Is Pistol Match 22LR worth the extra $$

[MTC(SS)Ret]

I recently became the owner of a Model 17-2 and in my recent range trip tried various types of ammo including CCI-SV, Mini-Mags, Aguila HV, Blazer and SK Flat Nose. At 15 yards they all will group at about 1" for me from a rest. I can't wear my regular bifocals cause I can't get a crisp sight focus so I wear readers to focus on the sights and that leaves the target a little blurry.
Regardless of that issue, my question is about match ammo versus "regular" ammo in a 22LR revolver......since a revolver barrel does not have a "match chamber" like a semi-auto pistol does, is it a waste of money to buy match ammo for a revolver?
I know match ammo has better quality control and therefore is more reliable and consistent but would there be a difference in mechanical accuracy ?

 

[growr]

Get a box and try it over a good rest and see if your gun favors that or not.

Randy

 

[rockquarry]

Try a variety of ammos and shoot benchrested groups at 25 yards. You'll quickly separate accurate ammo from poor ammo; very difficult to do this at fifteen yards where everything shoots well.

 

[Erich]

And growr hit my point: each .22 is a law into itself and likes what it likes. Experiment!
That said, the pricey match stuff I buy (I've got a few dozens of types of .22 ammo) generally perform better than the bulk stuff.

 

[SS336]

Well, the answer is…….yes and no.
.22lr firearms can be fussy. As a rule the higher priced .22's will shoot better than CCI-SV. But not always and different brands of the "good stuff" will shoot real well in one gun but not the other.
Rimfire benchrest shooters spend a lot of money finding just the right ammo for their rifles, then order a case of it.
If your shooting at 50' bullseye match with a pistol only you can decide if the extra cost over a season is worth the extra $$.

 

[DWalt]

I can't speak authoritatively to .22 handguns, but my belief is that unless you are already an Olympic-level competitive pistol shooter, it's not worth the cost of using match-grade ammo.

Some (many) years ago I did a fairly thorough test of grouping performance (10-shot groups) of a large number of brands and grades of .22 LR ammo using my Winchester 52B at 25 yards using my Unertl 10X target scope from a bench rest. The ammunition included several match-grade brands such as Eley and Western. At that time, I found that plain CCI and Remington SV were the winners, and even the bulk-pack Federal and Remington stuff wasn't too far behind. Nothing I tried could be called terrible. Results could easily have been different had I used a different rifle, but the Model 52B is the best I have.

You just have to find out which works best for you and your pistol.

Something I always throw out. If you REALLY want to know how well your gun and ammo shoot, you are wasting your time and money if you fire groups of fewer than 10 rounds. And fire at least five such groups.

 

[cyphertext]

Are you shooting matches where money is on the line for the winner? If so, then yes, it is probably worthwhile. Or are you just shooting soda cans and clay birds set up on the berm with the kids? For this activity, no, not worth the extra cost.

 

[.38SuperMan]

Every time I get a new 22 rifle I test it with a variety of ammo. Last year I bought a Thompson center clone of a Ruger 10/22 with carbon fiber barrel, decent 3x12 scope and to my surprise the best groups came from cheap Walmart bulk pack Federal. It consistently shoots sub MOA groups with it. I'm testing at 50 yards and getting groups on average of .35".

I have a precision Ruger 22WMR and Hornady VMax is distinctly better than any other brand or bullet also shooting sub MOA at 100 yds. All on a totally calm day of course.

I think it comes down to no two barrels are the same. To me finding that magic combination is part of the fun.

 

[Greyman50]

Want a ammo " fussy"pistol, try a Hi Standard Supermatic Citation.

 

[RobertJ.]

And to show that "you just never know", I had a Remington 581 that favored CCI Blazers over anything else.

 

[Goblin]

I tried about a dozen types of ammo in my scoped Ruger MK II. Yes, CCI Pistol Match was about the most accurate, group average of 0.46" at 25 yds. But Federal Auto Match shot 0.75" at about 1/6 the cost, which was good enough for me. I suggest you try several brands and see if you prefer accuracy over cost.

 

[Nevada Ed]

With a 6" revolver and iron sights..........
good luck with 25 yard accuracy, let alone 50 yard hope & pray shots.

I only had a Ruger .22 & Mag when I was young and it took a lot of ammo
and practice to get almost good with it.

Past 25 yards the Magnums were my go to load but they cost a lot for a kid tossing newspapers
so I shot a lot more super-X long rifle back in those days.

Today I like the Federal standard grade and the cci 40gr sub-sonic for tight groups.

 

[MTC(SS)Ret]

I have a Ruger 10/22 and American Rimfire and they shoot great with
CCI-SV, Aguila and Blazer. Higher velocity stuff like Mini-mags or Velocitors are not as accurate. I figure since they are not precision rifles with match chambers and I don't compete with them I don't need high dollar ammo.

 

[dmar]

Well, the answer is…….yes and no.
.22lr firearms can be fussy. As a rule the higher priced .22's will shoot better than CCI-SV. But not always and different brands of the "good stuff" will shoot real well in one gun but not the other.
Rimfire benchrest shooters spend a lot of money finding just the right ammo for their rifles, then order a case of it.
If your shooting at 50' bullseye match with a pistol only you can decide if the extra cost over a season is worth the extra $$.

