22 Bullet Comparison

scorpio_21

scorpio_21

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Has anyone done something similar with various .22 brands? What gets me is how the American Eagle grouped to the top left when everything else would be on centre. I started shooting top left (Winchester) and finished bottom left (Remington). Fired sequentially with a Ruger 10/22.

I've bought a few more brands and will do a more complete test in the next week or so.
 
Yup. First thing I do with a .22 rifle. I sight it in then shoot a bunch of different types of ammo for groups only. After that I finish sighting in based on the ammo of choice for that particular rifle. Unfortunately I don't have a camera or I would post my .22 round tests for my Kimber SVT. The results were interesting.

Here is an ammo test I did a ways back with my Ruger 10/22 target at 20 yards indoors. All targets are 5 round groups. The top ones are Lapua Super club. The bottom targets were CCI velocitor. Guess which one I never bothered shooting again :D On a side note The Eagle 40 grain solids shot ok, the CCI regulars shot better but not as well as the Lapua.

10-22targetammocomparison.jpg
 
shoot many rounds over the years specially 22.since the indoor range of the captain kidd is for 22.the best ammo will always be LAPUA.
 
I assume you fired a few shots at the centre target when changing brands.
Most of my 22's produce a huge flyer on the first round. After cleaning, a few more rounds might be required before going for group.
 
horseman2 said:
I assume you fired a few shots at the centre target when changing brands.
Most of my 22's produce a huge flyer on the first round. After cleaning, a few more rounds might be required before going for group.
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Very true. When I bought my Ruger mk III I did a similar test with various target ammo. I found that when switching brands the first 2-3 rounds wouldn't group well and then the next rounds would.
 
Two passes with a bore snake were used before I tried the CCI velocitors. I've done this before and two passes gets rid of the wax from the Lapua ammo.

Each rifle is different. I was having crap results with Lapua in my Kimber SVT. I did an ammo test and discovered that it loves Federal Gold :confused:. Any waxy ammo like Lapua or Elley shot mediocre and would produce unexplained fliers. The Federal shot 5 rounds in one hole. With the Eagle 40 grain ammo (Almost identical to the Federal Gold) shooting very well but not as well as the Federal Gold.
 
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Cyclone,
Those pictures made me notice something. The 5 shot 1 .22 bullet hole sized group I shot out of my SVT was with an old box of Federal Gold Medal "Target" ammo (White box with red/black). I went out today and shot groups with Newer Gold Medal Target ( red/black box with no white). It shot the same as my American Eagle 40 grain solids. I wasn't happy. Good for varmints but a far cry from the tiny 1 hole 5 round group I shot before.

Those pictures had me wondering if I shot that group with Match or target. Well confirmed it was target but.........

The box on the side of the old stuff shows 1080 FPS. The new stuff 1200 FPS. :confused:

Ok found the answer. I shot the old stuff which was 711B load and the new stuff was the 719 load. Considering I just ordered two bricks of this stuff for the SVT, I better call up and make sure. You can get both loads with the new stuff, and the boxes are identical except for a tiny load number on the side.

This thread may have just saved me from being extremely pissed off.
Good stuff guys.
 
lucky72 said:
shoot many rounds over the years specially 22.since the indoor range of the captain kidd is for 22.the best ammo will always be LAPUA.
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Not true. I almost did a fire sale on my Kimber SVT because I also believed Lapua shot well in everything. When it didn't shoot Lapua worth a damn I was ready to get rid of this rifle. Turns out it loved Federal Gold medal ammo and has mediocre groups with fliers when shooting Lapua or Eley.

It really depends on the individual barrel. Some love Lapua, Eley etc. Others not so much. Some sort of .22 Voodoo trying to find the perfect ammo.
 
My Savage Mark II F heavy barrel likes the Dynapoints and the AE most.
AE groups a bit tighter yet about 0.5" up and 0.5" to the right at 50m.
Dynapoint sometimes gives 2 distinct groups, one in the center, the other a bit lower. But it does not feed as smooth as AE.
 
