I just picked up a Bergara BMR 22 carbon (pics in pic thread) and I plan to shoot a couple of my club’s NRL events this year, complete newbie here.

I’d like some ammo recommendations to see what the rifle likes.

Thanks in advance!

Start with reasonably inexpensive, standard velocity ammo.  Get used to the rifle using that.  

If it is not meeting your accuracy requirements, you have a reason to try better.

I use Wolf Match Extra (<$10/box).  I used to use Winchester T-22 (<$5/box) but it became unavailable and so I switched.

Personally, I would not buy/use top-priced ammo unless I knew I would benefit in some way.  When I last tried TENEX ($26/box), I shot it no better than T-22 or Wolf ME.

I use CCI Standard. I know there's more accurate ammo out there but price to performance.... I'm probably sticking with CCI

My B14-R with the steel barrel like SK Rifle Match, but not far behind is Norma TAC-22.  At less than 1/2 the cost it is my go to practice ammo in the Bergara.

Until you develop skill ( reading wind building positions) fairly inexpensive ammo is OK. I have self imposed a $10 per box limit on my ammo costs for nrl 22 for me.

I would completely skip ANYTHING made in the United States,, with the possible exception of CCI standard velocity.

Also don’t even bother with anything high velocity.

Sounds counterintuitive but standard velocity ammo demonstrates less wind drift at extended ranges than high velocity.

Fairly economical starting points are eley standard ( now called target) club and contact
Also SK standard plus or pistol match or pistol match special ( all these are under $10 per box)

The cool kids in nrl fawn over lapua center x but even this high quality and fairly expensive ammo ($15/box) shows some dramatic lot to lot variation at times

Problem right now is finding these products. The eley seems fairly available SK and Lapua have been very scarce the last year or so.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. CCI standard is what majority of my stockpile is.

I started nrl shooting a simple savage mark II FV-SR with CCI standard. It is an ok starting point. I can still take that savage, CCI standard, dial my 300 yard dope, and hit a 12” square steel at 300 right out the gate.

Having said that, you almost certainly will see more consistent accuracy from something European.

Same goes for me

Shoot that until you can be sure the miss was the ammo and NOT you.   Once you get to that point, spend some money to evaluate better ammo.

Of course, testing ammo is a different skill set unto itself, so be careful there, too.

CCI SV is a common consistent "go-to" mostly because of its availability (even at Walmart still) and price.  If you aren't a believer in subsonic target ammo, CCI MiniMags

The various "suppressor" ammo offerings (GemTech etc) will typically match CCI SV in my current "accuracy" 22 setup, but the prices tend to edge up into the low end "real match ammo" offerings.

Speaking of...

Match Ammo Families -

Norma, RWS, and Geco are all basically the same stuff in different boxes.  There are "grades"/variations across each, price tag will give indicators as to what goes with what. Unfortunately, never shot great in my rifle so I'm not sure on the exact mappings between them...

Old Wolf (been 6 or so years now I think), SK, and Lapua are all the same stuff in different boxes, until you get to the top end Lapua offerings (Center-X, Midas+)

New/Current Wolf and Ely are the same things, again, there will be a mapping between Wolf MT and maybe Ely Club and Wolf ME and the next step up from Ely.  There may be some Remington offerings that are very similar, and higher end Aguila offerings will often be similar to Ely as well.


"Basically same stuff" - I really mean "same basic lube etc", so if your rifle shoots good with a lower end version it will likely shoot REALLY good with the higher end offering in the same family.  By the same token if say Norma TAC-22 gives terrible groups compared to CCI SV, upping the quality of the ammo may help but is it worth the cost, etc?

Until you are able to see the difference, on the target face, between the mid-priced ammo you have and the various premium brands, it makes no sense to spend any additional money on them.  Your ammo cost will skyrocket but your targets will not improve.  

There may seem to be a conundrum in that recommendation but consider this.

Save your money until you can say with certainty, "That 10 should have been an X and that 9 should have been a 10.".  Note, by then you are shooting only 10's and X's and are skilled enough at calling your shots to know where it should have gone.  Then, it makes some sense to spend more on ammo.


P.S. - Be sure to test the ammo at the full distance at which you plan to shoot/compete.  Supposedly, some ammo does not do quite so well at long ranges as it does at shorter.

Shoot different ammo and see what your rifle likes.
I’m going to go against the grain though.  I want to shoot high quality  accurate ammo. How can you measure your skill at distance if you are fighting a mechanical variable. Is the flier you or the ammo?   More often than not with rimfire it’s the ammo.  
     Cost can always be a factor but I’d go with the best you can afford that works with your rifle.  My V22 likes center X so that is what I shoot

Also what is said above about shooting at distance is 100% good advice.  Anyone can shoot good with decent ammo at 25-50 yards.  100 and beyond will thin the herd quickly

I'll add a little on the differences between standard and high velocity ammo. High velocity ammo will have less drop at farther distance but will have a wider spread in the groups. Standard velocity will drop more but have less spread.

And what was said about group sizes at 25-50 yards versus 100 yards or more is very true. Don't be surprised if your groups at 100 yards are double the size of 50 yard groups. Try as many different brands of ammo that you can find and can afford until you find what your rifle likes best. And don't get discouraged when group sizes change between different lots of the same ammo.

I’ve been looking for Wolf, Lapua, and SK, but I can’t find it anywhere. Suggestions?

New current Wolf is the same as low grade Eley like Club or Target. Try Killough Shooting Sports for those Eley grades. Mile High Shooting and Whidden Gunworks have a few different grades of Lapua and SK. Sometimes AmmoSeek can find a few vendors. Good luck in your search.

