Hi Mike. I know the chamber in the V22S is different from the V22 (which is Lapua oriented, if that is the correct term). I don't know about everybody else, but I am trying to purchase ammo while it is still somewhat readily available, and can be shipped from one state to another regularly freely. What brand of ammo do you think will perform best in the V22S? I know you stated it is not so oriented to Lapua, but is it more oriented to Eley, or will it depend on the individual action, as to how it performs with any ammo. I am just not that familiar with the Win 52D chamber and which ammo it likes best. If it is more Eley "centric, " would it be worthwhile stockpiling some Eley, even without sending it off to the Eley range to get lot specific ammo numbers?
Chambers for .22LR firearms are generally described as sporting, Bentz or match. Match chamber dimensions are tighter than sporting and Bentz chambers. It’s safe to say that all the highly accurate bolt action .22LR chambers are cut to match dimensions. Pacific Tool and Gauge (PTG) offers at least twenty different 22 Caliber Rimfire Reamer options including “Win 52D match” and “Eley EPS”.
Chambers are machined to accept various .22LR cartridges. Sporting chambers will accommodate a wide variety of .22LR ammo including high velocity brands (like CCI Stingers) that may have longer cases. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute (SAAMI) established specifications for .22LR cartridges in 1979 that provides firearm and ammunition designers specifications that ensure safe operation of ammunition in various firearms. Each of the various SAAMI specifications is “maximum cartridge / minimum chamber” ... for instance, the spec for rim thickness is 0.043” - 0.007”. In my experience, Eley rim thickness is a nominal 0.038” and Lapua is 0.041”. There is a difference and it’s up to the person cutting the chamber to decide just how tight the chamber will be. Chambers are generally cut to accommodate variations in specs from at least the ammo manufacturers the shooter will consider using in a particular rifle.
Now, with this preamble to the question of “what brand of ammo will perform best in the V-22S?” Anticipated “performance” must be defined. What is the shooter’s expectation? Will the rifle be used for plinking, for hunting, for positional competition (NRL22), for long distance (currently out to 500 yards for the ELR record) or for competitive rimfire benchrest competition? Each of these disciplines will have specific performance expectations. Ammo that is effective in hitting a 12” steel plate in the wind, at distances greater than 300 yards might be different than ammo used to consistently hit an aiming dot (thin “head of a pin”) consistently during a six card ARA match - that’s one hundred-fifty rounds.
In Vudoo’s V-22S marketing strategy the notion of “target” versus “match” has been coined to differentiate between factory production rifles, i.e., target and rifles built by accomplished gunsmiths, i.e. match. The difference, anticipated accuracy and precision, would be higher in a match rifle than a target rifle.
Assuming we’re selecting ammo for a match rifle, would the V-22S perform better with Eley or Lapua? Remember, the V-22S is an action and when we’re talking about the chamber, we’re talking about the barrel. If we’re talking about a V-22S target barreled action you’re referencing how the chamber is machined and, I believe VGW has stated there chamber is “based on” the Winchester 52D chamber.
Back to the question of brand performance. Eley (Tenex and Match) and Lapua (Midas + and Center X) are generally accepted as the best performing ammunition, i.e., consistent point of impact which translates to higher target scores in rimfire benchrest competitions (ARA, PSl, ABRA, IR-50/50 and BP-150). It’s interesting to note that in the recent ARA Nationals Tournament Eley was used by 59 competitors versus Lapua being used by 34.
On any given day, there may be an individual shooter preference to Eley or Lapua but most competitors won’t commit to one brand - instead they will lot test, specific to their competition rifle, ammunition from both Eley and Lapua. They’ll chose the ammo that shoots better in a specific rifle, often times verified prior to each match. They may have ammo they feel performs better in certain environmental conditions - temperature and wind being the two most significant.
My advice to Cmkaco about ammo purchase while ammo is “still somewhat readily available” which is, no doubt, based on a panic driven response to uncertain political times, is to buy as much of the best, either Lapua or Eley, that you can afford. But don’t expect your purchase will perform the very best in a rifle you have yet to take delivery. The best performing ammo in your rifle will be the result of lot testing.
Ammo selection for the most rigorous rimfire competition is an agonizing process that takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. Serious competitors lot test, literally hundreds of lots each year, in hopes of finding those “magic” bullets they feel is “killer” ammo that can win in the highest level matches.
Most rimfire benchrest competitors will acknowledge that a winning competitive rifle build requires a well designed and produced action mated to the best-of-the-best barrel that’s shooting ammunition capable of consistently shooting five round groups at 50 yards in center-to-center extreme spread in the 0.10 to 0.15” range.
It’s up to the individual shooter - from plinker to national champion - to establish the performance expectations necessary for their application.
