Budget Ammo Is A Waste

[Dgd6mm]

The other day I shot a 2400 9X on a ARA Factory target with my Tikka T1X and Eley Contact.
I call that budget ammo. However my budget ammo of various brands usually give me scores from 2150-2350 on this target. There are definitely days that I don't break 2000. I'm still trying to figure things out and I'm still learning. Slowly increasing to better ammo among other things all the way around.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

Defining "Budget Ammo" for, me =
Cheap "chit" that,.. Leads up my barrel and,.. Throws,.. "Fliers" !
I don't classify, SK standard or, Plus and, Wolf Match Extra,.. in THAT,. "Class" !
But I'm NOT,.. a B-R shooter,.. for Score, either !
Sub .4 group's make Me,.. Happy

 

[dgeesaman]

After shooting a very accurate new rifle for nine months, I have finally come to the conclusion that budget ammo cost more money than it saves. You end up chasing your tail, modifying gear and shooting technique, only to find out it was only the cheap ammo after shooting just a few shots of the good stuff. Interestingly one day I ran a broad tuner sweep with the cheap stuff and found a spot where it shot well. Two days later without touching anything it was back to crap. Laughing at me!

Time to sell off several bricks of the elcheepo, suck it up, and just buy the good stuff for practice.

Save it for practicing on really windy days. If the ammo is only 1moa and the wind is 3moa, you'll still learn a lot.

Also, you might be able to figure out 'how' the ammo performs poorly. If it sometimes drops a shot low, it won't be competitive but a low shot now and then won't make it useless for practice.

 

[1Merlin]

For all who think there is a reason to buy cheap ammo. Although I have no idea what I'm going to end up doing with it but I just now bought two cases of cheepo for a grand total of 608.00 delivered....

Magtech

Magtech 22Lr 40Gr Lrn 5000Rd 22B​

$294.11

Look here

 

[Knotwild]

Actually, if used wisely, cheap rim fire ammo isn't a waste. It's when you use it for something it wasn't intended for that it's wasted. The waste is the same with expensive ammo too.

 

[JimSC]

SK semi auto $6.99 a box shot at 50 yards in practice I would call it a 2400, 4 is close but I would plug it at a 50, and 17 is a definite 50. I'll take that all day long in matches. Now I admit this was one batch but thankfully I have 3 K of it

 

[Dgd6mm]

SK semi auto $6.99 a box shot at 50 yards in practice 2400, 4 is close but would be plugged at a 50 and 17 is a definite 50. I'll take that all day long in matches. Now I admit this was one batch but thankfully I have 3 K of it


View attachment 1493844

We tested some from a fellow shooter on here. He wanted to sell it, it shot plenty good so we bought it.
Dang if it doesn't shoot good for lower cost ammo.

 

[JimSC]

We tested some from a fellow shooter on here. He wanted to sell it, it shot plenty good so we bought it.
Dang if it doesn't shoot good for lower cost ammo.

yeah it does not shoot a lot of X's but it keeps a consistent 1 MOA. I have tried 4 other lots of the stuff and none shoot as good as this lot but it all shoots good enough for practice.

 

[BCR1]

yeah it does not shoot a lot of X's but it keeps a consistent 1 MOA. I have tried 4 other lots of the stuff and none shoot as good as this lot but it all shoots good enough for practice.

This lot # Jim?

Bill

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I have never found it worth my while to reload anything other than match quality ammo. I haven't bought ammo in years. I think California makes you take a DNA test to buy ammo... j/k

 

[Appalachian]

The SK Semi-Auto I have is every bit as good as an average lot of Center X. I was at a match (Factory) one day and after the match me another person both shot a 2500 with it. I have a case and a half of that lot.

This is when I was testing a new B14R against a known good shooting CZ, same setup for both guns, bipod and rear Holeshot rest. The CZ had a BSCAR trigger, the B14R a Jewell. The Midas was a random lot I only had a brick of.
This is the lot number.

 

[JimSC]

this one

 

[shoobe01]

I'll reiterate what PWNolan and others said, that cheap ammo has it's place. An extreme example may help:

I was finally told from a class a couple yeara ago my problem with precision rifle was a head position thing. So I had to all but re-learn how to shoot. Did a few hundred live fire iterations, over several months (and still working on it!) and did I spend hundreds on ammo? I did not. I put (everyone gasp and shame me) the steel cased garbage russian stuff that barely even functions in the self-loaders and shoots as much as 12 moa through those in my precision rifle.

It is only like 3 moa in the bolt gun, and I am doing the practice at 75 yds so... who cares? Even the wrong bullet weight is inconsequential, and if I look close enough to notice trajectory is off, I am practicing for repeatability. Only fliers or opening groups (or two groups!) cause me to stop, fix my problems.

