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User Panel
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CA, USA
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Posted: 7/6/2015 7:52:15 PM EDT
Just curious what everyone is using for precision work. I went to a rimfire competition (small local affair) and sort of got the bug. I can also confirm, a field gun at a target competition will earn you the respect of the competitors if you shoot well, but it damn sure wont win any competitions!
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 7/6/2015 9:32:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: usmcmp]
[#1]
45ACP
Sorry, didn't see the 22 thing. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 7/6/2015 10:28:38 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By usmcmp:
45ACP Sorry, didn't see the 22 thing. So in the 22 precision rimfire section, you didnt think it was for rimfire?? For all our sakes you might want to go brush up on that hunter safety course. 
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Posted: 7/7/2015 12:33:59 AM EDT
[#3]
Eley Black or Red. Depends on how serious the competition is.
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USA
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Posted: 7/7/2015 1:13:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: MemeWarfare]
[#4]
I recommend picking up a variety of match ammo from Champoin's Choice and seeing how each performs in your rifle. I just took a new rifle (CZ 452) to the range with 9 different loads (3 bulk and 6 match-grade). SK Rifle Match performed best in this rifle by a wide margin. This surprised me as I expected Tenex to perform best. The rifle was quite consistent with each load, but the differences between loads were quite significant. You'll just have to see what yours likes.
I tested: CCI sv American Eagle Remington Thunderbolt RWS R50 Wolf target match SK rifle match Ely club Ely match Ely Tenex |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 7/7/2015 9:00:00 AM EDT
[#5]
Ely Match and CCI Green Tag, mostly. I was surprised by Wolf Match too.
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Posted: 7/7/2015 11:44:12 PM EDT
[#6]
Low(er) budget rimfire shooter here.
I've found CCI standard velocity is the best bang for the buck in my little precision trainer (accurized 10/22). The high-end match grade stuff is more accurate, but for half the cost CCI is pretty darn good. Now, I'm not competing in rimfire disciplines. I shoot rimfire for economical practice. Strangely enough, it doesn't like Wolf at all. I concur on trying several loads in YOUR rifle. |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 7/15/2015 8:55:48 PM EDT
[Last Edit: DakotaFAL]
[#7]
I've also tried numerous types of match ammo and I found that Sk Standard Plus is on balance the best bang for the buck in my CZ 453 American, my CZ 453 Varmint, both of my Model 52S sporters and my CZ 99 Precision. My Anschutz Match 64 also shoots it pretty well.
Papua makes the SK ammo, and they make SK Rifle Match, SK Standard Plus and SK Magazine on the same machines. They test each production lot and the accurcy and consistency of the lot is what determines the label it receives. Ammo that meets the higher specification of SK Rifle Match get that label. Ammo that falls short but still meets the Standard Plus spec gets that label and the rest gets the Magazine label. Wolf rebrands the SK Rifle Match as "Match Extra" and the Sk Standard Plus as "Match Target". Same ammo off the same machines subject to the same lot testing and standards. ---- In practice I've found it comes down to the number of fliers per box of 50. I can generally expect to shoot a clean 200/200 score prone at 50 yards on an A23/5 target with SK Rifle Match. With Sk Standard plus, I'll usually land a couple 8s or 9s and post scores around 196/200. With Sk Magazine, I can expect to get 4-5 fliers per 50, and the score drop to around 192/200. Generally speaking I'll use Sk Standard Plus for practice, as the fliers are obvious in prone and I can tell whether it was me or the ammo. For long range plate shooting, I'll also use Sk Standard Plus or Sk Magazine as the plate is fairly large (8") and the difference in accuracy and consistency is lost in the variables due to wind. I'll save the Sk Rifle Match for actual match shooting. |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 7/15/2015 9:39:39 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2JokersWild: So in the 22 precision rimfire section, you didnt think it was for rimfire?? For all our sakes you might want to go brush up on that hunter safety course. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2JokersWild: Originally Posted By usmcmp: 45ACP Sorry, didn't see the 22 thing. So in the 22 precision rimfire section, you didnt think it was for rimfire?? For all our sakes you might want to go brush up on that hunter safety course. |
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USA
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Posted: 7/17/2015 11:48:28 AM EDT
[#9]
After a lot of testing I setteled on Wolf Match Target. It shoots extremely well out of every 22lr I own.