You don't really pick an ammo that way

Your gun picks the ammo

Take your chrono and see which has the lowest es / sd

the most consistent ammo velocity wise will do better at distance than the short term groupings show anyway

see which ammo has the best combination of tightest group at 100 and lowest es / sd

only testing can determine what to pick

you don't just get to pick an arbitrary type of ammo out of the air if performance is your goal

I understand the rifle picks the ammo, I've been reloading centerfire cartridges for 16 years. So in a sense, isn't that exactly what I need to do?

Other than just plinking with rimfire I wasn't sure who the go to manufacturers for consistent ammo were. Rimfire is a different ballgame for me.

In my experience, with my shooting, more often than not it is the shooter not the ammo.

One essential skill is learning to call your shots.  You have to learn to be truthful with yourself.  

You have to know where you put it.  If it isn't there, and it wasn't the wind (simple right/left deviation), then you start watching more carefully for other fliers.  

If you are really getting fliers, and as a result your objectives are not being met, you need different ammo.  This is a phenomenon I have never yet experienced.  

With me, it has always been the shooter that is the limiting factor.

I took a quick look at Champion's Choice.  They seem to have everything anyone could want.  If you do not know of them, they are a great supplier and have been reliable for decades.

Link to Champion's Choice Rimfire Ammo

Perhaps with centerfire and finely tuned handloads, but with rimfire, ammo is a BIG part of the equation.

I’ve got 7k rds of CCI standard I’ll never shoot outside of a .22 pistol. After the barrel was seasoned, the Sk std started grouping like I expect.

You’ll have to test. I’ve noticed some factory rifles have a strong preference for either Sk/Lapua or Eley. My b14r doesn’t shoot Eley well at all. It is exceptional with some lots of SK.

When I tossed on a new barrel for my Vudoo, I pulled the barrel from the lathe and tested it with various lots/brands within the hour. It shot several lots well, but the Eley edge had very tight Sd/ES as well as good groups. For that barrel, the edge is what I run when serious, and plink/practice with Std. +.

When I test ammo, I do not see large variations from one brand/type/lot to another.  

When I first bought my Remington, I tested about 10 types - R-50, Tenex, Midas,... but I also tested Winchester T-22.  Honestly, they all shot about the same.  So much so, I could not justify paying for high priced ammo.  In that rifle, I shot T-22 for years and had no complaints.

When I bought my Anschutz, I bought a case of Wolf Match Extra (made by SK).  It shoots so well, I have never bothered with anything else.  I also bought a case of the equivalent SK ammo.  I have other ammo brands/types sitting on the shelf awaiting testing but I have not found a reason to do it.  

I bought a case of Remington ammo from CMP for "blasting ammo".  I ran some in my Anschutz a few months ago.  It was totally fine.

In both these rifles, if the shot is not an X, it is me (and frequently is).

Don't begrudge me this.  Although the story above runs counter to the "ammo selection is critical" narrative, nonetheless, it is a good thing.  I mean, who wants an unnecessarily complex rifle & ammo?  I shoot rimfire, in part, because of its simplicity.



I'll just keep on shooting and if anything anomalous pops up, if I finally get good enough to see differences, I'll get back to you guys.

A lot of ammo looks good at 50 yards. I made a spreadsheet to track average distance for each COF each month. Most shots average 70 yards. Cci sv is excellent for what it is, but look at your 100 yard groups! The July COF had a lot of shots at 90-95 yards. I short a B14R, and I found sk ammo to be very accurate and consistent. I also found it was harder to close the bolt on eley vs sk.

You do you, but this is a known thing with rimfire. Your isolated results may be anomalous, but that doesn’t change what thousands of others have figured out; ammo selection and lot testing makes a difference.

There’s a reason ppl that are highly competitive in rimfire BR order from places like Killough when they find a lot that they like. There’s also a reason they order cases when they do find that special lot.


What do your 5x5’s look like when testing at 50 or 100yds?

Ummm,... what's a "5X5"?

I'm hoping for some range time next Friday.  Maybe I will do some of that ammo testing at 50 versus 100 yards.

One explanation could be I am such a poor shooter, my inaccuracy hides the differences in the ammo.

5 consecutive groups of 5 shots. Due to the variability in rimfire ammo, more groups or larger sample sizes isn’t a bad thing. The important thing is to capture them all on the same target. Helps for analyzing data and helps to ensure we don’t forget about those groups that didn’t look so great.

Thanks for posting all this info.  I'm trying to learn as much as I can while away from the range.

In your second picture (see below), if I make a composite group out of the ELEY Edge, it is quite a bit bigger than any individual group of five shots.  

Was the point of aim always the center dot of their respective bullseye?

P.S. - Just so we are clear on this point - GREAT SHOOTING!  I especially like that 100 yard target.  I don't think I can do that well.  I'll shoot one and post it.

P.P.S. - What was the U-X ammo?

It was supposed to be C-X, Lapua Center X.

The POA was always the same. A composite will almost always be larger, it’s the nature of a composite. Part of the shift is likely due to rifle cant between groups. If I catch myself canted, I won’t change till that group is complete.

Appreciate the kind words. That was from a barricade. It typically shoots a bit tighter when prone (one high shot opened it up a bit), but I was holding pretty solid from the prop that day.

Sk standard + is great

I'm just curious where you got that target from....

@SuperJlarge

I made it. Send me an IM with your email address and I’ll send it to you.

After checking my mail, I think this is the 2nd time I've asked for one of your targets.....

Thanks!

@SuperJlarge