a retired gunsmith and he may be a member here as well. His post answered a lot of questions for me and I thought members of this forum might like to read it as well.
-Dave
"...All 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 LR ammo use very soft ... almost pure lead in their bullets (BHN5). This is necessary to force bullets to expand (obturate) in the bore to get a good seal. Without a good bullet-to-bore seal, pressure is lost when it "blows by" the bullet. Not only does this reduce velocity, it also causes the bullet to melt a little on the circumference and turn to lead vapor. Some of the lead vapor remains in the bore, solidifies, and collects in the bore's striations causing "lead fouling". As fouling builds up with each round fired, accuracy gets continuously worse.
With "bare lead" bullets, a heavy wax like lubricant was used on the bullets to prevent fouling. This works great in all types of 22 rifles and handguns except "blow-back" action semi-autos where some of the wax mixes with powder residue and is blown back into the action, which causes malfunctions. Wax lubricants were used since 22 rimfires were invented and are still used by some manufacturers. Wax lubricants have one serious disadvantage ... it melts when exposed to heat or rubs off the bullet when handled. The biggest improvement in 22 rimfire ammo was a technique called "washing" which is very similar to plating but results in a much thinner brass or copper coating on the bullet. All 22 rimfire lead bullet you see that are brass or copper colored use the "wash" process. Some look dull and some have a heavier coating making them look shiny. Copper or brass washed lead bullets are still very soft so they will obturate but because the thin coating is harder than lead, it tends to control fouling better in the bore. Many ammo companies use a dry powder lubricant or light wax lubricant on their washed bullets to reduce fouling even more. The down side to washed bullet is the plating actually adds weight to the bullet and because the wash process is far from perfect, there can be a notable difference in weight with bullets in the same box of ammo.
Traditionally, standard production 22 rimfire barrels often have rough bores with lots of striation marks (scratches from the machining process). As each round is fired, these striation marks work like a file and remove a little of the bullet's circumference. After several shots, the striation marks fill in with copper or brass coating, leaving a nice smooth surface that enhances accuracy. Many people will fire a half dozen fouling shots from a clean bore to "condition" it before competing or sighting in a scope. If the bore has excessive striation marks, fouling will build up, even with washed bullets and are especially bad with "bare lead" bullets.
Nearly all "match grade" 22 LR ammo uses traditional bare lead bullets with a light lubricant and are loaded to standard velocities (1140 fps in a rifle) and use 40 gr bullets. Using bare lead allows the manufacturer to keep the bullet weights exceptionally uniform, which keeps muzzle velocity more uniform, and in turn makes accuracy better. You would think this very expensive ammo would shoot better than non-match grade ammo but that is rarely the case with standard production 22s. Match grade 22 rifle, pistol, and revolver barrels have polished bores. If you inspect the bore on a clean match grade barrel, you will not see any striation marks ... just a very shiny surface that looks like it was chrome. So when you shoot bare lead match grade ammo in a match grade barrel, there are no striation marks to cause fouling.
So here's my recommendations: if you have a standard production 22 LR rifle, pistol, or revolver ... you will likely get your best accuracy and minimal fouling with copper or brass washed bullets. If you have a match grade barrel, your best accuracy will be with match grade "bare lead" ammo. Bare lead non-match grade ammo such as Federal Champions, Remington Thunderbolts, or Winchester Wildcats are not recommended in newer guns with low round counts unless the bore has been lapped and polished. After a 22 has been fired thousands of rounds and has been cleaned frequently, striation marks eventually wear thinner and don't foul as much so bare lead bullets may work OK. Don't waste your money on match grade ammo if you have a standard production barrel.
The "normal" ammo stocked by most stores is "high velocity", which is available with several different bullet weights ranging from 32gr to 50gr with 40gr solid points or 36gr hollow points being the most common. HV ammo with 40 gr bullets are rated at 1255 fps from a rifle barrel. Stores that maintain a large inventory of ammo usually stock "standard velocity"(ie CCI Green Tag), which are rated 100 fps slower than HV ammo. Nearly all "match grade" ammo is also "standard velocity" and with rare exceptions, are only available with 40 gr bullets. Hyper velocity ammo uses lighter weight bullets, typically from 26gr to 32 gr and can reach velocities as high as 1650 fps (CCI Stingers).