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VA, USA
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Posted: 7/18/2015 11:05:38 AM EDT
[#10]
So, I shoot 'precision rimfire' exclusively - NRA Metric Prone (A-27 & A-51 target, A-33 target @ 100), and NRA Conventional Prone (A-27 & A-23/5 target, and A-25 target @100), as well as ISSF 50M Prone (A-51 target). I fell in love with it 6 years ago, and never looked back.
My ammunition choices break down as such: NRA Conventional Prone: Practice - SK Standard Plus Competition - Eley Black NRA Metric/ISSF 50M Prone: Practice - SK Standard Plus Competition - Eley Tenex (when I have it), Eley Black (when I'm out of Tenex). For what those who are unaware, SK Standard Plus & Wolf Match Target are the same ammo, in different packaging. They're made in the same factory by the same people. SK Rifle Match is the same thing as Wolf Match Extra. SK Standard is a relatively economical (at least for this game), and has decent practical accuracy for practicing. It's too expensive to shoot Eley all the time (unless you're fortunate enough to be at the OTC in Colorado Springs), but if I could, I would... -tc |
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AR, USA
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Posted: 7/29/2015 11:27:58 AM EDT
[#11]
Shot for Record:
Eley Tenex Fiocchi SM 320/340 (now Official 320 and Exacta Winter [which is best shot 40 F and below]) Wolf Match Extra Midas + Training: Any of the above if enough is on hand. Eley Match EPS Wolf Match Target SK Standard For Bullet Hose - Shits 'N Giggles SK HV Federal Premium HV CCI Mini Mag These were found by me to shoot best in my competition rifles. Ted |
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Posted: 8/2/2015 8:28:03 PM EDT
[#12]
Back about 30 years ago I was going to by a Remington 40X 22LR rifle.
Will I never did, but I did pickup this box of match ammo for it, if I did buy one. C-I-L Match 22lr, greased, box of 50. Canadian Industries Limited Been sitting on the back of my desk gathering dust until I dug it out tonight. There is a price tag on back......$5.95 I supposed that was expensive in it's day. I also had a box of ELEY, but I must of shot it, or it grew legs. That's been known to happen around here when the youngin's were still around. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 8/3/2015 11:32:50 AM EDT
[#13]
In competition for score shots I use SK Rifle Match in one gun and Eley Club in the other. I don't like the Eley, gives me a headache with that super glue smell, but it's what the gun wants to eat. Both are very accurate. SK is much much less expensive. For training Federal Match bulk. For pre-match practice and sighters I use the same ammo I shoot for score. That's all for smallbore metallic silhouette competition. I do other rimfire stuff too but those are mostly pistol matches at pistol distances and don't need fancy ammo.
With rimfire it doesn't matter what other people use necessarily (it's a hint usually though). It matters what your gun likes to eat and prints tiny groups with. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 8/3/2015 12:16:49 PM EDT
[#14]
Its interesting to see no one has mentioned Lapua. I take it its not a very popular round for rimfire?
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Posted: 8/3/2015 12:30:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: snakeman48]
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2JokersWild:
Its interesting to see no one has mentioned Lapua. I take it its not a very popular round for rimfire? Excellent stuff, but very expensive compared to the other manufactures mentioned in this thread. I just looked it up on Midway, and it's 13.99 a box of 50, or .28 cents a round. |
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AR, USA
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Posted: 8/3/2015 1:30:39 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2JokersWild:
Its interesting to see no one has mentioned Lapua. I take it its not a very popular round for rimfire? Joker see my post above, Midas + is Lapua. While Lapua, SK, and Wolf are all products from Nammo Group: Nammo Schönebeck GmbH Wilhelm-Dümling-Straße 12 DE-39218 Schönebeck (Elbe), there are differences. Joker, Lapua ammo for serious competition is extremely popular. So much so that serious shooters and competitors buy it in bulk. Like Eley, Lapua can be purchased by lot number. It isn't uncommon for a team or club to purchase 10K rounds a season. For the average precision shooter on a budget, the cost can be too high. For those shooters it is of critical importance to experiment with a variety of brands within their price range. The following isn't directly in response to "Joker," but is intended to head off the often heard complaint from the plinkers that they; "...would never pay that amount for no 22 shells." All well and good, but please pay attention to the topic, which is "Precision Rimfire." Don't think that all Nammo brands are the same, they are not. For example X-Act and Midas+ under the Lapua brand receive better primer, better case, and a more dimensionally/weight correct bullet, than the other Nammo brands. Most use VihtaVuori powder. QA for X-Act and Midas+ is intense. This isn't plinking ammo, it is made for serious hard core rimfire shooters for use in weapons that can best take advantage of the ammo. Despite the ultra quality and precision, if plinking grade ammo shoots crappy in a $200 rifle, don't expect quality ammo (like that from Nammo) to do better. As has been said ad nauseum, you must try each brand and individual offering in your gun to know what it will shoot. Ted |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 8/8/2015 2:36:13 PM EDT
[#17]
^^^ words of experience it would seem.
