.22lr Ammo Sample Packs

Slug870

Slug870

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Hey all,

I'm looking to do some ammo testing with my T1x to find out what she likes. I currently have a few different types to try, but I'm looking for a bit more variety. I know Nordic Marksman has a few offerings, however everything is sold out minus the RWS and I think the Biathlon sample packs. I may pick up the RWS sample pack, but I am now wondering if any other site sponsors offer sampler packs?

If you know of anywhere, let me know.

Thanks!
 
Slug870 said:
Hey all,

I'm looking to do some ammo testing with my T1x to find out what she likes. I currently have a few different types to try, but I'm looking for a bit more variety. I know Nordic Marksman has a few offerings, however everything is sold out minus the RWS and I think the Biathlon sample packs. I may pick up the RWS sample pack, but I am now wondering if any other site sponsors offer sampler packs?

If you know of anywhere, let me know.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Nordic Marksman sell a few different sample packs

http://www.nordicmarksman.com/Ammunition.html
 
Sample packs can't necessarily reveal what ammo to buy. Every variety of ammo in a sample pack comes from a certain lot of ammo. Ammo performance will vary by lot.

The long and the short of it is don't look for the brand of ammo your rifle likes, look for the lot of ammo your rifle likes.

To illustrate, I have had very good success with Center X ammo. But not all lots of Center X shoot equally well. I had some better lots of ammo last year earlier in the shooting season, in May and June.




I bought more Center X in August. It was from a different lot than those which produced the results shown above. Unfortunately it did not shoot well at all even under similar conditions. This Center X lot's results shown below were very similar in four other rifles of good quality. It was the poorest shooting Center X I've ever had. I sent it back to the dealer.



I've had similar experiences with different lots of Midas +. Some shoot better than others. The ones that shoot well, do very well indeed. The same can be said for SK Rifle Match. Some lots are better than others, while some are much worse.

Shooters should keep in mind that any particular lot of ammo may not shoot the same in different rifles. Ammo performance varies by lot and by rifle.
 
Finding something your rifle really likes from a sample pack is possible.

Where it becomes an exercise in futility is will a specific lot number still be available.

When a specific brand is determined then it is contingent on you and your supplier to determine how many different lots are available that will allow you to buy a case of that ammo.


Establishing a relationship with your supplier means that he will hold those cases once you have determined the best lot.

Keep in mind you do not have a lot of time to freeze a case. A reasonable amount of time for you to do your testing is one week after you receive your test samples.

Hirsch, Nordic and Target Shooting products have allowed me and others in our club this luxury.

A dedicated testing system over wind flags is essential. Test an entire box shooting 5 ten-round groups suits me. You have to be your best critic and there are no excuses. All rounds have to be counted.
Just to be clear, a couple of 5-round groups determines nothing . . . in other words not worth a pile of gold coon manure.

There may be other testing means. The previous post was tested at 57 yards. Most of my testing would be done at 100 yards/metres.
Shooting competition at 50 yards justifies testing at 50 yards.

Some of the shooters within our group believe their rifle likes a specific velocity. In the previous post, the lot number is shown. The first target shows lots of promise.
The second set of targets would suggest the test could be scrapped early.
 
grauhanen said:
Sample packs can't necessarily reveal what ammo to buy. Every variety of ammo in a sample pack comes from a certain lot of ammo. Ammo performance will vary by lot.

The long and the short of it is don't look for the brand of ammo your rifle likes, look for the lot of ammo your rifle likes.

To illustrate, I have had very good success with Center X ammo. But not all lots of Center X shoot equally well. I had some better lots of ammo last year earlier in the shooting season, in May and June.




I bought more Center X in August. It was from a different lot than those which produced the results shown above. Unfortunately it did not shoot well at all even under similar conditions. This Center X lot's results shown below were very similar in four other rifles of good quality. It was the poorest shooting Center X I've ever had. I sent it back to the dealer.



I've had similar experiences with different lots of Midas +. Some shoot better than others. The ones that shoot well, do very well indeed. The same can be said for SK Rifle Match. Some lots are better than others, while some are much worse.

Shooters should keep in mind that any particular lot of ammo may not shoot the same in different rifles. Ammo performance varies by lot and by rifle.
Click to expand...

Curious as to why youd buy ammo of a lot you hadn't tried? I would assume when youd run out of your preferred lot and couldn't obtain more you would start the sampling over again until an acceptable lot was found and then bulk purchase. Did I miss something or just had such great luck with Center X that you took a chance on receiving another good lot. Great shooting as well on your top targets!!
 