Epoxy7 said:
Cyclone,
Those pictures made me notice something....This thread may have just saved me from being extremely pissed off.
Good stuff guys.
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Always glad to be of service. When I can't shoot, I take out my giant "file-folder 'O truth" ;) and read about the .22's I oughtta be shooting! Suffice it to say, I've been waiting to share those pics for sometime. :cool:

To me, the most useful thing I noticed was the 1st URL's "rules" for ammo comparison - they make sense, and work! :)

Here they are, by the way:

1) State the particulars (i.e. distance, target types, rifle, scope, rests - and ammo type, of course! :D). Added thigs like wind speed and temp are nice, but a bit show-offy, perhaps! :rolleyes:

2) Ensure you are testing the ammo you are testing (i.e. test by first firing "clearing shots" to acclimate the barrel to the particular ammo, and only then "print" your shot patterns. The clearing shots are to remove any lubrication/schmutz left over from previous bullets, or to build up lubrication that is on the test bullets ;)).

3) Added-point: Two swipes of a boresnake between ammo-types is recommended. :)
 
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Here's my Kimber SVT ammo test.
20 yards indoors. Kimber SVT .22 with Leupold EFR 6.5-20x 40mm scope.
All are 5 round groups. These were shot for groups only and not sighted in for any of these rounds (was sighted for Lapua Super club). I only used the bore snake once when going to the American Eagle 40 grain solids. I now go twice after this because once doesn't seem to get rid of all the wax. Twice seems to work.

SVT-target-2.jpg


You can see why I almost got rid of the thing. If it wasn't for the Federal Gold ammo group I'd be pretty chocked with this rifle. Lapua shot the same as the Eley except POI was a bit different. I'd get the same frustrating single flier in the group.
 
Epoxy7 said:
You can see why I almost got rid of the thing. If it wasn't for the Federal Gold ammo group I'd be pretty chocked with this rifle. Lapua shot the same as the Eley except POI was a bit different. I'd get the same frustrating single flier in the group.
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First off, nice groupings! :)

Next, how many types of ammo would need to be "accurate in your rifle" for it to remain, um, "your rifle"? ;)
 
22 Rimfires are indeed ammo sensitive!! I have many 22's, including several that are regarded highly for their accuracy potential. [Remington 40X, Remington 541S & T, Remington 504/Lilja, Anschutz 54 Match, Winchester 52C, Winchester 52 pre-A, etc] These firearms all have distinctive favorites as to ammo, and seldom do you find two rifles that like the same ammo equally well. Lot numbers make a difference, temperatures that you shoot at make a difference, Even atmospheric pressures can add a variant. A quality 22 will often shoot many types of ammo very well, but there is invariably one type and lot that stands out for that firearm. When I discover that ammo, I try to lay in a decent quantity, so I can use it for awhile. A very accurate 22 is a "keeper", and will provide hours of high levels of satisfaction, whether casually plinking or seriously shooting paper. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Ammo of differing velocities tend to string up-and-left, on-center, and low-and-right. That's what you're seeing here with the American Eagle. Its speed is such that it's leaving the muzzle when the muzzle is up-and-left in its vibration pattern. IIRC, this up-and-left to low-and-right pattern is specific to right-hand-twist rifling.

You'd be surprised how much testing such as this that competitive shooters do. Especially testing a number of different lots of the same brand/model of ammo. It can make huge amounts of difference. You'd be surprised how much difference there can be from gun to gun with the same ammo. Eley Target Rifle or Club Xtra shoots about 1/4" at 50 yards in my CZ 453 Varmint. Lapua Super Club shoots about 1/4" at 50 yards in my Anschutz 1712. The same lots of Lapua Super Club will drop shots like crazy in my CZ 453 Varmint, sometimes hitting as low as 5-6" from the POA at 50 yards. It does fine with the Eley stuff, so it's not the gun. It just doesn't match up well with the Lapua, and gets horrible results with it. Here's a few pics of some ARA practice targets I shot, all 5-shot groups at 50 yards.

CZ 453 Varmint w/ Eley Target Rifle
chambers2-cz-eleytr.jpg


Anschutz 1712 w/ Lapua Super Club
chambers3-anschutz-lapua.jpg


CZ 453 Varmint w/ Lapua Super Club
chambers1-cz-lapua.jpg


One shot's off the bottom of the paper by a finger width, heh. The Lapua Super Club definitely doesn't fit the CZ's chamber very well. But that's just mine. It might shoot just fine in the very next CZ 453 Varmint that came off the assembly line. You just never know. And that's why people do (or should do) these kinds of tests.
scorpio_21 said:
What gets me is how the American Eagle grouped to the top left when everything else would be on centre.
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I'm sure glad you posted the Anschutz 1712's results together with the CZ453's; Lapua Super Club is one of my faves and I was a lil shocked to see your grouping with it.
 
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