Who has segregated 22lr by weighing it?

RHarris · May 5, 2002, 05:21 AM

A year or two ago I read an article on 22 rimfire ammo and differences between cheap bulk pack and expensive match ammo. Either here on TFL or perhaps another message board I read something about it too, but can't remember.

What I gathered was that the main difference between the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff was the consistency in manufacturing each cartridge.

Just for fun I figured I might weigh several 22 cartridges and separate them, then see if the groups are any different. Has anyone here tried anything like that? What kind of results did you get?

Weighing 22 cartridges will surely find slight differences in weight among some. Which component, bullet, powder, or casing causes the biggest variation in total cartridge weight? Which component will affect accuracy the greatest when there is variation in its weight?

Also, has anyone compared dimmensions of .22 cartridges and noticed signifigant variation?

griz · May 5, 2002, 07:54 AM

There was an article in one of the gun mags where a guy tried most of the methods of sorting 22's for accuracy, including weighing. If I remember right, he found the best way to sort was for rim thickness.

I haven't tried either myself. I have a hard enough time trying a couple brands of good quality ammo.

**Mal H** · May 5, 2002, 09:31 AM

Check this thread: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...hreadid=110362

kurt IA. · May 5, 2002, 08:22 PM

Been there, done that. Now I never messed with any thing but match grade ammo, Eley tenex, EPS, Laupa L & M, and Fed, 1000B. My thoughs are shoot it. If it shoots its good, the weighting/ sorting of the above ammo is a wast of time. I shoot rimfire benchrest, 7 years now, and this is about all I HAVE learned.

Gunslinger45 · May 11, 2002, 07:02 AM

I read those articles on weighing also, couple of years ago I gave it a try. Sorted out a couple of boxes of Rem Thunderbolt - cheap ammo my 10\22 likes - and behold, went from about an inch at 50 yds to 1\2 inch (5 shot groups).
Figured I was on to something, got a case of the same lot # and went to work - painless but time consuming !!!

Also read about rim thickness, but $80 for the gage was more than I wanted to spend on an experiment. I made a gage out of a .223 case (zero the caliper on the .223 case, .22lr into the .223 neck, read thickness, -- squared the case mouth and notched the base of the .223 case so it was oriented the same each time ).

Back to the range - if I do my part, I can get 1\4 inch 5 shot groups at 50 yds !!!!! This is the kind of groups I get with CCI Green Tag - with ammo that costs less than $10 a brick.

I don't think it would be worth sorting match ammo - it's already supposed to be consistent.

May 5, 2002, 05:21 AM	#1
RHarris Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2000 Posts: 416	Who has segregated 22lr by weighing it? A year or two ago I read an article on 22 rimfire ammo and differences between cheap bulk pack and expensive match ammo. Either here on TFL or perhaps another message board I read something about it too, but can't remember. What I gathered was that the main difference between the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff was the consistency in manufacturing each cartridge. Just for fun I figured I might weigh several 22 cartridges and separate them, then see if the groups are any different. Has anyone here tried anything like that? What kind of results did you get? Weighing 22 cartridges will surely find slight differences in weight among some. Which component, bullet, powder, or casing causes the biggest variation in total cartridge weight? Which component will affect accuracy the greatest when there is variation in its weight? Also, has anyone compared dimmensions of .22 cartridges and noticed signifigant variation?

May 5, 2002, 07:54 AM	#2
griz Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	There was an article in one of the gun mags where a guy tried most of the methods of sorting 22's for accuracy, including weighing. If I remember right, he found the best way to sort was for rim thickness. I haven't tried either myself. I have a hard enough time trying a couple brands of good quality ammo.

May 5, 2002, 09:31 AM	#3
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 17,067	Check this thread: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...hreadid=110362

May 5, 2002, 08:22 PM	#4
kurt IA. Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2001 Location: Iowa Posts: 141	Been there, done that. Now I never messed with any thing but match grade ammo, Eley tenex, EPS, Laupa L & M, and Fed, 1000B. My thoughs are shoot it. If it shoots its good, the weighting/ sorting of the above ammo is a wast of time. I shoot rimfire benchrest, 7 years now, and this is about all I HAVE learned.

May 11, 2002, 07:02 AM	#5
Gunslinger45 Member Join Date: August 22, 2001 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 49	I read those articles on weighing also, couple of years ago I gave it a try. Sorted out a couple of boxes of Rem Thunderbolt - cheap ammo my 10\22 likes - and behold, went from about an inch at 50 yds to 1\2 inch (5 shot groups). Figured I was on to something, got a case of the same lot # and went to work - painless but time consuming !!! Also read about rim thickness, but $80 for the gage was more than I wanted to spend on an experiment. I made a gage out of a .223 case (zero the caliper on the .223 case, .22lr into the .223 neck, read thickness, -- squared the case mouth and notched the base of the .223 case so it was oriented the same each time ). Back to the range - if I do my part, I can get 1\4 inch 5 shot groups at 50 yds !!!!! This is the kind of groups I get with CCI Green Tag - with ammo that costs less than $10 a brick. I don't think it would be worth sorting match ammo - it's already supposed to be consistent.