Most consistent velocity 22 LR Ammo?

[Mystic Precision]

Look forward to your results.

Jerry

 

[RabidM4U5]

Well Jerry, I can't say that sorting this ammo made any noticeable difference. Seems to be that if the ammo has fliers, there is no way to sort them out. I'll revisit this come spring with some better ammo. I did the 50 @ 200 test with one length for each ammo.





At 50 yards I also tested the base-ogive lengths, 5 groups each from shortest at the top to longest at the bottom. The first 19 shots had me thinking maybe we were onto something! But... overall results are really no different than shooting this ammo unsorted.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Could just be the variation in manf of that lot is such that issues within the ammo is overridding everything else... for your rifle.

I test at 100m/yds first. If the ammo will not group 1 to 1.5" right out of the gate, I don't bother testing it any more. I suspect the SK ammo you are using will not do that at 100 right now... why it is so bad at 200yds.

I do not test LR rimfire ammo at 50yds... I see no point and it doesn't give the answers I want.







My new McGowen match barrel... apparently it has pricey tastes as Lapua Midas+ is what she prefers. Started at 100yds and shooting small rocks at 215yds showed a lot of promise. This is for CRPS so consistency is very important to me. I will repeat test a few times and see if temp changes the results. Hopefully, it will find a liking for less money ammo but I am not holding my breath.



Sorted SK Rifle match... not acceptable and grouping at 215yds showed massive vertical... similar to what your group is doing. This ammo shot really well in my friends Savage mkII and this is the lot he will be competing with.

with rimfire, you don't get hung up on type or lot... test and if it doesn't work, move along. When I am sorting, I am only trying to remove the outs on a good shooting load. And sometimes, what shoots great in one rifle, sucks in another....

Jerry

 

[Maple57]

So much of shooting is founded in superstition, circumstantial evidence, luck, tradition and cognitive bias that it can be difficult sometimes to determine what actually works from what someone attributes to success.

Sometimes people see only what they are looking for.

Does sorting help? Who knows.... It might.

Does sorting hurt? Probably not.

 

[pazzo]

Jerry - interesting approach shooting at 100y/m first. Probably save a bunch of ammo and time doing it that way as well.

 

[Mystic Precision]

So much of shooting is founded in superstition, circumstantial evidence, luck, tradition and cognitive bias that it can be difficult sometimes to determine what actually works from what someone attributes to success.

Sometimes people see only what they are looking for.

Does sorting help? Who knows.... It might.

Does sorting hurt? Probably not.

I think you load for Centerfire so understand the steps and nuances of getting things to work. The big issue with Rimfire is we have no control over our ammo... and alot of our result is based on a guess and a hope.

It is no different then competing in F class or SRBR with facotry "match" ammo. Would you be competitive? Would it be consistent enough? Would it even suit your barrel?

Attempts have been and continue to be made to create factory ammo suitable for a variety of shooting games. The successful combos typically do not require the highest levels of accuracy.

Unfortunately, we want the same consistent, repeatability and tuning we can create in CF with factory RF ammo. Then we have to accept that most RF ammo is designed for distances much shorter then we want to use in CRPS and other LR rimfire endeavors.

No different then taking a SRBR combo set up and going F class shooting... tough to get ideal results.

I really enjoy rimfire CRPS/PRL type shooting. I feel a shooter can achieve podium results with the commonly available gear and with a little effort, accessible match ammo.

I just don't expect to have all the bullets go through the same hole.. and in this game, not necessary

Jerry

 

[Maple57]

I get it... I wasn't taking a shot at you Jerry. Please don't take offence.

More of how people in general look at a specific problem and interpret solutions. Sometimes one thing is just better than something else and sometimes we go through certain rituals that may or may not have value, but we feel like somehow the extra effort will pay off somehow....

Sometimes it takes a large batch to collect enough statistical evidence and re-confirm over time.

If the test batch is too small then other factors like temperature, wind, light and mirage can contaminate the findings, but in the middle of that we are testing one thing or another in small lots and attribute the changed result to the change in the test lot, rather than outside factors that may be skewing the results instead.

