Weird match ammo results

[kzin]

I just opened a 5000 round case of lapua biathlon that I bought a year or more ago when it was available and center-x and midas were not. Rifle is an Anschutz 54 that seems to slightly prefer tenex but has shot quite well with center-x and midas in the past.

After double checking everything, the ammo is shooting just terrible(unusable) at 100 yard f-class and very well in 50' indoor f-class.

Like stringing the whole 8-ring for vertical at 100 but shooting 634/600 in decimal scored indoor.

I guess the bullets and case dimensions are good but the powder charge is inconsistent??

At least it's good for something, I may be using the case for indoor matches for years.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Did you try jogging between target strings, shooting between heart beats?lol

 

[Straightshooter1]

I just opened a 5000 round case of lapua biathlon that I bought a year or more ago when it was available and center-x and midas were not. Rifle is an Anschutz 54 that seems to slightly prefer tenex but has shot quite well with center-x and midas in the past.

After double checking everything, the ammo is shooting just terrible(unusable) at 100 yard f-class and very well in 50' indoor f-class.

Like stringing the whole 8-ring for vertical at 100 but shooting 634/600 in decimal scored indoor.

I guess the bullets and case dimensions are good but the powder charge is inconsistent??

At least it's good for something, I may be using the case for indoor matches for years.

A few year back I tried some Lapua Polar Biathlon was a little disappointed as I was thinking it should be as good as the Center-X I'd been shooting. It wasn't so much what I got on target as was the SD's I was getting. The SD's were double what I get with Center-X or Midas. For example, with Center-X I the average SD was ~7.2 but with the Polar Biathlon it was at 15.6. I'm aware there can be variances from one lot to another. I was just expecting better.

 

[kzin]

A few year back I tried some Lapua Polar Biathlon was a little disappointed as I was thinking it should be as good as the Center-X I'd been shooting. It wasn't so much what I got on target as was the SD's I was getting. The SD's were double what I get with Center-X or Midas. For example, with Center-X I the average SD was ~7.2 but with the Polar Biathlon it was at 15.6. I'm aware there can be variances from one lot to another. I was just expecting better.

I've heard polar is center-x with different lube and I've heard it's center-x with different powder.
My results and yours suggests the powder, and it is not as consistent.
Wonder if advantages kick in somewhere below the ~40f I shot it in both times.
Much colder than that and we give up and finally cancel, though.

 

[kzin]

Did you try jogging between target strings, shooting between heart beats?lol

Maybe one needs to run a few miles with it to shake up the powder charge?
I'll never know.

 

[Tim Slater]

It shows how short range is much more forgiving. Years ago I picked some Eley Semi Auto Match, the round-nosed version that Eley made a fews years into EPS production. At 25 yards, the standard indoor distance here, it shot good scores with plenty of centre pips, but at 100 it strung vertically. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Tad_Earhart]

A bunch of people have given it the name Bi-Polar-Athlon instead lol.

The lots of it we tried did not amount to much but we never had enough of it to test to be for sure what was going on with it. Most of the time it was super-sonic out of our stuff and we thought at the time that was likely the issue. Maybe for its intended purpose it is great but not for us when we tried it for 50 yard BR.

 

[1813benny]

It’s designed for cold weather shooting at 50 meters at 1.8” (prone) and 4.5” (offhand) targets.

Some lots might shoot great for us paper punchers, but I would not hold high expectations. Just burn it up at 50 ft…..

 

[Straightshooter1]

I've heard polar is center-x with different lube and I've heard it's center-x with different powder.
My results and yours suggests the powder, and it is not as consistent.
Wonder if advantages kick in somewhere below the ~40f I shot it in both times.
Much colder than that and we give up and finally cancel, though.

In my mind, it suggests something different with the powder too, though I suppose the lube being used could be a factor. I just find it hard to attribute that big a difference to any difference in the lube.

 

[grauhanen]

I just opened a 5000 round case of lapua biathlon that I bought a year or more ago when it was available and center-x and midas were not. Rifle is an Anschutz 54 that seems to slightly prefer tenex but has shot quite well with center-x and midas in the past.

After double checking everything, the ammo is shooting just terrible(unusable) at 100 yard f-class and very well in 50' indoor f-class.

At any distance .22LR match ammo performance varies by lot. Dispersion rates as distance increases will also vary by lot. In other words, some lots of the same variety of ammo (Polar Biathlon, for example) will do better than others at 100 yards. It's not a matter of a rifle "liking" a brand or variety of ammo.

The lot described is one that doesn't do well at 100, even if it does closer up. There will also be lots of CX or M+ (or any variety of .22LR match ammo) that won't do well at 100 and some that will.

I've heard polar is center-x with different lube and I've heard it's center-x with different powder.

