match ammo

[jraney]

just wondering where does the match ammo start to shine? is it at the longer distances or what? not trying to be offensive just would like to know why it is so much better.

 

[Terry]

I build match ammo for 100 yards to 1,000. They all count.

 

[TheSnake]

Match ammo is more consistent (accurate) than non match ammo. The consistency is what is required to be competitive at any distance. It will shine from the time it leaves the barrel, till it hits the target, no mater what distance that may be. The further the distance, the more consistent it needs to be in order to be competitive.

 

[jraney]

i apologize, i should have said .22lr match ammo. i have heard people call the ammo you buy in bulk the cheap stuff,i was just wanting to know at which point does the more expensive match ammo start to outperform the cheap stuff. i am not a competitive shooter so the cheap stuff is really ok with me for my needs. I would like to know more about the more expensive .22lr ammo though. I have heard that some of it costs around $20 for 50 , which sounds really high for .22lr but it really is not that much more than regular centerfire ammo. anyhow if someone could tell me about the .22lr match ammo, like velocity and trajectory, and components compared to just regular ol' .22lr ammo, i would like to hear.

thanks

 

[Heavies]

Most of the same applies. .22lr match ammo is made to a higher standard. It should be more consistant shot to shot. Velocity, weight, rim thickness, length is more consistant than the bulk stuff. This translates to consistant results on target, and fewer fliers. However, you still need to try different brands to see which your rifle likes best, or get a tuner. Sometime ammo that works well at 50 yards may not do as well as others at 100.

Usually .22lr match ammo is subsonic, drop should be adjusted accordingly.

 

[DOGCAPPER]

Federal makes a $4.00+- per box that is an upgrade from big box that should satisfy casual target shooting...It will whet your appetite for the $8.00 stuff..Next will come the tuner...And so on until you are broke...But you will have a 50 yard target that measures .137 hanging in yout corn flake box home..LT

 

[Shynloco]

i apologize, i should have said .22lr match ammo. i have heard people call the ammo you buy in bulk the cheap stuff,i was just wanting to know at which point does the more expensive match ammo start to outperform the cheap stuff. i am not a competitive shooter so the cheap stuff is really ok with me for my needs. I would like to know more about the more expensive .22lr ammo though. I have heard that some of it costs around $20 for 50 , which sounds really high for .22lr but it really is not that much more than regular centerfire ammo. anyhow if someone could tell me about the .22lr match ammo, like velocity and trajectory, and components compared to just regular ol' .22lr ammo, i would like to hear.

thanks

jraney,
I'm kinda of a late comer into the world of Rimfire Rifles, having shot centefire rifles for more than 45 years, but got to shoot some Benchrest Rimfires about two years ago. I'd always been an accuracy freak because of my professional background and quickly learned just how accurate and impressive a fine tuned and finely built Rimfire Rifle can shoot. What I found that if accuracy is your thing, you MUST have consistent ammo no matter if it is Rimfire or Centerfire. But in the world of RImfire, since we cannot load our own to be competitive, there are certain companies that you have to look to for that consistency because you must pay for consistent ammo. Some guys like to weigh their rimfire rounds, while others measure the heads of the rounds which has led to an on going argument between folks as to whether those processes are even worth it because whether you shoot Lapua (their Midas+ ($15.50 per 50 and Center X ($9.40 per 50)- work best in my Anschutz), Federal (UM22 top of the line at $14.99 a box - followed by Federal 911B and then 711B), Eley Tenex (Red) their top of the line - $20.00 per 50, Eley Black $13.95 per 50 their next accurate bullets) all followed by Wolf Ammos, RWS, and some others that folks interested in reasonable accuracy look to. But what is even more important, it matching your ammo to YOUR PARTICULAR rifle. Forget the velocity stuff when it comes to rimfire because you can have a sub-sonic round that flies well in numbers and your groups frankly suck. On the other hand, you can have rounds flying at 1640 fps and they still suck or do well in a given rifle. Now most of the Lapua, Federal and Wolf that I shoot in my 4 rimfire rifles, all fly at between 1030 - 1080 fps. But again, given on the brand, the idea is to get all the rounds coming close in velocity and that boils down to again, matching good ammo to your particular rifle. For instance, just because Eley Tenex (used by many competitors with custom built rigs - Turbo or Hall receiver with Lilja or a Boughton barrels and custom triggers of your choice) flies well in their rifles doesn't mean it will work well in a given Anschutz Match 54 or 2013 that is used in Olympic or even national competitions that set records in shooting a rimfire rifle. Heck I've seen some rifles shoot .100 scores consistenctly at 50 yds which is the distance most Benchrest Rimfire competitions are shot at. In yet another example, my Savage Tr model actually shoots very tight groups at 50 yds with Wolf Match Extra, while my Savage BV model (same receiver and trigger, but different barrels) likes Federal Ultra Match UM22 which will produce groups right between .120 - .170 depending on how well I'm shooting that day. So I guess my message is don't get caught up in the velocity game because in Rimfire you must "match ammo" to the rifle and the barrel.

