Best of the "bulks"?

[HathcockProtege]

Tried out 4 different flavors of cheap .22 LR ammo this afternoon.

All 10 shot groups @ 50 yards fired from my Savage Mark 2-FV using bipod and rear sandbags.

NOTE: I did not take time for foulers between groups as I was freezing my butt off.

Hardly conclusive, but here are my initial results:

Fed "Champion" Value Pack 36g HV, copper washed HP: 2.85" with flyers. 2.1" without. (Fwiw, some lots of this stuff have done considerably better.)

Winchester "Xpert" 36 HV, lead HP: 1.2" No obvious flyers.

Winchester "555 White Box", 36g copper-washed HP: 1.2" with flyer. 0.86" without flyer.

CCI Blazer, 40g LRN: 0.85" with flyer; 0.63" without.

Anyone have abnormally good success with any other bulk .22 LR loading? I am on the hunt for the most accurate (for my rifle) cheap .22 LR loading for plinking use. I am looking at testing maybe a few more of those loadings that sell locally for <$25/500.

-The Kid.

 

[CMH]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Federal Champion 40 gr lead round nose shoot really well through my Anschutz. Best of the bulk pack stuff all the way up through low to mid-price target stuff.

Casey

 

[swimmer105]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Federal automatch works very well out of my savage mark 2, its the only ammo I buy now. Cheap and very accurate out to around 100 yards or so

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I believe its available only through Dick's Sporting Goods...after searching for a while I picked up 3 boxes (all my store had) yesterday.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Boiler. I'd love to try those, but haven't been able 2 find them for less than $30/brick...not worth it to me considering how well the Blazers shoot. I'll also be checking out the automatch if I can pawn off a few of these others bulk packages on a friend.

 

[*greenhorn*]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

i like win white box 550

 

[eclipse57]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I like the American Eagle. Most places have it in the 400 round bricks. I have had good luck with it and it is very consistant for me.

 

[MPWarrior653]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Odd... I have a MKII BV and I've liked the Federal 36gr the best so far. Could not STAND auto match. Shot "alright" but I was having failure to feeds almost every round in my semi-auto marlin. I will have to try blazer though, I've done a few different types of ammo and that Federal has definitely left an impression. Not insane groups, sometimes .8" sometimes 2.5" 5-shot groups lol. Good enough to hit a 30" steel target at 300 yards though!

 

[swimmer105]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Yeah I haven't tried the federal automatch in a semi so I can't say anything but in my savage mark ii it is very accurate. I would recommend aguila match if you can find them for cheap as they shoot very well also but are pricier.

 

[mscott]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I like the Blazers best as well with the Win. 333 packs a close second. I've noticed different results in hot and cold weather, so you might want to try your test again on a warmer day.

 

[pl259]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I shoot a lot of Aquila 40gr Standard. I get it for $25/500. It tends to be long for some chambers. When I sort for length, it's comparable to higher priced stuff in most of my rifles.

 

[MTETM]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

We have had the best results with Federal Champions (510)
and CCI Blazers. This is in both a CZ and a Savage.

Good Luck

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I think the best compromise I've encountered is the CCI Standard Velocity Target ammo in the Blue Box. Most of my shooting is with an older Box-Stock Sav MKIIF, and a highly modified 10/22.

I'm still working out of a large bunch I bought 2-3 years ago, and paid just around $25/brick. That was a good price then, and I suspect that whatever it costs these days, it's also a good price now.

Greg

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Good discussion. Thanks. My local DSG does not carry the Dynapoint GT very often, so I am shying away from it simply because of the fact that availability is inconsistent.

Of the ones mentioned, the Automatch is commonly available so I may give that a try sometime.

At MPWarrior: I have done much better with other lots of the Fed, but not as good as the Win 555 or Blazers. This lot has been just awful, actually. Shooting 200 yards the other day and it was giving me a severely under-powered load every 15th shot or so and dropping a few more 6-10" low of the main group! Again, most lots have been much better, yet still not really great even for bulk ammo.

-The Kid.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Greg, I like the CCI SV stuff as well, but the price is not good enough to attract me any more for the performance increase.I am seeing prices of about 7 cents per round locally so I won't buy that as a plinking round since I like to shoot a lot.

I don't believe it does much better than the Blazer out to 100 from my rifle anyway. Hopefully put them side by side sometime soon and see for sure. In all fairness, a friend of mine has a rifle that shoots these very well and won't shoot anything in the same price bracket even half as well! Same old story as always happens with .22's...they is individuals.

