Lapua 22LR Ammo

[flatlander]

I found an outstanding lot of SK Rifle Match a couple of years ago after testing almost a dozen lots of it. Bought two cases, and am still impressed with the groups I get at 50yds with this lot# in three custom rifles - two with Krieger bbls, and another with a Bartlein. I chambered the two Kriegers with an EPS reamer, and Vudoo Gun Works chambered the Bartlein with Mike Bush's Ravage reamer.

When our match director started setting up stages with a few 200-300yd targets thrown in, I started looking for something with more consistent velocity. A friend gave me a box of Lapua Polar Biathlon that shot very, very well at 200yds, but when I bought samples of a couple of lots of Bi Polar to test, one turned out to be a stinker, with ES usually running 55fps, while the other lot consisted of only six boxes, and shot quite a bit better. That kind of put me off shooting Bi Polar, and since they didn't have any in stock to test when I sent a V-22 bbl'd action out to Mesa last January, I settled for a decent lot of Lapua Center-X.

Just a week or two after buying two cases of that lot of Center-X, I got a call from a distributor I'd previously asked about the new SK LR Match, saying they could send me two boxes each of five different lots for testing. When it got here, I took the Krieger-bbl'd V-22 out and shot 10-shot groups of each lot from prone off bipod & rear bag from 100yds. I was disappointed in results out of the first four lots, but the 5th lot shot a nice group with only 1/2" of vertical. I drove back to the house and ordered a case of that lot#, then drove on into town for lunch. Had some 2nd thoughts about the wisdom of basing the purchase decision on one 10-shot group out of one rifle, so as soon as I got back from lunch, I grabbed both V-22s with Bartlein & Krieger bbls, set up a steel target at 210yds, and chronographed 10-round strings of all five lots out of both rifles. The results were nearly identical again, but with chrono data to back up what I was seeing on target at that distance, it was obvious I'd made the right decision. The 'good' lot of LR Match had ES/SD numbers of 12/3 out of the Bartlein, and 14/5 out of the Krieger. Lowest avg vel of the whole five lots in both rifles was 1083fps, while the highest avg vel was 1113fps. So far, the good lot has shot pretty darned good at 210yds, especially for ammo that cost me $7.55/box, as opposed to $10/box for the Center-X. Am looking forward to shooting this ammo in a match before long...and hoping that getting one very consistent lot of LR Match wasn't a fluke...

 

[ebb]

A bore snake??? When I clean I use new patches, do you use a brand new bore snake on every pass or pull the same old crap through your barrel many times?

 

[Papa Charlie]

I found an outstanding lot of SK Rifle Match a couple of years ago after testing almost a dozen lots of it. Bought two cases, and am still impressed with the groups I get at 50yds with this lot# in three custom rifles - two with Krieger bbls, and another with a Bartlein. I chambered the two Kriegers with an EPS reamer, and Vudoo Gun Works chambered the Bartlein with Mike Bush's Ravage reamer.

When our match director started setting up stages with a few 200-300yd targets thrown it, I started looking for something with more consistent velocity. A friend gave me a box of Lapua Polar Biathlon that shot very, very well at 200yds, but when I bought samples of a couple of lots of Bi Polar to test, one turned out to be a stinker, with ES usually running 55fps, while the other lot consisted of only six boxes, and shot quite a bit better. That kind of put me off shooting Bi Polar, and since they didn't have any in stock to test when I sent a V-22 bbl'd action out to Mesa last January, I settled for a decent lot of Lapua Center-X.

Just a week or two after buying two cases of that lot of Center-X, I got a call from a distributor I'd previously asked about the new SK LR Match, saying they could send me two boxes each of five different lots for testing. When it got here, I took the Krieger-bbld V-22 out and shot 10-shot groups of each lot from prone off bipod & rear bag from 100yds. I was disappointed in results out of the first four lots, but the 5th lot shot a nice group with only 1/2" of vertical. I drove back to the house and ordered a case of that lot#, then drove on into town for lunch. Had some 2nd thoughts about the wisdom of basing the purchase decision on one 10-shot group out of one rifle, so as soon as I got back from lunch, I grabbed both V-22s with Bartlein & Krieger bbls, set up a steel target at 210yds, and chronographed 10-round strings out of all five lots in both rifles. The results were nearly identical again, but with chrono data to back up what I was seeing on target at that distance, it was obvious I'd made the right decision. The 'good' lot of LR Match had ES/SD numbers of 12/3 out of the Bartlein, and 14/5 out of the Krieger. Lowest avg vel of the whole five lots in both rifles was 1083fps, while the highest avg vel was 1113fps. So far, the good lot has shot pretty darned good at 210yds, especially for ammo that cost me $7.55/box, as opposed to $10/box for the Center-X. Am looking forward to shooting this ammo in a match before long...and hoping that getting one very consistent lot of LR Match wasn't a fluke...

