PSA: Aguila 'Super Extra Hollow Point' .22 Rim Fire

beltfed

beltfed

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Hey all,

I'm not heavy into .22 rimfire, and typically have only gotten out with them a few times a year in the past.
Recently I bought a lefty Heavy Barrel 457 varmint in .22RF and had it out today.


Brought a mixed bag of Norma Tac22, some Aguila Hollow Point and some SK Rifle Match.
The Tac22 was so-so printing over an inch to 1.5" at 50m, with the SK being the most consistent hovering in around .5 to .75 for most of the groups with maybe a couple growing to around an inch if I screwed up.

But, wow...did the Aguila bulk stuff bought at $62 per 500 round brick surprise the hell out of me.
I'm pretty floored over this stuff and wanted to bring it to people's attention if they are not already aware of this ammunition.

First 10 rounds at 50m:

IMG_0123 by M J, on Flickr

I was pretty chuffed at that, and decided to take that to 100m with 5 rounds (those are 1" black target patches for scale):

IMG_0125 by M J, on Flickr

Buoyed by what I saw so far I decided to give the .5" at 50m challenge a go (Which I didn't make, but the results are promising for another go down the road:

IMG_0124 by M J, on Flickr

This is the stuff in the photo below - pretty damned good for $62 per 500:

IMG_0128 by M J, on Flickr
 
I did a small test with this stuff in a snowy windy day on Saturday. Only at 25 meters but it was very good in my 10/22. So I bought more. No idea from lot to lot how it will be, never even noticed a lot number on the bulk box.
 
Ammo like Aguila can produce a few wallet groups like the nice ones shown above. The trouble is, however, they usually will not reliably produce many consecutive good groups.

If you shot more than one five-round group at 100, what were the others like?
 
grauhanen said:
Ammo like Aguila can produce a few wallet groups like the nice ones shown above. The trouble is, however, they usually will not reliably produce many consecutive good groups.

If you shot more than one five-round group at 100, what were the others like?
Click to expand...

that 10 round group at 50m which is about 1/2" was the first group with this stuff. From there I shot that one and only 5 round group at 100m.
So yeah, two single groups, so statistically insignificant.

That is when I decided to dial it back to doing the five, 5-round groups, which is pretty indicative of what this stuff will do. The first two were under .500", followed by the third that was just over .500", and the last two which blew the challenge. My shooting position was off a pack in the front and a squeeze bean bag at the rear - so I'm probably holding 1/4", but I suspect the last two were more me than the ammo.

Scope is a Nightforce NXS 3.5x15x56 in Nightforce rings on a 419 mount, so the weak link in the chain was definitely the shooting position.

Definitely not as consistent as the SK Rifle Match that I was shooting the same day, and with the SK, I just missed that same challenge by a few thou.

For the price of admission, this stuff is a bargain and worthy of further exploration.
 
I tried several boxes of the higher priced Aguila match ammo awhile back, and while it was generally decent, each box had a number of rounds that were really off. But someone later told me the Super Extra is actually more consistent than the Match, even though it is cheaper. Locally it goes for half the price of the Eley Club that my Sako likes, so I may have to give it a try.
 
For shooters in general, no brand of .22LR ammo all shoots the same. No variety of a brand, Aguila Super Extra or Aguila Match, for example, all shoots the same. The Super Extra bought today may shoot decently but what's bought next time may be quite different.
 
PS - That runs ca $ 0.14/round w/15% tx-in - about the same as SK+ in Bricks (which the 500-pk Aguila is NOT)
 
I used some last year for gopher defence. They definitely whack gophers good and proper. My favourite dealer managed to capture a pile and was gracious enough to sell me a good batch. I haven't actually shot target with the stuff, but i am more than pleased with the performance.
 
Where did you buy it? Cabela's is spotty.
Their ammo was once "Eely Primed" but now they prime their own according to the box.
Years ago the Co-op in Drumheller sold a product for ridiculously low prices and 10% would fail to fire.
Stirling Cross sold a product that had a stylized "A" but they have disappeared locally.
The group shown to me was good but the shooter was absent and the salesperson could not verify the range or distance.
The salesperson supplied a complimentary box but it did not perform.
An invitation to shoot at one of our events never materialized and they were reluctant to sponsor or Provincials.
 
Best price I've seen locally is $50/500, or, about $5.65 after tax for 50 rounds. CCI SV territory price-wise. I'll test it out because I haven't tried this exact load, wish I didn't have to commit to 500 rounds though. Occasions where I've had to use-up ammo that doesn't shoot well=makes me wish I had 1 x 22 rifle I liked with open sights. lol
 
On a related note, i've been shooting the aguila "super colibri" 20 grain 22lr. I really like it. So ridiculously quiet, you barely hear more than the click of the rifle. It glides gently through the air and just kisses the target.
It's handy for me because I have a grumpy neighbour not that far, but with this stuff I can enjoy some target practice without bothering anyone. Also, it's so unintimidating, my wife finally tried shooting for the first time.
Anyway, just thought i'd add that.
 
Funny that I just ordered a box to try, and then I see this post. Great promise for sure.

I have been looking for another good HP, since using the I think it was winchester 800 packs. Actually shot quite well for grouse in the 10/22. Hopefully this stuff prints decent, and I'll stock up.

I have had to resort to eley Action for the last few years, and I'm running low on it, and it is no longer in stock anywhere.
 
grauhanen said:
For shooters in general, no brand of .22LR ammo all shoots the same. No variety of a brand, Aguila Super Extra or Aguila Match, for example, all shoots the same. The Super Extra bought today may shoot decently but what's bought next time may be quite different.
Click to expand...

For sure, lot to lot changes are a reality with any ammo, not just .22 RF.

horseman2 said:
Where did you buy it? Cabela's is spotty...
Click to expand...

Not sure if that was aimed at me, but I bought it at Calgary Shooting Centre.
The beauty of .22 ammo for me, is what doesn't shoot well can go in a 10/22 equipped with a red dot or a Ruger mk. IV.
 
beltfed said:
For sure, lot to lot changes are a reality with any ammo, not just .22 RF.
Click to expand...

Lot-to-lot changes are indeed expected with any ammo.

The problem with inexpensive ammos like Aguila is that lots are very large in quantity. The result is that there's often a great deal of variation from one box to the next. You can never count on what your going to get.
 
Well, after my shooting session that day I went 'round to CSC and bought up another 8000 rounds of the stuff, so I'll let everyone know how if goes. ;)
 
That's some pretty nice results for cheap ammo. The only Aguila I've tried so far was their rifle match competition, and it was noticeably worse than cci sv in my Savage, so I'm happy to have only bought a few boxes... gonna have to try the stuff you're shooting if I see it in stock locally, looks promising.

1B222518__90887.1552336638__76431.1552336656.jpg
 
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