What ammo for long range?

[Tx_Aggie]

Found the post where I contacted Lapua customer service...


I asked:

By what procedure does Lapua determine if a lot of 22lr coming off the assembly line
is X-act, Midas+ or CenterX. The question came up in an online discussion.
A previous article related that it's accomplished by shooting random samples,
from each batch, from a number of barreled actions and checking muzzle velocities
for standard deviation and extreme spread.

Could you describe the process and the numbers that define the grading?




I came up with my own conclusion based on the information provided.
It's rimfire and the manufacturing process allows variations in quality and assembly of the components.
Quality control and the testing/sampling done at the factory determines the labeling.
What if the portion of the batch sampled and tested shows excellent results
but the remainder had a hiccup during the rest of the run, you won't know until you shoot it.
It may be labeled X-Act, but it produces trajectories like CCI SV.
A slight misalignment in the bullet seating, brass dimensions or a tiny blockage in the primer feed
can cause mv's to spread and trajectories to wander off on undesired tangents.
A company representative can't say that, it's not in the job description.
On the other side of the coin, what happens if the factory sampling shows poorer results?
It gets labeled as midgrade ammunition and sold at much cheaper prices.
But when you get your hands on it, it turns out that the factory tested the wrong portion of the batch.
That's when you have lot numbers of CenterX that are better than all the other Lapua offerings.
Same thing happens with the RWS and Eley brands.


Match ammunition is the best produced by the factory, as tested at the factory.
It gets boxed, labeled and sold as the best offered by the brand.
Further testing by the purchaser decides if it really is match ammo
or just expensive practice ammunition.

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for posting.