Good 22 LR ammo?

[Joe Mamma]

What do you suggest for good clean (not a lot of residue or smoke) 22 LR ammo? I have heard that Remington Thunderbolts should be avoided. What about Winchester Wildcats or Super-X (40gr), CCI Blazer, or Sellior & Bellot 22 LR ammo?

Also, generally, how much of an accuracy difference is there with "match grade" 22 ammo? Is it much cleaner than standard 22 LR ammo?

Joe Mamma

 

[Christopher II]

.22LRs are weird. The ammo that is accurate and reliable in mine might be jam city in yours. After shooting various .22 pistols in ISU competition for several years, my conclusion is that you have to bench your gun with different types of ammo, pick the best performer, and buy more from the same lot.

That said, I've had consistantly good results with CCI Standard, Remington Target, and Eley's cheaper stuff (Practice 100, Pistol.) The match stuff shoots about 33% smaller groups (Ransom Rest) than the Remington.

There was a post a while back here about sorting cheap .22LR ammo by weight and rim thickness for better performance; you might give it a search.

- Chris

 

[Ledbetter]

Every gun is different; ammo fits a chamber like a foot fits a shoe

I like the Winchester white box or Super-x or T-22 for casual shooting. My 10/22's like Remington Rifle ultra match and federal gold match extra much better for making one hole groups.

The difference in match ammo is that it is more consistent shot to shot due to closer loading tolerances and primers that are matched.

You can sort your own .22 ammo by weight (in grains) and use those that fall within the "average" weight range as "homemade" match ammo.

Regards.

 

[Ewok_Guy]

Federal burns very clean in all my .22s. It doesnt leave all that nasty gunk in the chamber, as many Winchester and Remington rounds do.

 

[Tropical Z]

I gave up on Federals,but discovered that all my .22lr's love Remington Golden bullets.You will definitely have to experiment.

 

[Edward429451]

I've always had good luck with CCI Mini-Mags.

 

[foghornl]

The 22 thunderbolts are the rimfire equivalent of Rem's UMC centerfire brand...cheap, dirty, smoky, inconsistant. I won't use either one if I have ANY other choice.

Your mileage will vary.