I don't use these expensive brands in a ruger 10/22 or a 597 or anything shelf grade and you won't see a lot of that at competitions either. The guns that rule the roost for people eating this expensive .22 ammo are from Sako and Anschutz with some Remmy 40x's tossed in. The "common" stuff at the line have starting prices above 2 grand for a barreled action. My Standard Gun class rifle was about 3500 to put together before the first Obama related panic. Nowadays you couldn't touch it for 4500. My Hunter class gun is only about half that much. The point is, we don't pick off the rack guns to shoot ammo that is nearly bespoke and we don't shoot much off the shelf ammo in actually bespoke guns. This said, I do know one guy that routinely shows up to our matches with a 10/22 with fairly minor mods and usually wins or places in his class using Eley ammo. Last I knew Lapua will test your gun with various lots of ammo and find the one that it's best with and sell you all you want from that lot, by the case. You're talking 2 grand in ammo but if you eat 500 .22's a day it's worth it. |
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Posted: 8/9/2015 11:43:47 AM EDT
[#18]
Besides rimfire central what website should rimfire enthusiast's be following?
Great info! |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 8/10/2015 1:54:13 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ballisticxlr:
^^^ words of experience it would seem. I don't use these expensive brands in a ruger 10/22 or a 597 or anything shelf grade and you won't see a lot of that at competitions either. The guns that rule the roost for people eating this expensive .22 ammo are from Sako and Anschutz with some Remmy 40x's tossed in. The "common" stuff at the line have starting prices above 2 grand for a barreled action. My Standard Gun class rifle was about 3500 to put together before the first Obama related panic. Nowadays you couldn't touch it for 4500. My Hunter class gun is only about half that much. The point is, we don't pick off the rack guns to shoot ammo that is nearly bespoke and we don't shoot much off the shelf ammo in actually bespoke guns. This said, I do know one guy that routinely shows up to our matches with a 10/22 with fairly minor mods and usually wins or places in his class using Eley ammo. Last I knew Lapua will test your gun with various lots of ammo and find the one that it's best with and sell you all you want from that lot, by the case. You're talking 2 grand in ammo but if you eat 500 .22's a day it's worth it. I show up at our local competitions with a fill on field gun. Lever action 22 with a fixed 4 power scope. Needless to say I dont place very well, but no one gives me a hard time and everyone is very helpful and its a lot of fun. On our silhouette shoots I'm consistently hitting in the 30's.(Out of 60 targets, various ranges). I feel not bad about that considering I'm using some cheap bulk Remington ammo and "Kentucky windage" for my drops. I think if I can get a good quality ammo, and my gun responds well to that, and figure out my drops I should do a fair bit better. I have no expectations of winning, not by a long shot. Its also not a target competition in the sense of shooting paper for score (We shoot steel) so it is a bit easier in that regard as well. Obviously my kit isnt going to win any true target competitions. But that doesnt mean I dont want to get all the performance out of what I do have, and it doesnt mean I dont want to make a good show of it when I do engage in targety type stuff. It also doesnt help that because everyone (Except one arrogant douche who needs a foot in his ass) at the competitions is so helpful and friendly it makes me want to up my game and get better gear. Nothing like spending money.
