Hi guys, just wondering what people think of the sk biathlon? My cz loves sk stuff so not really interested in changing ammo brands. I have been shooting Long Rang Match for a bit and like it, but like most 22 ammo it’s temp sensitive. I am curious if anyone had shot the biathlon and wether it preformed well in the cold or not. Thanks
SK biathlon
- Thread starter Jesse_L_B
- Start date
It's not the brand of SK ammo -- whether it's SK Rifle Match, SK Biathlon Sport or any of the other seven flavours of .22LR ammo made by SK -- that makes the difference between what shoots better in a particular rifle. Each variety of SK (including all .22LR match ammo) is made in different batches called lots. Some lots shoot better and some worse than others. The same is true for all lines of match ammos made by Eley, RWS, and Lapua.
There are two basic lines of SK ammo. One is designed to shoot at about 1070 fps, the other at about 1100 fps. Each line is sorted according to quality criteria into various grades of SK ammo. The top variety of 1070 fps is SK Rifle Match, followed by SK Standard Plus and SK Pistol Match with SK Magazine last. The top variety of 1100 fps SK ammo is SK Long Range Match, followed by SK Biathlon Sport and SK Pistol Match Special.
Each variety of SK ammo is made in different batches or lots. Since all lots don't shoot the same in a particular rifle, it is possible to have a lot of SK Standard Plus generally perform better in a certain rifle than some lots of SK Rifle Match. The position of a variety of SK ammo in the heirarchy of how SK grades its ammo doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will shoot better than those below it.
How the grading of ammo production is accomplished is not clear. To speculate, it may be made based on when during the course of ammo production certain lots are produced (e.g. at the beginning of a production run, somewhere in the middle, or perhaps closer to the end). But that's just one guess and that's all it remains because ammo makers don't reveal such information. Ammo producers no doubt use their own criteria that are developed according to their own circumstances and requirements.
To sum up, it's not the variety of SK ammo itself that will shoot better or worse in a rifle. The differences between different lots of ammo that will account for ammo shooting behaviour in a rifle. Some lots will shoot better than others. On the whole a good shooting lot of a higher grade of SK ammo, Rifle Match, for example, should shoot more consistently with fewer fliers than a good shooting lot of a lesser grade of ammo such as SK Standard Plus which will have a few more.
I have had good success with SKBiathlon in several of my competition rifles. As well with several of my shooting buddies. We started using it as our 'go to' ammo for shooting the winter competitions. So far it has done as well as CenterX. Happy with that! And shooting better than some more expensive biathlon type ammo. So, we have been quite satisfied with it here.
SK Rifle Match is one variety of SK .22LR ammo, SK Biathlon is another. More significantly, while SK Rifle Match has a factory-rated avergae MV of about 1070 fps, SK Biathlon Sport ammo has a higher factory-rated MV (Of course the MV of individual rounds will vary according to bore characteristics.)
It's not clear what other differences, if any, there may be between the two lines of SK ammo -- one made to be about 1070 fps, the other about 1100 fps. Other than MV differences, the SK website makes no reference to any specific differences between different varieties of SK ammo, except to note that SK Biathlon Sport lubricant is designed for "perfect shooting performance in cold weather". Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether the same lubricant is unique to Biathlon Sport or if it's used on all SK ammo. Nothing is said of primer or propellant differences.
Viewers should note the differences in barrel length for some of the data produced in the SK data table below.
About 5 years ago I emailed SK enquiring about accuracy of their ammo in low temperatures. It took about 2 weeks but they did respond. Got an email from their quality manager. Basically only the Sk Polar Biathlon product is rated for up to -25C and in addition to the higher velocity it also has a diferent lubricant than what they use for other products.
One thing I learned from low temp. shooting is that a good lot of sk std plus kept warm in a cooler with a microwaved glycol pack will outshoot a bad lot of Lapua Polar Biathlon.
Kody
One thing I learned from low temp. shooting is that a good lot of sk std plus kept warm in a cooler with a microwaved glycol pack will outshoot a bad lot of Lapua Polar Biathlon.
Kody
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rar - I was out y-day and the temp only got to +3. Luckily the 10k wind was from my back :-0 I was using my Sav-64 and would load 5 mags w-5 rounds, drop another 25 into my shirt pocket and also the loaded mags. That kept them around 15 or so at least until I loaded the rifle ;-( I didn't put a thermometer in the pocket too.
I got many groups under 1", while the early groups b4 I started the pocket thing were wider. 5 rounds didn't warm up the barrel much, but the last shots were usually better than the first-cold shot.
I got many groups under 1", while the early groups b4 I started the pocket thing were wider. 5 rounds didn't warm up the barrel much, but the last shots were usually better than the first-cold shot.