-The Kid.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

CCI std vel -- check out dicks sporting goods 24.95, just spent a few christmas giftcards on 1500 rounds yesterday.

the CCI blazers around 16.00 / 500 if you shop around, worked about the same for me as you but shot through a sporter barreled F model:

CCI Blazer ammo test

 

[CaptLink]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Federal bulk 550 pack is aces for my 10-22

 

[DerMeister]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I've tried several kinds of Bulk .22lr ammo. I like the Federal stuff from Wal-mart. I think I'll be searching around and trying different brands soon though. Just want to try something different.

I hate:

Remington Golden bullet
Remington Thunderbolt
Winchester White Box
American Eagle

Federals have been the most consistent out of my .22lrs, and they seem to be a little quieter than the other brands, which I like.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DerMeister</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I hate:

Remington Golden bullet
Remington Thunderbolt
Winchester White Box
American Eagle
</div></div>

I pretty much hate any Remington rimfire ammo I've ever put through any gun. Thunderbolts in particular were a horrible experience. One friend claimed it shot well from his 77/22, but I have yet to see it perform with acceptable results from any rifle. I try not to bash any manufacture, but I have just been really frustrated with Remington's rimfire ammo over the years. That being said, I splattered a mess of prairie dogs using Remington GB's through a 10/22 this past summer since it's all I could find in that part of Nebraska.

-The Kid.

 

[Grimm]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I've had uncommon luck with the 22s Remington makes undr the Peters name. Solid RN 40g they are almost as repeatable as CCI standard vel for me. The only Remington 22s Ill say nice things about.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Yes the CCI Target can be a (smallish?) bit on the pricier side. That's why I consider them a compromise, but also a good one I'm willing to make. For me, in my guns, they perform indistinguishably from FGMM, and that's where they come across as more easily affordable.

I think a lot of issues folks have with various .22lr brands is not the fault of the brands, but of the ring of lead at the very front end of the chamber that accumulates in all .22's. Eventually, they all undergo an accuracy degradation at its behalf.

Shooters' Choice Lead Remover solvent is indispensible in keeping up with this problem. Long soaks interspersed with significant bronze brushing ia my effective answer.

At one time I even kept a borrowed chamber reamer handy to gently chase out that lead accumulation, but that's really unnecessary overkill.

Greg

 

[serevince]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Here's some pics from the other day.

The CCI SV is right at or a hair above your $25 mark. I did discover if you find it in the paper box, it's about $.25-.30 cheaper.

MKII FV-SR

First is 5 rounds other 2 are 10, last is rotated 90.

The Blazer bulk is OK, but for $10 more per 500 the CCI SV is great.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Greg Langelius *</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yes the CCI Target can be a (smallish?) bit on the pricier side. That's why I consider them a compromise, but also a good one I'm willing to make. For me, in my guns, they perform indistinguishably from FGMM, and that's where they come across as more easily affordable.

I think a lot of issues folks have with various .22lr brands is not the fault of the brands, but of the ring of lead at the very front end of the chamber that accumulates in all .22's. Eventually, they all undergo an accuracy degradation at its behalf.

Shooters' Choice Lead Remover solvent is indispensible in keeping up with this problem. Long soaks interspersed with significant bronze brushing ia my effective answer.

At one time I even kept a borrowed chamber reamer handy to gently chase out that lead accumulation, but that's really unnecessary overkill.

Greg</div></div>

Excellent observation, Greg! Thanks for sharing that. The price increase versus performance increase of the SV (at prices I'm seeing locally) is not worth it to me as a plinking ammo, but if I was not in impoverished college student I would probably feel differently.

-The Kid.

 

[Kapnkrunch]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

My FV-SR seems to prefer CCI Blazer and CCI Std vel, They both shoot about 1/4'' -1/2'' @50 yards.

 

[rpk762]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I have been shooting Remmington HP's They come 525 per box.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

rpk762, any accuracy observations? I assume you are talking about the Remington Golden Bullet bulk packs. Accuracy results @ 50 and/or 100 yards? Reliability of ignition?

 

[rpk762]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I am shooting a GSG5 and I can pop clay pidgons consistancy once I get the kentukey windage down. They all go bang no matter now cold it is.

 

[BigJimFish]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

The testing I have done with my Anschutz has stacked the cheapies accordingly (from best to worst):

Winchester Wildcat
Federal Lightning
CCI Blazer
Remington T-bolts

I also tested some copper washed stuff (Winchester white box and Remington golden bullet I think)but do to cleaning concerns and a general lack of performance I gave that up quickly. I recall the Remington was atrocious and the Winchester was not up to snuff with non-washed Winchesters.

