When you want to get a quick assessment of a rifle's potential what is your go to ammunition? Interested to see what are your recommendations.
If a rifle won't shoot this; it wont shoot anything!!
- Thread starter longshotbml
- Start date
STOMP442
Gold $$ Contributor
I haven't shot a box of factory ammo since I started reloading nearly 25 years ago. That being said I have a saying that I use when I am messing with a rifle that wants to be pain. "If the bullets in the green box (Sierra) don't shoot you got a problem somewhere". Time to start checking scope base screws, ring screws action screws, optic etc.
22LR ? Ha!
Eley Club / Lapua Match ?
Might want to look at it that if it shoots Thunderbolts or Aguilla, it should shoot *anything*.
For example, Fed Black 38gr in my Rem 550 is jamm-o-matic. Fed Black 40gr is quarter sized groups at 25 yards off hand, zero cycling issues.
Both those will shoot well in my High Standard Field King, no matter what barrel I have on.
I haven't discovered what my Savage 93 *won't* shoot, though admittedly it likes the Eley and Lapua the best.
Edit to add: have a Sig Mosquito that cycles 22LR beautifully only if it is not too long. That's one of those head scratchers that took a while to figure out. I dumped out a box of bulk ammo like Thunderbolt, sorted it on cartridge OAL length (varied quite a bit), loaded the mags with the longest ones, stovepipes, FTF, FTE, etc. Loaded with the shortest ones, cycled without a hitch. Since acquiring a High Standard, the mosquito sits.
It's kind of like 9mm ammo in my Rem R51. Jacketed RN or SWC don't cycle well, jamming on the feed ramp. FP or HP (truncated cone) cycle flawlessly. The bullet weight doesn't seem to matter, though it seems to cycle best on higher power charges.
Eley Club / Lapua Match ?
Might want to look at it that if it shoots Thunderbolts or Aguilla, it should shoot *anything*.
For example, Fed Black 38gr in my Rem 550 is jamm-o-matic. Fed Black 40gr is quarter sized groups at 25 yards off hand, zero cycling issues.
Both those will shoot well in my High Standard Field King, no matter what barrel I have on.
I haven't discovered what my Savage 93 *won't* shoot, though admittedly it likes the Eley and Lapua the best.
Edit to add: have a Sig Mosquito that cycles 22LR beautifully only if it is not too long. That's one of those head scratchers that took a while to figure out. I dumped out a box of bulk ammo like Thunderbolt, sorted it on cartridge OAL length (varied quite a bit), loaded the mags with the longest ones, stovepipes, FTF, FTE, etc. Loaded with the shortest ones, cycled without a hitch. Since acquiring a High Standard, the mosquito sits.
It's kind of like 9mm ammo in my Rem R51. Jacketed RN or SWC don't cycle well, jamming on the feed ramp. FP or HP (truncated cone) cycle flawlessly. The bullet weight doesn't seem to matter, though it seems to cycle best on higher power charges.
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Sorry I should have been more specific. When evaluating a .22 rifle for match potential what ammunition do you find will group well out of most rifles. I know experimentation will find the best ammunition but in your opinion what gives good accuracy in most guns.
22's can be a little hand-wavey. I've had guns that just would not shoot match ammo to save their lives but would put bulk ammo into ragged bugholes. For the most part, stuff like the Anschutz 54 would shoot just about anything extremely well while my 10/22 is finicky and an old bryco built pocket gun would only cycle Thunderbolts or Stingers and it would only group better than a shotgun with the Thunderbolts.
Anymore when I'm buying rimfire I'm buying it for the purpose. If I'm plinking I use a 10/22 and bulk ammo and get decent performance. When I'm shooting matches I shoot Eley Club or SK Rifle Match and when I'm shooting a junk pocket gun I shoot thunderbolts in it so it'll cycle correctly.
