.22 LR. The good, The bad, and The Ridiculous.

[perfectcircle1]

Over the course of the last year with the unavailability of lots of different types of ammo especially .22 LR I decided i had to open my door up to some new brands. Ive been very concentrated on shooting Rimfires because of their inexpensive nature and overall cheap fun.

I live in a northern state in which spring summer and fall is the only time to shoot outdoors comfortably. This past winter i spent scrounging the depths of the earth to find ammo to stockpile especially .22 LR. I Found Alot and have spent the better part of the summer studying them.

Here's the list which consists of mostly bulk packs from your large retail stores.

1. Federal 525 bulk pack
2. Federal automatch 325
3. Remington 225 golden bullet
4. Winchester 555 White box bulk
5. Winchester M-22 1000 round
6. CCI Tactical 375 bulk pack


Most of us i believe know the technical data associated with these brands so i won't get into it. I really wanted to include blazer but i couldn't get my hands on enough of it.

Let me start off by saying im an average guy and an average shooter. I really don't want to get into any huge debates about ammo, my guns, or my skills.

For my little test i used my two favorite rifles, S&W MP 15-22 and a Ruger 10-22. Both of these rifles are equipped with TRS-25 red dots. I decided to us these two cause i feel they are the most popular and amongst the smoothest running .22 semi-auto rifles out there.

The results were almost identical for both rifles so i will just share the 15-22s results.

I decided to just shoot a half a brick through each gun for function and dirtyness first. If i dont like a way a particular ammo ran i would not use it for accuracy testing. Both rifles were clean to start. The results were as follows.


1. Federal 525 bulk pack
very clean and 2 duds
2. Federal automatch 325
very clean. About 6 FTEs
3. Remington 225 golden bullet
Dirty and a wide variation of different sounds when fired.
4. Winchester 555 White box bulk
very dirty and a few jams and duds actually gummed up the barrel up so bad i couldn't use a bore snake.
5. Winchester M-22 1000 round
Dirty and broken bullets in
bottom of the box.
6. CCI Tactical 375 bulk pack
very clean and 3 FTFs in ruger.

Based on my results this far i decided only 3 would make it to accuracy testing. They are....

Federal bulk pack

Federal Automatch

CCI Tactical


All shots were fired at my backyard range at 65ft with me laying prone and the grip of the gun rested.

I started with federal automatch. I wasn't impressed at all with the results. I adjusted the red dot a couple clicks until i hit center target then I ran 2 magazines.


1 more adjustment and then another 25 rounds


Another adjustment and another 25 rounds


At this point i was fed up with the amount of fliers so it was on to the next. I will be selling my remaining 9 boxes of this on here so keep an eye out if your interested. It just doesn't work in my two rifles.

Next was the Federal value pack. I ran one magazine and the results were similar to the automatch. Previous to this year i had fairly good results with this ammo. Not sure what happened just couldn't get any consistency no matter how much i adjusted.


Finally was the CCI Tactical. I was surprised after every 3-4 shots when i looked through my binoculars and saw how well it was hitting compared to the others.


After 1 adjustment



In conclusion I've always known CCI was the best and now i think im going to shoot it exclusively. Its clean, accurate, and consistent and worth every extra penny.

Thanks for reading and feel free to share your thoughts.

[dawtrey124]

Thanks so much for putting all this together. It makes it so much easier to narrow down preferred ammo. I'll now be keeping a lookout for the CCI Tactical ammo. In the heartlands (Wichita), .22 ammo is still scarce. At Cabela's, the shelves have been bare for the past three days. Extensive comparisons such as you've provided are appreciated.

[perfectcircle1]

I hadn't seen anyone really do it. Just talk about it so i figured id take the time and help my fellow forum members out in anyway i can.

[Majorlk]

I've never shot the AutoMatch and have only shot two boxes of CCI Tactical. I have shot something over 12k of Federal Champion and I must say your experience does not match mine for that ammo. My 25 yard targets are under one inch day in and day out. 0.75" is common. 50 yard groups are normally 1.5" or a tad more.

[jonesy814]

My M&P22 pistol hates the Federal Auto-match. I have failures of every sort with it. My ruger SR22 has no problem with it .

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

I've never shot the AutoMatch and have only shot two boxes of CCI Tactical. I have shot something over 12k of Federal Champion and I must say your experience does not match mine for that ammo. My 25 yard targets are under one inch day in and day out. 0.75" is common. 50 yard groups are normally 1.5" or a tad more.

