.22 LR Ammo Smackdown — 31 Rimfire Ammo Types Tested
Here’s a “must-read” article for .22 LR rimfire shooters. The recently-released October 2018 issue of Shooting Sports USA (SSUSA) includes a great article with data on thirty-one (31) different types of popular .22 LR rimfire ammunition. The line-up includes low-speed, standard, and Hi-Velocity types, plus choices for plinking, varminting, and target applications. Brands tested include: Aguila, American Eagle, CCI, Federal, Fiocchi, Lapua, Remington, and Winchester. The slowest ammo, CCI Quiet-22 Lead RN, clocked 727 FPS. The fastest ammo, CCI Short-Range Green Lead-Free HP, ran 1735 FPS, more than twice as fast as the Quiet-22.
SSUSA .22 LR Rimfire Ammo TEST | SSUSA Oct 2018 Full Issue
For each ammo type, SSUSA lists the bullet weight, velocity (FPS), and average of two, 5-shot groups at fifty yards. The most accurate ammo was Lapua Center-X LRN, with a 0.37″ average 50-yard group size. Second best was Lapua X-ACT LRN at 0.42″. Ammo was tested from a bench with a Cooper Model 57-M rifle fitted with 3-9x33mm Leupold VX-2 scope. The ammo offerings were grouped into three categories: (1) Varmints/Small Game; (2) Target; and (3) Plinking. (See ammo tables below.)
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Different types of .22 LR (Long Rifle) rimfire ammo have different applications. Subsonic ammo, typically, is best for 25m to 50m target work with precision rimfire rigs. Hi-Velocity .22 LR ammo provides a flatter trajectory for longer ranges. SSUSA explains: “The array of .22 LR loads… turns a person’s head every which way. Subsonic target loads are the key to decisive accuracy on targets, while hyper-velocity cartridges provide striking bullet expansion on small varmints. In between, standard and high-velocity .22 LRs are loadrf with a variety of bullet weights and styles for everything from small-game hunting to plinking[.]” READ Full SSUSA .22 LR Rimfire Ammo Story.
Rimfire Ammo Article tip from EdLongrange.Similar Posts:
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Tags: .22 LR Ammo Test, .22 LR Ammo Testing, CCI, Eley, Federal, Rimfire Ammo, Rimfire Ammo Comparison Test, SK
In the match ammo category you should also test Wolf (which I have heard is now made by Eley), Eley and RWS also. Each one of these manufacturers have multiple choices of target ammo to chose from. It would be interesting to see how a cheaper RWS target round compares to its top of the line more expensive R50 round. Same with the Lapua you tested. Those are the top of the line rounds and cost more so how do the cheaper Lapua target rounds stack up to them. Test the whole match ammo line each manufacturer has to offer from bottom to top then you have a comparison with in its self and against other manufacturers. The $9 target (orange box) of RWS might group just as good as their $18 box of R50. Would be interesting to see how thecheaper rounds stack up to the more expensive ones