Good summary, .22 ammo shoots differently from different guns/barrels, it's a trial and error effort. That said, I've found some brands shoot consistently better than others in a variety of .22 guns. And, the awesome thing is when you find that .22 that loves a particular inexpensive.22 ammo!

I used to do rimfire benchrest rifle competition. In my experience, what the match ammo delivers is more consistency from round to round. Once you've got your rifle dialed in, in terms of accuracy (the right action, trigger, barrel, tuner etc.), figure out how to shoot with wind, and find the right rifle rest and scope, the wild card to the game was always if you'd run across a "flier" during your string of shots.

The expensive match ammo shot better and had fewer fliers than the less expensive fodder. Eley Tenex and Eley Match were the standard. When we found a brick that shot consistent, with little to no fliers, we'd look at the lot number on the box and figure out what particular machine that ammo was made from. We'd then connect with the specialty ammo distributor/retailer that could get that particular ammo, and order a couple of cases of it. All around, it's an expensive proposition.

All of this said, OP, do your shooting needs with your pistol sound like they match up with this level of attention and expense? If you're doing bench rest pistol competition, then probably. There's a lot to gearing up, equipment wise, for rimfire pistol competition. Those guns can really see the benefit of match .22 pistol ammo. If you're not going down that road, and looking to just shoot your 17-2 well, I personally wouldn't mess with it. There's a lot of good, accurate ammo that will work very well, you just need to experiment a little bit. I love my 17s, and have never had the need to feed them the super premium ammo. I've found CCI SV is pretty consistent, as is SK, Norma, and Wolf. I've also had good luck with Aguiila. YMMV...

 

[Racer X]

Until I get better than the hardware, I'll stick with Automatch and CCI SV or Blazers.

Just my opinion. My bullseye leagues are 50' indoor rimfire.

 

[Ranger41]

I went through the .22 ammo evaluation drill some time ago. Tried most of the well regarded match ammo in my S&W 41 and High Standard with Douglas match barrel. The 41 tended to be picky in what it liked while the custom High Standard was like Mikey, it liked everything. Both were very happy with CCI Pistol Match and it is my go-to .22 ammo. Higher priced than regular CCI SD velocity, but about half of the high price stuff.

 

[teletech]

Clamp that sucker in a Ransom Rest and shoot at 25 yards if you really want the answer to mechanical accuracy of your firearm and ammo combination, but it seems like you have more pressing issues:

If you are having trouble with sights, it's time to get some sighting aids. I find the Merit Optical Attachment to be very satisfactory for it's ~$40, but there are cheaper and more expensive solutions that might work for you.
The eyepal is half that price EyePal | Get back on the Range with EyePal
A Gehmann Adjustable Iris is about $20 the other direction and is a little nicer quality.
All of them are cheaper than a decent range trip and well worth being able to see your sights again!
Champion's Choice
Diopter Devices Aid Older Eyes << Daily Bulletin

 

[rockquarry]

Several years ago, I got samples of around twenty-five different .22 LR cartridges, standard and high velocity. I used two rifles and two handguns, all good quality guns - Ruger, Winchester, and S&W, and none of the lesser brands (despite the fact that some of the latter may shoot very well). Guns were pretty much straight out-of-the-box except for scope sights on the rifles.

The ammunition included the kinds most of us buy from the cheap bulk stuff on up, but no expensive target ammo. With each rifle, I fired five, five-shot groups at fifty yards and averaged them. Same with the handguns, except the groups were fired at twenty-five yards.

My results probably would mean little to someone using different guns and different ammo lots, but they did indicate the testing was very worthwhile for my purposes and I know what shoots best in my guns.

CCI SV is usually a standout overall in handguns and rifles, but may not be the most accurate in a particular gun. If you have a bunch of .22s, however, it's a good choice and simplifies ammo buying, at least for me.

I've read recent comments that the newer CCI SV has occasional misfires and doesn't have the accuracy potential of the older ammo, but those reports are from the Internet and they be nothing more than erroneous statements that are repeated by people who have little or no experience with the ammo. Or the reports are factual; hard to tell.

I also found in my testing a few of the "poorer" LR cartridges often criticized shot pretty well. Though, here again, that was in my guns only.

I'm not suggesting anyone buy twenty-five varieties of .22 LR (especially these days) and test them, but, if you're serious, you'll shoot groups with as many ammunitions as you can find.

 

[cmj8591]

I shoot in a bullseye league and have used CCI standard velocity almost exclusively. I used to spring for a box of Green Tag once in a while and always felt like I was shooting better. The reality is that there was no difference that I could see. It was more placebo effect than anything else. If you are shooting a really good rifle from a good rest, you might see some difference. I think there are very few people who shoot well enough to tell one from the other.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I never had a custom or "Target" pistol or rifle to see what a "real shooter " could do for me.

Therfore I never spent money on any of the "Blue Chip" target ammo that was said to be the best for tight groups.

I just shot Win. , Rem, and Federal stock ammo in my weapons and saved the misfires for another try, later at targets, if I was on a hunting safari.
It was not until much later in life, that I got to try out the fancy CCI stuff.

My largest trophy was a large Porkupine that was chewing on the summer cabin, back in the 60's.