The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Competition Shooting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 18, 2017, 03:36 AM   #1
U.S.SFC_RET
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 12, 2005
Location: The Old line State
Posts: 282
On the hunt for 22LR target ammo for Ruger MK IV

Yes I am looking for 22 LR target ammunition to feed a Ruger MKIV. I am presently shooting Federal Match and seems to do OK however I need input from those who landed on a good ammunition that makes a difference in their target shooting in their MK IV. Advice is much appreciated.
__________________
1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep the finger off the trigger and firearm on safe until ready to shoot.
4. Know the target and what's beyond it.
U.S.SFC_RET is offline  
Old October 18, 2017, 05:51 AM   #2
RaySendero
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 23, 2010
Location: US South
Posts: 857
Oh gosh, IME what may shoot good in 1 gun may not shoot good in another.
Your going to have to experiment and it could get $$$.$$.

About all I add is to shoot about 15 to 20 rounds from a box of 50
AND THEN shoot the rest of the box for group.

If me I would throw in a box of Federal Gold Metal Match in the testing.
__________________
Ray

Last edited by RaySendero; October 18, 2017 at 05:27 PM.
RaySendero is offline  
Old October 18, 2017, 08:20 AM   #3
NoSecondBest
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 7, 2009
Location: Western New York
Posts: 2,736
You could take out three brand new guns of any manufacture and shoot the same ammo out of all three of them and get three different results. RaySendero pointed this out very well. I'd suggest that in the interest of getting the very best accuracy out of your gun that you try several different brands of high end/quality ammo such as Eley, RWS, Wolf, SKS, and Norma to start. Shoot only standard velocity. I have found that CCI std. velocity performs at about 90-95% as well as the top true target ammo. One other thought on this: Very few Rugers are true target guns. Back when I shot a lot of silhouette, I never saw a Ruger winning any matches. I started with one and soon moved on to something else. I'm not knocking Rugers, they make some very good guns. They simply don't make very good target guns. A good target gun will keep five shots under .5" at twenty-five yards on a regular basis with target quality ammo that the gun likes. Some guns will do even better. I've owned a couple of Buckmarks that would shoot a ragged hole at that distance for five shots (all off of a bagged rest, not off hand). Good luck.
NoSecondBest is offline  
Old October 18, 2017, 02:15 PM   #4
T. O'Heir
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 12,453
"...in their MK IV..." It'll be different from every other pistol. .22's are just like that. No two, including 2 identical consecutively numbered pistols, will shoot the same ammo the same way. You have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your pistol will both shoot well and cycle the action. The cost of said ammo means nothing.
You'll have to shoot off a solid rest too. Not on your hind legs.
__________________
Spelling and grammar count!
T. O'Heir is offline  
Old October 19, 2017, 02:18 AM   #5
U.S.SFC_RET
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 12, 2005
Location: The Old line State
Posts: 282
I was afraid of that. I am presently shooting up a case of Federal Match 22LR and have about a box 325 left. Standard Velocity is where its at. Before posting this thread I thought about buying another case of ammunition. Well the hunt for a good brand of ammunition is on.
__________________
1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep the finger off the trigger and firearm on safe until ready to shoot.
4. Know the target and what's beyond it.
U.S.SFC_RET is offline  
Old October 19, 2017, 03:14 AM   #6
10-96
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 19, 2005
Location: Tx Panhandle Territory
Posts: 4,159
Smoke, when you say you are using Federal Match, do you by chance mean Federal Auto Match? It seems to me the Auto Match took a serious nose dive in quality somewhere between '09 and '11 if memory serves.

Like others have said, it'll be worth it to try different ammo. But that said, I've found 3 that seem to shoot equally well in my S&W41, MkII, and Buckmark. The ammo is Wolf Match Extra (Sp?), SK Standard Plus, and the relatively inexpensive Geco Optimized for Semi Auto. Those might be a decent place to start your search. All three of these are 40 lead with pre-oiled projectiles, which kind of makes them a pain to load until you get used to it.
__________________
Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day)

I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.
10-96 is offline  
Old November 2, 2017, 04:16 AM   #7
U.S.SFC_RET
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 12, 2005
Location: The Old line State
Posts: 282
10-96
Thank you for your advice.

I do find Federal Auto Match a bit iffy, especially when the bullet strikes above my point of aim on a whim.

I am still looking for a good brand of ammunition.
__________________
1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep the finger off the trigger and firearm on safe until ready to shoot.
4. Know the target and what's beyond it.
U.S.SFC_RET is offline  
Old November 2, 2017, 11:20 AM   #8
ocharry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2006
Posts: 681
U.S.SFC,,,,when i am testing 22 ammo i have a bunch ,,,16 different kinds,, that i only use for testing,,,5 shots from a clean bore

there is usually 1 or 2 the shine

as 10-96 stated the wolf match extra is a good one,,and wolf match,,along with eley and some other brands,,,,,but there is always the exception,,,,

when i was shooting bullseye 22,,,,i have a browning buckmark,,,that has several bullseye trophies under its belt,,, that will shoot the daylights out of remington bulk,,,it shoots that stuff as good or better than anything i have ever put through it,,,i got several different boxes of ammo at dicks,,,when i was doing the testing with the buckmark,,, i couldnt believe it,,,and i tested it several times,,,,just to get it into my head,,,,i took the lot no. with me back to dicks and bought all of that lot no. they had,,,3 cases,,,,i still have some

