Bluefin178
Bearcat
Picked up a box of Remington 500 rds. bulk packed. 90% of them will not chamber in any of my handguns and rifles. Must be seconds. Worthless! Any other having same?
Remington .22 LR Junk!
- Thread starter Bluefin178
- Start date
bigbillyboy
Hunter
If talking about thunderbolts then yes ?
That's a little vague. Remington what?
Kind of funny - I've got a .22 pistol that will only function reliably with Remington Thunderbolts. Nothing else I've tried (currently 10 or 12 different varieties) will feed more than 2 or 3 rounds without a jam. The Thunderbolts lead the barrel, but I can clean that out, and they're cheap, so I'm just thankful I found something that works!
bigbillyboy
Hunter
I have not a 90%fail as the op , but for sure some duds !
noahmercy
Blackhawk
Remington Golden Bullets have been on my "do-not-buy" list for many years. Never had issues with them chambering, but they had the highest rate of failure-to-fire and the ones that did go "bang" were inaccurate with wild variations in velocity. The weak ones (at least 10% of any given box) would fail to cycle the action on semi-autos. I consider it the lowest of the low grade rimfire ammo.
Remington Thunderbolts have always functioned much better for me than the Goldens...just dirty and not terribly accurate.
Remington Thunderbolts have always functioned much better for me than the Goldens...just dirty and not terribly accurate.
gunman42782
Hunter
As others have said, I have, or rather my wife has, a pistol, a Walther P22, that absolutely loves Remington Thunderbolts.
jgt
Buckeye
I always saw thunderbolts as sorry ammo, but I shot a coon with one once and it preformed better than anything I had used before. Instant kill and the exit area was extraordinary. Must have been the soft lead. The shot was about 25 yards from a Ruger 10-22.
I never clean my 22 rifle barrels until their groups start to open up. If the thunderbolts lead your barrels, I believe I will keep some on had to shoot after I clean mine. It may sweeten the barrel faster after cleaning.
I never clean my 22 rifle barrels until their groups start to open up. If the thunderbolts lead your barrels, I believe I will keep some on had to shoot after I clean mine. It may sweeten the barrel faster after cleaning.
ON THE FLIP SIDE
Last fall during pre-hunt practice, I was shooting ammo from a case of Rem 22lr that was a minimum of 35 years old. Performance was at or close to the expectation of the rifle.
Last fall during pre-hunt practice, I was shooting ammo from a case of Rem 22lr that was a minimum of 35 years old. Performance was at or close to the expectation of the rifle.
ProfessorWes
Hawkeye
Dirty firing and excessive leading has been my experience with Thunderbolts; I won't use them anymore.
After my dad and I took turns putting a fifty-round box of T-bolts through his Bearcat some years ago, I got enough lead debris out of the barrel when cleaning it afterward, I could probably have cast an entire .22 bullet out of it. They're nasty
.
After my dad and I took turns putting a fifty-round box of T-bolts through his Bearcat some years ago, I got enough lead debris out of the barrel when cleaning it afterward, I could probably have cast an entire .22 bullet out of it. They're nasty
.Rich/WIS
Bearcat
Best shooting ammo in my K22 for hunting are the Golden HP. Shoot a lot of Federal Auto Match in my pistols and have failures to fire and weak rounds that fail to function the action, maybe one ot two per hundred. When I shot Bullseye competition best ammo was CCI SV or Winchester Pistol Match, don't recall a single failure in over 10K rounds.
Let's stop & try to remember that the Remington ammo made now is by a different company in a different facility than it was just a few years ago. Hoping the the same bunch that makes CCI & Federal will give their same effort to the Remington brand.
But all the brands have a bargain basement offering & it's always a flip of a coin if it works well or not.
But all the brands have a bargain basement offering & it's always a flip of a coin if it works well or not.
Dave Schwaab
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2014
- Messages
- 153
I love Golden Bullets. My last Bucket O Bullets had 1420 rounds in it. Of those 1420, only 4 did not go bang on the first strike in one of my Mark IIs. Of those 4, 3 went bang on a second strike, and the last went bang on a third strike.