I know i stated that. The box was bought in January of 2013. Im wondering if i had a bad box. Even if that's the case I've never had a bad box of CCI

[erick1987]

every firearm is different. shoot em all and find what it likes.

[Smitty357]

Remington Golden Bullets didnt even make the final cut. At least we are on the same track to say those golden bullets are trash.

I just gave my last few boxes of that stuff away. Not even worth dirtying my guns up anymore.

Federal 525 and 550 bulk boxes are the cleanest of the cheap ammo i've found (blue box and brown box).

CCI is clean and very accurate, but a little more pricey. All in all those 2 are the ones i'm sticking to running through all of mine from now on.

[Mike1161]

We recently did a similar round of testing at the range (didn't take pics). We used 6 different ammo types fired each through two 15-22s. The results were the same as shown in the OP. The CCI ammo beat every brand we tried. In both guns and at 25 and 50 yards, solid performance and consistency. Some of the ammo was just terrible with 2-3 times larger group size. Good news, only 1 FTF which was nice.

[Doc Robin]

I have had similar results with the CCI Tacticals being clean and having consistant groups.

Also the Remington GB value packs are very inconsistent and the firearms require a lot more time and effort to clean.

I have shot a lot of the Fed Auto Match and have had very good results in both auto loading pistols and rifles.

The other types of ammo mentioned have produced varying results in different firearms.

It is important to try differnt ammo in each firearm to see what it has a taste for. Some have expensive tastes others dont.

Bill

[MichiganScott]

Originally Posted by erick1987

every firearm is different. shoot em all and find what it likes.

I've got around a dozen different types of .22LR on hand for trying in different guns. Usually the top end ammo is consistently more accurate than others, but sometimes the cheap stuff will amaze you.

[nexus010]

Does anyone know if hollow points are less accurate as a hole? Or no difference?

[brucev]

I have had no experience w/ CCI Tactical .22 LR ammo as I've not seen it for sale. I have however had a lot of experience w/ the Fed. Auto-Match. It has been superlative in my rifles and pistols. It burns very clean. I have not ever had a failure of any sort. I have had extremely good results w/ CCI Mini-Mags. My experience w/ Remington Golden Bullet .22 LR ammo is not extensive. However, in firing it in my 15-22, results have been fully equal to the CCI Mini-Mags in on target accuracy. On my last trip to the woods, I fired 400 rounds and had 3 failures to fire. When tried again, those rounds fired.

[Majorlk]

Originally Posted by nexus010

Does anyone know if hollow points are less accurate as a hole? Or no difference?

As a whole, there's little difference ... primarily because calling a tiny hole in the nose of the bullet a "hollow point" borders on the ludicrous.

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

As a whole, there's little difference ... primarily because calling a tiny hole in the nose of the bullet a "hollow point" borders on the ludicrous.

I've always said the same thing. .22s aren't hollow points

[TheMaineEvent]

Funny how 15-22's can have different results with 22 ammo. Mine loves Automatch ammo, but has trouble with CCI of the Choot Em variety.

I haven't tried regular CCI ammo in mine and I don't know if there's a difference in the ammo or if it's just packaging, but I do have some so I suppose I should try it out to see if my other CCI shoots better.

[perfectcircle1]

Mine will shoot anything without a hickup but accuracy is a whole different thing. The first one i had shot federal bulk fine, very accurate

[jzinkel]

Excellent work. Nice shoot'in. Glad I have 1000 rounds of this AR Tactical. Just wish I had a working 15-22 to use it! Regards, John

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

I've never shot the AutoMatch and have only shot two boxes of CCI Tactical. I have shot something over 12k of Federal Champion and I must say your experience does not match mine for that ammo. My 25 yard targets are under one inch day in and day out. 0.75" is common. 50 yard groups are normally 1.5" or a tad more.

So today i got thinking about what you said and right. Federal bulk is usually much better than that.

This afternoon i decided to shoot 1 mag of federal bulk. Before, i had shot so much of the automatch that i think maybe my eyes had gotten tired.

Here's the same scenario but with different targets and shooting bulk first. 25 rounds at 65ft.


Heres 25 rounds of cci. Still considerably better. Half the rounds landed inside the 1 inch circle opposed to 4 with federal bulk.


Thanks majorik

[Majorlk]

For those doing accuracy testing with a variety of ammo ...

You need to clean the barrel between ammo brands. It doesn't have to be spit shined, but two or three passes with either a patch and brush or a BoreSnake is a must.

Then you need to put a minimum of 10 rounds of the new ammo downrange to season the barrel to that ammo before any firing for accuracy.

