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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:29 am
by matchguy
All done with my testing. Some brands you can't get test lots. Fed Ultra Match is one. Champ Choice only has one lot. Other companies I contacted won't pull out boxes of different lots to send you to test. Even if you find a lot from a company that shoots well, they won't pull more for you from that lot. Whatever their warehouse people pull is what you get. They even acted like I was asking them to do something dirty.
Midas+ & RWS R50 shot best for me. Had 3 lots of Midas+ and only 1 shot excellent. Had 3 lots of R50 and 2 of them shot excellent @100 yds. Buying a whole case isn't going to happen. That's $1500. It cost me $50 for a trip to the range, gas, ammo range fee etc and I'm lucky to still be able to get out. I'm using cheap match stuff for practice and the good stuff for the couple of matches a year I'll attend.
BTW, I've been shooting CCI Std Vel & Fed Premium Gold 711B in practice at 100yd prone and am keeping them in the 10 ring with the occasional flyer. I'm really pleased with that and suprised as well. They're shooting better than the $5-$10 a box stuff.
Thanks for all the comments!!
Re: In Addition
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:34 pm
by efoleyjr
BartP wrote:Benny is dead on, folks.
First of all, I've seen a few entries here that seem to be comparing test runs of 'brands' of ammo rather than multiple lots of EACH brand of ammo. You can't just buy a willy-nilly smattering of various brands together, test them, and come to any true (brand) winner.
If you want to truly test brands against each other, you need to put several lots of EACH brand on the table, test and measure, find your finalists, re-test the finalists, find your (individual brand) winner THEN do the same thing for ALL the other brands. Comparing your finalists against each other will give you better ground to make your purchase decision.
The funny thing is...is that out of all the lots you test in one testing period, you may very well find that Eley Red ends up being your huckleberry...where on the next time around, R50 may be your best friend. It all has to do with what ammo you have in your possession at the time of testing.
It should be your primary goal to establish relationships with a solid group of distributors who will notify you of lots of various brands that are outperforming others around the country (that have at least a case or two remaining on the shelves). You make every effort to NEVER order test lots willy-nilly. Too expensive and the guessing game is unacceptable. Benchrest guys are the real freaks. There are even times when a hot benchrest guy will buy up the last of a lot that is extremely purchase-worthy. I have had great success contacting those folks from time to time JUST TO GET A BRICK. That may not be enough to shoot day-long NRA matches, but it sure lasts thru a few USA Shooting matches (only 60 shots at a time) OR finishing off the competition in a match where the x-count of the last match will decide the victor.
Just try to remember that your barrels will perform brilliantly with the right lot of any given (high quality) brand. Obviously, some brands perform brilliantly more often. Right now, I have wide collection. My collection includes some Eley BLUE & RED, a couple bricks of some fantastic Midas+, and a crapload of super nail-drilling R50. To date, from 2010 to 2011, R50 has been outperforming every other brand, but that doesn't mean that I won't find some Eley Red this fall or some more Lapua that gives me a warm fuzzy.
Good luck. Bart
Bart,
Would the "fantastic Midas+" be 355 44 5 1115 5?
Ed
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:09 pm
by BartP
Hey there.
No actually it's 343 44 5 985 1. Keep in mind that this ammo was tested ONLY at 50 meters - and not at 100. I picked it up at the Palmyra 6400 a couple weeks back. The Lapua rep set up a testing range.
I only bought two bricks as I am currently up to speed with my ammo needs.
I tested and tuned it today. Multiple groups 12mm and under. Not too bad!
But my R50 is still the champ. Multiple groups 11 mm and a few around the 9mm range. Pretty sweet. Gonna use it for the USA Nationals this coming week and see how it does.
Bart