My favorite ammo is CCI, and the bane of my existence is Federal bulk packs. Lately, my local range has been having trouble getting CCI and I am forced to get the Federal stuff. A lot of duds. Wide range of power/velocities. Many won't cycle the action enough to pick up another round. One was so underpowered, the bullet struck 15 INCHES lower than any other on my target, at a range of only 10 yards.
Just opened a new Bucket O Bullets and putting them into 100 round CCI boxes for taking to the range. Glad to have a break from the Federal junk!
My favorite ammo is CCI, and the bane of my existence is Federal bulk packs. Lately, my local range has been having trouble getting CCI and I am forced to get the Federal stuff. A lot of duds. Wide range of power/velocities. Many won't cycle the action enough to pick up another round. One was so underpowered, the bullet struck 15 INCHES lower than any other on my target, at a range of only 10 yards.
Just opened a new Bucket O Bullets and putting them into 100 round CCI boxes for taking to the range. Glad to have a break from the Federal junk!
Excellent point - I think the brick of Thunderbolts that I mentioned in post #4 is about 20 years old.
" the bane of my existence is Federal bulk packs."
Here again is a similarly opposite finding. Federal Auto Match(in the 325 bulk pack) is the 'go to' ammo for several of our 22's (rifle or pistol). Always/never are difficult words to justify.
Here again is a similarly opposite finding. Federal Auto Match(in the 325 bulk pack) is the 'go to' ammo for several of our 22's (rifle or pistol). Always/never are difficult words to justify.
bigbillyboy
Hunter
I have used federal as well as Winchester and all have a few duds from time to time. But %wise T/bolts are the worst .
I haven't bought any in a while but a little over a decade ago I shot up somewhere between 20K and 25K of the Goldens (when they were about 2c a shot at Walmart). I experienced a VERY consistent "dud rate" of one to two percent (i.e., five to ten in a box of 550). I quickly learned not to waste time with a second strike on the duds--there was NO primer in them anywhere.
I also noticed at least four different levels of sound from the GBs, although, amazingly, this seemed to have no effect on either functioning or accuracy out to 50 yards. I don't recall any guns they wouldn't function in, but at least one gun would run 100% on them (the ones that fired, of course) and nothing else. They also turned out to be the MOST accurate load I tested in my Rem 581. Go figger.
I still have several thousand rounds of the things around here somewhere. At the rate I've been shooting lately, that's probably a lifetime supply.
OP
Bluefin178
Bearcat
I've had that with the Golden Bullets. After the last shortage I bought tons of 22 LR's. The GB's were common and I bought about 6 of their 500 packs and a bucket. The problem was with one lot # I had to push them really hard into all my revolver cylinders. I had to use the end of a clothespin to jam them into my Bearcat. 3-4 of those 500 packs had that lot #. I havn't looked at the bucket because they're way in the back. I have my fingers crossed.
I called Remington and he was willing to replace them and I think he was giving me a shipping label. I ended up keeping and shooting them all except the bucket. I really have my fingers crossed that it's not the bad lot #.
These were all bought before VISTA started making them.
I called Remington and he was willing to replace them and I think he was giving me a shipping label. I ended up keeping and shooting them all except the bucket. I really have my fingers crossed that it's not the bad lot #.
These were all bought before VISTA started making them.
I generally buy CCI standard velocity as my primary target ammo. It is reliable and accurate in most of my pistols and rifles. I do use Federal Auto Match in one rifle that shoots best with it. I do not like Federal bulk pack ammo or Remington Thunderbolts and avoid them.
To me, Thunderbolts are the worst. If that’s the only 22LR in stock, I’ll do without. Professor Wes had same problems as myself.
The Golden Bullets have been “iffy” for me.
Federal followed by Winchester is what works best in my 22s.
The Golden Bullets have been “iffy” for me.
Federal followed by Winchester is what works best in my 22s.