I found these results interesting and they generally jive with the testing I have done on my wifes savage. I now exclusively use the wildcats in her savage as well as my match pistol and .22lr AR. I was surprised with how well they shot out of my Anschutz but truth be told I spend the extra few bucks to shoot wolf and federal gold medal out of the Anschutz on a regular basis.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Happy New Year, folks!

Did some more shooting yesterday.

Much better conditions, yet I could not get the Blazers to shoot anything near what they did last time, leading me to believe that accuracy may have been a fluke. I shot a strong of about 30 in 5 shot groups and couldn't get them to group under an inch today. Win white box "555"'s did a lot better than last time though, with several nice tight groups coming in around .75".

While shooting some steel @ 100 yards, I noted that the Blazers did seem to handled the wind considerably better than the Winchesters.

The Blazer's results @ 100 yards were decent and superior to the Winchesters that out shot the Blazers @ 50, so I don't really know what to think.

100 yard results from 10 shot groups:

Win 555: 3.5" with one called pull; 2.7" without.

Blazer: 3.03" with one called pull; 1.8" without.

The Win 555's also shot well from my little bro's Marlin model 15 (topped with 4x BSA scope) with the test groups measuring 0.65" and 0.8" @ 50 yards.

In other news, I made some calls today and found a place selling CCI SV for $24.00 + tax, so I'll be snatching that up. Since the cheapest I can find Blazers is $22/brick, the CCI is by far the smarter choice for the price.

Thanks for all who have contributed thus far as it has given me much food for thought and inspired me to do some more experimentation in this area and change some of my thoughts. I might just end up in the "CCI SV's worth the extra penny" crowd before the dust settles. If I could find the Blazers cheaper, I'd go that route and settle for that level of accuracy in my plinking ammo, but if a step up in accuracy is available for such a small increase in cost, then I'll certainly go that route!

100 yard groups and an experimental "McGrubber" style steel target.
[img:center]

[/img]

On a side note, I beat the snot out of my 2.5" steel washer target at 50 yards and it is holding up very well even after maybe a hundred hit @ 50 and 100 yards from various .22 bullets. Only complaint is that it does not give a very loud ring when struck.

-The Kid.

 

[67rschev]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

The CCI SV is good stuff

The other bargain buy at 25 bucks a brick of 500 , is the Federal Champion Target #714 . As far as I know they only sell it at Dicks Sporting Goods stores . I was told it is Gold Medal Match , that didn't quite make the cut . They only have it now and then , but very accurate ammunition

 

[TallShot]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Much to my surprise..... Remington Thunderbolt shoots on average in the .5's at 50yds, through my Savage TR..

I stock it deep, lol.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HathcockWannebe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Happy New Year, folks!

In other news, I made some calls today and found a place selling CCI SV for $24.00 + tax, so I'll be snatching that up. Since the cheapest I can find Blazers is $22/brick, the CCI is by far the smarter choice for the price.

-The Kid.</div></div>

BLAZERS - links to less than $20.00 a brick check if still in stock.

http://www.glensoutdoors.com/CCI-Blazer-22-Long-Rifle-40-Grain-Lead-Round-Nose-p/21.htm

ammo finder http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=.22+LR

http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/264.php

here's some for 12.99 https://www.shopdunns.com/products/1975/cci_blazer_high_velocity_500rd_brick/

hopefully you can get a few bricks of the blazer that has the lube on it, that stuff is REALLY good.


for the CCI STD VEL. go to a dick's sporing goods' if in your area. 24.99 off the shelf, no shipping costs. it may actually pay off in fuel costs to drive a little further if you have to.

yesterday i was trying to test out a silicone grease that i was going to use as a bullet lube @ 50, 100, and 200, but after the below 50 yard target, the wind kicked up too much and was too variable to do a good benchmark between lubed and unlubed. couldn't do it today either, too much wind and variable.

anyway, there is CCI STD VEL, Blazers, Fed bulk pack, and Wolf MT as a comparison. shot through a MKII F pencil barrel, 2.5# trigger, bipod and bag, 12X, 40 deg. 7mph wind 2:00. i used the sporter barrel rather than the bull barrel as it shows differences in ammo more dramatically. 10 round groups, all the ammo was weighed then made sure they were put into a random different weight lot. 5 rounds of each were shot off target to get whatever residue was left in the barrel from the last ammo shot. black ring is 1" inner area 1/2"

outside spreads
CCI STD VEL = 1 1/8" W x 5/8" H
CCI blazer = 1" W x 1 1/8" H
Fed bulk = 1.5" W x 2.25" H
Wolf MT = .5" W x .5" H

 

[steve123]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Which bulk high velocity have you guys tried that is the most consistently accurate?