Just swapping ammo brands without doing the above two steps will yield undependable and inaccurate results.

[DelFuego]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

As a whole, there's little difference ... primarily because calling a tiny hole in the nose of the bullet a "hollow point" borders on the ludicrous.

Why do they put that little hole there? I think it is wholly ridiculous that they can't sell you a bullet with a whole bunch of lead. It must be because hollow point .22lr bullets are considered a whole house defensive round. Which, as you point out, is wholly ridiculous. I think I am going to wholly melt down some lead weights that I have in the garage and fill in the hole in my hollow point bullets to make them whole.

[DelFuego]

Not that it is a bad thing, but has anybody noticed that Remington ammo seems to be in stock more than other brands right now. I picked up 2,800 rounds the other day. If I get a dud, or two, or three every 100 rounds, I should still be able to shoot 2,716 rounds. That's not too bad considering that I bought the Remington ammo for $138. Just call me golden boy.

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

For those doing accuracy testing with a variety of ammo ...

You need to clean the barrel between ammo brands. It doesn't have to be spit shined, but two or three passes with either a patch and brush or a BoreSnake is a must.

Then you need to put a minimum of 10 rounds of the new ammo downrange to season the barrel to that ammo before any firing for accuracy.

Just swapping ammo brands without doing the above two steps will yield undependable and inaccurate results.

Absolutely. Plus rest your eyes and mind a little

[MichiganScott]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

As a whole, there's little difference ... primarily because calling a tiny hole in the nose of the bullet a "hollow point" borders on the ludicrous.

That "tiny hole" does not seem to affect accuracy but it does increase expansion in flesh, at least with the brands I've hunted with.

[photoracer]

Well there are 2 types of Federal "bulk". The 550 round box that WM sells and the 525 round box of Federal Champion. For one thing they are not the same ammo. The Champion I found has a slightly longer OAL (or maybe the rim is thicker), which caused some jamming in my PC model which has a tighter Bentz match chamber (WM 550 does not do that). The standard 15-22 does not care. Other than that I almost exclusively use CCI-Tactical in both my 15-22s as it runs the best, no FTEs or FTFs and only maybe 1-3 duds per box. Inspite of the S3G trigger with the low power springs in it. Mini-Mags work pretty well but they have thicker diameter bullets so sometimes they may have a feed jam (I use them in my pistols). But it is very rare. I did manage to get a brick of Remington recently as pretty much all I have left is 3 boxes of Tactical and about 1k of mini-mags. I will use that for practice along with the last part of a box of Fed AM.

[TheMaineEvent]

So I went and did my own ammo comparison test today. As I stated in a previous post, my 15-22 loves Federal Automatch far more so then the CCI Chootem variety, but I wanted to see how regular CCI Minimag Standard Velocity performed.

I loaded four 25-round mags of each variety and shot from the 50-yard lane from bench using a shooting bag.

My 15-22 has a cheap Black Hawk 3-9x40 scope, but it does the job. Most days.

I shot three mags at a glow shot target and the last mag at a 50-yard small bore competition target. I then ran a bore snake through the barrel 3 times before switching ammo.

Results;

Side-by-side of the glow shot targets. Automatch on the left and minimags on the right.


Final mag of Automatch;


Final mag of Minimag;


The Automatch actually performed very well during the first three mags and I had zero performance issues with the ammo. I don't know what happened on the last mag, but something was off.

The Minimags shot very well. IMHO, I think they shot better than the chootems and I only had one FTF.

Overall, I think the CCI rounds are a bit more accurate, but I don't know as I'd go with one over the other. I'm glad I have plenty of both in my stash so I don't have to worry about it.

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by TheMaineEvent

So I went and did my own ammo comparison test today. As I stated in a previous post, my 15-22 loves Federal Automatch far more so then the CCI Chootem variety, but I wanted to see how regular CCI Minimag Standard Velocity performed.

I loaded four 25-round mags of each variety and shot from the 50-yard lane from bench using a shooting bag.

My 15-22 has a cheap Black Hawk 3-9x40 scope, but it does the job. Most days.

I shot three mags at a glow shot target and the last mag at a 50-yard small bore competition target. I then ran a bore snake through the barrel 3 times before switching ammo.

Results;

Side-by-side of the glow shot targets. Automatch on the left and minimags on the right.


Final mag of Automatch;


Final mag of Minimag;


The Automatch actually performed very well during the first three mags and I had zero performance issues with the ammo. I don't know what happened on the last mag, but something was off.

