Yesterday I enjoyed my day off and went shooting. I chose my favorite rifle, a CZ 453 American and headed off to my local firing hole. My CZ 453 is scoped with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40, with Talley rings. As this rifle is meant for use in the field, I chose a scope that is bright, tracks well, and doesn't throw off the handling characteristics of the rifle. The main reason I chose the 453 over other CZ rimfire models, is the trigger. It is fully adjustable for poundage, travel, and overtravel. Plus there is a set trigger, which is nice to use occasionally. The sling is a Montana sling. I prefer leather slings, and this is extremely fast to adjust which is helpful for usage in offhand shooting.
I tested 10 different ammunitions of a variety of types and speeds. All groups are 5-shot groups, fired from a front rest (only), at 50 yards. Groups were measured center to center. The results are briefly analyzed below, starting with the least accurate group and finishing with the most accurate group. Velocities listed are factory specifications, as I did not chronograph any ammunition.
10. Remington Target: 40gr Lead RN (1150 fps), 1.438" group. This loading was horrible, and is added to the large list of failed attempts with Remington ammunition.
9. CCI Subsonic Segmented: 40gr Plated HP (1050 fps), .935" grouping. Not the best grouping, I have shot this better in the past (so it was me). However, I use it for urban pest control at much closer ranges, and the terminal ballistics are awesome.
8. American Eagle AE5022: 40gr Lead RN (1260 fps), .904" grouping. Underwhelming performance, but cheap to shoot. However, there are cheaper loads to shoot, so I don't intend to buy this again.
7. Federal Gold Medal Target: 40gr Lead RN (1080 fps), .836" grouping. This load shot well. I am going to give this loading further attention, as if not for a flier/poor shot, this loading would have ranked higher.
6. CCI Velocitor: 40gr Plated HP (1435 fps), .779" grouping. I found this loading acceptable. I love this round for pest control, and it is one of the few high-velocity rounds that shoots decently through my rifle. It also has noticeable recoil for a .22LR.
5. Remington SubSonic: 38gr Lead RN (1050 fps), .773" grouping. This ammunition took me by surprise. I have learned to have low expectations for Remington ammunition for my CZ 453, but this ammunition performed admirably.
4. Blazer Bulk Pack: 40gr Lead RN (1235 fps), .742" grouping. This loading exceeded my expectations. I recommend that others give this loading a try, if a low price lead round-nose is in contention.
3. Federal Bulk Pack: 36gr Plated HP (1260 fps), .738" grouping. This loading shot almost identically to the Blazer loading. I would consider them to be equivalent as far as accuracy goes.
2. Eley EPS Match: 40gr Lead Solid (1085 fps), .581" grouping. This was the second best ammunition I tested. It was both clean and accurate. I like how it left nice clean holes that were easy to measure too. That being said, I won't be buying it again. It is just too expensive; in fact it has taken me three years to be able to stomach the price to test it.
1. Wolf Target: 40gr Lead RN (1050 fps), .236" grouping. This is my standby load. It just shoots amazingly well in my rifle. I could live without how greasy the stuff is though.
Overall, I was pleased with the results of the test today. Some loads shot terrible, but I also tried a few loadings that proved successful. I would like to have shot the Federal Gold Medal Target better; hopefully I will shoot it better next time. I think it is worth noting that two bulk loadings shot well, better in fact, than a lot of the more "premium" ammunition. I purposefully didn't try anything truncated from Remington, as I have in the past, and it shot horribly. I also didn't shoot any Winchester ammunition, but now I'll have a good excuse to go shooting again