I will say that FOR THE MONEY ($300 - $400), Savage builds a very nice rifle and their barrels are admirable right out of the box. But there are other brands who also build nice "production rifles" and keep their prices under $1000. But like anything, you want a finely tuned rifle with a "Match Grade barrel", that'll cost you money. My Anschutz 64 mpr (multi purpose rifle) is what I'd consider a "midrange" rimfire rifle, but is a very accurate rifle. Of course, I have a "Tuner" on it that helps find the best harmonics of a well made German rifle that cost me $1150 and that has some very nice features well beyond say a Savage. But if you want top quality Anschutz for serious competitions, you'll pay upwards of over $3000 to get just the rifle itself setup the way you want it and thats with no glass atop her. And again, even with these babaies, gotta find out which ammo she likes the best because the ammo will vary in accurate and I'm talking brands as well as whatever velocity that particular rifle produces for best accuracy.

When it comes to match ammo, there is no quick fix. I can guarantee, there are some outfits out there that call their ammo "Match" and it is pure garbage in terms of Accuracy. But again there, you have to decide for yourself what makes you happy and how much you are willing to invest for that happiness. Cheaper ammo is not "coated" and is strickly copper plated/jacketed bullets that by and large, make most of the buying public happy. If any of my rifles shoot 1" groups at 50 yards, I give them away rather than wrapping them around a telephone pole. But then I use strickly "coated" ammo that lubricants the barrels via the bees wax coating on the expensive stuff. So even thats relative to what you are trying to accomplish. And there is nothing wrong with going down to Walmart and buying their $4.99 box of ammo having 250 rds. Just don't expect the result from your rifle when you compare shooting with Eley Tenex Red, Federal Ultra Match, Lapua Miad+ or Lapua CenterX or even Wolf. That Wolf stuff as well as RWS can produce some very impressive groups when used in a rifle that likes it. Sorry for the long disertation.

 

[jraney]

thank you for your explanation, length does not matter as long as it tells me what i need to know. like i said before i am not or do i plan on competing with any of my rifles rimfire or centerfire but i do like to be as accurate as possible at any distance i desire. For most of my rimfire shooting 1" @ 50yds is plenty good for me and what i do, not saying i could not or would not like to do better but for my needs that is good enough. most of my .22lr shooting is done well inside of 50yds, and most of the time if i know that shots will be farther i just take my .17hmr it shoots very well with the federal vmax ammo but not as good with the CCi hp. But anyhow thanks for the response, i read somewhere on here about the match ammo and i thought the way i read it the had more velocity than standard, but i think i missunderstood.
i had thought about buying 1 box of the more expensive stuff and comparing it to the cheap stuff in 3 of my rifles at different distances and seeing how that would turn out, i may still do that, it would be nice to have a box around though.

thanks

 

[gpoldblue]

jraney....22LR match ammo "generally" is the 1000fps to 1100fps velocity range(more like around 1050fps). Trajectories will be a little more than higher velocity ammo. Because match ammo operates below the sonic barrier,the bullet is "upset" to a far lesser degree and is more stable in flight. Also,subsonic bullets decelerate at a lesser rate and more uniformly. Match ammo physical dimensions are ALOT more consistant. Velocities are ALOT more consistant. However,you still have to find what ammo shoots best in YOUR barrel in a given condition. I've found ambient conditions will change what is required to keep the rifle at peak performance(in tune). Remember,performance costs! Benefits of match ammo are immediate. Good luck.

