Best 22 ammo! Advice please

[gatorhugger]

Now that is a title that has never been used before! :lol:

Seriously, I have a question here somewhere.... just getting into .22's and have noticed that all the "high end" match 22 bullets are lead. And all seem waxed or oiled.
Why?
I am beginning to see the reality of regular lead(not copper coated) bullets, driven slow, with lots of gunk on them for maximum accuracy.

1. I hate lead bullets. I like copper coated ones so I am not cleaning lead, or in this case cleaning out magazines full of wax and oil.

2. I would like to shoot something not subsonic. Because in a pistol even a "high velocity" like 1200 FPS is going to end up just about subsonic.

So while I realize the champion shooters know what they are doing with the Wolf match extras, and Lupua XT's, I need a fairly fast bullet that is accurate. I am not shooting in the olympics.
I have been using High Velocity Aquila( not the super maximum which can't hit a barn), and it's pretty accurate, around 1 inch on a good day for me at a 30 yards through a pistol. And really having some luck with bulk Winchester 333's believe it or not, though not as good as the Aquila copper coated High velocity solids.
Any recommendations for a non oily, clean feeling bullet that gets CLOSE to all these upper grade brands?
(yes I know every gun is different. BTW I will be shooting a Ruger Mark III with a Japan Glassed 2x scope)

 

[alkpon]

I'm lost as to your input.
Lead .22 RF bullets....I have never seen other, maybe copper plated?
1200 FPS? Maybe, doubt it. That would be in rifle.
Them fuzzy hairs in barrel......leave 'em be. .22 RF is outside lubricated.
Maybe every 2000-10,000 rds, run a bore snake through barrel.
Don't sweat ruining a barrel. A .22 RF will outlast you.

 

[98_1LE]

CCI mini-mags are about the hottest thing that will work in these pistols, and are copper plated. Stingers are not recommended.

The lubed rounds are designed for semi-auto guns with a "Bentz" chamber or bolt guns with a true "Match" chamber. Ruger .22 pistols have a "Sporting" chamber which is more loose, so the lube isn't required. However I have found that these will run in many guns that have issues extracting bulk ammo. It also is the only thing that will work in my Ultimate Clip Loader.

I haven't chrono'd them or anything, but I am pretty sure most bulk ammo is supersonic out of a 6-7/8" barrel.

The Federal 550 bulk packs are copper plated.

I am curious why you prefer a supersonic round?

Which MkIII barrel profile are you using?

Generally speaking, but the time you wear out the barrel of any gun, you will have spent many times the cost of the gun on ammo.

 

[blume357]

Either Federal Champion, preferably individually packed in 50 or CCI mini mags in hundred round boxes.

I quite trying to play the ballistic game years ago.

 

[Larry from Bend]

My hunting 22 ammo (as opposed to plinking) is WW Power Point. It's accuracy is just a notch below the Eley-type ammo in my modified 10-22. It costs 2+ times what the WalMart bulk pack Fed or WW goes for; but it is accurate. It's copper-washed, also. It clocks 950 fps or so out of a 5 1/2" Single Six.

 

[Anonymous]

Plus one on both CCI Mini-Mags and Federal HP bulk packs. Both are high velocity copper plated rounds. Both do well in all my guns. CCI is a bit more likely to go "Bang" every time.

 

[gatorhugger]

CCI mini-mags are about the hottest thing that will work in these pistols, and are copper plated. Stingers are not recommended.

The lubed rounds are designed for semi-auto guns with a "Bentz" chamber or bolt guns with a true "Match" chamber. Ruger .22 pistols have a "Sporting" chamber which is more loose, so the lube isn't required. However I have found that these will run in many guns that have issues extracting bulk ammo. It also is the only thing that will work in my Ultimate Clip Loader.

I haven't chrono'd them or anything, but I am pretty sure most bulk ammo is supersonic out of a 6-7/8" barrel.

The Federal 550 bulk packs are copper plated.

I am curious why you prefer a supersonic round?

Which MkIII barrel profile are you using?

Generally speaking, but the time you wear out the barrel of any gun, you will have spent many times the cost of the gun on ammo.

I am shooting a bull target barrel, just the basic 6 incher I guess.
I don't really have to have supersonic rounds, I guess anything would work since I am just doing targets.
I have found the faster, the less accurate, so I don't have to have supersonic.

What I have also found is most of the bulk rounds are supersonic, and all shoot about the same. Whether Federal, or Winchester, or Remington nothing spectacular.
I was kind of looking for spectactular but not messy.
I haven't founds CCI being any more accurate than regular Winchester 333's. Though the plastic box is cool.

