My buddy had a CZ453 that loved federal blue box, my CZ455 loved Remington target and Eley practice and my Browning BL-22 likes minimags. Anyone with a group of different .22's inevitably ends up with a locker of 8 to 10 different brands of shells and a new rifle means a trip to the range to see what it likes to eat. My SOP is rough sight in the scope and fine tune it using several types of ammo and see what dials it in nicer.
Who shoots crappy ammo the best
- Thread starter Yotarunner
- Start date
Maybe a different perspective here...
I get it, everyone has a budget and different tolerances for performance accuracy. Some people just want to plink and knock down soda cans, hit paper, have fun, while others are meticulous about grouping measurements, etc.
For me, cheap ammo of any other caliber is tolerable and even acceptable. I am a cheap guy so always want to get more bang for the buck (no pun intended).
BUT...I also have a low risk for aggravation. And I have found that cheap .22 ammo has caused a number of my experiences, with guns both cheap and not so cheap to be extremely frustrating. For me, the price (juice) difference between dirt cheap stuff and average stuff is not worth the squeeze. In fact, misfeeds, duds and even squibs have ONLY ever been with cheap .22 ammo. Some of the quality of the ammo is not just inconsistent, it is outright bad. It is true, different ammo may perform in different guns, and everyone's definition of "crappy" ammo is different, but for me, I tend to avoid cheap .22 , low quality ammo (and I specifically cite Winchester M22, Winchester T22, and Remington Thunderbolt) - just not worth the headache...for me at least.
I get it, everyone has a budget and different tolerances for performance accuracy. Some people just want to plink and knock down soda cans, hit paper, have fun, while others are meticulous about grouping measurements, etc.
For me, cheap ammo of any other caliber is tolerable and even acceptable. I am a cheap guy so always want to get more bang for the buck (no pun intended).
BUT...I also have a low risk for aggravation. And I have found that cheap .22 ammo has caused a number of my experiences, with guns both cheap and not so cheap to be extremely frustrating. For me, the price (juice) difference between dirt cheap stuff and average stuff is not worth the squeeze. In fact, misfeeds, duds and even squibs have ONLY ever been with cheap .22 ammo. Some of the quality of the ammo is not just inconsistent, it is outright bad. It is true, different ammo may perform in different guns, and everyone's definition of "crappy" ammo is different, but for me, I tend to avoid cheap .22 , low quality ammo (and I specifically cite Winchester M22, Winchester T22, and Remington Thunderbolt) - just not worth the headache...for me at least.
I agree...but here's the other side of the coin...
I don't buy premium .22lr ammo anymore, simply because of finances. I shoot at least one or two of my .22's almost every day, sometimes only a magazineful or two but usually more, sometimes much more. Almost all of this shooting is at reactive targets that are set up year round at 50 and 100 yards. There is no way that I am paying 2x, 3x or more for premium stuff. I want to shoot 2 or 3 times as much, not pay that way.
I have about a dozen .22's and keep track of which ones favour which brands of ammo. If I find a deal on a certain brand of ammo, I won't waste time finding out which gun works best with it, I'll just concentrate on using the gun(s) that I already know will like it. Simply shooting the right ammo in the right gun makes a big difference in terms of both accuracy and reliability. The other thing is target size. If you know that a certain gun and a certain ammo brand shoots no better than 2 inches @ 100 yards, then don't frustrate yourself shooting at a 1-inch spinner. A 2-inch target will afford you every bit as much meaningful practice with that gun/ammo combo as a high-zoot outfit shooting MOA groups at a 1-inch target.
I suppose that if I had only a single .22 rifle, I might immerse myself in the endless pursuit of that last 1/10th of an inch at whatever range. But I'm not forced to live that way...yet...so I don't. It's been several decades since I shot any kind of formal competition, and I don't miss it.