so,,,yes every rimfire is unique,,,and you never know what it is gona like,,,,

my suggestion is to get a box of every kind of 22 ammo you can find and put a few through your gun to see what it likes,,,and when you find it,, get a bunch,,,your gun will tell you what it likes,,,,and that is what you feed it

my .02

ocharry
__________________
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim." - Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC
ocharry is offline  
Old November 2, 2017, 08:05 PM   #9
AzShooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 20, 2006
Location: Surprise, Az.
Posts: 766
Try CCI Standard Velocity. Also try Mini Mags and AR Tactical. All of these shoot tighter than AutoMatch.

Also try any ELEY or Wolf Match.
AzShooter is offline  
Old November 2, 2017, 08:14 PM   #10
darkgael
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2006
Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania.
Posts: 5,473
Sound advice....All of it. I always test at least a dozen brands and types of .22s in new to me .22s. The expensive brands generally shoot well; sometimes, though, you will find that an inexpensive brand shoots as well as the high end stuff. I found that Federal 711s shot as well as any other brand of .22 out of my High Standard.
Shooting from a clean barrel....if you want.....but the barrel is dirty again as soon as you fire one shot. Most smallbore shooters that I know on rarely clean their barrel..22s ammo is outside lubricated and designed to keep barrels clean.
In fact, one school of thought is that cleaning the barrel disturbs accuracy by removing the “seasoning”.
Peter
__________________
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ...
NRA Life Member

Last edited by darkgael; November 2, 2017 at 08:42 PM.
darkgael is offline  
Old November 3, 2017, 11:33 AM   #11
ocharry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2006
Posts: 681
just to be clear... the only reason i clean between different bullets when i am testing,, is because just about all the 22 bullets have different lube on them,,,when i am testing i dont want another bullets lube left in the bore giving me a false result,,,some bullet brands have a waxy feel to them,,,others have a greasy stuff on them,,, while others have ,,,not sure what on the bullet,,,so its just to separate the bullet lube,,,,i also try to do my testing when the weather is the same,,,temp,,humidity,,,wind,,,keep a log it will help,,,that way they all get a fair shake,,,does it need to be that way,,,heck no,,,thats just the way i do testing,,,prolly over kill,,,but for me,,,i gots to know,,,,kinda the same way when i work up a load for a center fire,,,,if i do my part,,,,then i know where the bullet is going,,,no excuses,,,,,lol

for the most part,, once i get a bullet that is doing what i want,,in that particular rifle the only time i clean it is if i have cycling issues,,,sometimes with a tight or match chamber,, it doesnt take much,,dirty chamber could cause loading or unloading problems,,,,especially in a auto

i want to rule out as much mechanical stuff as i can,,so if i miss,, i know its me or something i did,,,,i like small groups at 50 yrds with my 22's ,,,,3/8" or less if i can make it happen


ocharry
__________________
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim." - Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC
ocharry is offline  
Old November 4, 2017, 06:28 AM   #12
darkgael
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2006
Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania.
Posts: 5,473
Thanks for that. ^^^^^.
Makes a lot of sense.
P
__________________
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ...
NRA Life Member
darkgael is offline  
Old November 19, 2017, 07:54 PM   #13
darkgael
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2006
Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania.
Posts: 5,473
I just noticed that, despite what I wrote, I never answered the OP’s question about brands. I have two 22 conversions for two 1911s: a Marvel conversion on a Springfield frame and a Nelson conversion on a Colt Series 80 frame. I alternate between plain CCI SV and Eley Club. The Eley shoots a bit better in both. At least i get better scores.
__________________
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ...
NRA Life Member
darkgael is offline  
Old November 19, 2017, 08:19 PM   #14
OzeanJaeger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 8, 2014
Posts: 301
In addition to the top match grade mentioned I would also try a box of Gemtech. Their subsonic ammo has the lowest sd/es of any I’ve tested, and groups best in several of my .22s (better than match grade in some cases).

I shoot .22 mostly with a can. I’ve found that if it cracks every time (all rounds are supersonic) or it thuds every time (all subsonic) I get way better groups, even up close, than when some crack and some thud.

I respect the .22 BR guys a lot. To me it’s so much harder to get percision out of a rifle you can’t load for that it really is a completely different game.
OzeanJaeger is offline  
Old November 19, 2017, 09:05 PM   #15
CalmerThanYou
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 16, 2017
Posts: 323
When funds allow I buy some Eley Edge. Seems to cycle through my Mark II better, and is super accurate out of my CZ 455 Bit pricey though.
CalmerThanYou is offline  
Old November 20, 2017, 03:49 PM   #16
cookie5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 1, 2011
Posts: 217
I did a season shooting ARA targets with a Winchester model 52 d model . 22 lr are ammo dependent. Shooting the different brands and find the best then hope you can buy more from the same machine and the same batch is your rifle is accurate enough to see a difference. Shooting 22 lr can be brutal.
cookie5 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09055 seconds with 10 queries