Gun manufactures such as Ruger, design their 22 LR rifles, revolvers, and pistols around "high velocity" ammo .... specifically with copper or brass washed bullets. As such, they don't waste any time polishing the bore and they use recoil springs in semi-autos that are designed for the thrust of HV ammo. It is not unusual for semi-autos to malfunction with "standard velocity" (or match grade) ammo because the weaker ammo does not develop enough thrust to cycle the slide or bolt. It's also very common to see match grade barrels with tight chambers intended for match grade ammo with .221" bullets. The standard for 22 LR HV bullet diameter is .222~.223" or .221" for match grade, however it is not uncommon to to find bullets as fat as .224". Bore diameters in standard production rifles and handguns is .221~.223" whereas match grade bores are usually .221". One notable exception is a Ruger Single-Six where bore diameters are .224" to accommodate 22 Mag ammo with .224" jacketed bullets. Further, the long accepted barrel twist rate for 22 LR pistols, revolvers, and rifles is 1:16 and was geared for 40 gr HV bullets.
Because there can be a couple thousandths difference in bore diameter and chamber diameter from gun to gun and bullet diameters can vary from brand to brand and even lot to lot, it becomes quite a challenge to find ammo that best matches bore diameter to bullet diameter for optimum accuracy and chamber diameter for best function. This is why you frequently see comments like "22s are ammo fussy" and it is very true. Using a bullet that is too fat will often result in failures to feed plus they are more likely to foul an undersized bore. Under sized bullets will feed better but because they don't get a good seal in the bore, they will also foul the bore and won't be as accurate.
Just for grins, I measured several of my 22s and here are the results:
10/22 Carbine, made in '74; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 TD, made in 2012; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 DSP, .223" bore; .225" chamber
10/22 with Green Mountain match grade barrel; .221" bore, .223" chamber
MK III Slabside Competition; .222" bore, .224" chamber
MKK III Target Bull; .222" bore, ,225" chamber.
S&W Mod 18 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 17 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 41 pistol; .221" bore, .223" chamber
Ruger OM RSS5 Single-Six (22 LR only); .222" bore, .224" chamber, .224" throats
Ruger NM Single-Six (22 LR/22 Mag); .224" bore, .224" chamber (22 LR), .224" throats
Savage Mark II Target rifle; .223" chamber, .222" bore
CZ 452-E2 rifle; .223" chamber, .221' bore
Marlin 39A rifle (micro groove rifling); .224" chamber, .223" bore
As you can see, there is quite a variation in this small sample. For the rifles and handguns with .221" bores, match grade ammo shoots best. For all others, CCI Mini-Mags seem to shoot quite well and cheap Federal bulkpack 22s are great for plinking. Years ago I went on a quest to find the most accurate ammo for each of my 22s. It didn't take long to give up because I would need a lot of different ammo and since then, I have accumulated even more 22s."
The original post was on a Ruger Forum and the poster's name was "IOWEGAN". I saw he was a retired gunsmith and he may be a member here as well. His post answered a lot of questions for me and I thought members of this forum might like to read it as well.
-Dave
I can see where crudded up extractors & firing pins can cause problems. I keep my .22s very clean & oiled & have experienced none of the problems many people report with Remington bulk ammo. In fact it's one of the most accurate in my 10/22 and one of the few bulks that reliably cycles my wife's Mosquito.
), and the Remington bulk ammo that has been sold ever since the original obummer scare happened, functions quite poorly in every 22 rifle and handgun I own except one, and that's quite a few of them, and I own them in all action types. My neighbor I shoot with and one of his old retiree friends also own quite a few 22's, and they are having the same issues. We get far, far more misfires with it than with any other brand/type now. The stuff sold in actual bricks, including the Remington Golden stuff (when you can find it), works quite well though.
every time. There are 25 bulls per card with a possible perfect score of 250. You shoot 2 cards. If you don't shoot a 247 or above for each card, your not even in the running. Those who have attempted to compete with high velocity ammo soon learn, it doesn't cut it no matter what it is.