I never thought about testing lots of a specific brand and model of 22's. How much difference were there between the 5 lots at 210 yards? What was the velocity and ES/SD of the other lots? I am very curious of the differences between the lots.

 

[Gilbert Garza]

What pray tell is the Texas 22 championship ?

Very similar to PRS but with 22, same props as a PRS match but the targets are closer 50-343. The targets went from 50yds for the KYL with its 1/4” being the last target, then on the troop line it was targets from 72-343yds on the troop line. Same rules as NRL22 for divisions but extended distances. It really was a lot of fun. Total of 12 stages, 180rds.

 

[Gilbert Garza]

A bore snake??? When I clean I use new patches, do you use a brand new bore snake on every pass or pull the same old crap through your barrel many times?

Have you been to a PRS type of match ?
Very little time in between stages to bust out the shooting bench. I clean with a rod, brush and patches also, I wanted something I could do at the Vegas finale in between stages. I wasn’t tryin to set up a bench at the match since I doubt there will be any.

 

[ebb]

My point was that A dirty bore snake drug through your gun probably did more damage than doing nothing. Your results as you posted in post number 22 confirm my thoughts. Unless you used a brand new bore snake, all the dirt from your last bore cleaning is still in the snake and you brought it back into the bore. A piece of weed eater line with a replaceable patch I can see .

 

[flatlander]

Papa Charlie - How else would you test to find ammo that shoots best in your barrel? You can't just try a single box of different brands & grades of ammo, because there's so much difference between lots. Example - a shooter buys a couple of boxes (same lot#) of brand X ammo, and finds it shoots great in his or her rifle. They then buy a couple more bricks of this same make & grade of ammo, but from a different lot#, and are quite disappointed with the accuracy...catch my drift? Even Eley Tenex & Match EPS will vary considerably in lot-to-lot comparisons. IOW, just because a shooter spends $1600+ on a case of Tenex, there's no assurance that it's going to shoot good enough to take advantage of the rifle's accuracy potential. Pick a brand & grade of ammo in your price range, then test several lots of that grade. If you don't find anything that shoots acceptably, try a different grade, or switch brands and start over. Yes, it can be tedious, but if you're serious about finding what shoots best in your rifle, there's really no other way to go about it.

I was shooting the five lots of SK LR Match on a full-size steel IPSC target, and didn't photograph the target after shooting all five lots through each rifle. I did compare the size & shapes of all five 10-shot groups, and that one lot gave far better results out of both rifles. I mentioned the spread of average velocities in my post.

 

[Tim s]

My point was that A dirty bore snake drug through your gun probably did more damage than doing nothing. Your results as you posted in post number 22 confirm my thoughts. Unless you used a brand new bore snake, all the dirt from your last bore cleaning is still in the snake and you brought it back into the bore. A piece of weed eater line with a replaceable patch I can see .

Pretty good information here. Any gun you paid more that a couple hundered for or anything with a match barrel deserves a proper bore guide with a quality rod.You can do a quick clean in the trunk of a car.

 

[Gilbert Garza]

I agree, doing a quick clean with a boresnake did not help, I don’t have the luxury walking to the rental and time to setup to run a rod in the car. It was a thought and theory I had.

But I’ll prefer to run the barrel dirty for the duration of the finale, it’s only 220rds.

 

[skotydontno]

see ya at the finale @Gilbert Garza!

 

[Gilbert Garza]

see ya at the finale @Gilbert Garza!

I can’t wait, never shot in NRL22 till this year, really enjoying it.

 

[velocette]

I have been using Eley Tenex, & Black box (match) and also the Lapua offerings, Midas +, Center X, SK Match, Wolf Match. Also, the CMP Eley practice ammo @ $35.00 per brick.
I began weighing all of the above & what came out was the ammo that had the least variation in weight also shot the best. Tenex with a good lot was +/- 0.1 grain as was Midas + and Center X. (Example, 51.9 ~ 52.1 gr)
SK match & Wolf match was +/- 0.2 grains with occasional +/- 0.3 gr.
The CMP Eley practice was +/- 1.75 gr. (that's not a typo) with a few out at +/- 2 gr. With the CMP ammo, when segregated by weight, (+ / - 0.1 gr) it shot extremely well, holding the X ring at 100 yds. The same was true for the Wolf and SK ammo when held to + / - 0.1 gr. it shot extremely well. Note, the caveat that with the lower priced Eley and the Lower priced Lapua, even when segregated by weight, an occasional flier will be found. (Those accursed 9s)
Another item of notice is that I have found much more lot to lot variation with Eley ammo than with the Lapua group ammo. That is, with MY rifle, the Eley variations lot to lot were more than with Lapua group ammo.
On average, over the past 6 years, I have had slightly better scores with Lapua (CX & M+) than with Eley (Tenex & Match)

