Ammunition - 22lr Comps

[Target Shooter]

Just finished first year competition shooting in .22 Precision with my Anschutz Match 54, coming 2nd, and I was wondering just how much ammunition plays a part in it?

I use Eley Sport at the moment, with a good set of diopter sights. I can get up to around 97/98 on a really good day, but usually hover around the 94 mark. Would investing in some extra value ammunition maaaaybe bump me up a couple of points?

[DedIdick]

Who knows, why not buy a couple of boxes of Tenex or whatever the top shooters use these days. Mind you, you've no excuses for the dropped shots then.

[Rutty]

I use Eley Sport at the moment, with a good set of diopter sights. I can get up to around 97/98 on a really good day, but usually hover around the 94 mark. Would investing in some extra value ammunition maaaaybe bump me up a couple of points? .

Probably

Who knows, why not buy a couple of boxes of Tenex or whatever the top shooters use these days. Mind you, you've no excuses for the dropped shots then.

No point in paying for Tenex unless you intend to go to Eley and batch test, then buy 5,000rds. You are almost as likely to get similar results with "Team" or "Match" as with a random batch of "Tenex".

To put it another way, the tightest groups would probably be produced by a batch of Tenex best suited to your barrel, but the "worst" batches of Tenex would probably produce larger groups that the most suited batches of Match or Team. You just have to look at the variation in group size that people get on Eley's test range to see what I mean.

Rutty

[DedIdick]

I did say, Tenex or whatever. What I was basically getting at was to try some other good quality target ammo.

[Rutty]

Tenex or whatever the top shooters use these days

The same comments apply to anything in that price bracket, Tenex, Lapua X-Act. Midas. They are only worth the extra cost if you batch test. RWS R50 is good and a bit cheaper, but still more expensive than Eley Match. Is it worth the extra? Only you can decide.

Rutty

[20series]

If you can get any around you try Lapua Centre X, it's mid price ammunition (circa £110/1000) but performs very well.

Alan

[DJP1]

Rutty has it right.
Put simply, your barrel will perform well with some batches of ammunition and less well/poorly with others. What does well in another rifle may be awful in yours. This is not just a matter of brand. It is a matter of the precise diameter of the bullet (and yes they may be microscopically different beteween makers/brands/batches and equally importantly velocity. Tha's why Tenex for example has the actual velocity on the box! When the cartridge is fired, the barrel vibrates. Velocity affects the point in the vibration at which the bullet leaves the barrel. Hence the need to find a brand and batch which suits your rifle and that's why good shooters batch test (and not just with Eley tenex).
The reason why the more expensive ammo is usually (but not always) better, is that quality control is tighter so there is less scope for manufacturing errors to deliver flyers outside the group.
But once you have eliminated those caused by manufacturing, you need to test a few different makes/batches in your rifle. If you can't get to a machine rest, such as the one at the Lord Roberts Centre, then rest it on sandbags so as to shoot as steady a group as possible. If possible, put a scope on the rifle. The scope helps you eliminate sighting errors which can arise with iron sights. You could start with, say, 5 boxes of different ammo which are thinking of trying. Fire 20 shots in two groups of 10 (to allow the barrel to cool a bit), followed by 20 shots of the next ammo type and even at 25 yards you should start to see a difference in the average group size. And you should certainly eliminate any which throw unexplained flyers in your rifle.

It can be a very educational process.

[Target Shooter]

Cheers for all the input guys.
I've had it a few times when I've taken a shot, knowing it to be spot on, and it be out by a couple mil which I wasn't expecting. Always wondered if this was due to the ammo.

I'll have a look at the local RFD, see what they have on offer. Heard good things about Lapua from guys at my club, may try and get myself some of that.

Going to keep a record of my shooting scores to see if there's any noticeable change. I have data from Eley Subs going back to about April last year