I do appreciate everyones help so far, and its interesting to see the number of replies in this thread compared to others. I think it goes to show how critical good 22 ammo is for this type of work. I also appreciate the suggestion of Champions Choice ammo as a place to pick up ammo, I ordered 3 boxes of SK to test and it should be arriving today. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 8/12/2015 11:36:05 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By winddummy82:
Besides rimfire central what website should rimfire enthusiast's be following? Great info! I prefer 'Target Talk'. Look 'em up. Another great one is 'Smallbore Accuracy', a part of the Delphi Forums group. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 8/13/2015 6:27:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: M45]
[#21]
I like anything made by Lapua. (Wolf 22 is made by Lapua as well and shoots amazingly well)
But keep in mind, every rifle shoots their ammo differently so what works in one gun may not perform the same in another. |
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KS, USA
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Posted: 10/25/2016 2:00:59 AM EDT
[#22]
Bumping this thread instead of creating a new one.
For those who aren't running $1k+ competition benchrest machines, but are simply wanting a decent match round in the performance<->price sweet spot to practice with at the range, what should we be looking at? Are either Federal AutoMatch or Augilla Rifle Match serviceable options? |
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MI, USA
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Posted: 10/25/2016 9:49:00 AM EDT
[#23]
Over on Rimfirecentral SK Magazine seems to get the nod for bang for the buck right now.
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Posted: 10/25/2016 10:36:37 AM EDT
[#24]
I haven't tried match ammo, but for good "off the shelf" results, Standard Velocity CCI has performed well.
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VA, USA
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Posted: 10/26/2016 2:39:16 PM EDT
[Last Edit: striperfisher]
[#25]
I shoot ARA and IR50/50 rimfire bench rest. A very expensive game if your any wear near competive
Check out rimfireaccuracy. Com |
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Posted: 11/4/2016 9:56:17 PM EDT
[#26]
Something I did not see mentioned was lot to lot variations within brands of ammo. All lots any given brand are not created equal and may perform differently in your gun due to minor variations being in or out of tune for your gun.
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Posted: 11/7/2016 8:14:07 PM EDT
[#27]
After trying several different brands of match 22lr in my CPC'd 10/22 LVT I settled on RWS R50. Had great results with it on the USBR Green Monster target at 50 yards. Won one local competition and finished second in another. Then this past weekend I went to an ARA match and tried a couple boxes of Eley Practice 100 and it shot better than the R50. I was surprised by its results and need to do more testing come spring time.
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Posted: 2/23/2018 1:45:11 PM EDT
[#28]
Hey all, searching for ammo threads and came across this one.
Is SK Rifle match aka Wolf, etc... still the go to ammo with a decent price point? I just can't see paying $17/box of 50 for the Eley black box. This thread is a bit old, what ammo are you having good success with? I'm shooting it out of the 18" ruger rimfire precision rifle. I'll be shooting matches with targets from 25-200 yards or so. |
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Posted: 2/23/2018 10:19:04 PM EDT
[#29]
I have used Tenex and the like for great groups but I have settled on SK for most of my Precision Rimfire shooting. I use SK Magazine for general steel work, SK Standard Plus for out past 100 yards on smaller targets or paper punching and SK Rifle Match for anything I am super serious about and groups. They all shoot to same POA/POI so I can use the same DOPE for all three.
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Posted: 2/23/2018 11:49:38 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dj1975232:
I have used Tenex and the like for great groups but I have settled on SK for most of my Precision Rimfire shooting. I use SK Magazine for general steel work, SK Standard Plus for out past 100 yards on smaller targets or paper punching and SK Rifle Match for anything I am super serious about and groups. They all shoot to same POA/POI so I can use the same DOPE for all three. |
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Posted: 2/24/2018 1:31:28 PM EDT
[#31]
My experience ,,, after getting into the precision .22 game late last year...
