.22 LR ammo

C

customaquatics

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every review i read people use the sub sonic rounds which are like 1k FPS for there accurate shots. are they worth stocking up on? cause all i have are 300 rounds of CCI Mini-Mags "1235 FPS" an 1,100 rounds of the bulk Remington Golden Bullets "1280 FPS".
 
Yes but it is a waste of time to buy junk ammo like Remington subsonic.

For a reasonably priced decent quality subsonic ammo try CCI Stand Velocity.
 
If you have a nice field gun or informal target gun, stick to nice reliable CCI, Federal, etc because that subsonic target stuff they refer to can be $15/box and if you're not pushing it through a rifle over $1000 you may never know the difference.
I'm one of the dumb SOB's that shoot it and go through about 2 cases a year, sigh.
 
Yes but it is a waste of time to buy junk ammo like Remington subsonic.
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Fully and completely agree here. I bought some Remington subsonic when I finally obtained my .22LR suppressor. I had hoped it was better quality than their Thunderbolt or Golden Bullet bulk packs. Boy, was I disappointed. I'm done with Remington rimfire ammo. It's just garbage.

I'm not sure subsonic ammo is really worth it unless you plan to shoot suppressed or you want to squeeze all the possible accuracy out of a quality target gun. Most supersonic .22LR doesn't pass back below the sound barrier until out around 75yds, so if you're shooting at shorter ranges you won't notice much difference in accuracy since the bullet is supersonic all the way. I know that at 50 yards the limiting factor in my accuracy isn't my rifle or my ammo, it's the loose nut holding the stock. :D
 
but is the subsonic really more accurate then the high velocity rounds?
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I think the explanation is generally that when a supersonic bullet slows down and comes back through the sound barrier it slightly destabilizes, losing accuracy. For the .22LR, this happens roughly around the 70 yard mark. Subsonics avoid that entirely. However, if you shoot at shorter ranges, it's a nonissue.

I imagine the actual answer to your "is it worth it" question has to do with the ranges you shoot at and what you consider acceptable accuracy. If you shoot bullseye at 100 yards, then yes, it probably is worth it. If you shoot squirrels or soda cans at 50 yards, then no, I'd not make a point of it.

Furthermore, there's your own capabilities and those of the rifle to consider. With a box stock 10/22 or other volume produced rifle, there may already be enough "slop" in the accuracy to make negligible the accuracy difference between standard and high velocity loads. If you're shooting something that's been accurized or is otherwise very capable (say, a Volquartsen), then sure, it's probably worth spending a bit more to get the most out of it.

There's just too many variables involved to give a flat answer that works for everybody. Generally, I'd probably say that the vast majority of shooters won't notice any issues at ranges under 75yds, but that's a really general answer and may not apply to you.
 
.22's are funny animals. They will tell you what they like best. I shoot indoor 22 Bullseye with a Smith 41. I use CCI standard for ammo. The 41 doesn't shoot this ammo the best but the CCI goes off fevery time. This gains more points by not having to shoot alibies. When you shoot alibies, only the lower ten shots count. If I shot tens and X's all the time, no problem. But I don't.

I would get a box of evry kind of 22 you can afford to buy and shoot for groups. See what works best for your gun. I would not go nuts with the expensive match 22 either. I would try things like Wolf match, PMC Scoremaster and even Federal match stuff. But only if you can get it. My 41 likes Winchester T-22 the best group wise, but it won't go off enough for me to fiddle with it.

I understand Remington is getting new rim fire priming equipment which should make it more reliable at some point. Too bad Winchester won't. As a side note. My Sil has a fancy heavy ybarreled 1022. He was not happy my Rem 552 Speed Master because with CCI standard he did not wax me as good as he thought he should. My groups were almost as tight.
 
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ya here i do have a large selection of ammo so when i get paid i'll get a box of every kind of ammo i can get. but man its going to be like 20 different kinds :/
 
Sub-sonics have lot's of advantages over HV .22lr cartridges but none of those advantages are worth a spit if you're gun don't shoot em well or function with them. You don't state your intended use or what gun and to randomly go out and stock up on something because you READ it was great is about as bright as night jogging in dark clothes on the highway.

