TargetTalk

Hi all,

As per a previous post I have recently got back into shooting and have just purchased an Anschutz 2013. I am looking for some advice / guidance on how to choose the best ammo.

Here are some of my .22 ammo questions:
• what is the best for practice
• what best for competition
• is some better for indoor 20/25 yard
• is there a better option for 50m
• should I be varying my brand / types

Apologies for all the question and if I have missed this in other post, please can you point me to them :-)

Cheers
Tim[/b]

Tim,

this is a very difficult question to answer. In fact no one can answer it with complete accuracy. This is because smallbore barrels can be fussy about ammunition, and may show a marked preference for a particular brand, or grade, or even production lot. For this reason, the three main ammunition manufacturers, Eley, Lapua, and RWS offer test facilities for their customers.

That said, if you are shooting primarily at 25 yards, ammunition choice is not critical. Any good quality ammunition (i.e Eley, RWS, or Lapua) should group within the bull. My club sells Eley Sport as its beginner grade ammo, and it will shoot well enough for an average over 94. The price equivalent from Lapua (or its subsidiary SK) or RWS should do the same. Once you feel that you are outshooting this ammo, then it's time to step up to a more expensive grade. Eley Edge, Eley Match, Lapua Centre-X, or RWS Rifle Match are good products, and the extra cost pays for better quality components and higher quality control. Your groups may not be much smaller than with the cheaper ammo, but they should be more consistent, which will give you more leeway for errors in your aim/hold/alignment. Personally I don't think top grade ammo (Eley Tenex, RWS R50, or Lapua Midas) is needed at 25 yards unless you are chasing a 99+ average.

For 50m, and especially 100 yards, ammunition choice becomes more important. This is because the longer distance magnifies any inconsistencies in the ammunition. Generally cheaper "practise grades" (i.e. Eley Sport) are not consistent enough, and more expensive ammo (i.e. Eley match or equivalent) will give better results.

Most serious shooters will go a step further and will be using selected ammo. This means test firing different brands, or batches to find one that gives tight groups, and then buy a few thousand (enough to last for a season or two). This can be done at the factory test range, or on their home range.

Tim thanks for the advice, I shall spend the winter indoors testing different brands and types.

I am scoring 96-98's at the moment with the club rifle (very old 54 match) but now I have my own kit (jacket, sling, glove, rifle) I wanted to start getting a little more scientific about my approach.

I think I might wait till spring for the outdoors 50m till I have got the basics down with all the new equipment

Thanks again
Tim

Tim,

that's quite sensible. You need a steady and consistent hold to make the most of a good rifle and ammunition.

Ammo testing really isn't neccesary for the majority of 25 yard shooters. You can pick a box of good quality ammo (i.e Eley Match or equivalent) and have confidence that it will group well within the bull. You might want to try other brands, but batch testing is OTT until you are averaging well over 98.

Also, the weather tends to get in the way of testing outdoors during the winter. Testing indoors at 25 yards doesn't guarantee the same results, as the differences between batches will be very small, and ammo can shoot well at 25, but not at 50m/100 yards. If your club has a 50m indoor range and a mechanical test rig, that's different.

As Tim S says at 25y most ammo will be fine so there's minimal benefit testing at 25y. You're better testing at 50m to see what ammo your gun prefers. If you really want tops then you'll need to batch test something like tenex at their factory range, but its a lot more expensive than for example eley match - which is what I shoot - but my (untested) rifle doesn't appear to be too fussy with specific batches.

Rob.