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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:17:18 PM EDT
That's putting it mildly and I'm sure this isn't the first thread on the subject
I have about half a brick of the stuff left so I thought i'd TRY to shoot it rather than dropping it in the trash At the range today the rim on some were too big to go in the mag It appears that some cases are too fat to chamber. Several were stuck half way in and had to be pried out I didn't have measuring devices with me, so this is just observation How can QC be that bad? It makes for an unpleasant/frustrating shooting experience |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:25:32 PM EDT
[#1]
Not exactly a news flash.
As far back as the late 1970’s when I first started shooting bullseye competition with 22 pistols at various indoor shooting ranges, most clubs had a “dud can” you put your dud and damaged / miss fed 22 ammo in. Even back then 90% of the dud can was filled with Remington. Remington is the worst quality 22 ammo available ( although Winchester current production gives it a run for its money) and the worst of the worst is the thunderbolts- in addition to bad feeding and duds when they do actually go off, have a well deserved reputation for excessive leading of the bore. |
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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:27:24 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By captain127: Not exactly a news flash. As far back as the late 1970’s when I first started shooting bullseye competition with 22 pistols at various indoor shooting ranges, most clubs had a “dud can” you put your dud and damaged / miss fed 22 ammo in. Even back then 90% of the dud can was filled with Remington. Remington is the worst quality 22 ammo available ( although Winchester current production gives it a run for its money) and the worst of the worst is the thunderbolts- in addition to bad feeding and duds when they do actually go off, have a well deserved reputation for excessive leading of the bore. Fortunately that wasn't the only ammo I took with me |
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PA, USA
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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:28:12 PM EDT
[#3]
Thunderbolt has always been some of the worst .22 on the market. Remignton Golden Bullets are pretty bad too. Stick to CCI and Federal.
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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:33:27 PM EDT
[#4]
The only bulk pack ammo I buy is Federal AutoMatch. I have gone through 1.5k rounds with no issues. Only one bad round.
If I’m buying bulk it’s AutoMatch, usually I shoot Aguila standard, Eley Target, Norma Tac, or CCI Standard. |
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Posted: 3/1/2023 7:44:10 PM EDT
[#5]
The other ammo I had was CCI AR Tactical
Great ammo, but messy on the fingers |
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PA, USA
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Posted: 3/1/2023 8:10:31 PM EDT
[#6]
Doesn’t everyone have a 22 that will eat anything? If you don’t, perhaps someone you know does. For me, it’s a Baikal MCM Margolin. Thunderbolts are welcome.
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Posted: 3/1/2023 8:11:39 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By d4xycrq: Doesn’t everyone have a 22 that will eat anything? If you don’t, perhaps someone you know does. For me, it’s a Baikal MCM Margolin. Thunderbolts are welcome. I would say no |
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Posted: 3/1/2023 8:57:45 PM EDT
[#8]
I can't think of any Remington rimfire ammunition that doesn't absolutely suck.
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:11:17 PM EDT
[Last Edit: -Obsessed-]
[#9]
All Rington is garbage.
Their Golden Bullets are almost as bad. |
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:13:47 PM EDT
[#10]
at least its not (fuck) Armscor
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:17:01 PM EDT
[#11]
My son’s TX22 shoots Thunderbolt without a hiccup. I can’t remember one jam or stovepipe with it.
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:17:42 PM EDT
[#12]
Thunderbolt>>>>Golden Bullet
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:22:23 PM EDT
[#13]
I've endured too much crappy .22 ammo.
I find CCI Mini-Mag to be very good in my guns. Costs a little more. But I'm not that guy who thinks the day was a failure if I don't shoot whole brick of .22 at one sitting. |
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WV, USA
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Posted: 3/1/2023 9:35:54 PM EDT
[#14]
All my 22 rifles and pistols run fine on Federal AutoMatch. Around .06 cpr and has been available at the local Walmart regularly as of late. I use it in my speed steel 22's without hiccups.
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Posted: 3/1/2023 11:01:31 PM EDT
[#15]
Youngster down the road just had a birthday, I found a brick of Remington thunderbolt ammo, he was happy to get it. Probably only until he fires it.
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Posted: 3/2/2023 12:31:56 AM EDT
[#16]
Back in the mid-90s, Sams of all places was selling it for ~$10/brick. Not knowing any better I and several friends bought a shitload of it. Took years to burn that shit up.
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MS, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 1:19:00 AM EDT
[Last Edit: MS556]
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By sheltot: Back in the mid-90s, Sams of all places was selling it for ~$10/brick. Not knowing any better I and several friends bought a shitload of it. Took years to burn that shit up. Hotty Toddy! And Thunderbolt run very dirty. It will quickly foul and the unplated lead bullet will scrape off into the chamber and leade of semiauto rifles and pistols rendering it inoperable. Its not easy to get that lead out. Worse than terrible. |
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SC, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 6:36:48 AM EDT
[#18]
Welcome to like 50 years ago. Thunderbolts have been shit since .22 ammo was .50 a box.
