What kind of ammo do you guys use for your semi autos? Updated with my results.

KNO3-

KNO3-

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Update: Results on post #32

So I recently picked up a SR22, its my first 22LR and im curious why type of ammo you guys are using. I will just be doing target practice in the bush 30-100yard range. I have been looking at stuff in the 4-5 cent/rnd range but im not sure what I should get. I also like to buy in bulk if I can so im looking at the larger packs. So far iv found...

CCI Blazer 22LR. 40gr Lead Round Nose 500pk for $23

Federal Champion 22LR. 36gr copper plated hollow point 525pk for $23

Federal Auto Match Target Grade 22LR 325pk for $22

CCI Quiet 22LR 500 Round Brick 40gr Lead $30

The federal match grade ones claim they are cleaner and will produce less powered and lead fowling which would be a plus but its more expensive. The first two are roughly the same price but im not really sure which one is better, would round nose be better for target practice if I wont be hunting or is the hollow point going to produce the same result? I don't really need the quiet rounds but was thinking I might try them out just for fun, would subsonic ammo run ok in a semi auto?

Any input would be appreciated, all those prices and brands I found at SFRCs page. Any other suggestions for retails would be good too. I would actually prefer to pick up locally if I could, should I try walmart or Canadian tire? If I could get a better deal buying a 5000rnd box it exists that would be even better but before jumping on that what works good in the sr22/1022?
 
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Go to reliable gun in Vancouver , get a box of each type . Once you determine the type your rifle likes best , you start buying that one in bulk . Plus they are cheaper than online places
 
Get a bunch of small packs of various brands and see what works. Each gun is different and will favour different ammo. Watch the CCI quiet, They are very slow and will likely cause cycling issues. My T/C R55 will cycle subsonic without fail, but not all autos will.
 
Good idea, guess ill go pick up a bunch of 50-100rnd boxes of different types. You probably saved me from ending up with a ton of .22 ammo that I can use.
 
Like any rimfire, you really need to try all the brands/types and see what YOUR gun likes. 22s are picky and only you will find out what your gun likes, not us.
Round noise seems to jam less in my mossy and su22. I'm cheap and need Hollowpoint for gophers so I went with AE 38g and 40g, dynapoints, and HV xperts. The guns really like dynapoints however they run $32 a box + gst here. I picked up last year AE 5000 38g and 40g for just over $200 including gst from Nosalesports.
I always hunt for ammo at or near 4 cents a round. CCI is around 7-8 cents. Personally I like saving that extra money and saving it for Norinco .223 if it ever sells for $400 for 1600 rounds again.
I haven't seen anything priced that low this year that is HP. I did see wildcats go for $200 +gst at TSE a few months ago.
Has anyone else seen HP for cheap? Don't tell me about the golden bullet buckets, I've tried them and about every 6-10 rounds was a dud.
 
Since the rifle is brand new is there any amount of ammo I should put down range to break it in before I start to actually test different types or should it be good out of the box?
 
The Federal plated 525 packs would be my choice of the types you list. Given similar pricing, I prefer plated ammo over plain lead.
 
Like others have suggested, pick up a couple 50 round boxes of the various brands.

So far, my 10/22 has liked all the different ammo types I've fed it...so it gets a steady diet of Win 555 as its the cheapest round in my neck of the woods.
 
At least try CCI standard velocity. The last case I bought was under $300. I also shoot SK standard plus and Lapua Center-X but those are almost double and more than triple the cost (though still less than .223 hand loads).

IIRC ,standard velocity cycled in my SR-22 when it was stock but if not, you can radius and polish the bolt where it cocks the hammer. This will also make the gun easier to cycle manually when the hammer is down but is harder on the bolt stop pin if you also shoot high velocity ammo (solution: bolt buffer).

Jeff
 
Now that I've verified that my 10/22 and Mark III run Remington Subsonic 38 grain hollow points well, I just may purchase that exclusively for all my .22LRs.
 
All of my 22's shoot good with cci mini mags (either hp or rn), cci blazer, and cci subsonic, and sk standard +. While federal 525 is cheap it doesnt group into a small hole at all. For just tossing lead down range federal 525 is the one to use lol.
 
KNO3- said:
Would that be because it leaves less lead and makes cleaning easier?
Click to expand...

Yes; the plated ammo is also less smoky. My S&W K-22 revolver can shoot lots of the Federal plated 525 pack ammo without difficult extraction of the empties encountered with some of the other, typically un-plated types.

I'm not necessarily averse to buying the plain lead stuff if the price is right, but I usually go for plated ammo if available in the bulk packs.
 
I have a CMMG AR22 upper. What I found is that it's not just the gun when considering ammo choice but also the magazine. I have the latest CMMG Evolution 25 round magazines where in my experience some ammo's with just slightly longer OAL's tend to bind. After trying four or five makes I settled on Federal 36 Gr HP. They are slightly shorter and work well in my magazines whereas my other CCI favorites don't. Otherwise I like CCI Blazer as it doesn't have the gummy coating of the Mini Mags that used to collect at the chamber of my pistol.
 
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