Anymore when I'm buying rimfire I'm buying it for the purpose. If I'm plinking I use a 10/22 and bulk ammo and get decent performance. When I'm shooting matches I shoot Eley Club or SK Rifle Match and when I'm shooting a junk pocket gun I shoot thunderbolts in it so it'll cycle correctly.
Since I usually have a case of S-K Standard Plus on hand, that is what I test with. I have not had a rifle which shot it real poorly; except for a Savage which will shoot nothing well (I have, after cleaning it out, gotten as many as three shots to group before it leads up and groups around six inches at 50yd.). I also use rifle Match and CenterX with similar results but, if the rifle sucks with the Standard Plus, that vacuum will persist with other brands. WH
1Merlin
Silver $$ Contributor
Just my opinion but. Look at what the benchrest crowd shoots the answer is apparent. For a match grade rifle with a match grade barrel.... Eley Tenex, Lapua Center X, maybe RWS R50 ... or similar quality. You may find examples of other ammunitions that Might shoot better in a specific rifle but as a "generality" one of those ammunitions is going to work for you.
My default is the same as Will Henry's, SK Standard Plus. Only one of my 22s doesn't prefer it and that one likes Geco Rifle, which is another that most rifles do well with, just not as well as SK S+. I don't do the more expensive ammo thing because if it's not matched to your rifle by Lot# it's a total waste of money. I don't compete or choose to get my rifles matched at one of their testing centers so SK S+ is my top of the line.
I have done quite a bit of ammo testing with eley, Lapua and RWS in Anshutz and Walther rifles. I have found that each rifle likes what it likes. However, I have found that trying a couple different lots of CenterX will likey give you something acceptable to practice with at least. I have found some killer ammo from each manufacturer that groups well in a particular rifle, I think the centerx and Midas might end up with rounder groups without fliers as compared to others. That being said we have put mostly Eley black box and CenterX down range in practice. I guess it depends on your purpose. I don’t think you can grab a particular brand or grade or even lot of ammo and get it to perform on demand without testing.
Chip Miles
Chip Miles
About the 550 Remington-while I don't have one of those right now, I have had a bunch (prob 8-10) and my real test w/them was CCI CBs and as long as the floating chamber was clean & free they would all work. Gary
Oddly enough, RWS R50 has become my go-to in my Anschutz rifles. I had always shot Eley Tenex in other various rifles, but could not get the consistency I wanted at 100 and 200 yards with it. Cleaning with R50 is a horse of a different color…
Yeah, mine's an L dated 550, no S/N (unless the 23 stamped above the star proofmark is the S/N). LOVE that rifle! Just picked up a peep sight for it, need to have the receiver drilled to have it mounted.
Someone threaded the muzzle on it, so I don't feel bad about making any mods.
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SGW Gunsmith
"Accipere non casus-Virga Bis"
I've just begun to test my new CZ 457 MTR, to find what it likes the best. So far, SK Rifle Match and RWS R100 are looking sorta good. These targets were shot at 35 meters. Left target is 5 rounds of RWS R100, the right target is Eley yellow box:
I then shot my "Tack-Driver Challenge" target at 35 meters with the RWS R100 ammunition:
I then shot my "Tack-Driver Challenge" target at 35 meters with the RWS R100 ammunition:
SK Standard Plus is my go to or as a 2nd choice would be Norma Tac or Aguila standard velocity.
Interesting posts. It seems feed it the best, (Tenex, RWS: 50, or 100, SK: Match or Standard +) and if none of them shoot reasonably well issues are at hand. Thanks for your comments.
Like several others SK Std. Plus is what I shoot most, I have a couple lots that shoot with any Center-X I've had. I've tried several grades of Eley and none of my rifles liked it as well as Lapua/SK or RWS.
IMO, SK Std Plus was the best pre pandemic value for decent accurate ammo. Who knows how expensive this stuff will be post pandemic.
IMO, SK Std Plus was the best pre pandemic value for decent accurate ammo. Who knows how expensive this stuff will be post pandemic.
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