OP, what kind of ranges are you hoping to shoot these gophers? You'll probably find that with some batches of ammo your employer provides, your gun is the best shooter in the bunch and lets you reach out a bit further, and with the next batch of budget ammo somebody else's gun will be the champ and you will need to dial back on maximum range for your shots. You're buying the gun because you just want to...the best reason possible!
...so buy the one you want. Both of the guns you're eyeballing have the potential to be excellent shooters, and there's no way to tell beforehand which will be better and with which ammo. With a couple of .22 rifles in your safe, you'll double your chances of having one that likes whatever ammo is provided. Use the free ammo...that's a dream scenario...and save up for your third ..22 rifle. 
brownbear53
CGN Regular
- Location
- Vancouver, BC
CZ457 wood stock with even a decent scope and bulk ammo is a tack driver at 200Y
Having owned both the tikka and cz, I prefer the CZ.
Having owned both the tikka and cz, I prefer the CZ.
Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
OP, what kind of ranges are you hoping to shoot these gophers? You'll probably find that with some batches of ammo your employer provides, your gun is the best shooter in the bunch and lets you reach out a bit further, and with the next batch of budget ammo somebody else's gun will be the champ and you will need to dial back on maximum range for your shots. You're buying the gun because you just want to...the best reason possible!
With gophers the ranges are pretty much as close or as far as I want
but as a whole 10-80 yards is avg. When messing around I can stretch it as far as I feel like. My furthest gopher kill was with a centerfire 20 cal at 650 yards. Most times with the ammo I shoot il find where the accuracy falls away and keep shots inside that distance. So far nobody is having genuine issues with cheap ammo so that's good! Iv seen a few target oriented 22s get pretty upset with the cheap stuff and they shoot not bad but horrible which is what I was trying to figure out.
If one has too tight of tolerances to handle mismatched dirty junk then il go with the other but so far both check the boxes.
Yes, anything with a match chamber might have issues with the cheap stuff. But there aren't a lot of 22s with match chambers in the sub-$1000 range. CZ does use them, but only in a handful of models like the MTR. Tikka t1x does not have a match chamber as far as I'm aware.With gophers the ranges are pretty much as close or as far as I want
Most times with the ammo I shoot il find where the accuracy falls away and keep shots inside that distance. So far nobody is having genuine issues with cheap ammo so that's good! Iv seen a few target oriented 22s get pretty upset with the cheap stuff and they shoot not bad but horrible which is what I was trying to figure out.
If one has too tight of tolerances to handle mismatched dirty junk then il go with the other but so far both check the boxes.
I'd bet folding money that either of those rifles will shoot most or at least many varieties of .22lr ammo sufficiently well for gophers at 80 yards. Match chambers aren't needed, and I think for shooters like me at least they are pretty much an instrument of the devil.
I just re-read your OP. Faced with the decision you have put forward, I'd likely get the Tikka just because it's different. I've had a couple of CZ's (along with a couple of older Brno's), down to one right now. I also have a T1x. I'd have to say that overall I prefer the CZ's but that might be largely because of familiarity.
I don't think you'd be disappointed whichever way you go, but even if you change your mind later...you're buying that rifle, not marrying it. Don't love it? Sell it off and move on.
I just re-read your OP. Faced with the decision you have put forward, I'd likely get the Tikka just because it's different.
I've had a couple of CZ's (along with a couple of older Brno's), down to one right now. I also have a T1x. I'd have to say that overall I prefer the CZ's but that might be largely because of familiarity.I don't think you'd be disappointed whichever way you go, but even if you change your mind later...you're buying that rifle, not marrying it. Don't love it? Sell it off and move on.
Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
For those of you saying I should just shoot the good quality stuff il just throw this out there for perspective. I'm not shooting a few squirrels here and there I'm doing high volume eradication work. Depending on the year my numbers go up and down but as a whole I'm usually good for almost a full case of 22 between me and my wife.
Numbers based of a case (5000 rounds) no solids only hollow points for gophers.