LK
 
I'll shoot anything but Remington rim fires. I shoot mainly semiautos and have way too many malfunctions with Remingtons. Their 'Goldies' are pure junk IMO.

Have been very satisfied with CCI and Federal bulk pack ammo for any of my .22lr rifles or handguns.
 
Then go out and buy some assorted brands of standard velocity stuff and see how it stacks up on paper against your current ammo. Pick what shoots best and never base decisions on what you've read.

If you read that John's frozen pizza is the best there is are you gonna stock up on a hundred of them without even trying them? Why would you even think of doing the same thing with ammo.

LK
 
its going to be a squirrel gun an it is Savage Mark II FV with the heavy bull barrel.
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I would try some ammo like I recommended. I borrowed a Win 52 Bull barreled target for some practice and was amazed with a 5 shot one hole group at 50 feet using CCI standard and iron sights. A pencil eraser would have covered the hole. I'm not trying to sell you on CCI Standard but its sure has worked for me. To the point I buy it by the case. I'm into my 4th case with the 41. A case = 5,000 rounds. My 5.5 Target Buck Mark will shoot one hole groups off a rest with PMC Score Master but I can’t find it locally. I have heard the latest round of Savage Rifles have been shooting very well. Squirrels ain't that hard to kill. Have fun.
 
My KIDD 10/22 definitely prefers subsonic rounds. It is however a high end rifle. I still believe that even stock rifles benefit in accuracy from the slower rounds. They're worth trying for sure. The best low cost subsonic IMO would have to be CCI Standard Velocity(actually subsonic at 1070) at $25/500. I shoot them on a pretty regular basis along with another great round, Wolf Match Target($4.50/50).

Heres my newest batch of ammo to be tested. All subsonic...they range from $2.50/50 for the CCI SV to $25/50 for the Lapua X-Act:eek:
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ya here i do have a large selection of ammo so when i get paid i'll get a box of every kind of ammo i can get. but man its going to be like 20 different kinds :/
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I would select the ones I thought would r should do what I want it too. I found mine by shooting 2 or 3 different brands at a time. The target told me the story. Be aware switching brands of 22 could throw things off untill the barrel is seasoned with the new wax or lube. This means I would shoot a few before going for record. I also might shoot a group a couple of times at different times. This will weed out any flukes. Of course my requirments are quit different than yours. I'm looking for tiny groups when all you need is minute of Squirrel.

I'll shoot anything but Remington rim fires. I shoot mainly semiautos and have way too many malfunctions with Remingtons. Their 'Goldies' are pure junk IMO.
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I'm a Winchester guy but have Marlins and Remington's too. My Rem 552 is one of my favorite 22's. Never a problem but it was built when Remington could still build a rifle. I must admit though I shoot my Winny 61 the most. The 61 won't shoot Federal match and Wolf Match was a disapointment. I'm going to have to try some Wolf Match in the 552. Haven't done that yet.
 
In one of my particular cases, I tested 20 brands and found the Eley Sub-Sonic Hollow Point to be best, so I buy a brick or two of those for indoor bullseye. In other cases using different guns in different places, the Aguila Standards were best. CCI Standards were outstanding at two distances but not all four. The SK Standard Plus produced better scores for me than the Match ammo.
Aguila High Velocity work the best in my Buckmark Hunter and Ruger 10-22's.
Federal AutoMatch has also been very good but a second choice for some of my auto-loaders.
It just makes sense to go ahead and buy a box of everything and compare results in your own gun in your own personal shooting situation.
I stocked up on cases of Aguila Standards in 2006 and still have some yet to go. But lately, I've been buying just bricks due to shooting less. And it pays to test a sample from each new lot instead of just assuming newly purchased ammo will be as good as something you tried much earlier. I verify zero on new lots in case a small adjustment is in order.
 
I shoot 100 yard prone matches a lot. I can't afford the really high dollar stuff and I have found the Wolf Match Target gives me enough accuracy to hold the X ring if I can hold it.

I buy CCI Standard Velocity for some of my other .22 rifles. Because of the accuracy and the lack of noise. These rounds out of a longer barrel are so quiet it is almost like shooting CBs.
 
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