ProfessorWes
Hawkeye
I've had decent results with Federal bulk pack for reliability; for accuracy my Henry Lever Octagon Frontier and Ruger MK III target pistol seem to prefer CCI Mini-Mags and Winchester Power-Points. I have quite a bit of both stashed, bought cheap before the ammo panic. As infrequently as I get to go shooting, likely (as Snake remarked back up the thread) a lifetime supply.
Hankus
Buckeye
Back in the ‘94-‘95 timeframe when I was stationed at Fort Carson, CO, Long’s Drugs was selling Federal 550 round bulk packs for ~$5.00/box. I ended up buying 2 cases of 10 boxes per case. I opened the last box ~a month ago and it’s almost gone with no FTFs at all. I stored this ammo in 20mm ammo cans with desiccant packs inside and it’s served me well, with innumerable hours of plinking and small game hunting. As I saw my stash was dwindling a couple years ago and they started becoming available again I started buying the Federal .22 bulk packs at Wally World; 325 rounds for $21.87, and was glad to find it! I probably have 10 boxes stashed away but haven’t fired any yet. My son and I also fired a box of Remington .22lr subsonic rounds that had been stored in the same can as the Federal and had six FTFs.
" I stored this ammo in 20mm ammo cans with desiccant packs inside "
Excellent choice of storage. I bought a pickup bed full of similar surplus ammo cans a couple decades back and they do a great job although they do get heavy when filled.
Excellent choice of storage. I bought a pickup bed full of similar surplus ammo cans a couple decades back and they do a great job although they do get heavy when filled.
That is true! Had to move a few years ago, and couldn't put any ammo, propellant, etc. in the moving truck. So, time to get a trailer - but what size/capacity do you need? That's when you start weighing ammo cans; at 20 to 40+ pounds each (50 cal cans, depending on whether it's 5.56, .45, or whatever inside, and how the contents are boxed) it adds up faster than you would believe! "Buy on sale and in bulk" is wise advice, but there can be consequences!
Dave Schwaab
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2014
- Messages
- 153
The Federal Auto Match 325s is the one I'm having all the problems with! Different ammo works differently in different guns for different people. Your results may vary. (Funny how that works!)
See above. My Mark IIs are my best shooters. When I do get a round that fails to go bang, I will reposition it in the mag so that it hits a different spot on the rim. Very rare that that doesn't work. I have had a handful that NEVER went bang, a couple CCI or Remington, but, usually, Federal. In my SR22, I just pull the trigger again and, 9 out of 10 times, that is all it needs.I haven't bought any in a while but a little over a decade ago I shot up somewhere between 20K and 25K of the Goldens (when they were about 2c a shot at Walmart). I experienced a VERY consistent "dud rate" of one to two percent (i.e., five to ten in a box of 550). I quickly learned not to waste time with a second strike on the duds--there was NO primer in them anywhere.
I also noticed at least four different levels of sound from the GBs, although, amazingly, this seemed to have no effect on either functioning or accuracy out to 50 yards. I don't recall any guns they wouldn't function in, but at least one gun would run 100% on them (the ones that fired, of course) and nothing else. They also turned out to be the MOST accurate load I tested in my Rem 581. Go figger.
I still have several thousand rounds of the things around here somewhere. At the rate I've been shooting lately, that's probably a lifetime supply.
Like I said: Different ammo works differently in different guns for different people. Your results may vary.
I’ve had good and bad luck with all of the major brands over the years. Most recently with CCI Blazers. I bought eight bricks at the beginning of the pandemic. They were packaged as a lot of three and a lot of five - different batches. The ”three” lot ran about 15% duds (in any gun) and accuracy was all over the map. It was ugly and I was pissed! To my surprise, the “five” lot shot great with good accuracy and very few issues.
So I’ve given up choosing one manufacturer over another and just hope for good batches and buy more when I find them. CCI SV has probably been the most consistent over all.
So I’ve given up choosing one manufacturer over another and just hope for good batches and buy more when I find them. CCI SV has probably been the most consistent over all.
That deserves to be repeated:
"Different ammo works differently in different guns for different people. Your results may vary."
(...and that's why I'll try as many different kinds of .22 ammo as possible, in any .22 I buy or modify, to see which one shoots the best!)
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