CCI mini mag $918
Eley HV HP $1300
Cci segmented HP $800
Federal champion HP $650
Work provided ammo $30 in cleaning supplies due to the dirty cheap ammo.
Numbers based of a case (5000 rounds) no solids only hollow points for gophers.
CCI mini mag $918
Eley HV HP $1300
Cci segmented HP $800
Federal champion HP $650
Work provided ammo $30 in cleaning supplies due to the dirty cheap ammo.
Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
Buck,
The Savage Mark II FVSR also has a heavy fluted barrel. However it is 16.5" as opposed to the 21" barrel on the Savage B22 FV.....
Just food for thought!....
Savage also makes the B22 series in a B22 FVSR with a 16.25" non-fluted heavy barrel.
https://savagearms.com/firearms/sku/70203
I have shot thousands of bulk .22 hollow point out of my 455's and 457's. They are all bone stock and wear cheaper Leupold scopes. For me, shooting gophers is not some mystical scientific everlasting experiment. I've used hollow points of all makes and models. They all seem to work for me. I am impressed with Aguila Super Extra HP. Federal, Winchester, W-W bulk all seem to work.
I use a little folding stool and a cheap camera tripod with a "custom" little rest on top. I put a piece of split pool noodle on the foreshock and have at 'er. I never fiddle with the crosshairs, don't reset the power. Just aim according to distance.
I use a little folding stool and a cheap camera tripod with a "custom" little rest on top. I put a piece of split pool noodle on the foreshock and have at 'er. I never fiddle with the crosshairs, don't reset the power. Just aim according to distance.
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Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
Iv learned lots of folks who have never seen a full gopher field don't quite understand the amount of shooting involvedPerspective for sure!
That'll learn them dang elitists...
iv taken friends from BC out here and despite warnings to bring extra ammo they never have enough 
My first gopher gun was a Savage mark 2 with 4x burris scope that i put roughly 20 000 rounds through. Now i run a Ruger 10/22 with 16" barrel, 1.5lb trigger and a 3-9x scope on. It will eat any bulk 22lr i feed it. Minute of gopher is all you need to have a fun productive day in a good patch. Love smoking them on the run with the semi autos quick follow up shots. Planning a easter slaughter of gophers in southern AB. Hopefully some other varmints will show themselves also. I have CZ's, brownings, winchesters, marlins and savages but for volume shooting I always grab my 10/22 and usually one magnum 17wsm, 17hmr, 22wmr for the day.
Iv learned lots of folks who have never seen a full gopher field don't quite understand the amount of shooting involved
My first year I brought rimfire rifles only; a Savage Mk2 FV-SR and a 10/22 with a Dlask heavy barrel. I brought 6000 rounds because I was told to bring lots. I barely put any rounds through my Savage. I like my 10/22s for varmint shooting. My favorite now is a Spectre ST-22 with a 12.5 inch barrel and a 1-4x scope.
Over the years I have shot 10's of thousands of federal blue box, remington gold bucket 22LR ammo through a BL22, CA Ranger, CZ 455 and now a CZ 457, none of them really were what I would call tack drivers with that ammo but all of them shot it good enough, what I call minute of gopher like 1" groups at 50 yards
All my rifles, CZs, Cooey, Zastava, Toz all shoot CCI Std. well; Tac-22 better than some of the "fancier $20 a box stuff", my JW14 shoots the Aguila lead solid point Std better than it has a right to (I used this ammo in a Nylon 66 back in the 80's for night hunting racoon; must have killed over 1000 of them over the years we hunted). Federal ammo and Remington went for a big crap, I hear remington is getting better again. Buy a rifle you like, buy a crap load of different cheap ammo; something will shoot just fine for you.
Cheap ammo has it's place. I have a couple of savage 64's and some old cooey's that we'll take out on the farm and let the kids blast away at targets and cans for a few hours. They have fun, learn some gun safety and it doesn't break the bank. I'm definitely not pay for they to burn through a brick of SK or Eley. lol
