Ammo testing procedure

J_Scott

J_Scott

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I did a search and couldn't find any info on here about this, except for lots of conflicting info on the net.

So I just got a newish CZ452 varmint and want to see what ammo shoots the best. How do you usually go about this? I'm thinking of 50-100 rounds of cheap ammo to sight in my new scope and get used to the trigger, then clean rifle, shoot 5 x 5 rnd groups at 50 yards, then clean, shoot 5 x 5rd groups with new ammo etc etc.

Is this how you guys do it? I just bought a bore guide from Sinclair and all new .17hmr rods and crap for this gun as I want to do this right.

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Kinda your method...minus all the cleaning. lol In all seriousness, I save that for my centerfires. Rimfires seem to shoot best from a slightly fouled barrel..or at least, don't seem to shoot any worse. Up to you.

My 452 Varmint likes CCI Blazer 22 for fast/cheap...even shoots Winchester 333 half decently for plinking (3/4" @ 50 yards) and I can't say that about any of my other 22s with that stuff. CCI Standard Vel. shoots well, as does SK Standard. All shots touching @ 50 yards, never tried match grade...nor would I if I was doing it over again. I posted the results/targets back when I got my 452 Varmint, but they were Photobucketed...and gone now. Your question had more to do with technique...but minus all that cleaning, I tested @ 50 yards as well, took my time. I did give it a thorough cleaning...and re-tested to confirm the results the following week though. Good technique? Probably not, but the results were the same.
 
Buy 5 boxes of ammo that is in your price range.
Start with a clean bore and use targets that have five similar prints.
Fire 5 - ten shot groups always in the same sequence . . . upper left #1, upper right #2 . . . etc.
When the first box is finished, clean and start over.
Always record the brand and code on each target.
Analyse and buy the best in large enough lots to last for a while.
Sometimes the ammo is so poor you might be wasting your time continuing past #2 target but keep that record so you don't repeat the same mistake twice.
 
Thanks guys. This is going to be my "win all friendly competitions against my buddies" gun, so ammo cost isn't an issue.

Funny enough the previous owner said win 333 shot 1/2" with this gun, so once my rings get in we'll see. I have everything from minimags (which I heard don't work well in 452's), blazers, Browning, green tag to Eley competition stuff. We'll see!
 
All good procedures given so far, I'd just add that it can take 10-20 shots from a squeaky clean bore for the rifle to settle down, or the very first shot could be out then the rest start to group, so just keep that in mind when evaluating the results, you might not want to give much weight to the first group or two shot. I prefer to shoot 10 groups of 5 shots to better see when the ammo settles into the gun. If it doesn't seem to settle down, and you get inconsistent results like good group, bad group flip-flopping, it's probably not a good ammo for the gun.
 
J_Scott said:
Thanks guys. This is going to be my "win all friendly competitions against my buddies" gun, so ammo cost isn't an issue.

Funny enough the previous owner said win 333 shot 1/2" with this gun, so once my rings get in we'll see. I have everything from minimags (which I heard don't work well in 452's), blazers, Browning, green tag to Eley competition stuff. We'll see!
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You picked a good rifle to try and do ^that^ with. :)
 
I zero the scope close, then shoot four five shot groups at 50 yards with each ammunition. Don't put a lot of faith in the first group with each load, as it can take five shots for the accurtacy to settle with each load, due to different lubes.
 
RabidM4U5 said:
All good procedures given so far, I'd just add that it can take 10-20 shots from a squeaky clean bore for the rifle to settle down, or the very first shot could be out then the rest start to group, so just keep that in mind when evaluating the results, you might not want to give much weight to the first group or two shot. I prefer to shoot 10 groups of 5 shots to better see when the ammo settles into the gun. If it doesn't seem to settle down, and you get inconsistent results like good group, bad group flip-flopping, it's probably not a good ammo for the gun.
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Yeah, like stubblejumper said, I was even going to try and shoot 6 groups and ignore the first, but 5 should work just as well.

.22LRGUY said:
You picked a good rifle to try and do ^that^ with. :)
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I bought a whole bunch of dirtybird targets and I'm looking forward to see what this thing can do compared to my 10/22 tac target VLEH in battleship ;)

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That is why I say shoot your groups in a specific sequence so the first group out of a clean barrel is always in the same position and becomes the best indicator for what happens both clean and after fouling. Subsequently with targets 1 through 5 there may be another indicator when it settles down.
Try lead bullets first and copper plated later or in a separate test.
One of my rifles will shoot CCI MiniMags round nose to about 1.5" at 100 yards but hollow point will run to 6".
If I shoot copper a different cleaning procedure is used and with WipeOut a blue color will show on the patch after extended shooting. There are lead bullets like Blazer, Thunderbolt and 40 grain American Eagle that give velocities similar to the CCI MiniMags round nose.
 