The Minimags shot very well. IMHO, I think they shot better than the chootems and I only had one FTF.

Overall, I think the CCI rounds are a bit more accurate, but I don't know as I'd go with one over the other. I'm glad I have plenty of both in my stash so I don't have to worry about it.

I was waiting for someone else to do it!!!! Yeah accuracy changes as the barrel gets warmer. I think by your results and mine automatch likes a cold barrel. If im wrong about this i hope someone will tell me differently

[TheMaineEvent]

Went out today for another comparison. This time around I loaded up four 25-round mags of Winchester 36gr HP from the white 555 round box and four 25-rounds of CCI Standard Velocity 40 gr.

All rounds were shot from 50 yards using a 3-9x40 scope and from a shooting bag. As before, I ran a bore snake through the barrel 3X before switching brands.

I numbered the targets based on which mag I was using.

Winchester;


CCI:


I don't know what happened with the first two mags of CCI, but they were VERY low. Perhaps the cleaning solution on the bore snake messed them up, but I had to adjust the scope up by about 10 clicks to get the 3rd mag on target. The 4th mag performed very well.

I only had one FTF with the Winchester and zero problems with the CCI.

Personally, I think the Winchesters shoots better than Federal Automatch from my first test. I'll have to go out again to see what happened with the CCI as I don't think the issue was with the ammo since the last mag of CCI was the most accurate of the day.

[BlueOvalBandit]

I've just finished running my first golden bullets in my 15-22 a couple days ago. Sent about 4-500 in one sitting without a single fte or ftf. None of the bang, bang, pew, pop, snap, bang etc with the exception of one that gave off a lot more smoke than others. Did a quick check thinking OOB or squib. Barrel was clear, ejector still in place, everything checked fine and went back to shooting. Didn't seem any dirtier than the 325 rds of federal automatch my friends blew through a while back. But then again I think all 22lr is nasty compared with centerfire.

Cleaned it the same way I always clean, brake cleaner, bore snake, and clp to coat and lube metal. Everything came right off.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Hellraiser]

Just a bizarre turn of events...

Last December... I ordered 10,000 rounds of CCI Mini-mag solid points. Also... I ordered 10,000 rounds of CCI Mini-mag hollow points.

Fine.... but later on in December... they sent another shipment of both.l

Now... I have 40,000 rounds of CCI Mini-mags.... and Midway refuses to take the additional 20,000 rds. back. I have never paid or been charged for the second batch. huhhsshheett .... how does that work? STRANGE!

^..^

[22 Short]

Thanks to everyone who went out and did there own comparisons. I'm not sure how to take it all but it makes me realize with all of the responses there are a lot of things to consider when doing a test to ensure that the results have some meaning. I know it has inspired me to go out and do a test of my own with the various ammo types.

I've used a lot of different ammos lately as a friend bought a SIG and it won't hardly digest any of the off the shelf ammo so he sold me several cartons of different ammo. I use it in my Browning 1911/22 and it likes everything it can get. Of course that says nothing about accuracy. I did find though the Chootum ammo gave me a lot of duds. I got several out of every carton.

And as far as the hollow points go here is my conspiracy theory and it is totally a knee jerk theory. It seems that it would cost less to produce since there is less lead in the hollow point to produc and they produce millions so saving material over time saves money. Yet they charge a premium on the hollow point ammo so it could be a real money maker for the ammo producers, costs less sells for more. Of course it may cost more to make the little dimple on top so that could totally blow my theory.


I'll report back if I get my act together and get out to the range for some testing.

[Majorlk]

Originally Posted by 22 Short

And as far as the hollow points go here is my conspiracy theory and it is totally a knee jerk theory. It seems that it would cost less to produce since there is less lead in the hollow point to produc and they produce millions so saving material over time saves money. Yet they charge a premium on the hollow point ammo so it could be a real money maker for the ammo producers, costs less sells for more. Of course it may cost more to make the little dimple on top so that could totally blow my theory.

Yes, your theory is blown; the HP costs MORE to make than the solid because of the extra step necessary to make the hole in the bullet. And, no, there is not a premium charged for .22 LR HPs.

[LeadBolt]

Having finally accumulated enough ammo to feel somewhat secure, I took my 15-22 to the range and fired for the first time. Having read all the comments on ammo, I took 6 types and fired 50 of each.

I did not use a bench or rest but just fired the gun from a standing position to get acquainted, so accuracy was not the best. I had two duds 1 Winchester Super X HV and one Federal Auto Match.