Aquila sort of fits the bill of accurate, seperate boxed 50 round boxes, but it's not a "one hole" type of ammo. But I haven't tried their match stuff..
(maybe it's good?)
regular Aquila Super Extra subsonic is good, it's slightly better than the bulk stuff.
But I did break down and bought some Wolf Target ammo. I hear it's greasy which no doubt I will hate, so maybe I will rub em before loading them.
8)

 

[carsinc]

Check out the following link:

http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/22lr-rimfire-ammo-comparison-test/

I find CCI Standard Velocity very accurate in my MK II Target model.

BTW, leading is typically not a problem in rimfire pistols, neither is the wax coating that may be on some bullets, IMO, based on 50 years of shooting Rugers.

 

[Cholo]

I'll 2nd WW Power-Points. Incredible accuracy in my MKll Competition when it wore a 2x6 scope :shock: Bricks used to be easy to find, now less so.

I bought 3 bricks of CCI standard velocity and they won't work in my 2 MKll's and 3 magazines. They're just a few thousandths too long and gum up the magazines. Jam city, though they apparently work for others with no problems.

 

[Donaldjr1969]

The BEST 22 ammo? Easy. It is the one that works best in your gun.

 

[Kerz]

The BEST 22 ammo? Easy. It is the one that works best in your gun.

Highly agree. The best is the make and lot that works best in your gun. I've had WW Super X that shot better than Ely 10-X. It really just depends on you and the gun.
Vic

 

[gatorhugger]

yeah I know the old saying, the best bullet is the one that works in YOUR gun.
But still..... you read these ammo tests and always leading the top is the laupuas and wolfs and Elys and they are some greasy, waxy, messes.

Do you have to have barrel rifling dripping with wax to shoot well? LOL?
Maybe we can just take some Remington Golden bullets and spray them with CLP and save a lot of money insteading of buying $60 bricks of target ammo!
I'm really starting to think it's all in the grease.

 

[firebirdude]

Why do we have this topic once a week?

 

[CraigC]

Interesting. All .22LR bullets are lead. All are also lubed with either a dry wax-based lube, the sticky stuff like Wolf or are copper washed. The copper wash is not a jacket, it does not prevent leading any more or less than the wax-based lubes do. Bottom line is that it is much ado about nothing and should be the least considered factor. Leading is a rare occurence, regardless of the type of lube used.

 

[flatgate]

Best .22 ammo? Whatever I found on sale, especially after I've run it through Paco's Accurizer......

flatgate

PS My most favorite .22 cal. projectile emitting device?

Note the "set back" trigger. The lockwork has 1/4 and 1/2 cock notches and Ruger's transfer bar. A "FrankenRuger", for sure.

 

[Bucks Owin]

Having shot a few dozen brands and types of rimfire ammo through half a dozen handguns and rifles, I've pretty much settled on two. Wolf (lead/lubed) Match/Target for tiny groups in target barrels and Amer Eagle 38 gr HP for everything else from plinking to 125 yd squirrel zapping...(They are copperwashed BTW)

 

[Rescue 187]

I recently chronied some stingers out of my 6 7/8 " Mk ll and got slightly over 1,400 fps with them.

 

[gatorhugger]

Why do we have this topic once a week?

Actually we don't have this topic once a week. In fact I don't remember a post asking about regular $3 a box ammo that comes close to the wet Lapuas and Wolfs and Elys.
But thanks for the input after 32 posts "dude". :wink:
The reality is that it's all been asked and answered 1000 times over on every gun forum. If we only allowed totally original questions I am afraid there would be no new threads and no forums.
But I do try to keep it a bit original.
And I wasn't asking do you prefer CCI or Federal.

So for an update 6/10/11-------
Since this original post I have been testing all sorts of ammo in my Mark III.
I have found the Aquila Hi Vel 40 grain solids is the closet I have found to the Lapuas and Elys.
They are real close to that $80 a brick stuff.
My Unofficial non statistical rundown-
Federal Champion- Nope, I can't get any good groups period. It sucks.
Remington Goldens, about like Federal Bulk. Good, not great
Winchester, a little worse than the Remingtons and Federals.
Wolf match, weird ammo, some groups spectacular, others average
SK Match extra, that is some fantastic ammo. I love it.
Ely remington, more great ammo but pricey. Love it too.
Ely target, yellow box, a little better than Wolf, not as good as the SK.
Lapua midas, neck and neck with SK pistol match. I heard this was made on the same line, but it's a different bullet if you look at it.

I didn't even bother with the Tenex or black box match stuff. Not enough coins in the pocket. And ran out of money but will eventually try RWS.
But really, the Aquila hi Velocity Copper washed solids come pretty close to the pricier stuff in my Mark III.
If you haven't tried them, you might want to. Less than $3 a box.
I heard Aquila bought their machines from Ely, so that might explain
the accuracy.