 

[Baker]

That, quite often, is an oft reported bit of incorrect information.
No doubt good ammo goes quick. Also no doubt, a lot....,quite a lot,gets overlooked and little tested.
I cannot tell you how much very good ammo sits around, sometimes for months. The absolute best ammo I currently have, I bought 3 months after it hit the US.
Don’t believe me, call Paul Tolvsted from KSS(ELEY USA) who posts all ammo availability online and will tell you same, and this is BEFORE recent developments which are that shipments are now coming in monthly.
Lastly, if you test, you don’t have to buy a thing. If you don’t you get hit with a nominal test fee.
With all due respect, you have to fact check before you post up some of this stuff, way too many guys believe the ammo conspiricy.

From the Killough site. Seems they are saying a 2,500 round commitment is required. And they only test Tenex.
ELEY RANGE FORM
It's time to find the perfect ELEY ammo for your rifle! If you want the best advantage at the range... you must find the best ammunition. We have the ammunition, environment, and equipment required to ensure that your rifle will shoot its best!

Please allow approximately 3.5 hours per barrel. We have 2 lanes and can test 2 barrels at one time. Testing is done at either 25m or 50m, and we are able to test both pistols and rifles. You can bring your rifle and test it yourself; or, you may ship your rifle to us and we will test it for you. We will have at least 15 lots of Tenex for testing and will have at least 5,000 rounds of each lot available for purchase.

CLICK HERE to see a few pictures and read more about the Eley test ranges.

Call us today to book your test session 325-754-5771

Range Fee: MINIMUM PURCHASE OF 2,500 rounds, $45/barrel, you will not be charged for the test ammunition used. Range fee is waived if you purchase 5,000+ rounds per barrel. Current price is $19/box of 50 rounds. We have Free shipping for ammunition purchased through the Eley Customer Test Range.

If you are shipping your rifle to us for testing, CONTACT US BEFORE SHIPPING, we will need the barreled action and anything that attaches to the barrel such as a tuner, sight extension, or bloop Tube. If possible pack it in a hard rifle case. You do NOT need to request a signature for delivery. We are a business and someone is here to receive packages Monday-Friday, so don’t spend the extra money for the signature. Please do properly insure the shipment. For shipping you have 3 options.

 

[Fotheringill]

Charlie-

From my own experience, I would suggest 100 rounds of each you will be testing. The rifle needs to be cleaned before each change and then however many 5-15 rounds (or more) before you can get accurate readings for your groups.

 

[VLNBYR]

ELEY TEST CENTER MINIMUM....Along with your rifle you supply some of your best ammo. If their testing does not find better ammo there is no purchase obligation.

 

[Rsadams]

I recently purchased a Remington Precision Rimfire. Took it out to the range and tried a couple of off brands and some CCI 22LR. The CCI was the winner by far. At 75 yards, I was able to hold a 1.5" pattern for the most part. At 220 yards, I was able to hit the gong (6") every time. I adjusted the trigger to 2 pounds and am still trying to get use to it. But overall, considering some of the posts, I think I got a pretty good rifle with a good barrel. Sometime down the road I will probably get either a 20 inch Green Mountain or a Shaw barrel. Would prefer 22" if I can find it.

When I came home I started looking at other rounds to try. I see in the ELR Rimfire competition (out to 550 yards at the Las Vegas 22 ELR Rumble), that the Lapua Center X and Midas seem to be prominent. I also noticed on the Midway USA site that there is also a Polar Biathlon.

Looking at the specs they are all round nose, 40gr lead bullets and the velocities are similar:

Center X: Muzzle Velocity 1073 fps, Muzzle Energy 102 foot lb ($112.49 / 500)
Midas: Muzzle Velocity 1073 fps, Muzzle Energy 102 foot lb ($152.99 / 500)
Polar Biathlon: Muzzle Velocity 1099 fps, Muzzle Energy 107 foot lb ($139.49 / 500)

So what is the difference between these three Lapua rounds other than price?
Which would be the best for accuracy from 50-220 yards and beyond?
For precision, what else might you recommend for me to try?

I have a RPR I have been working with lately... Unfortunately there's really no way to tell you what a rimfire will like... They are all different... The ammo is the downfall... I like SK match also eley , I shoot the ELEY force and bench rest outlaw at long distance and it works ok.... Also norma tac 22 has ok numbers across the crono but that doesn't mean your rifle will like it.... Order you some eley and start there.... With mine I shoot it out to 300 yards at 2-3-4 inch swingers and 1.75 and 2.2 inch spinner at 200.... Mainly with eley force at those distances it's a heavy fast 22lr bullet and not expensive.... Either way you get to test and shoot , a day popping off .22 is a great day.. sometimes.22 can make you want to pull your hair out but when you find a decent brand of ammo it gets fun fast....