I did not drop thousands... I got a Ruger target rifle and did some work on it (Trigger, new stock.. pillar bedding... ) stuck about $550 in it total... added a Mueller scope ($250) 
Did my ammo research here and on Rimfire forums.... Picked up a variety of different ammo... Goal was to find an ammo the rifle liked, that was acceptable in accuracy and was not $25 a box of 50 this was the initial results  Using this I picked up more of the SKPlus and the Eley 
When the dust cleared... The ammo I chose was SK plus, as I could get it for $5... Eley was a back up choice that could be had for $7 a box... You have to do your homework... and find out what you rifle will shoot accurately.... Rifles are like fingerprints... no two alike. and you have to determine your ammo budget and what you are willing to pay for what level of accuracy... Like the old adage goes.. Speed is a question of money.... How fast do you want to go.... |
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AR, USA
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Posted: 3/23/2018 10:42:17 PM EDT
[#32]
Guys, precision .22s are notoriously picky. Down to lot numbers of the same box name. All of the above are great brands to try, not all of them will shoot well in your gun. Buy 5-6 boxes of the above, and try them. Odds are one will stand out above the others. Example: My anschutz hates Lapua Midas+, but will drive tacks with Eley/Remington EPS Lot # 1114-05179 1075. I'm not talking hunting, nor plinking, but precision. Heck, its a bit of an adventure, and a bit of fun finding what shoots exceptionally well in your gun (though it might cost a bit of money). Hang on to all those boxes that didn't pan out, you never know what your next .22 will like.
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MT, USA
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Posted: 3/24/2018 11:11:55 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By airsix:
I recommend picking up a variety of match ammo from Champoin's Choice and seeing how each performs in your rifle. I just took a new rifle (CZ 452) to the range with 9 different loads (3 bulk and 6 match-grade). SK Rifle Match performed best in this rifle by a wide margin. This surprised me as I expected Tenex to perform best. The rifle was quite consistent with each load, but the differences between loads were quite significant. You'll just have to see what yours likes. I tested: CCI sv American Eagle Remington Thunderbolt RWS R50 Wolf target match SK rifle match Ely club Ely match Ely Tenex Every rifle is an individual and testing a variety of ammo will so what the rifle likes. Also, 22s have a tendency to settle in after some shooting so if something looks promising performance can get better with more rds. |
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USA
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Posted: 3/26/2018 1:28:22 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Trollslayer]
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CIB:
Guys, precision .22s are notoriously picky. My 10-22 wouldn't shoot anything well. My Model 37 and Anschutz match rifles shoot everything well. Generally, cheap ammo does not shoot as well as expensive ammo, but paying big bucks does not guarantee smaller groups. You have to try it. It is as likely to be you (the shooter) as it is the ammo. There was a book published a few years ago wherein the group sizes were given for many, many brands of ammo. AccurateShooter.com has something similar on line. Go get that data. Add current prices to the data. Calculate a cost-per-increment-of-group-size-reduction (a figure of merit). Sort the data and find the best bang for the buck or your accuracy threshold of price pain. Hint, although Tenex gave the best groups, it was not the best "bang for the buck". |
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CO, USA
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Posted: 3/27/2018 10:12:13 AM EDT
[#35]
Stretch it out past 75 yards and the difference really becomes noticeable.
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GA, USA
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Posted: 4/25/2018 2:04:28 PM EDT
[#36]
I practice with Wolf Match Extra and compete with Center-X.
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MT, USA
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Posted: 6/7/2018 12:46:57 PM EDT
[#37]
I have had really good luck with Norma Tac 22 shooting out of my upgraded Ruger 10/22. 25 and 50 yards shoot one ragged hole and about 1 1/2" at 100 yards. My barrel only likes about 200 rounds before it starts throwing flyers, run a boresnake down it and back to good groups.
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UT, USA
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Posted: 6/21/2018 3:26:09 AM EDT
[#38]
Norma match that I bought on clearance from mid way. Beats eley in my guns as well.
Cci green tag precision Shockingly, blazer cheap ass.22 is really accurate.25 bucks a brick at cabelas |
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USA
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Posted: 6/22/2018 12:45:01 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Trollslayer]
[#39]
Have you tried the ELEY ammo sold by the CMP?
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USA
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Posted: 9/23/2018 1:12:19 AM EDT
[#40]
Started shooting NRL .22 matches with my wife. She shoots unlimited with a Magnum Research 10-22 with a carbon fiber match barrel. Her rifle liked SK Match of all the one we tried at a 100-yard indoor range. I still have to shoot Qualification for work and shot the first match with a .22 adapter in an AR. Then I found a sale on a Walther (Colt) .22 LR AR and bought it to shoot the BASIC class. Of all the types of ammo tried for it CCI .22 Suppressor 45 Gr HPs were the most accurate and operate the action reliably.
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