Polar Biathlon not Center X with a different propellant. In addition to usually having faster average MVs than CX, PB has a different bullet, one that's designed to help ensure more consistent loading in the cooler temperatures associated with biathlon shooting.

Below, the Polar Biathlon round. Under it is the CX, M+, X-Act round.

 

[kzin]

At any distance .22LR match ammo performance varies by lot. Dispersion rates as distance increases will also vary by lot. In other words, some lots of the same variety of ammo (Polar Biathlon, for example) will do better than others at 100 yards. It's not a matter of a rifle "liking" a brand or variety of ammo.

The lot described is one that doesn't do well at 100, even if it does closer up. There will also be lots of CX or M+ (or any variety of .22LR match ammo) that won't do well at 100 and some that will.

Polar Biathlon not Center X with a different propellant. In addition to usually having faster average MVs than CX, PB has a different bullet, one that's designed to help ensure more consistent loading in the cooler temperatures associated with biathlon shooting.

Below, the Polar Biathlon round. Under it is the CX, M+, X-Act round.

This is way, way outside of lot to lot variation of premium match ammo.
I've experienced plenty of that.
Based on what has been said I guess polar doesn't belong in that category.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Throw some in the freezer, cooler on ice and shoot some cold ammo groups @50 yards. If the dispersion is reduced you have your answer.

 

[dusterdave173]

I am on my Last box of a lot of Polar--went to my first match in my life finished third 499 24x out of 50
It has been best I have ever had through my CZ
Goes to show lot numbers matter
Got two lots of CenterX last week when Bluecollar had some--one lot is ok--one makes me look like a Champ!
I love 22--I hate 22--I love 22-I hate......

 

[kzin]

Throw some in the freezer, cooler on ice and shoot some cold ammo groups @50 yards. If the dispersion is reduced you have your answer.

I'm not sure if this is crazy or brilliant.

 

[Straightshooter1]

At any distance .22LR match ammo performance varies by lot. Dispersion rates as distance increases will also vary by lot. In other words, some lots of the same variety of ammo (Polar Biathlon, for example) will do better than others at 100 yards. It's not a matter of a rifle "liking" a brand or variety of ammo.

The lot described is one that doesn't do well at 100, even if it does closer up. There will also be lots of CX or M+ (or any variety of .22LR match ammo) that won't do well at 100 and some that will.

Polar Biathlon not Center X with a different propellant. In addition to usually having faster average MVs than CX, PB has a different bullet, one that's designed to help ensure more consistent loading in the cooler temperatures associated with biathlon shooting.

Below, the Polar Biathlon round. Under it is the CX, M+, X-Act round.

I would have expected the Biathlon cartridges to be faster than my Center-X and Midas, given the published MV's. But in looking over my data, the Biathlon was surprisingly slower than my Center-X and essentially the same as my Midas with an average velocity out of an 18" match barrel of 1068 fps (Center-X was 1095 fps). Go figure.

 

[grauhanen]

This is way, way outside of lot to lot variation of premium match ammo.
I've experienced plenty of that.
Based on what has been said I guess polar doesn't belong in that category.

Unfortunately, the fact remains that, while some lots are better or worse, there are lots of .22LR match ammo that are unusually poor performers.

Your experience with a very inconsistent lot is not unique. I still have some ammo from a lot of Lapua X-Act that seemed to have promise. While a few boxes from this lot gave good performance, many were quite poor, both on target and over the chronograph. Using two different rifles, some 50 shot strings showed MV spreads over 50 fps. That's not what should be expected for the top tier Lapua but it's what happened.

By whatever ways a production run of .22LR match ammo is graded into different varieties (with Lapua standard rifle ammo it's X-Act, M+, and CX), they are not always sound and reliable. The same appears to be true for production runs resulting in Polar Biathlon. When very poorly performing lots of Eley Tenex appear, it's further evidence suggesting that grading procedures don't necessarily produce reliable results.

 

[BCR1]

I was told that Center X was Midas + that didn't make the cut and was down graded.

Bill

 

[1813benny]

I was told that Center X was Midas + that didn't make the cut and was down graded.

Bill

X-Act, Midas+ and Center X are all identical and are graded at the factory via lot testing. With that said, every barrel / ammo combination is unique so the "downgraded" ammo may be a top performer in your rifle.

This grading process is also used by Eley - which is why many shooters don't even purchase Tenex but rather save money and test multiple lots of Match.

To each their own....

 

[shoot4fun]

My Vudoo shoots well with SK Long Range, which I believe the lots I have were by Lapua.
It also shoots well with Center-X and it is loving Lapua Long Range (best the rifle has shot).
It absolutely hated the brick of Polar I have.

 

[grauhanen]

With that said, every barrel / ammo combination is unique so the "downgraded" ammo may be a top performer in your rifle.

If an excellent lot will shoot well across many rifles, will a lot that performs poorly across many rifles invariably excel in at least a few others?