Inexpensive 22LR ammunition recommendation

[tangolima]

I have a Marlin 81 that shoots very well with CCI standard velocity. 0.5" at 50yd and 1.5" at 100yd. It shoots as well with American eagle, and pretty lousy with CCI quiet.

Seems the speed is the key. I am going to try some other hotter ammunitions. Big 5 here carries Winchester 555 value pack and Aquila ultra speed, both are faster than CCI standard velocity, and both are less than ¢10 a round. Which one is better? What other brand would you recommend?

It is kinda fun to shoot clay ducks at 100yd. It takes the bullet 1/2 second to reach the target. With that much time of travel the group is going to grow.

-TL

[zukiphile]

I haven't met the gun that likes CCI Quiet yet. Is CCI SV supersonic?

I have a rifle that loves Aguila subsonic, but I shoot a lot of Aguila SV which is cheaper) with nearly the same result. I suspect that the Aguila SV may be subsonic just because they sound similar and have exactly the same POI at 100 yards.

If you are shooting 1.5MOA with CCI SV, I'd say you should buy a case of that.

As for higher velocity experiments, I would give the Aguila the edge. Though I had a rifle that liked Dynapoints, that was a long time ago and not found anything from Winchester since that has impressed me.

[98 220 swift]

I would recommend the federal automatch bulk packs. They seem relatively easy to find and have been the most accurate "bulk" ammo in all of my 22lrs. They are loaded a little hotter to cycle the semi autos.

[Reloadron]

It is kinda fun to shoot clay ducks at 100yd. It takes the bullet 1/2 second to reach the target. With that much time of travel the group is going to grow.

The CCI specifications for their CCI Standard Velocity #0032 40 Grain LRN ammunition is:
Muzzle Velocity: 1070 FPS
50 Yards: 977 FPS
75 Yards: 940 FPS
100 Yards: 908 FPS

So even at the 100 yard velocity the bullet would reach a 100 yard target in about 1/3 of a second and in reality the travel time would be less than 1/3 second.

While each brand varies as to which rifles shoot which brand better my overall best general results have come from a few of the Aguila types, the Federal Match, and a few CCI types as well. I would just find what works best and run with it.

Ron

[tangolima]

Thanks gentlemen.

The CCI quiet is indeed subsonic. It is pretty lousy beyond 25yd on a few rifles. It is quiet though.

I didn't really time the travel time with a stop watch. But it surely felt long. I actually was shooting at the berm behind the 100yd targets. It is more like 125yd. The hotter rounds run 20% faster, so the travel time will probably 20% shorter. Hopefully it will help the group. 1.5moa is mighty good already. That's a 20-round group. I just hope it could a little bit better.

I think I'm going to try the Aquila first, as I don't need to buy bulk.

-TL

[GarandTd]

The federal automatch bulk gives me lots of problems in my Remington Apache 77. I actually just put some money down on a Heritage Rough Rider 22 revolver so that I can use up all this crappy automatch.

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by GarandTd

The federal automatch bulk gives me lots of problems in my Remington Apache 77.

Such as?

[GarandTd]

Stovepipes every 3-4 rounds. Several times per magazine.

[GarandTd]

I also get reasonable performance from the cci quiets. They force me to cycle the rifle manually, but no jams and I hit what I'm aiming at. I use the cci quiets with the kids so they can't rapid fire.

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by GarandTd

Stovepipes every 3-4 rounds. Several times per magazine.

My rifle is bolt action, so should be ok.

-TL

[GarandTd]

Sorry Tango, I overlooked that detail.

[Mike38]

Federal Auto Match (AM22) does well for me. 1200FPS. $18 per 325 rounds at WalMart. Some people absolutely hate it, but it works great for me.

[Armed_Chicagoan]

Federal Automatch isn't even useable in my old Remington 581. It will not extract them for some reason, even after installing a new extractor. Doesn't happen with any other ammo.

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by Armed_Chicagoan

Federal Automatch isn't even useable in my old Remington 581. It will not extract them for some reason, even after installing a new extractor. Doesn't happen with any other ammo.

Just curious. What happens when it fails to extract? The empty is still in the chamber while the bolt tries to load a new round on top of it?

-TL

[Pathfinder45]

Sounds like that new extractor needs a little bit of careful filing so it fits properly. Maybe the the slot in the breech-face for the extractor has a little bit of interference as well.

