I started out by building myself a bolt repeater that was pretty much a copy of the deluxe trainers that EuroOptic was advertising, built around a Stiller 2500XR action, in a Manners T4A Elite tactical stock. The concept really grabbed me, but I couldn't get past the price, so built one myself. Used a Krieger bbl on this one, and had a ton of fun shooting it, wondering if mine was as accurate as it should be. Don't have a ton of money lying around to spend $20+/box of top-end match ammo, so tried SK Rifle Match, Lapua Center-X, and some older lots of Wolf MT & ME I'd used in a CLE 22RF AR15 SR upper. I bought a bunch of 2-box samples of the Rifle Match and tested first at 50, then 100yds - wound up testing a dozen or more lots of it before finding a couple of lot#s that were good enough at 100yds to warrant buying in quantity.
Was still enjoying the Stiller when I started paying more attention to the 40X repeater conversions using Mike Bush's 10rd AI-style mags. I had a couple of CMP 40X & XB rifles that I'd bought from them for just under $400, and that weren't being used, so sent the oldest, most beat-up 40X off to Jonathan Elrod in Denver, N.C. Fitted & chambered a Benchmark 3-groove bbl for it when it came back, put a Jewell HVR trigger on it, plopped it into a B&C #2015 stock, mounted an Athlon Cronus on an EGW 20 MOA rail, and tested most of the remaining ammo I'd tried in the Stiller. It was about this time that a local club started running PRS-style 22RF PR matches, with targets out to a bit over 200yds. The best of the SK Rifle Match wasn't all that consistent at 200, although it would produce some occasional groups of around 3". Tried all the Center-X I had, and it's a little more consistent, though I don't feel it's worth $4/box more than the SK.
About this time, I decided to send the remaining 40XB off to Jonathan for the conversion, and wound up using a Lilja titebore on it, and putting it into a Manners T4A mini chassis stock. Another Cronus went on this rifle, and testing showed some very slight advantage in accuracy with the same lots of SK & Center-X that the Stiller's Krieger & 40X's Benchmark had shot. Later on, I swapped the 26" Lilja out for a 22" Krieger, and then....
VGW made the V-22 available, so I sold the Stiller to a friend & customer, as Mike's AI-style mags made for much easier/faster reloads. The proceeds went to purchase a V-22 action & another T4A Elite stock, which I eventually assembled into a pretty good rifle, with another Krieger 22" bbl. I feel the V-22 is just a little more consistently accurate than either of the 40Xs, though sometimes I think the difference is more in my head than anywhere else. A friend gave me a box of an exceptional lot of Lapua Polar Biathlon, which I tried in the V-22 late last winter while it was still pretty cool outdoors. The results at 200 & 300yds compared to the best of the SK & Center-X were pretty obvious - but this ammo is another step up in price from Center-X, and not every lot I've tried shoots nearly as well as that gifted box did. I have shot some groups with newer lots of Polar that will come very close to MOA at both 200 & 300yds, but those are the exception rather than the rule, and not only do conditions have to be very good, but I have to be having an exceptional day too. I could spend more $$$ & time (which is sometimes more valuable than money), chasing after some really top quality ammo, but after a time, I just got tired of the search for minor improvements in accuracy. I've got a decent supply of ammo that will net me good scores in matches, and that I have confidence in. Even if I did find a more expensive brand/grade of match ammo that gives a little better accuracy, I honestly can't afford to pay more for ammo than I already am. I'm happy with SK Rifle or Pistol Match out to 100-150yds, and Lapua Polar is reserved for use from 200-300.