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Posted: 3/2/2023 7:32:30 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Zardoz: Welcome to like 50 years ago. Thunderbolts have been shit since .22 ammo was .50 a box. |
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Posted: 3/2/2023 8:28:47 AM EDT
[#20]
If it comes in a green box don't expect much.
I believe thunderbolt was made to be the cheapest stuff on the gun store or discount store shelf . both rem golden and it are kind of rank. The rem golden seems to vary from lot to lot but even the "better" lots are dirty and inconsistent . Many times I will find a box or tub of the rem golden sitting on the range at my club , folks just got tired of plucking the duds out of their guns . the bad lots generally run somewhat better with a lower rate of missfires in revolvers , bolt or lever guns , the impact of being slammed into a semi auto busts up the primeing compound . Funny thing for old guys like myself is that back in the late 1960s and early 1970s rem golden was considered top shelf ammo and was often recommended to test reliability of new guns . |
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Posted: 3/2/2023 9:13:30 AM EDT
[#21]
They are not called Thunder Duds for nothing. And Golden Duds aren't much better.
I am glad to see that Federal stepped up their game and people are having good luck with Auto-Match. The last time I bought any was back during the Obumma 22lr shortage. That stuff was as bad or worse than Thunder Duds. The lots of Auto-Match would not even cycle in my Marlin Model 60 or Ruger 10/22. And those two rifles are known to eat just about anything. |
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Posted: 3/2/2023 9:34:29 AM EDT
[#22]
I have a Win. M52B that loved Thunderbolts back in the early 80's. My father-in-law would look at me and that rifle and tell me to take it back in the house and get one of his semi-auto .22's because using that "old bolt action" just wasn't fair for our plinking sessions.
My Ruger Mk1 5.5" bull barrel loved it, too. Lots of target shooting. Lots of fun. Shot good enough groups I used it for squirrel hunting and we shot squirrels in the head with .22's. No one in the family ate fried squirrel brains so messing up the head messed up "meat" we weren't going to eat anyway. .22's are funny creatures. People bitch about Thunderbolts but every now and then someone buys a new .22, tries different ammo in it and finds out it runs/shoots somebody else's "this shit sucks" ammo better than anything else. If you're going to buy a .22 but several boxes of different brands, bullet styles, bullet coatings and try them for reliability and accuracy. I have no use for Federal .22 ammo in the bulk boxes Walmart used to sell. My youngest son's rifle loves it. My dad bought Winchester Wildcats to squirrel hunt with in his old Savage M29. My Winchester and Mk1 didn't care for Wildcats at all. Different guns are different. |
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Posted: 3/2/2023 9:54:54 AM EDT
[#23]
In the 80's we nicknamed them ThunderDuds
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WI, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 10:12:45 AM EDT
[#24]
Remington Golden is the only ammo that will feed 100% in my AC556 .22 conversion.
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TX, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 10:22:24 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mak0: Thunderbolt has always been some of the worst .22 on the market. Remignton Golden Bullets are pretty bad too. Stick to CCI and Federal. Yep. When I was first shooting I bought thunderbolts because they were cheap. I quickly figured out the savings wasnt worth it. Absolute garbage through and through. |
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IA, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 10:27:21 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HammerTech: All my 22 rifles and pistols run fine on Federal AutoMatch. Around .06 cpr and has been available at the local Walmart regularly as of late. I use it in my speed steel 22's without hiccups. Our club has just the opposite experience. It's hot garbage. |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 3/2/2023 12:04:44 PM EDT
[#27]
The only Remington 22 I have shot that was pretty decent was very old ammo made in the 50’s &60’s in Bridgeport Connecticut before they moved the ammo factory to Arkansas. It has been trash since. Also, about 10 years ago the CMP was selling military surplus 22 training ammo, the generic white box Remington. That wasn’t bad either- my suspicions are that Remington was provided some specifications and quality standards to adhere to in the contract that resulted in a better product.
All ammo manufacturers put the lowest amount of effort in production and quality control into the bulk packed bargain ammo, so I generally avoid it. I find CCI AR tactical acceptable though. Regarding domestic production 22 ( European makers do a far better job making quality 22 than American companies, unless you go back to the days Remington and Winchester was still producing on the east coast) the quality levels are something to this effect: CCI boxed CCI bulk Several steps down Federal boxed Federal bulk A whole staircase down Winchester/Remington boxed Scrape the bottom of the barrel Remington/ Winchester bulk Sadly I find Mexican aguila the next best to CCI for western hemisphere made ammo. The only ammo I have ever used that is worse than Remington is armscor (10%+ dud rate) and the old late 70’s early 80’s Russian steel case |
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BEN
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Posted: 3/2/2023 1:52:48 PM EDT
[#28]
I've put over 1500 rounds of thunderbolt through two model 60's in the last year with very minimal stoppages. Mainly light strikes.