Would I shoot a match, an animal, anything over 200 yds with this? Not on your life. But for what it is, perfect solution to my needs.

 

[TRSR8]

Take this for what you paid for it but all you guys with the cheap ammo for “practice” mind set are flat wrong.
While not the cheapest, you want to practice with what you shoot matches with, if you shoot matches.
How, exactly, do you get better at shooting in the wind if you practice with ammo that likely handles wind and holdoff entirely differently than the match ammo? Easy, you don’t or end up with a lot of incorrect data/experience.
All this if your priority is skills improvement over fun shooting.

 

[JimSC]

How, exactly, do you get better at shooting in the wind if you practice with ammo that likely handles wind and holdoff entirely differently than the match ammo?

We all don't have the access or the finances to shoot 200+ rounds a week of CenterX, MIdas, or Tenex and any practice is better than not practicing. I can tell you for a fact my shooting has improved using cheap ammo for practice, the numbers don't lie.

All of my practice is done shooting 500 - 1000 rounds per month of cheap ammo. The practice consists of more than just wind reading. It's muscle memory, establishing pre and post-shot mental routine, trying different holds, wind flag timing to the point of sometimes just sitting there watching the flags and their rhythms, establishing bench layout etc etc.

This year I am carrying a 2206 agg for 60 cards shot, I finished last year with a 1948 agg for 28 cards shot . That's an improvement of 12% in the last 10 months. I am almost where I want to be, my last 4 matches I shot 2300 plus aggregates. In September I shot a 4 card match with a 2450, 2350, 2500, and a 2225

 

[ROBARRC50]

yeah it does not shoot a lot of X's but it keeps a consistent 1 MOA. I have tried 4 other lots of the stuff and none shoot as good as this lot but it all shoots good enough for practice.

Nice shooting! Been a while since i have pulled out the cz 457 been busy shooting centerfire and hunting, doing other hobbies. Picked up a case of sk semi months ago. Guess i need to go shoot a handfull of cards with it. Last ammo i was shooting was cci blazer bulk. Made me smile every time. targets 2200 -2350 scores. Won some club shoots with it.

 

[ROBARRC50]

Take this for what you paid for it but all you guys with the cheap ammo for “practice” mind set are flat wrong.
While not the cheapest, you want to practice with what you shoot matches with, if you shoot matches.
How, exactly, do you get better at shooting in the wind if you practice with ammo that likely handles wind and holdoff entirely differently than the match ammo? Easy, you don’t or end up with a lot of incorrect data/experience.
All this if your priority is skills improvement over fun shooting.

More trigger time is always better for me and people i shoot with. I would rather shoot 1000 cheap bulk ammo than a box of high endammo if money is a problem. You still learn wind it don't matter if its cheap or expensive. Heck if you go shoot expensive ammo a few range trips in windy conditions will give you all the data you need. Remember it or write it down. There is your data for matches with expensive ammo. No need to burn it all up having fun. I personally have cases of sk std plus that shoot lights out. Its all about the fun shoots for me.

 

[TRSR8]

We all don't have the access or the finances to shoot 200+ rounds a week of CenterX, MIdas, or Tenex and any practice is better than not practicing. I can tell you for a fact my shooting has improved using cheap ammo for practice, the numbers don't lie.

All of my practice is done shooting 500 - 1000 rounds per month of cheap ammo. The practice consists of more than just wind reading. It's muscle memory, establishing pre and post-shot mental routine, trying different holds, wind flag timing to the point of sometimes just sitting there watching the flags and their rhythms, establishing bench layout etc etc.

This year I am carrying a 2206 agg for 60 cards shot, I finished last year with a 1948 agg for 28 cards shot . That's an improvement of 12% in the last 10 months. I am almost where I want to be, my last 4 matches I shot 2300 plus aggregates. In September I shot a 4 card match with a 2450, 2350, 2500, and a 2225

And you did it all , let’s not forget, on the biggest “ feel good” target in the entire RFBR world, so let’s take it down a notch there sharpshooter.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

my favorite budget ammo was Mohawk, Sears and Western Auto. my buddy and I would walk around w a single shot Rem 22 bolt action. our jean pockets would be half full. Great memories. my most vivid memory is the brown box Mohawk! And waaaaay before that was Rem or Win 22 ammo from camp days in the early 60s.

and buying longs was a regular deal!!

 

[JimSC]

And you did it all , let’s not forget, on the biggest “ feel good” target in the entire RFBR world, so let’s take it down a notch there sharpshooter.

and how much did your scores improve or decline between 2022 and 2023 ? I am not ashamed of my performance, are you ?