With the current scarcity of .22LR, I'm been forced to start hoarding my "match" ammo - Federal Auto Match bulk pack. I haven't been able to find any for two months. For today's Bullseye match, I only used 30 rounds of it from my last box for Slow Fire (30 rounds) and used the standard blue-box Federal Value Pack for Timed and Rapid Fire. Not only did it not hurt my score, I shot my best ever Timed and Rapid fire combined score (563 out of a possible 600 points) on my way to an 809 (2 points shy of my personal best). My scores were very consistent, ranging from 92 to 95 (all shot DA with my iron-sighted S&W 17-5), averaging 94.7 at Timed Fire and 93 at Rapid Fire. I also had 5 Xs in one of the Timed Fire Rounds on my way to a personal high of 16 Xs.
Conclusion - for my gun and shooting ability, the bargain ammo (as long as it's Federal, which even in rimfire gives me fewer light strike problems) is just as good as the higher priced stuff. Next I may try the cheap stuff at Slow Fire and see how it works there.