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Posted: 3/2/2023 4:06:38 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TheDirtyLarry: I've put over 1500 rounds of thunderbolt through two model 60's in the last year with very minimal stoppages. Mainly light strikes. Too bad you don't live closer  |
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Posted: 3/2/2023 4:39:23 PM EDT
[#30]
Friends don't let friends shoot Remington rimfire crap.
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Posted: 3/2/2023 7:53:55 PM EDT
[#31]
I always reserved the Thunderbolts for my Glenfield Model 25 bolt action. I learned along time ago that Thunderbolts in a semi auto was a disaster.
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IN, USA
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Posted: 3/3/2023 1:54:36 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By wingsnthings: I can't think of any Remington rimfire ammunition that doesn't absolutely suck. Remington is the absolute worst rimfire ammo made today, and the thunderturds are the worst of the worst. |
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IN, USA
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Posted: 3/3/2023 1:57:12 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HammerTech: All my 22 rifles and pistols run fine on Federal AutoMatch. Around .06 cpr and has been available at the local Walmart regularly as of late. I use it in my speed steel 22's without hiccups. That stuff won't win any matches but yes, it is at least useable. I'd pick it over any remington product. |
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Posted: 3/3/2023 7:23:55 PM EDT
[#34]
Change in direction.....
I've been reading about SK ammo Seems to be top notch |
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Posted: 3/3/2023 8:00:14 PM EDT
[#35]
Always has been...
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Posted: 3/4/2023 1:14:55 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By M1A4ME: .22's are funny creatures. People bitch about Thunderbolts but every now and then someone buys a new .22, tries different ammo in it and finds out it runs/shoots somebody else's "this shit sucks" ammo better than anything else. Different guns are different. Yup My first 10/22 build would do 8-12 MOA with all sorts of good ammo - Green Tag, RWS, even Tenex and CenterX wouldnt do better than 6moa at 50 yards. But CCI Blazer would do right at MOA at 50 and 1.25-1.5 at 100 all day long |
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Posted: 3/4/2023 1:18:43 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Avidrook: Change in direction..... I've been reading about SK ammo Seems to be top notch Yup excellent stuff Magazine can be exceptional to "just" better than average, Standard+ is the baseline and it goes up from there to the Midas and CenterX at the top. Until 5-8 years ago they made the Wolf branded rimfire as well (now Ely has contract) |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 3/4/2023 9:55:29 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Avidrook: Change in direction..... I've been reading about SK ammo Seems to be top notch What I use in competition. My favorite is the pistol match special ( can be found around $9 a box) very accurate and consistent with a tiny bit more oomph to cycle semi autos over the rifle match, pistol match and standard plus offerings. When SK is having its worst day at the factory, it is still better than anything made in the states. ( the level of quality control is head and shoulders above domestic ammo) |
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WV, USA
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Posted: 3/4/2023 2:43:56 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Ameshawki: Our club has just the opposite experience. It's hot garbage. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Ameshawki: Originally Posted By HammerTech: All my 22 rifles and pistols run fine on Federal AutoMatch. Around .06 cpr and has been available at the local Walmart regularly as of late. I use it in my speed steel 22's without hiccups. Our club has just the opposite experience. It's hot garbage. I've heard that. I've also heard that I could never run the BX-25 mags in my 10-22 in speed steel and my S&W Victory would be a jam-o-matic. I must be a lucky guy because none of that has been the case. I'm generally in the top 5 overall and first in a couple of classes last year. |
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Posted: 3/4/2023 7:19:11 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mak0: Thunderbolt has always been some of the worst .22 on the market. Remignton Golden Bullets are pretty bad too. Stick to CCI and Federal. A counterpoint to the conversation, Federal seems to have gone downhill in the past decade. I used to buy the 525 rd. bulk pack stuff when it was $8.99, then $12.99, etc. It ran great in everything. I bought several thousand rounds maybe 5 or 6 years ago. Later on, I couldn’t figure out why my short-barreled guns that used to be reliable would no longer run. This included a number of pistols, a couple subgun rimfire conversions, and a 10/22 SBR. I played with springs and mags, but couldn’t get them back to how they used to run. They still did well with MiniMags and Blazer, but by then Covid had hit and ammo was scarce and expensive. I bought a box of Thunderbolt, more at that time from the novelty of seeing .22 ammo on the shelf. And all of the sudden, my guns were working again. I have since run several thousand rounds of Thunderbolt through the Uzi .22 kit in full auto, as well as through the pistols and short 10/22. For “junk” ammo, Thunderbolt has worked much better for me than the previously good Federal. |
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Posted: 3/5/2023 7:38:21 PM EDT
[#41]
For blasting ammo for the girls I have had very little problems with thunder bullets,Goldens and armscour.
