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Old March 27, 2011, 03:49 PM   #1
Mausermolt
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good 22lr ammo

the Ground squirrels are just starting to come out here in Idaho, ive been out a few time s with my 10/22 and ive noticed the inaccuracy in my ammo i have been using. ive tried using Federal Value box and Winchester HV. i wont buy remingtons because none of my guns will shoot them straight or function properly. and the winchesters shoot well out of my 77/22 but are nasty dirty. but out of my 10/22 i get lots of flyers out of both Federal and Winchester ammo. it just tweaks my melon when i have the cross hairs right on a squirrel and i miss. what type of ammo do yall recommend that wont break the bank? how are the american eagle 22 shells? i dont want to spend 5 bucks on 50 rnds of 22 shells thats insane. so for the money what is the best value?
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Old March 27, 2011, 04:09 PM   #2
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What kind of range are we talking here? If it's within 50 yards and you're having plenty of fliers, that suggests a problem other than just the ammo. Hard to say what it might be without knowing more. Fouled bore, loose/cheap scope, trigger action, etc. If both guns are doing it, I'm leaning away from the ammo itself.
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Old March 27, 2011, 04:38 PM   #3
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I would suggest you buy a couple different types/brands of ammo that you are comfortable with and do some target shooting to see where things are hitting. Yes, I would even include some Golden Bullets. Try American Eagle, Blazer, and Federal Lightnings, CCI Mini Mags along with any bulk pack ammo you wish. I have found the Remingtons to be fairly consistant even if you get a few more fail to fires than some of the others.
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Old March 27, 2011, 04:43 PM   #4
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i highly recommend cii. they are great quality. but they are a little pricey. i think it may just come down to you get what you pay for but i would keep trying others if you dont wanna pay that much and you may find something that works for you. also could it be your scope? possibly got bumped? hope i could help
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Old March 27, 2011, 04:48 PM   #5
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i dont want to spend 5 bucks on 50 rnds of 22 shells thats insane.

I must be totally nuts then for shooting Lapua Polar Biathalon at $15 a box of 50....but then agian I can hit a 2" circle with it at 100 yards consistently, so maybe Im the sane one

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Old March 27, 2011, 05:06 PM   #6
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i dont want to spend 5 bucks on 50 rnds of 22 shells thats insane. so for the money what is the best value?
I just have to chuckle. There are a lot of insane folks out there.

But back to my earlier post... do some ammo testing in your rifle and learn something about where they hit in YOUR rifle not somebody else's rifle. But in general, the more you pay, the more consistant the 22 ammo is and consistancy leads to accuracy if you do your part.

Seriously, shooting at a small animal is not shooting in a controlled environment. Stock Ruger 10/22's are also not well known for being a great shooter (accuracy wise) as compared to some of the other lower priced 22 rifles. You owe it to yourself to see what your rifle will do.
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Old March 27, 2011, 05:11 PM   #7
Vt.birdhunter
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Walmart, Federal Automatch bulk pack, 325 rounds for $14.

My 10/22, marlin 795 and pistols (Mark II, Sig Trailside) all love them. Groups them like Eleys and the aquila match loads.
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Old April 7, 2011, 12:03 AM   #8
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Everybody has been too nice, I will tell you the truth, GET a CZ 452 bolt action!

$350+ then you can shoot that cheap stuff @ 100 yards also. I never got any accuracy with a stock Ruger 10-22 using any ammo. You get what you pay for.
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Old April 7, 2011, 10:56 AM   #9
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Both of my 77/22s like American Eagle copper plated hollow points, one holers at 50 yds, but open up to 2" at 100 yds. If you want good accuracy, Winchester Super-Xs work well. For the absolute best, get CCI Green Tag 22LR standard velocity ammo. I used to shoot sage rats out to 250 yds with my 77/22 with that ammo.
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Old April 7, 2011, 12:17 PM   #10
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If you want an accurate rifle you gotta pay for accurate ammo. The CCI-mini mags are the best compromise in my rifles. They run around $8 for a box of 100. Accuracy is good enough for my needs (usually less than 1" @ 50 yards) and is much better than the bulk boxes that come with 500+ rounds in them.

I can step up to the high dollar target ammo and get some really good bragging size groups. But they are not enough better to justify buying them in bulk.

I use the bulk ammo for plinking or any time 2", 50 yard groups are acceptable and use the CCI's for hunting. The expensive stuff for showing off how good my guns will shoot.
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Old April 7, 2011, 02:26 PM   #11
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Before I worry about ammo I would take your gun apart including trigger assembly and go over it carefully. Firing pin checked and cleaned with degreaser, don't lube it. Clean, oiled, scope mounts tight, scope leveled and snugged but not death grip tight in the rings. Stock screws snug but not gorilla tight. Barrel is installed in the receiver correctly: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=1..._10_22_Barrel_

This is a 100 yard group from a pistol with that dreaded Remington Gold Bullet ammo that nobody likes.

[IMG][/IMG]

And this is a group ad 50 yards with one of my 10/22's with that same ammo.