Rimfire is a finicky little bit$h and good result one day do not necessarily repeat on the next. All you can really do is try over and over until you find something that works in the aggregate.

 

[Eagleye]

The ammo is, indeed the limiting factor when it comes to stretching out your 22 rimfire.
I lucked into a lot of Eley Match EPS [black box] [#1 machine, 1059 fps] that is almost
astounding for 2 of my match rifles. I shot 2 consecutive groups one early morning at
200M that went under 1". However, several other groups were over 1" but under 1½"
I bought a case of that ammo....in retrospect, I should have bought 2 or 3. I have yet
to find another lot of any brand that equals this stuff. Everything clicked at manufacture,
I guess. Dave.

 

[Mystic Precision]

I get it... I wasn't taking a shot at you Jerry. Please don't take offence.

More of how people in general look at a specific problem and interpret solutions. Sometimes one thing is just better than something else and sometimes we go through certain rituals that may or may not have value, but we feel like somehow the extra effort will pay off somehow....

Sometimes it takes a large batch to collect enough statistical evidence and re-confirm over time.

If the test batch is too small then other factors like temperature, wind, light and mirage can contaminate the findings, but in the middle of that we are testing one thing or another in small lots and attribute the changed result to the change in the test lot, rather than outside factors that may be skewing the results instead.

Rimfire is a finicky little bit$h and good result one day do not necessarily repeat on the next. All you can really do is try over and over until you find something that works in the aggregate.

Well put... I look at it in another way. if the results dont repeat, that is not the combo I want to use. It better repeat over a variety of times and temps. It will be very obvious when you have the right combo.

And I also have to give myself some practical and realistic parameters. For CRPS, average 100yds/m groups as described... and I count the flyers so that eliminates things pretty fast. If I am going to test 3X5rds and I get a 4 to 5" group for say group 2, I am not going to shoot group 3.

Where I feel many have frustrations with rimfire is focusing on the good groups and making excuses for the poor. Because I make every shot as good as I can, where that bullet lands has to be what the ammo will do.

If I get "outs", I get outs and I move onto another ammo. I only worry about sorting when that batch of ammo fits within my parameters AND I want to see if I can squeeze a bit more from that batch. Under these conditions, sorting has helped reduce the average group.

Sorting and other ammo measuring isn't going to change a batch that is not compatible. That is why I posted that target with the 2 groups of sorted SK RM ammo. In my 10/22, it doesn't work. In my friends, it rocks and will be the ammo he competes with.

This 10/22 McGowen barrel seems to thrive on this batch of Lapua Midas+. That same lot shot moderately well in my Savage MKII. This savage mkII prefers my particular lot of SK Std+ which this McGowen barrel shot into a great big mess... pretty sure, I never made it to group 3

My point is simply that we are working with ammo we cannot control or adjust. I take it for what it is and if not ideal, just find another type and/or lot. This assumes you have a barrel, stock, optic, rest set up that can reach the accuracy you have in mind.

For CRPS, I really don't think going down the dark rabbit holes of tuners is necessary but if I have a bunch of spare time..... maybe

Jerry

 

[Mystic Precision]

Jerry - interesting approach shooting at 100y/m first. Probably save a bunch of ammo and time doing it that way as well.

Yes, it does. I have an assortment of ammo I would like to use.... bang away a few groups, cull the 'not a hope'.... muck about with the finalists.

Just make sure that you swab the bore between ammo types and give it a few rds to stabilize. I have found that SK/Lapua use similar enough stuff that groups settle down very quickly. You may need more bore prep between brands like CCI vs Eley vs SK.... Some stuff can take 10 to 15 rds to stabilise so keep that in mind when changing ammo

If running a semi, make sure the bolt is moving freely and consistently. With the subsonic ammo, I can tell when my 10/22 is running dry cause it gets sluggish in cycling and that affects your group.

Plot all your shots vs the wind/conditions you can see... focus on the stuff that repeats and groups well. Don't get hung up if you end up with something weird as the best ammo choice. All rifles are stories onto themself and have very particular tastes.

Feed it what it likes..

Jerry