Duds every now and then but most went bang. Now the cold really fucks with all my ammo and lubes. |
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Posted: 3/5/2023 8:02:22 PM EDT
[#42]
It's pretty handy to have some on hand and throw it in the burn barrel while at the range
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Posted: 3/14/2023 3:35:43 PM EDT
[#43]
Thunderturds. Pop, bang, pop, pfff, pop, bang, click....
 CCI Blazer is my go-to bulk .22. Glad I stacked it deep several years ago when PSA had it for $199 for 5K delivered. |
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Posted: 3/14/2023 10:55:38 PM EDT
[#44]
Thunder Bolts are absolute garbage. The only way they could make the ammunition worse for misfires would probably be to soak the loaded cartridges in diesel fuel for a month or more before packaging the ammunition to ship it out.
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NC, USA
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Posted: 3/16/2023 8:51:22 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mak0: Thunderbolt has always been some of the worst .22 on the market. Remignton Golden Bullets are pretty bad too. Stick to CCI and Federal. This. Loose bullets in the case causing clambering jams as well. |
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Posted: 4/2/2023 11:02:59 PM EDT
[#46]
Last time I used Thunderbolts was I think 2007. I'll never use it again. That stuff was dirty beyond what I thought was possible.
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MT, USA
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Posted: 7/24/2023 3:58:09 PM EDT
[#47]
You know the .22lr is bad when it won't even fire in a revolver. Son bought one of the range buckets right before the lockdowns. We only shot a out 200 out of the bucket, and it still sits in my storage safe.
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Posted: 7/25/2023 8:05:24 AM EDT
[#48]
Back in the early 80's I bought the best .22 pistol I've ever had (still have it, too). A Ruger Mk1 5.5" bull barrel. My brother used to say he never new a pistol could shoot like a rifle till I got that Ruger. I used to hunt squirrels with it. Head shots only. Fun to sneak up on them, when I did that right. I tried a lot of different ammo in it. Remington Thunderbolts shot the best groups. Killed squirrels, killed groundhogs, killed a lot of paper. Even shot a couple bumble bees out of the air (the witness for the second one is still living and reminded me of that one a few months back.)
Got an old Winchester M52B. Same thing. Best ammo I ever shot in it was the Thunderbolts. Used to shoot the thumbtacks out of my buddies pistol targets at 25 yds. Killed a few flies that lit on the target (leaves a spot of blood and sometimes a piece of wing or leg on the paper. Back in the early to mid 80's Thunderbolts was my go to ammo. The last few years it might suck. I do know that in the mid 2000's my Ruger 10/22 shot better groups with Rem. Golden Bullets than with Thunderbolts. My little Olympic Arms XM177 carbine/clone with a .22 comversion kit would shot dime sized 10 shot groups at 25 yds with the Golden Bullets. Played around with it at a couple RBCs in Ramseur. It was fun to see people's reaction as so many people think a short barrel won't shoot like a longer barrel and also think .22 ammo through a .223 Rem. barrel won't be accurate either. .22's are funny beasts. What works/shoots well in one won't do well in another. I never shot good groups with Win. Wildcats in any gun. My dad's old Savage M29 shot them great. He the one that told/taught me you shoot squirrels in the head with a .22. When someone gets a .22 I always tell them to buy several different brands/bullet styles of .22 ammo and try them to see what it works with and shoots good groups with. |
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Posted: 7/25/2023 4:25:34 PM EDT
[#49]
Originally Posted By Avidrook: That's putting it mildly and I'm sure this isn't the first thread on the subject When Al Gore invented the internets his first post was "I blow and Thunderbolt sucks" |
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Posted: 7/26/2023 10:12:07 AM EDT
[#50]
Federal Match ammo with eley primed cases was 5% duds at a min. back in the 80's. A small gun club I belonged to got a supposed "deal" on 50 cases of this stuff.
Well, when we started using it the alibi's strings in our weekly rimfire matches was increased to nearly double. I never had much to complain about Rem Golden Bullet in the 100ct plastic boxes. But, any bulk packaged stuff was not good! Federal Lighting and Rem Thunderbolt ran neck and neck for crappy ammo. The local Pamida store back then used to get some cheap ass Russian ammo in. It was pretty darn good out of rifles, and not too bad in handguns. |
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