I have a Benelli pistol that won't function well with the standard velocity 22's.

 

[squirrel_slayer]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I personally like federal auto match in my savage mkII. I can hit a 4 1/2 steel swinger target 4 out of 5 shots at 200yds fairly consistantly. still learning the wind. even a light breeze
can drift those bad boys almost a foot off target at that distance. easily under a inch at 100. need to buy a 30moa base so I can try for 300yds.

still prefer the wolf match for shooting groups. fed AM works for banging the steel around.

 

[bulzeye]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

as far as bulk goes my savage shoots the blazers the best out of the few bulk's i've tried

 

[CMH]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

It is really interesting to see results from other folks shooting other rifles. I have been doing a fairly sizeable group test of a lot of stuff out of my Anschutz. I am considering writing up full results in the future - I still have a couple more boxes of stuff to test out. Preliminary small sample results with this gun seem to be:

1) It loves most types of Eley ammo, especially Club, Team, and Tennex (but not Match for some reason?).

2) Wolf does not produce much better groups than Federal Champion.

3) It does not care much for the CCI stuff. SV, Pistol Match, and Precison Select all shot terrible. Best groups were from CCI mini-mags, which were still nothing to write home about.

#'s 2 and 3 were a bit of a surprise to me given the good reviews other folks give them on here.

Casey

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Squirrel Slayer: what kinds of groups you getting at 50 and 100 yards? Ain't this 200 yard .22 rimfire steel shooting stuff fun?!?

TOP PREDATOR:

Good info as always.

I hope you get around to doing that testing with the silicone grease sometime soon as I have been wondering about that myself!

Your ammo comparison results pretty well back up what I am seeing.

Thanks for the links, but the shipping costs seem prohibitive for me since I'm not ready to buy a case of any of this stuff just yet.

I'm afraid that work and school are about to put a big cramp on my shooting habit, so I don't know when I'll get back to doing any more shooting. I'll try to resurrect this thread when I get some CCI SV to compare to others in its price bracket.

For now, my conclusions are what I could have just taken for granted from what many here have written:

1.) CCI Blazer wins the title of "Best of the Bulks" in my opinion since it gives the best performance for the very lowest cost. I will buy any time I find it cheap. But...

2.) ...CCI SV is two steps up in performance for half a step up in price. The hunt for plinking ammo will inevitably result in a compromise between superior performance and cost, as Greg as mentioned. This is a the clear winner in performance even though it comes in at the top of my price bracket's boundaries.

3.) Surprisingly, Win 555's were quite consistent and even out-performed the Blazers @ 50 yards, but gave up that edge @ 100. Would buy this again for plinking/short-range hunting. 18.50 + tax in WallyWorld.

CMH: As has been proven many times over, testing for yourself is the only way to find the best for Your rifle. Sharing results like this does have some value though since it can give a nudge in the right direction. Feel free to share more detailed results in the future. Always interesting to read others' experiences in this game.

Thanks to all who have contributed thus far.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Had a cold, but very calm evening, so I jsut had to go out and do a little plinking. Had a friend shoot my rifle just to familiarize him with using mil-dot hold-overs as well as dialing for bullet drop compensation. He shot the Win 555's into a .7 wide x 1.7" tall group @ 100 yards.

I had never taken this ammo beyond 100, but I dialed up 20 (IIRC) minutes and shot a 5 shot group @ 200. Managed a 4.2-ish" group and made a few hits on a 7.5" steel at the same range.

This one might be a good "backup" ammo to keep in mind should you need it.

-The Kid.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Revived this to add some observations on CCI SV after finally getting my hands on some. All groups are five-shot groups. Fired from bench with bipod and no rear support. Groups measured from center-to-center.

Conditions were moderately heavy snow fall the entire time and temps of about 35 degrees F. Wind was nearly calm.

Rifle was, of course, my Savage Mark 2-FV with Mueller APT, 4.5-14x40mm.

Win 555's:

100 Yards:

1.70" + 1.95" + 1.35" /3 = 1.66" average.

50 yards:

0.90" + 1.00" /2 = 0.95" average.

CCI SV:

100 yards:

2.06" + 1.57" + 1.05" + 1.05" + 0.95" /4 = 1.27" average.