 

[CJ6]

To add to the above posts (both excellent) I would caution you to THOROULY clean your rifle BETWEEN EACH type/brand of ammo you will be trying, then shoot 15-20 shots or so to let the barrel adapt to the new ammo before starting your group runs. This will remove the previous bullets coatings from the bore and allow the NEW coating to coat the bore.

 

[jraney]

makes sense. i was going to just load and shoot. thanks for mentioning.

 

[dksac2]

One of the best reasonable Match ammo's I have found is the Wolf MT. /SK Standard Plus. Both made by Lapua, both the same ammo in a different box. You can get it for $4.90 a box from Champion shooters supply.

Distance can make some difference depending on your expectations. At 25 yds, a lower priced ammo may shoot well enough for your needs, when you get to 50 yds or more, a match ammo is pretty much required for good groups.

After the Wolf, I'd look at the Eley Team, it does cost more.

In the end, every rifle has a brand and type it prefers. You are going to have to buy and try different types to find what your rifle likes the best. I have found few that don't shoot the Wolf very good. You might give up .2" at 50 yds over the $20.00 a box ammo, but not always.

There are other good ammo's out there. For just fun practice, the CCI Standard Velocity shoots decent groups, for $7.00 per 100, it's not bad. Not match, but will hold a decent group in most rifles.

There really are too many good brands and types to list, try the Wolf and see what you think, then try some more expensive ammo. The Wolf is great for most of your shooting, but if you want the very best groups, it's good to know which expensive ammo will tighten up your groups just a little more.

My best, John K

 

[spclark]

One of the best reasonable Match ammo's I have found is the Wolf MT. /SK Standard Plus. Both made by Lapua, both the same ammo in a different box.

+1 on your observation. Same opinion held by several V. Good rimfire shooters in my area. Get out past 50 yards & the pricier stuff will prove its worth if your hardware (and skills!) warrant using it.

 

[dksac2]

+1, it costs to play if you want the best you can get from your rifle.

John K

 

[jraney]

well i shot my old daisy .22 this sunday evening, and i was not really impressed but not disappointed iether. up close the gun shot great(within 100ft) now after that i shot at 100yds and that is where i did not do so well. out of about 10 shots i hit a sheet of printer paper 3 times. but i do not plan on shooting that far anyhow just wanted to see what it would do. as for the gun i would post a pic but the thing is ugly and folks would laugh at my homemade stock. but for just plinkin up close or even a little further it will work. i did manage to shoot a nice 3 shot group at around 50 -60 yds, nothing that would win any competitions but good enough for me. by the way this was with the federal bulk ammo so maybe with something better it might have been better who knows. i am not going to worry about it. thanks for the responses.

 

[dksac2]

What kind of rifle are you shooting ?
You also said you have a home made stock. Is the action well bedded? Barrel free floated, not touching anywhere?
The rifle may be a part of the problem also, things like finding the correct torque for the action in the stock etc.

All of these things should be looked at.
You really do need to try the Wolf MT, it shoots very well in almost every rifle I have ever used it in, at $5.00 a box, it costs more than the cheap stuff, but far less than the expensive ammo and shoots almost as well.
The cheap ammo will never give good groups at 100 yds. Be very aware of the wind at that disstance also, it can really move a 22 round.
My best, John k

 

[JLM]

My kid (10yrs) and I shoot a lot of rimfire. Both shooting Savage FVSR's from Buds Guns. He's now shooting clay birds and soda cans out to 200 yard and pretty reliably. More than I ever would have thought from a 22. And to be quite honest without having read on here about people doing it i wouldn't have even tried it. We shoot a lot of red box Federal from Walmart and Blue box federal from Cabelas. I've found with this ammunition there is huge vertical there isn't much consistency you can hear some rounds are hotter than others. It's no good at 100 for groups and 200 it's just a crap shoot. Sure you can hit the can but I wouldn't hunt with the cheap stuff at that range. It might be me, but i think the blue box stuff is just a little more consistent. On the last box of red federals I pulled the bolt three times to make sure the bullet made it out. At 100 I didn't see a bullet impact - bore was clear each time.

I got the 22 for me for sniping critters around the house. So at the end of every shooting day I run a couple patches through the barrel and then shoot a dozen or so Wolf MT's through it and get it zero'd with the consistent ammo for the critters. Match ammo for a 22 is going to be sub sonic and shoots a lot lower than the bulk stuff, but there's no question the match ammo is more precise(consistent).

Jeff