The CCI Blazer was the most consistent followed closely by the Agulia Super Extra and the CCI MiniMags. Fed Automatch and Winchester Super X were next and Remington Yellow Jackets brought up the rear.

No failures to feed and 2 duds in 300 was fairly pleasing after reading here.

Accuracy was questionable as I had not fired the gun before, did not use a rest or bench, and did not clean the barrel between.

[TheMaineEvent]

Obviously, standing will hurt your accuracy, but shooting that large variety of ammo in one session certainly didn't help, either.

It's like mixing different brands of scotch together and expecting it to taste good.

Guess I know what I'm drinking today, lol.

[Chris Puza]

Interesting Thread. I had the same experience with the AutoMatch. There seemed to be quite a few flyers. I switched to the bulk and found that was more consistent. I'm planning on switching to CCI Standard Velocity next. Going to give a sub-sonic round a try.

[jajo]

I just picked up a couple boxes of the Federal Automatch. Never seen it before, but it was decently priced. I'll see how it shoots from my 15-22 tomorrow.

Over the past 18 months or so, I haven't found anything it didn't like.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Tdub]

The dreaded ThunderBolts at 25 yards...yeh she was the shooter.

[StlBluesFan72]

Here was my results from Feb.

This was 4 different types of ammo :

Process was two passes of Boresnake than fired 10 rounds before shooting for groups for each ammo type.

25 yards, supported with 4 MOA red dot.

Center - 15 rounds CCI standard velocity 40 gr.
Upper Rt. - 15 rounds Winchester M22 40 gr.
Lower Rt. - same fired rapidly
Upper Left - 25 rounds of Federal 550 brown box from Walmart
Lower Left - 25 rounds of CCI MiniMags 40 gr.

To be honest I was happy with all of them .. I guess the CCI minimags win for group size, but for plinking and killing paper any of these load will do!

[TheMaineEvent]

At 25 yards I too think most ammo brands would/should do very well. It's when you shoot out to around 50 yards or more that I think you get to see which ammo is more accurate. More than 50 yards and I think you're asking a lot of the rifle and the ammo.

Nice grouping on your ammo, though!

[StlBluesFan72]

Originally Posted by TheMaineEvent

At 25 yards I too think most ammo brands would/should do very well. It's when you shoot out to around 50 yards or more that I think you get to see which ammo is more accurate. More than 50 yards and I think you're asking a lot of the rifle and the ammo.

Nice grouping on your ammo, though!

Yeah I included the 25 yd. target, because the OP mentioned all his shots were at 65 FEET. I think his groups were excessive. A friend of mine couldnt get a decent group with his 15-22, only to find out the barrel nut was just a little better than hand tight. A tacticool barrel nut wrench and 10 min. later his rifle was shooting like mine ..

[TheMaineEvent]

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see good results at 25 yards. I'm using 50 yards on mine since that's the closest option at my range, but I guess the side benefit is seeing how the ammo performs out to that far.

Of course, a lot of the accuracy is on me so the pressure is on, lol.

[stonecutter]

I have given up testing different ammo, i have found MiniMag to be the most consitent in my Smith both for accuracy and reliability.
I just hate paying £70.00 per thousand for them here in the UK.

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by stonecutter

I have given up testing different ammo, i have found MiniMag to be the most consitent in my Smith both for accuracy and reliability.
I just hate paying £70.00 per thousand for them here in the UK.

I agree even though i have no idea how much money that is in US

[BlueOvalBandit]

Originally Posted by perfectcircle1

I agree even though i have no idea how much money that is in US

$108/1k

currently

[perfectcircle1]

That's not really that bad. Most places are up to 10 per 100 where im at

[Plumbago]

Originally Posted by Majorlk

I've never shot the AutoMatch and have only shot two boxes of CCI Tactical. I have shot something over 12k of Federal Champion and I must say your experience does not match mine for that ammo. My 25 yard targets are under one inch day in and day out. 0.75" is common. 50 yard groups are normally 1.5" or a tad more.

I was just going to comment something very similar.....at your 21.6 yards, something is very wrong. You should be able to hold 1/2" groups or less.......and heavy on the less......sorry, but any of this ammo at this short distance should do much better....................

[perfectcircle1]

Originally Posted by Plumbago

I was just going to comment something very similar.....at your 21.6 yards, something is very wrong. You should be able to hold 1/2" groups or less.......and heavy on the less......sorry, but any of this ammo at this short distance should do much better....................

I was shooting fairly rapidly, wasn't trying to break any records. Just normal fun shooting.