[IMG][/IMG]

I do not think you have an ammunition problem but a gun problem.
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Old April 7, 2011, 03:53 PM   #12
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When I get a new (to me) .22 rifle, I try about 15 different types of ammo to see what it likes. Stuff that normally works well for me in most guns include CCI mini mags (both solid and HP), Winchester Super X (solid and HP), and American Eagle (solid and HP).

Don't clean the barrel. If you do, it may take anywhere from several rounds to maybe 3 boxes to shoot back in again. (the one that took the longest to settle in was a $350 replacement barrel)

When trying different loads, shoot a few to season the barrel for that load before shooting for groups.
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Old April 7, 2011, 05:11 PM   #13
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Federal and Winchester bulk is good. Remington is trash. CCI is the best without spending way too much money unless you're doing competition. I never met a .22 that didn't like CCI and I've met a lot of them.
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Old April 12, 2011, 10:11 AM   #14
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Subsonic ammo is going to be your best choice past 40 yards it is more stable in flight because it doesn't go through the transsonic zone (transition through the speed of sound). I have found with my ruger 10/22 winchester truncated hollow points shoot the best. I have had dime sized groups at 50 yards loading each pellet manually. The clip sometimes misshapes the bullet during cycling leading to larger groups. normally it'll shoot between 1" and 1 1/2" at 50.
But like every one else will tell you every gun is different and will shoot better with different ammo so try a bunch out see what your gun likes.
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Old April 12, 2011, 10:17 AM   #15
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Grump, I love your Osama target LOL nice shooting! The cci mini mags have shot great out of my savage stevens 300 and my henry lever action .22 and I am not a particularly good shot; bad right hand and poor vision.
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Old April 12, 2011, 10:27 AM   #16
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Federal and Winchester bulk is good. Remington is trash. CCI is the best without spending way too much money unless you're doing competition. I never met a .22 that didn't like CCI and I've met a lot of them.
+1.
CCI tends to be my default ammo. It may not be the best, but it always does well. You will generally need to spend significantly more to better it.
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Old April 12, 2011, 10:31 AM   #17
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Cheaper than dirt is advertising Aguilla match at $30 for a 500 round brick. That stuff is great for the price. I'd say a bit better than CCI mini mags for about the same price.
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Old April 12, 2011, 10:52 AM   #18
Hunter2678
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PMC target shoots like gold out of my 10/22 and CZ452..got a case of the stuff on the cheap from a neighbor lady whose hubby passed away.
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Old April 12, 2011, 02:21 PM   #19
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Oh how I miss the days when a brick of 500 winchester wildcats was $10!!

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Old April 12, 2011, 03:04 PM   #20
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Grump, I love your Osama target LOL nice shooting! The cci mini mags have shot great out of my savage stevens 300 and my henry lever action .22 and I am not a particularly good shot; bad right hand and poor vision.
A target bull barreled 10/22 shot that group, the point I was making it was with the dreaded Remington Gold ammo. I had one misfire out of 200 rounds shot through that gun that day. half a dozen out of my Marlin 60 and none out of the other guns I shot. Even out of my pistol I was keeping it on paper at 100 yards. If I had been shooting competition I would have switched to Winchester Super X but its pretty pricey for just plinking. It always boils down to what a particular gun likes and not what you think it should like. Buy half a dozen brands of various weights, shoot, take notes and go from there. I found ammo like cheap CCI Blazer shot better in my target gun than the expensive Eley Tenex match ammo did, so much for getting what you pay for.
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Old April 12, 2011, 03:58 PM   #21
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Back to the OP....all of my 22lr's like CCI Blazer ammo.
$18 bricks.
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Old April 12, 2011, 04:40 PM   #22
Wildalaska
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the expensive Eley Tenex match ammo did, so much for getting what you pay for.
I've never had any luck with Eley 10x, thats why I switched

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Old April 12, 2011, 05:02 PM   #23
Art Eatman
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I had a 10/22 that didn't seem to like anything. Tried a dozen different shells with no luck.

Then tried some QuikShok stuff. Instant happy-dog dance! Good groups, no more patterns!

Rough on rock-squirrels in the yard, too.
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Old April 28, 2011, 10:07 PM   #24
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i have found Winchester Dynapoints to be surprisingly accurate and their cheap.
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Old April 29, 2011, 08:19 PM   #25
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Quote:
Subsonic ammo is going to be your best choice
Bingo! There is a reason match ammo is loaded to subsonic velocity's.

Quote:
I have found with my ruger 10/22 winchester truncated hollow points shoot the best.
These also shoot as well as anything I have tried in my CZ. Last time I shot them at the range, I was consistently hitting the bullets holes from my buddies 7 mag at 100 yards and 10 shot groups were easily kept sub moa. This is the 40 grain subsonic load.



I have tried a decent amount of ammo types and found that generally speaking the bulk stuff produces the most flyers by a decent margin. Just about anything in a box is an improvement. As you would expect, the more expensive stuff is usually better but not always. Just keep buying boxes of different ammo until you find what your rifle likes. Once you do, buy a bunch of the same lot number. Different lot numbers of the same ammo can shoot differently, sometimes very differently.
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