So I just recieved 3 new BC Steel lips 25 rd mags, and I wanted to test them out vs the 3 Hot Lips that I already have (but haven't used much). I also wanted to see what would feed and shoot reliably in my 10/22 with the few add ons that I have. First off my 10/22 is just a standard model with a barrel band and iron sights and has only a few mods; 1. Tuffer Buffer, 2. Volquartsen Extractor, 3. Volquartsen Mag Release, 4. "Recoil" Pad (just to extend the length of pull some).
I bought up several types of ammo from the local CT and cycled through them in full and partial magazine loads. Point to note, I was not really looking at group size. The first run of every type was a 25 rd full mag at a 50m target to see how it cycled. The group sizes are generalizations based on 5 and 10rd groups fired later. And as a rule different ammo runs differently in each rifle.
1. I started with the old stuff that I was using at 25 rds in all 6 mags to see how they compared. This was Winchester Dynapoint GT 500 rd cheapo 40 GR HP Plated. Just loading this crap in the steel lipped mags was a problem. In short it is GARBAGE with terrible tolerances and FTF and inconsistent sizes. Really not a surprise. It cycled basically alright through the Hot Lips which apparently have looser tolerances, but had at least 2 stoppages per mag. I will have to finish the box off in the 10/22 factory 10 round mag as it's the only thing that will feed this garbage well. Don't waste your money unless you like to practice clearing stoppages.
2. Federal 40 GR Solid I fed this through a Steel Lip and had feeding issues with the first two rounds, BUT I then reseated the mag and it fed fine. Actually running very consistently throughout with decent groups.
3.Federal Champion 525 RD Value Pack, 36 GR HP Plated 1280 FPS Absolutely no issues or stoppages at all through any mag throughout the day. Looking at a case side on it has a noticeably wider primer and a narrower nose which feeds quite well in my mags. It is not competition grade for grouping but does well for 525 rd boxes.
4. Winchester Super X Power Point 40 GR High Velocity 1280 FPS Plated (100 rd box stuff) I expected better performace out of this stuff as it is more expensive and comes in a fancy box. Unfortunately although it groups decently it has about a 1 or 2 in 300 Failure to Fire and doesen't always feed well when shooting rapidly. I won't buy it for BC mags anymore.
5. Federal Game Shok 38 GR HP Plated High Velocity This fed perfectly and was consistently decent in grouping. It had no issues feeding with a steady rate of fire. It also grouped well even in 25 round groups.
6. Remington Thunderbolt High Velocity 40 Grain Lead Round Nose 1255 FPS In short, GARBAGE, I only fired 50-75 rounds and had 5 Failures to Fire. It generally fed well but didn't group well and anything that costs a little more should go bang when the trigger is pulled. Not going to buy it again.
7. Winchester Wild Cat 40 GR High Velocity Solid This fed reliably, but had a fairly large spread. I can't be sure about the accuracy though. I will have to try it again.
8. Blazer 40 GR Solid This also fed reliably but had a couple wingers in one or two of my groups. Although a gust of wind at 50m can cause that with a .22. The main group itself was decent, but I will have to confirm again.
9. American Eagle This fed reliably every time and held a decent group. It seems to be a good choice and I expect it will hold up well when compared to others for accuracy.
10. CCI Stingers These shot well when I had earlier compared them to the dynapoint garbage and winchester super X, but on this shoot there was a problem. Out of every 10 or so rounds, 2 or 3 of them would fail to load on cycling, as though the action cycled enough to re-#### the hammer but not enough to allow the round to be stripped from the magazine. This could be a size issue, or a filthy rifle issue. But when I made up 25 round mags of 5 rounds each of different types these are the only type that caused this problem. This only happened with two or three rounds previously so I'm not sure if it's an issue with the ammo, or if as I said they are only reliable in a cleaner rifle. That aside they generally group reasonably, but the groups were split due the cycling issue so I can't be sure.
In conclusion, the Federal Champion Value Pack ammo is going to be my pick for bulk ammo with this rifle, and the American Eagle I suspect will be the front runner for accuracy when I compare group sizes later.
Also, I can say that both the BC Hot Lips and Steel Lips seem to feed almost anything, with the Steel Lips seeming to be much tighter in tolerance. I also except that they will perform reliably much longer than the Hot Lips and that the Hot Lips will wear down much faster. When I got the Hot Lips they would not seat easily in the rifle, but it took little time to wear the plastic down to the right size just through use. This is good in that they now fit this rifle just right, but not good in that they worked in too easily. The Steel Lips are also easier on the thumbs to load.
Finally- I need to buy a mag loader, 5 hours of loading mags and shooting was ridiculous.
