Small Bore question

gustav129 · December 9, 2008, 12:00 AM

What seems to be the best .22 ammo to use for matches?

I currently have a brick of Remington .22LR hollowpoints, but I use that for plinking at $18 for ~500 rounds.

darkgael · December 9, 2008, 05:43 AM

Gustav: Federal 711B.
What kind of match shooting do you have in mind? Prone, 3 position, BR-50, Silhouette? Just curious about that.
There's no definitive answer to your question because firearms tend to be quirky as far as what a particular gun will shoot well.
When setting up a gun for competition, I always buy as many types of .22 ammo as I can afford - typically 12 to 15 types of .22, from cheap to very expensive. Sometimes the less expensive ammo works as well or better than the high end stuff. That is the case with my Bullseye .22 pistol.
My two match rifles showed a preference for Federal's subsonic match ammo.
The original Gold Medal subsonic (900B) does not appear to be available (too bad as I'm down to my last brick) but the rifles also shoot the 711B quite well. That is what I use.
That being said, it was a while ago that I set the rifles up. There are more brands and types available now and I should test again. It'll be a good indoor project with a Spring time follow-up.
Pete

4EVERM-14 · December 10, 2008, 03:23 PM

darkgael covered most of the bases. I can only add that standard velocity ammo is the choice for serious accuracy. Some .22's come with a wax lubrciant while others use a grease like lube. Only your firearm knows which is the better. For handgun usually what functions reliably in the gun has sufficient accuracy for the most part. Rifles are a breed to themselves. Sometimes they'll shoot the cheap stuff better then the super-duper extra expensive ammo.
I've had good luck with Aguila, Federal 900, Eley and RWS.

Ron T. · December 26, 2008, 02:11 PM

Wolf Match Target (made in Germany) shoots tight groups in my heavy-barreled CZ453 "varmint"-model rifle with a single set trigger. Federal 711 shoots almost as good.

I haven't been able to find any Eley Tenex so far, but it's too expensive for my kind of shooting anyway.

Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

B. Lahey · December 26, 2008, 03:28 PM

For smallbore rifle competition, most folks go with:

Eley Tenex

Federal Gold Medal Ultramatch

Lapua Midas (Lapua makes a few others worth trying also)

kraigwy · December 26, 2008, 03:59 PM

All guns are differant and like differant ammo. Small bore target rifles more so then the rest. Eley is good, but not consistant between lots. I have several target 22 rilfes and pistols, they all seem to like differant ammo. What you need to do is try and get a box of each and see which one your rilfe likes. My Anch. 1807 really liked the Win white box for pistol, didnt like the white box for rifle. My H&R 5200 likes the remington green box. Eley worked in both to a point but wasnt consistant enough for my liking.

You can clean the 50th NRA targets with just about anything, the ISU (International) targets are a differant matter, especally shooting 50 meter ISU targets.

December 9, 2008, 12:00 AM	#1
gustav129 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 140	Small Bore question What seems to be the best .22 ammo to use for matches? I currently have a brick of Remington .22LR hollowpoints, but I use that for plinking at $18 for ~500 rounds.

December 9, 2008, 05:43 AM	#2
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Ammo Gustav: Federal 711B. What kind of match shooting do you have in mind? Prone, 3 position, BR-50, Silhouette? Just curious about that. There's no definitive answer to your question because firearms tend to be quirky as far as what a particular gun will shoot well. When setting up a gun for competition, I always buy as many types of .22 ammo as I can afford - typically 12 to 15 types of .22, from cheap to very expensive. Sometimes the less expensive ammo works as well or better than the high end stuff. That is the case with my Bullseye .22 pistol. My two match rifles showed a preference for Federal's subsonic match ammo. The original Gold Medal subsonic (900B) does not appear to be available (too bad as I'm down to my last brick) but the rifles also shoot the 711B quite well. That is what I use. That being said, it was a while ago that I set the rifles up. There are more brands and types available now and I should test again. It'll be a good indoor project with a Spring time follow-up. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

December 10, 2008, 03:23 PM	#3
4EVERM-14 Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2006 Location: Pennsy Posts: 720	darkgael covered most of the bases. I can only add that standard velocity ammo is the choice for serious accuracy. Some .22's come with a wax lubrciant while others use a grease like lube. Only your firearm knows which is the better. For handgun usually what functions reliably in the gun has sufficient accuracy for the most part. Rifles are a breed to themselves. Sometimes they'll shoot the cheap stuff better then the super-duper extra expensive ammo. I've had good luck with Aguila, Federal 900, Eley and RWS. __________________ David NRA Benefactor Member Distinguished Rifleman #731 Presidents 100

December 26, 2008, 03:59 PM	#6
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	All guns are differant and like differant ammo. Small bore target rifles more so then the rest. Eley is good, but not consistant between lots. I have several target 22 rilfes and pistols, they all seem to like differant ammo. What you need to do is try and get a box of each and see which one your rilfe likes. My Anch. 1807 really liked the Win white box for pistol, didnt like the white box for rifle. My H&R 5200 likes the remington green box. Eley worked in both to a point but wasnt consistant enough for my liking. You can clean the 50th NRA targets with just about anything, the ISU (International) targets are a differant matter, especally shooting 50 meter ISU targets. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

December 26, 2008, 02:11 PM	#4
Ron T. Junior Member Join Date: December 26, 2008 Location: 10 miles north of Dayton, Ohio Posts: 6	Wolf Match Target (made in Germany) shoots tight groups in my heavy-barreled CZ453 "varmint"-model rifle with a single set trigger. Federal 711 shoots almost as good. I haven't been able to find any Eley Tenex so far, but it's too expensive for my kind of shooting anyway. Strength & Honor... Ron T.

December 26, 2008, 03:28 PM	#5
B. Lahey Senior Member Join Date: March 17, 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,857	For smallbore rifle competition, most folks go with: Eley Tenex Federal Gold Medal Ultramatch Lapua Midas (Lapua makes a few others worth trying also)