I am not trying to be a jerk...

[dlbx2]

Remember guys (and ladies), don't expect your .22 to perform like 1/2 of a 44!
DLB

 

[kbm6893]

My Ruger 10/22 and my M&P22 both reliably cycle pretty much everything I use in them. Bulk packs is all they see, including Remington Thunderbolt. Occasional dud or malfunction, but no more than one every 100 rounds or so. But I think it's bull that any modern firearm won't chamber cheap ammo. The cheap ammo is factory spec fresh ammo. They should work just as good as the expensive stuff. I don't expect the same accuracy as CCI, and I don't expect cheap stuff to run as clean as more expensive, but they should ALL work.

My .22's have never seen a CCI round. I shoot erasers off of pencils at 50 yards with my 10/22.

 

[IllinoisCCW]

Unless you buy total junk I'm not convinced its the ammo. I belong to a club that have several members who own the M&P 22 and 15-22. I own both. Both will shoot anything without an issue. My preference is CCI mini mags.

Of the 45ish members who own these two firearms ALL have some type of preference or issues with certain types of ammo. I know several that wont use CCI and others who won't use anything but Federal bulk. One of my friends owns the M&P 22 that's jams when using mini mags which is recommended by Smith buts love the Federal bulk lead round so that's all he uses. I also own a Ruger LCR 22 that's hates CCI...the casings expand in the cylinder and you cant extract them.

Every gun is different...again, unless you buy pure junk, don't blame the ammo. Find what your firearm likes and use it.

 

[photoracer]

I'm not cheap, and will spend what I need to, to get what I want. That said, I find it difficult to pay a penny more for something that doesn't give me anything more in return.

Right now, I'm buying pretty cheap ammo ($19-$20 for 525 rounds, Federal Champion), and actually it's not working out that well. So I'm considering CCI Tactical for about double the price. But I will not buy it, unless I see some improvement. Likewise, I refuse to buy any all lead rounds for my 15-22, as my experience, and others' recommendations, is to never shoot lead supersonic; I use lead in my subsonic pistol ammo, but that's it.

Anyhow, my norm is to figure out what I want, and then get the best price I can for it. That may sound cheap to you, and high to others, but it's me.

I doubt anyone here selects cheap ammo (or cheap ANYTHING) if they feel they aren't getting the expected performance from it.

I found that Fed Champion caused issues in my PC model because I found out that Champion has a slightly longer OAL than Fed 550 bulk which does shoot fine in my PC model. I generally use Fed 550 for all my practice and some club matches. I use CCI-Tactical when shooting at more serious events because it has less duds than the Fed ammo, even AutoMatch.

 

[Majorlk]

I found that Fed Champion caused issues in my PC model because I found out that Champion has a slightly longer OAL than Fed 550 bulk which does shoot fine in my PC model. I generally use Fed 550 for all my practice and some club matches. I use CCI-Tactical when shooting at more serious events because it has less duds than the Fed ammo, even AutoMatch.

I know you have said this before, but I find it curious because a Federal rep last year told me all the Federal bulk is made on the same line and the only difference between the 325 round yellow pack, the 525 round blue pack and the 550 red pack is simply the packaging for a specific distribution channel.

I have not personally made the measurements so I'll have to defer to you on that.