No Preference...

[Rusty P. Bucket]

I dunno how many times I read some gun scribe yapping about load and ammo development testing - and he publishes a table showing accuracy results and one load stands apart as the obvious pet load for his given rifle/calibre.

I detest shooting off sand bags and benches... but on the week end I finally had time for a quick test session with my new CZ .22 rifle and a variety of ammo: I bought Winchester Power Points, CCI Hollow Points, Federal Premium and American Eagle...everything I could lay hands on from the El Cheapo stuff right on up to a box of Eley that I foolishly paid 20 bucks for!

I haven't done this in a long time but it was driven home hard again when the smoke cleared and the brass was swept up: what an utterly futile waste of time!

Brand X would shoot .75", brand Y would shoot a little under one inch even, and another would clover leaf and have one flyer open everything up! In the end, what does it really mean? In the real world, to me there isn't a whole helluva lot of difference between a group that is three quarters of on inch and one that is smaller...but it looks important on paper, doesn't it? .75" vs .59"? Fah! In the real world, where the gophers are capering about and the sun beats down on you during a stolen afternoon in the patch - such tests carry little weight. When you miss you won't give it a second thought - you will cycle the bolt and try and pick off the next one!

I can see it if I am shooting against you snipers for gold medals...but for 98% of the chit house turkey shooting I do...El Cheapo ammo is as good as anything else. I think that it would take a top flight shooter with a full blown comp gun to tell the difference between brands at practical ranges. If somebody wants to pick the fly chit out of the pepper and tell me that it is worthwhile to pay 20 bucks for a box of .22 shells I suppose there is no harm in it...but I think I will stay with the Winchester Wildcats for now. It was fun to experiment, but nothing of any consequence came of it.

If anybody needs me, I will be in the gopher patch...

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Rusty P. Bucket

I dunno how many times I read some gun scribe yapping about load and ammo development testing - and he publishes a table showing accuracy results and one load stands apart as the obvious pet load for his given rifle/calibre.

I detest shooting off sand bags and benches... but on the week end I finally had time for a quick test session with my new CZ .22 rifle and a variety of ammo: I bought Winchester Power Points, CCI Hollow Points, Federal Premium and American Eagle...everything I could lay hands on from the El Cheapo stuff right on up to a box of Eley that I foolishly paid 20 bucks for!

I haven't done this in a long time but it was driven home hard again when the smoke cleared and the brass was swept up: what an utterly futile waste of time!

Brand X would shoot .75", brand Y would shoot a little under one inch even, and another would clover leaf and have one flyer open everything up! In the end, what does it really mean? In the real world, to me there isn't a whole helluva lot of difference between a group that is three quarters of on inch and one that is smaller...but it looks important on paper, doesn't it? .75" vs .59"? Fah! In the real world, where the gophers are capering about and the sun beats down on you during a stolen afternoon in the patch - such tests carry little weight. When you miss you won't give it a second thought - you will cycle the bolt and try and pick off the next one!

I can see it if I am shooting against you snipers for gold medals...but for 98% of the chit house turkey shooting I do...El Cheapo ammo is as good as anything else. I think that it would take a top flight shooter with a full blown comp gun to tell the difference between brands at practical ranges. If somebody wants to pick the fly chit out of the pepper and tell me that it is worthwhile to pay 20 bucks for a box of .22 shells I suppose there is no harm in it...but I think I will stay with the Winchester Wildcats for now. It was fun to experiment, but nothing of any consequence came of it.

If anybody needs me, I will be in the gopher patch...

X2...except loading for big game....I am way more comfortable with my handloads that I know my rifle likes....other than that.....hello Wal-Mart!!!!...what's on sale???????

[Albertadiver]

If it goes bang, and the thing at the other end of the scope falls down that's all I need.

[catnthehat]

As far as .22 hunting ammo goes, I shoot the cheap stuff as well.
I shoot the most accurate ammo I can find out of my target rifles, and sometimes that is not the most expensive.
However, a gophers do not have a 1mm dot on their bodies, so I do not have to worry about "groups " on them!!
Cat

[Bushrat]

opps double tap.

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by Rusty P. Bucket

Brand X would shoot .75", brand Y would shoot a little under one inch even, and another would clover leaf and have one flyer open everything up! In the end, what does it really mean? In the real world, to me there isn't a whole helluva lot of difference between a group that is three quarters of on inch and one that is smaller...but it looks important on paper, doesn't it? .75" vs .59"?

All depends onm what your into, some guys buy rimfires and do nothing but shoot paper and their game is accuracy they are not into plinking. Each to their own.

I think that it would take a top flight shooter with a full blown comp gun to tell the difference between brands at practical ranges. ...

Yup. and then they have to have windflags and know how to read them or shoot in a tunnel with a rail gun to eliminate wind and human error. A tiny wiff of a wind can blow a .22 a quarter to a half inch off course at 50 yds then you get a breeze the opposite way and you got a one inch group at fifty yards even from a full blown bench gun that shoots like a lazer. You have to have a gun thats capable of real accuracy to realize the potential of $20.00 ammo and even then it's possible it might just shoot the cheap stuff better. While 20 dollar ammo can be shot in a loose standard chamber with their looser bores it isn't likely to shoot any better than the walmart bulk pack stuff. Unless you have a match chamber and a tight bore + the ability to read conditions and mirage and the knowledge to know how to deal with them, things most people aren't even aware of, your pretty much wasting your time shooting match ammo.

Edit to add, I'm not one of those guys with real talent and ability at the bench, though I've witnessed what they can do and understand the principals of their endevours. I dabble on the fringes of this lunacy and attempt to immitate the real thing even though i don't have the superhuman discipline to be anything but a wannabe, but I can revel in the fact that I am more handsome than most of them, you see their skulls are very large to accomadate the proliferation of brain cells they have, they have forgotten more than i will ever know.

[PoppaW]

On the bright side Rusty your .22 should be broken in now

[surfclod]

When I got my Kimber I tried out several different brands of ammo including expensive target ammo.

The gun never did like any of the target ammo, in fact it seems to like higher velocity ammo with the copper coating better than plain lead bullets. I settled on 2 types with a relative equal point of impact.

Top of the list is the CCI Velocitor which I am happy with because with the match chamber I can't shoot Stingers but the Velocitor has almost as good of results.

Next best was the Federal 550 Bulk Pack which is great cause I have about 8 boxes of that stuff.

Because I mainly use my .22 for gophers I am happy that the most accurate is also a very effective bullet. Just for fun I did some shooting at 100 yards and the Velocitors have 3 1/2" drop at that distance so with the range finder last weekend I tagged a few at 95-116 yards, much fun.