Worst/Best .22 Ammo You Have Ever Fired?

[Ron AKA]

1st column 3 shot avg, I assume?

It is a bit complicated. I followed the testing method detailed at the link below, which uses two shot groups. The number in the first column is an average of a minimum of 24 two shot groups (center to center) plus 25% to estimate group size at 50 yards. The last column is an estimate only of what five shot groups would be at 50 yards. It was based on an even more complicated mathematical method which used the ammo highlighted in gold to calibrate it. I shot actual 5 shot groups as well with the stuff highlighted in gold, as I had more ammo. Most of the others I only had a box of 50 to work with.

My basic conclusions from the testing is that subsonic ammo easily outshoots HV ammo. This is something that target shooters already know of course. And, within the subsonic ammo, the better the quality (higher the price), the better it shot. No free lunch. Earlier in the testing I compared weight sorted ammo to not weight sorted with a TTEST. Concluded that it did not help much, and only worked in making poor ammo slightly less poor. No silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Testing Loads

 

[kerfuffled]

Best>>CCI Mini Mags
Worst>>333's

 

[stubblejumper]

Worst was Wildcats, dirty and inaccurate.

And if I used them in my 10/22, or Kimber Rimfire Super, both would jam regularly, before a box was through them.

As for best, SK Standard Plus shoots well in all of my rifles.

 

[misfire]

For me, it really depends on the rifle or handgun I put the ammo through but overall the most consistent and reliable ammo for me has been CCI Standard Velocity and PMC Scoremaster (only caveat is the lube can cause your firearm to jam up but very reliable and accurate, I believe they're currently discontinued?) through all my rifles and handguns.

 

[shredder]

Worst is a tie between Winchester Wildcat and Remington GameLoads. The Winchester stuff was filthy dirty and inaccurate while the GameLoads blew out 2 case heads in 1 box.

Best has always been American Eagle.

 

[ChavalierRancourt]

Remington VTR 597

Best- Remington Yellowjackets
Close second- CCI Blazers
Worst- Winchester 333 or 555

 

[AR60]

+1 on Blazers, I'm on a 12, or 13 brick streak of having every one go bang.

333s give me constant feeding problems, and I must have had a horrible brick as 17 rounds wouldn't go off.

 

[redbonefish]

Worst: Remington anything + Winchester wildcrap

 

[lyman54]

Funny how .22 rifles are so finicky. I've tried a lot of brands but nothing comes close to the Federal 525 bulk ammo, in a 16.5 Dlask barrel. Glad she's a cheap date.

 

[gitrdun]

Worst - Remington Cyclones 36gr HP (misfires & inaccurate)
Best - American Eagle 40gr solids
Not bad - Federal value pack (525 rounds) - I think they're 40gr HP's

 

[577/450]

Back in the 70's we bought .22 lr made in russia at a surplus store. Can't remember the brand name on them, but they were 1/3 the price of whiz bang. Yes that was a brand name of .22 shells. They were packed in grease. and you had to peel them apart and wipe them off to use them. In a box of 50 at least 10-12 went ftf some went off like a .22mag some went off like pop and hardly got the bullet out of the barrel.
anyone else remember this crap?

 

[Brutus]

Back in the 70's we bought .22 lr made in russia at a surplus store. Can't remember the brand name on them, but they were 1/3 the price of whiz bang. Yes that was a brand name of .22 shells. They were packed in grease. and you had to peel them apart and wipe them off to use them. In a box of 50 at least 10-12 went ftf some went off like a .22mag some went off like pfft and hardly got the bullet out of the barrel.
anyone else remember this crap?

Vostok has ben mentioned more than once here.

 

[Wolfgang7]

I've had good results with the Federal 525 bulk pack. Ha worst .22 ammo has got to be 22LR........ Birdshot! I know the discussion is more about "normal" ammo but i have found this stuff to be pretty much useless.

As well the CCI stuff some people are mentioning is that the CCI "Stingers" or whatever??

 

[rookie wildcat]

Standard 10/22

Best: Winchester Dynapoints bulk pack
Worst: American Eagle

Win 64B

Best: Winchester HV / Blazer / Winchester 555
Worst: Thunderbolts/American Eagle

Stevens 300 bolt

Best: CCI Stingers / Blazer/ Winchester Dynapoints/ Wildcats
Worst: Vipers

JW-27

TBCO

 

[brit84]

best ive tried so far is cci standard velocity.

 

[Ar180shooter]

Marlin 925.

Best: Eley Club (I've shot my best grouping with Blaser... the Eley is over all much more consistent though)
Worst: Blaser (Only shot Blazer and Eley through it though, the Eley only beat the Blaser marginally... well, ~25% reduction in group size)

Ruger 10/22.

Best: Blaser (haven't run Eley through it)

Worst: Winchester Wildcat (around a 2 inch "group" at 25 yards... )

 

[KnightShift]

Anything Winchester has been reliable for me in my 10-22. I had two boxes of thunderbolt that gave me consistent feeding problems, so I just ran them through my Cooey Model 60 to get rid of 'em (I feel bad feeding her garbage, but she just eats it up). I'm a big fan of the CCI CB rounds (around 710fps), I can shoot them all day and not disturb a soul.

 

[dHb]

Late 1970s Polish made 22LR. it was the cheapest stuff available but you would get a hangfire or two in every box.

 

[Turkeyslayer 1300]

Best: Winchester 333/555 or Power points, not much difference between the two, both kill largish Raccoons and feral Cats well

Worst: Remington CBee's out of three box of 100 I had something like 74 misfires, with three different guns.

The Vostok ammo was terrible, dudley2112 gave me 1200 rounds of it, the grease would make the gun hard to close and then if you unloaded the bullet would stick in the bore and the powder would dump into your trigger mechanism. Also wild variations in power were common.

 

[AWOL]

Worst:

Best: