Author Topic: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?  (Read 3971 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Dan McGrath

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« on: June 08, 2018, 08:47:33 PM »
I run through a lot of .22LR .   I am beginning to suspect that the must be something out there better than Remington Thunderbolt .22   Any suggestions?
 

      I should have mentioned that I had been using Thunderbolt only because of price,   I require high velocity because I use it in semi auto pistols along with my rifles.   
« Last Edit: June 08, 2018, 09:19:43 PM by Dan McGrath »

Offline dave19113

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 80
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2018, 08:50:56 PM »
I run Federal 550 bulk pack. Good bulk ammo. Walmart has it for 20.00 per 550.

I shoot it in all my non match guns

Offline Firemanjones

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5334
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2018, 09:01:09 PM »
I found Reminginton .22 is the worst in my guns. I have no problems with Federal, CCI or other brands.
Safety First
Living the dream, driving a Fire Engine RETIRED shooting my Guns in FL and the Mountains of NC and visiting family in Mannheim.

Offline ssqman

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 319
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #3 on: June 08, 2018, 09:33:40 PM »
You suspect Thunderbolts are junk? LOL. Bet you got a lot of practice clearing malfunctions with that crap. LOL. CCI or Federal will give you a much more relaxing day at the range.
No, Google is not my friend

Offline 1SOW

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15006
  • GO GREEN - Recycle 9MM
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2018, 09:56:49 PM »
CCI MiniMags,  CCI std velocity.
Not premium 22 ammo,  but excellent for the price.
Did you know they use a Vihtavuori powder (premium clean burning powders)  made for the CCI .22 ammo? :)

Offline gotcoffee

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #5 on: June 08, 2018, 10:36:37 PM »
I like mini mags and norma match which goes on sale a lot cheap. 

Offline bang bang

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2788
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2018, 11:13:26 PM »
welcome padwan,

RFs can be picky.  So what will run out of mine fine, may make yours puke.

You are better off buying and trying what you can get your hand on and do some testing. If something is too expensive for you, then dont.

FWIW, many people had some issues with TB, where it leaded up their barrel.  So, the first thing you may want to do is to check your barrel.

Also this is how i do things, but i just dont have autoloaders in RF, i have singles shots, BAs and LA and so forth, so if 1 type/brand of ammo wont work in one, then it will work in something else.

Offline SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5694
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2018, 06:47:40 AM »
The federal 550 is really good reliable ammo for the money. Remington thunderbolts are absolute garbage.They are exceedingly inconsistent in auto loaders and will lead you barrel nearly closed. I've seen it happen.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2018, 05:21:43 PM by SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM »

Offline IDescribe

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4049
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2018, 12:23:23 PM »
Some of your match grade ammo, the kind used by serious competitors, include names like Eley, RWS, Lapua, and SK, but they're generally very expensive.  Norma match has been quite good for me.

CCI Standard velocity is so good that plenty of serious bullseye competitors choose it over the more expensive match grade offerings listed above.  It is a top dog among the reasonably priced ammo.

There is a reason that almost all match grade ammo is 1100 feet/sec or slower.   It's to keep the bullet from falling through the transonic range during flight.   This is yet another case of faster not meaning better.

Also, when those match grade 22 companies have a range of offerings at different price points, they're coming off the same assembly line with the same process and same loading parameters.   Then once a batch is finished, they test fire some number of shots.  100?  1000?  I am not sure.  But they test fire batches for group size, and sell them as different grades and prices based on group size. So the differences between $14.00/50 and $6.00/50 may be a flyer or two out of a couple hundred rounds. Often the cheaper the offerings in the line are as good as the expensive ones for 99% of the cartridges.




Offline lewmed

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 623
  • 135th & 240th AHC Vietnam 1967-1968
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2018, 08:06:57 PM »
 My S&W model 41 will choke on most brands of 22lr so for the last 26 years it's diet has been CCI SV.  For the last few years CCI SV was hard to find and not cheap when Target Sports USA had it in stock for 5 cents per round and free shipping I bought 10 bricks. I noticed a few days ago Target Sports still had plenty so I ordered 10 more bricks.
Life is good as long as I can keep my wife from seeing the credit card bill she might not understand why I needed all the rimfire ammo.

Offline eastman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3798
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2018, 09:49:55 PM »
For high velocity .22LR, my favorites are -

CCI MiniMag 40gr RN
Aguila SuperExtra High Velocity 40 gr RN
Federal Automatch 40 gr LRN
I don't look like my avatar!

Offline nettle

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 193
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #11 on: June 09, 2018, 10:35:16 PM »
Best I have tried is CCI Green Tag. Next best Remington Target. Both will cycle my Ruger Mark II

Offline jameslovesjammie

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4608
  • The Last Best Place
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2018, 11:12:52 PM »
Some of your match grade ammo, the kind used by serious competitors, include names like Eley, RWS, Lapua, and SK, but they're generally very expensive.  Norma match has been quite good for me.

CCI Standard velocity is so good that plenty of serious bullseye competitors choose it over the more expensive match grade offerings listed above.  It is a top dog among the reasonably priced ammo.

There is a reason that almost all match grade ammo is 1100 feet/sec or slower.   It's to keep the bullet from falling through the transonic range during flight.   This is yet another case of faster not meaning better.

Also, when those match grade 22 companies have a range of offerings at different price points, they're coming off the same assembly line with the same process and same loading parameters.   Then once a batch is finished, they test fire some number of shots.  100?  1000?  I am not sure.  But they test fire batches for group size, and sell them as different grades and prices based on group size. So the differences between $14.00/50 and $6.00/50 may be a flyer or two out of a couple hundred rounds. Often the cheaper the offerings in the line are as good as the expensive ones for 99% of the cartridges.


^^This^^

I have been using alot of RWS subsonic hollowpoints lately in my Ultralux.  It does quite will with it.  I also shoot alot of CCI SV for all the reasons mentioned above, but my rifle does better with the RWS. 

Offline Blackwatch

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1504
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #13 on: June 10, 2018, 12:11:51 AM »
I've found these to be consistent:

Geco for bolt action & automatics
Eley target
Aguila rifle match
Federal automatch

Offline 1SOW

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15006
  • GO GREEN - Recycle 9MM
Re: Decent .22 LR ammo. Any suggestions?
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2018, 12:14:58 AM »
My S&W model 41 will choke on most brands of 22lr so for the last 26 years it's diet has been CCI SV.  For the last few years CCI SV was hard to find and not cheap when Target Sports USA had it in stock for 5 cents per round and free shipping I bought 10 bricks. I noticed a few days ago Target Sports still had plenty so I ordered 10 more bricks.
Life is good as long as I can keep my wife from seeing the credit card bill she might not understand why I needed all the rimfire ammo.

My High Standard is the same with one exception.
CCI came out with a limited edition poly coated (blue, red and ?) 1250 fps " Christmas Cartridge" last year.  My High Standard loved the poly bullets and they shot very very clean.
Price was just a skosh higher than the SV cartridges.

Hope they produce more!
« Last Edit: June 10, 2018, 01:03:12 AM by 1SOW »