CCI Std. Vel. vs SK Rifle Match in my 452UL

[Rock-it3]

I did a comparison of the two brands of ammo in my CZ 452 UL, open sights, resting on sandbags up front and supported on my shoulder in the rear. Each ammo is 40gr. Lead Round Nose, and about 1200 fps. 5-shot groups at 25 and 50 yards.  My Point-of-Aim was always the 6:00 position of the black, to try for a consistent sight picture.

SK Rifle Match costs about $85 per 500, CCI can be had for under $40 per 500, that is the reason for my test. My prior range trips seemed to indicate they both grouped similarly in my rifle, so I wanted to delve into it a bit deeper. I wanted to determine if the extra cost was worth it for achieving better groups. The temperature was about 70 deg., sunny, and a very mild breeze.

The number in the circle is the sequence of shooting.
















My conclusion from these targets is that the CCI performs just as well in my rifle as the SK. The average of the groups of each brand at each distance are almost exactly the same, and nothing I see warrants spending twice as much to try to get better groups. Note the two smallest groups, targets 3 & 4, are shots #11 through 20. Same distance as targets 1 & 2, but much tighter groups. The barrel was clean and cold to start, so maybe 10 rounds to "foul" the barrel helps. The Point-of-Impact is consistent between brands. It appears I could tweak the rear sight to the right just a tad, but the elevation is good, and the elevation markers on the rear sight are accurate.

I believe I will continue to do more comparisons for the monthly rimfire matches, but when the SK is used up (I have about 350 rounds yet), I won't buy it again. I will be looking for the CCI standard velocity and buying it when it is on sale.

Just for fun, I shot 10-shot groups, offhand standing, at 25 yards. Ugh, practice is needed.

[jameslovesjammie]

Each ammo is 40gr. Lead Round Nose, and about 1200 fps.

Are those your chrono numbers?  CCI advertises SV at 1070 and SK Rifle is supposed to be 1033.

FWIW, my UL also loves SV.

[Rock-it3]

Each ammo is 40gr. Lead Round Nose, and about 1200 fps.

Are those your chrono numbers?  CCI advertises SV at 1070 and SK Rifle is supposed to be 1033.

FWIW, my UL also loves SV.

My mistake, I didn't remember the numbers right. The CCI SV is advertised at 1070, the SK box states 325 meters per second, which calculates to 1066 fps. I knew they were almost the same, but just didn't remember what the actual number was  .

[Jedman7]

Great review.  Thanks.  For my little Savage Arms plinker I'll stick with the lower cost ammo.  CCI makes good stuff.

[painter]

I use CCI SV in my Kadet and it performs great, but I get better results with SK Standard+ out of my 2 CZ rifles, and they stay cleaner due to the less waxy lube. I never tried the Match.

Rimfire ammo is pretty inconsistent these days. You don't necessarily get what you pay for.

[Rock-it3]

I use CCI SV in my Kadet and it performs great, but I get better results with SK Standard+ out of my 2 CZ rifles, and they stay cleaner due to the less waxy lube. I never tried the Match.

Rimfire ammo is pretty inconsistent these days. You don't necessarily get what you pay for.

The SK Rifle Match has more waxy lube than the CCI. I can feel it on the first round I pick out of the box, and after loading 5 rounds, it can be difficult to pick up more without wiping my fingertips off. I can smell it after firing the first round.

[Wobbly]

Exactly. And lube is one of the larger expenses in making good ammo. Often times you can add your own lube to less expensive ammo and turn it into "match" ammo. I lube my own Federal Auto in the 325 count box. This is a 3-round group at a measured 25 yards (75 feet) at my gun club from a standard shooting bench. The orange dot is one of those 3/4" office supply stickers.



Her target was at a measured 50 feet. You can see the orange dot in the middle of the IPSC silhouette, just to the right of the B&W paper target in the background...



The shooter was my 15yo niece on the very first day she ever shot a rifle. Must have been the coaching !!??



 

[painter]

I use CCI SV in my Kadet and it performs great, but I get better results with SK Standard+ out of my 2 CZ rifles, and they stay cleaner due to the less waxy lube. I never tried the Match.

Rimfire ammo is pretty inconsistent these days. You don't necessarily get what you pay for.

The SK Rifle Match has more waxy lube than the CCI. I can feel it on the first round I pick out of the box, and after loading 5 rounds, it can be difficult to pick up more without wiping my fingertips off. I can smell it after firing the first round.

Maybe the Standard+ uses a different lube, but I wouldn't expect so. I'd describe the SK lube as greasy, not waxy...and yes it gets all over your fingers, but doesn't seem to build up in the chamber like the CCI wax does.