50 yards:

0.46" + 0.38" + 0.62" /3 = 0.486" average.

I felt that the first 100 yard group my fault as it was extreme vertical stringing and I believe indicates sloppy technique on my part when it comes to "bipod loading" and consistency of forward pressure on rifle. The more I paid attention to this through the past few days, the tighter groups seem to become.

Conclusions at this point:

The CCI SV's are worth the extra few dollars per brick, for sure.
The Win bulk "555's" keep surprising me with their accuracy out to 100 yards, though it is inconsistent and does not compete with the SV's even on their best days.

Other observations: Noticing a trend/possible correlation in performance at various temperatures. The Winchester seem to shoot better cold, while the CCI's are relatively insensitive to temperature. Will be paying more attention to this in the future.

For those that might find it interesting, here is my dope from today:

Winchester:
(shot to same 50 yard zero as my CCI Velocitor hunting zero)

+5.5 MOA = 100 yard zero.

+ ~19 MOA = 200 yards.

CCI SV:

+2.75 MOA/1 MOA Left from "Velocitor zero" to zero @ 50 yards.

+7.0 MOA = 100 yards.

-The Kid.

 

[KAman9803]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I've always shot Federal 36gr when shooting bulk with decent enough accuracy but this thread has me curious. Went on a little shopping trip around town to see what I could find for shooting tomorrow.

Federal Auto Match- $14.97 at Wal Mart

CCI Standard Velocity- $24.95 at Dicks

CCI Blazer- $19.99 at Academy

Federal Gold Medal Target- $31.99 at Gander Mountain, not really considered bulk but for a brick at the price I will consider it that.

 

[awonder]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Federal automatch shoots the best in my bolt CZ and my wifes 10/22.

 

[AR-180]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I shoot bullseye. From a pistol at 50 yards, my Marvel Precision barrel will hold under an inch with CCI-SV.

I have found the bulk box of Blazer to be really accurate too.

Through the CMP, you can buy some bulk ammo that tends to shoot really well also.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AR-180</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I shoot bullseye. From a pistol at 50 yards, my Marvel Precision barrel will hold under an inch with CCI-SV.

I have found the bulk box of Blazer to be really accurate too.

Through the CMP, you can buy some bulk ammo that tends to shoot really well also. </div></div>

That speaks as much of your shooting as it does your weapon and ammo! lol. Good shooting, bud.

How do those rounds perform side-by-side for you @ 100 yards and out?

 

[300winman]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Grimm17</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've had uncommon luck with the 22s Remington makes undr the Peters name. Solid RN 40g they are almost as repeatable as CCI standard vel for me. The only Remington 22s Ill say nice things about. </div></div>

I thought this as well untill recently when the last two bricks i bought (different lots) were terrible. some felt like 22 mags others felt like they barely made it out of the barrel and several ftfs. I started buying them when they were 13 bucks a brick, but know they are right up there with everyone else. I will be sticking with the blazers

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

Shot the Winchester bulk and CCI SV @ 200 yards today.

Only two groups with the Winchesters.

2.65" + 5.1 = 3.88" group average.

CCI SV:

3.40" + 2.93" + 4.15" 3.95" = 3.6" group average.

For those that might care to know, my dope was:

CCI SV: +27 MOA = 200 yards.

Winchester white box: +20 MOA = 200 yards.

-The Kid.

 

[1911.it]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

My Cooper 57M likes Wolf Match Extra or SK Jagd Rifle Match the best. I'm going try the CCI SV next. I probably shoot 2000+ rounds/year so I don't mind spending a little more for better accuracy. It would be nice to spend ~$335 for 5000 rounds instead of $625 for the Wolf especially if I can find it at my local Dick's. I'll keep buying the Wolf but it's nice to save some $ too.

 

[Metonymy]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

CCI SV 0035 for me all the way. My newly built .22 rifle absolutely loves the stuff.

Turns out that the Remington subsonic isn't half bad in my rifle either, but that's not bulk obviously.

 

[hollowpoint]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I spent a couple hours at the range today trying to figure out what my Savage FVSR liked best. The CCI Mini-Mag seemed to be the winner of the non match ammo. I was shooting nickel size 10 shot groups at 50 yards on a gusty day with them.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: Best of the "bulks"?

I ran out of all my 'match' ammo so I shot a few boxes I had lying around of Winchester subsonics, the 40gr HP load. They were dead on at 100yd with my zero for cci sv/wolf match, and held a fairly tight group at this distance with my Mk II. At the price they go for, its worth trying.