Longstud said:
Curious as to why youd buy ammo of a lot you hadn't tried? I would assume when youd run out of your preferred lot and couldn't obtain more you would start the sampling over again until an acceptable lot was found and then bulk purchase. Did I miss something or just had such great luck with Center X that you took a chance on receiving another good lot. Great shooting as well on your top targets!!
Click to expand...

That's a good question. I am always trying to learn more about .22LR shooting. Like a lot of shooters, I had read about lot variation. Like a lot of shooters, I didn't take it as seriously as I should have taken it. I let wishful thinking and an unfounded sense of confidence that since Center X had shot well in my rifles, all I had to do was to get more ammo with the name Center X on the box. In short, a took a leap of faith that when I ordered a case of Center X it would shoot well. I would have been happy to reorder the lot of Center X that seemed to shoot well, but it was purchased the previous year and was no longer available.

My experience with that poorly-shooting lot of Center X brought home the lesson that ammo can vary by lot -- and it can vary considerably. I learned a good lesson first hand, and sometimes that's the only way people learn.

I suppose that it happens quite often that shooters buy their ammo with a bit of hope and prayer that it will shoot well. Buying a variety of lots of almost any good ammo in Canada is usually much easier said than done. Canada's .22LR match ammo market is relatively small.

I don't know how many different lots of a relatively popular ammo like Center X a dealer may have on hand at any one time. A casual phone conversation with one dealer revealed that he sells about ten cases of Center X annually. He gets enough of any particular lot so that customers can get more of it. That doesn't seem to leave room for many different lots of an ammo like Center X, perhaps only as many as four, but probably fewer.

If a dealer has as many as three or perhaps four different lots available when his ammo supply of a particular variety is at its height, that might allow for some lot testing. If a customer is looking for ammo when supplies are lower, then he often has very few different lots from which to choose.

In short, lot testing ammo is possible but there probably aren't many different lots available from a single dealer to test. The higher up the ammo food chain, the fewer lots available there would be. In other words, it would probably be easier to lot test Center X than Midas + simply because there is less Midas + available at any one time.
 
Mystic Precision said:
I get a smile when rimfire is considered a 'cheap' way to get into precision shooting..... at least the barrels last a good long time :)

Jerry
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I spend more on 22 a year than centre fire lol. Since buying my Bergara I have approximately 1800 rounds through it, that’s about a month. Been slow at work and have had lots of time but not normally even the busy shooting season, have been known to burn through 2-300 rounds in a sitting. That’s what $60 at sk prices and just a guess 80-90 lapua prices. Pricey couple of hours if you ask me
 
scuba52 said:
I spend more on 22 a year than centre fire lol. Since buying my Bergara I have approximately 1800 rounds through it, that’s about a month. Been slow at work and have had lots of time but not normally even the busy shooting season, have been known to burn through 2-300 rounds in a sitting. That’s what $60 at sk prices and just a guess 80-90 lapua prices. Pricey couple of hours if you ask me
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If you could settle on one gun and not change every two weeks youd probably have more coin for bang bang hahaha. NOW THATS FUNNY
 
Longstud said:
If you could settle on one gun and not change every two weeks youd probably have more coin for bang bang hahaha. NOW THATS FUNNY
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It can often be more exciting to buy rifles than ammo.

The thing is that SK products are relatively affordable. Lapua Midas + costs $23.70 per box of 50, when bought by the brick (includes taxes but not shipping). That makes it $0.47 for every single round. I'm not sure anyone can afford to shoot a lot of Midas. If you get a lot of Midas that doesn't shoot well in your rifle it can be very disappointing.

Imagine the regret for someone who buys Lapua X-Act at the most recent price of $324.99 for a single brick (before taxes and shipping) and it's a lot that doesn't shoot well in his rifle. That's over $0.70 per round.

Shooters will do well to remember that the name on the box of ammo is not a guarantee about how it will shoot.
 
Longstud said:
If you could settle on one gun and not change every two weeks youd probably have more coin for bang bang hahaha. NOW THATS FUNNY
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I can’t help it. I want them all but can’t afford it lol. I find that once I wring everything I can out of a gun and spend some time with it something else catches my eye and it has to go to pay for the new toy. Some guys are like that with women, I think I went the cheaper route and will keep the woman, she is a good one. God forbid I find something that isn’t perfect it has to go now.
 
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