[darkgael]

There are good reasons why smallbore match shooters use SV and subsonic ammo. The most important is accuracy. In a 2400 point match (smallbore prone), it is not uncommon for the top finishers to shoot clean and win on X counts. Part of that match is shot at 100 yards (Xring = one inch; 10 ring = two inches).
Of course, they are not using semi-autos.

[tangolima]

Great! I may have a chance to win something with this rifle . I picked it out from local shop's bargain rack for $75, and soon found it could really shoot.

CCI sv has muzzle velocity right under speed of sound. Quiet is much lower. They are all subsonic. I suppose it avoids the trans-sonic zone where accuracy could be adversely affected. However too slow, or too long of travel time, is no good either.

The American eagle I tried was faster than CCI sv. The group was slightly worse. 0.75" @50 yd, possibly 2.5" @100yd. It is supersonic. Maybe that was why. Will see how the Aquila performs.

-TL

[Armed_Chicagoan]

Originally Posted by tangolima

Just curious. What happens when it fails to extract? The empty is still in the chamber while the bolt tries to load a new round on top of it?

-TL

It's a bolt action rifle, so I'm not trying to load a new round on top of it. And it happens even if I try to extract an unfired round. The same box of ammo works just fine in my 10/22 and MkII.

I fooled around trying to figure out the problem, then gave up and ordered a new extractor. Installed the new extractor, and the same exact problem. It extracts just fine with Golden Bullets, CCI, and Winchester. Only the Automatch has the issue.

So eventually I gave up and "solved" the problem by just not using Federal Automatch in that rifle. Maybe it's just that batch, I don't know.

@Pathfinder45 - The slot is clean, I inserted a small pick in it to see if there was any gunk there and there wasn't. I considered filing the extractor a hair but decided since it was only an issue with that one kind (maybe just that box) of ammo I'd just refrain from using that ammo in that rifle and use it in my other .22s which eat it just fine.

[bassJAM1]

Most of my firearms really like CCI standard velocity, I think the lower speed does help accuracy. CCI mini mags are also pretty good, but some of my older .22's (those made in the 40's or 50's) don't do as well with mini mags.

I think Aguila is a very close second in terms of accuracy and reliability to CCI products.

Past that it's a crap shoot. Most bulk rounds (like the Winchester 555) will do great in some guns and horribly in others. Very few of my .22's like the Federal Automatch rounds, but I see a lot of love for them here. In contrast, most of my .22's shoot Remington Golden Bullets as well as they do Mini Mags, but a lot of shooters HATE Golden Bullets.

[Bottom Gun]

The most accurate ammo I have shot in my Anschutz sporters is Winchester Power Point. It’s a 40 gr hollow point and my rifles get slightly more than the advertised 1280 fps velocity. It’s also my favorite hunting round.
The CCI standard velocity runs a close second for accuracy followed by CCI Blazer.
The Remington Golden, CCI Mini Mags, Federal Automatch and regular Winchester Super X ammo don’t shoot nearly as well as the first three I mentioned.

[tangolima]

Winchester power point eh? I will look into that. Thanks.

Stopped by big 5 yesterday, and got a box of Aquila super ultra. It runs at 1150 fps, almost right at speed of sound. It is about 10% faster than the CCI sv. I will see how it goes.

-TL

[Huffmanite]

Aguila super extra has shot decent for me in a few of my 22 rifles. Costs more, but Norma TAC should shoot well too. I did use a fair amount of it when first introduced in my target 22 rifle, then switched to the more pricey Norma Match 22 ammo, when my competitors in our ranges 22 competition, began using Norma TAC. Found the match to be more consistent. And last, CCI Blazer has always done well for me.

Mind you, I find 22 ammo that has a velocity around 1050 is more accurate for me. But then, I seldom shoot over 50 yds at a target.

[Erno86]

I'm not satisfied with the accuracy of Winchester 555.

[AzShooter]

Federal Auto Match works great out of all my guns, but for something fast, accurate and cheap try CCI Blazer Ammo. Good groups, reliable and accurate.

[tangolima]

Finally got time to try the Aquila super extra standard speed. It works great, even better than the CCI standard speed. It goes faster, and has less bullet drop between 50 and 100yd, with tighter groups. It also seems less affected by cross wind.

I did a less than 2" 30-round group out at 100yd with 3 o'clock cross wind. Not shabby at all for a $75 bargain rack rifle.

-TL

Edit. Aquila super extra standard speed is definitely better at 100yd. But at 50yd, CCI standard velocity is still better. I'm going to keep both, one for 50yd and one for 100yd.