One thing I try to do when changing brands of rimfire is fire 5 rounds of each new box (sometimes ten as it's not like it's expensive) to coat/cure/treat/condition the barrel to the new brand. Then shoot the record groups. That seems to give the best results and indication of what will work in the rifle. Great choice by the way.
 
Understand how environmental variables impact the result of your test: Pick a calm day and use wind flags (I usually get up early in the morning and do my testing before the air starts moving around). Low temperature degrades performance of some brands more then others (for example, sk std plus/rifle match might be your go to ammo during warmer months but will not perform well in the winter unless kept warm.....).
 
Barrel break in is a myth.

5-10 shots with what ever ammo to get on paper.

3 groups, 5 shots each. For each ammo type.

Should keep the count low enough you dont need to clean until you get home.
 
Canadiankeeper said:
Barrel break in is a myth.

5-10 shots with what ever ammo to get on paper.

3 groups, 5 shots each. For each ammo type.

Should keep the count low enough you dont need to clean until you get home.
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Just to be clear I'm not trying to break in a barrel, I agree it's not required, especially with a rimfire CZ, I just want to find out what ammo this gun likes the best.
 
With a .22, don’t overthink it. Ammo is not that expensive. Have fun and shoot lots of groups.
I usually end up with groups of ten to compare.
 
J_Scott said:
Just to be clear I'm not trying to break in a barrel, I agree it's not required, especially with a rimfire CZ, I just want to find out what ammo this gun likes the best.
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Lead hammer said:
With a .22, don’t overthink it. Ammo is not that expensive. Have fun and shoot lots of groups.
I usually end up with groups of ten to compare.
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I think its a 17hmr

They do get dirty quick and it does make a difference. Get on paper asap then around 100 rounds in clean it.

If it is a 17hmr you wont notice a big difference in ammo preference (I found with most my 17's) at 50. Take it back to 100 and it will be clear as day what it likes.
 
Canadiankeeper said:
I think its a 17hmr

They do get dirty quick and it does make a difference. Get on paper asap then around 100 rounds in clean it.

If it is a 17hmr you wont notice a big difference in ammo preference (I found with most my 17's) at 50. Take it back to 100 and it will be clear as day what it likes.
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No, it's a .22, I just got the .17 rod on the advice of others out there. Heard the chamber is tight and you need a skinny rod... ummm... haha
 
J_Scott said:
No, it's a .22, I just got the .17 rod on the advice of others out there. Heard the chamber is tight and you need a skinny rod... ummm... haha
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oh, I never noticed. I used a 17hmr rod anyways its my rimfire rod lol

ok so a 22... dont even worry about it.. Shoot and shoot more untill you find one that shoots well
 
I get sticker shock at the price of some 22lr which is comparably priced to 9mm so I tend to stay in the Cheap to Mid 22lr Market where CCI is king. Buy several boxes and do your best to fairly compare them all. Buy what suits you best in bulk. I now buy only the ammo below as the cheapskate in me won't let me buy anything more expensive. All of the ammo below except the federal champion Standard velocity works flawlessly in all my 22's.

Bulk ammo I will buy
(1)Federal CPHP 525rd, (2) Federal Automatch 325rd, (3) CCI Blazer
Mid-range Ammo I will buy
(1) CCI mini-mags (both types), (2) Tactical AR 300rds, (3) Federal Gameshock CPRN & CPHP, (4)American Eagle CPHP, (5) Federal Champion SV for my bolts/revolver

Ammo I do not/cannot recommend due to jamming, misfires and possible safety issues
Remington Thunderbolt 500rd, Wildcat, Winchester whitebox bulk pack 500rd..... Remington was the only 22lr which lodged itself more than once in every gunchamber I own, the rest were just poor quality control and mis-shapen and left signifigant powder/lead residue.

Once you have one of a few types of ammo that you like, wait for a sale on said ammo and fill your stash with it so you don't have to re-sight your rifle every week. Bulk packs are great when guests come or you are just blasting and the better stuff when your trying to shoot well. If guests are coming that will be paying for ammo just buy a bulk box and let them pay you, otherwise they may bring a big box of Wildcat to the range and oh the hilarity that ensues.
 
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