# Which is the best bulk .22 ammo?



## fishndinty (Dec 2, 2008)

My friends and I set out last weekend to non-scientifically answer this question.  The guns we used were a Marlin Model 60 autoloader, a Ruger 10-22, and a Walther P-22 pistol.

We didn't keep statistics, but out of Remington Golden Bullet, Federal Bulk HP, and Winchester Super X HP, the Winchester ammo was the best by a considerable margin.  Anyone else found something similar to be true?


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## fishtail (Dec 2, 2008)

Every bit of that depends on the condition of the firearm.
Good example is you will find fewer misfires with CCI ammo in a wore out auto loader.


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## fishndinty (Dec 2, 2008)

CCI is not bulk ammo though...and we used three firearms, all in perfect operating condition and with frequent cleanings.


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## BookHound (Dec 2, 2008)

Mkay...

What exactly were you trying to prove?  Define "best".  Best in accuracy?  Best in reliable feeding?  Cleaner?

Were you shooting off rests or using other ways of eliminating variables such as human error?  I know you mentioned unscientific but what was it you were trying to prove and HOW did you execute your tests?


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## wareagle (Dec 2, 2008)

I am assuming by bulk you mean dumped in a box and not counting price. By far some of the best(feeds well,no misfires,pretty accurate) bulk I've shot in the Federal Auto Match. I think it's around 14.00 for 325rds @ Wallymart. It's been a good round for me in my 10/22 and 77/22.


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## fishndinty (Dec 2, 2008)

Wow..I've never tried that kind, War.  Our test was for reliable feeding and for accuracy, and was unscientific as we didn't record misfire/misfeed rates any more than by general feeling after shooting all of the above from clean guns.  There was no detectable difference in accuracy for any of the three types of ammo we tested...maybe a few more fliers in the Federal bulk...all were plenty accurate enough for target practice and killing squirrels, rabbits or aluminum cans.

Cleaner isn't a big deal to any of us b/c we all clean our guns a lot.  Anyone who plinks with a .22 should have a boresnake, Breakfree CLP, a towel, and RemOil.  Give it the business every 100-200 rounds and gunk is rarely an issue.

Yes, by bulk I meant dumped in a box.  We were just trying to find the best really cheap .22 ammo made; I thought a lot of Woody's guys would like to hear some preliminary data on which seemed to function the most reliably.  For us, the Winchester Super X seemed a good option....VERY few feed problems, accurate in all 3 guns, and no misfires.  This stuff was 12.83$ for 500 rounds at Wally World.

If price weren't an option, I love the CCI Velocitor round for hunting...it seems more accurate than the Stinger in the guns I shoot.  I am also becoming a fan of the new Aguila SuperMax...it's faster (albeit a bit dirtier) than Stingers are.  It also smells kinda good when you shoot them...  Maybe it's just me, but I have never had feed issues with any non-bulk .22 ammo that's high- or hyper velocity.


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## BowHunter89 (Dec 2, 2008)

Actually the last box of xperts was absolute junk. Every other round was a FTE out of my buckmark and it has never had any issues with anything else... I only feed it mini mags now though. Never had a problem with Federal 550 bulk pack and have only heard good things about the Auto Match stuff.


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## fishndinty (Dec 2, 2008)

More info on the tests: our accuracy tests were done from a variety of field positions: offhand, sitting, prone, and rested.  Groups varied according to position, and we noticed no discernable accuracy difference between ammo types.  Feeding reliability was very different from ammo type to ammo type.

Winchester Super X gave no failures to fire and only a few failures to eject out of the 500 rounds we shot.  The Golden Bullets and Federal Bulk packs were both much more FTE prone, and both had a few duds mixed in.  The Golden Bullets were definitely the worst of the bunch.


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## Robust Redhorse (Dec 3, 2008)

I know several folks who shoot the Federal Auto Match in local competitions.  It will shoot 1 MOA in my CZ 22 rifle.

It's made for automatic competetion rifles like a heavy barrelled 10/22.  

But I haven't seen a 10/22 yet that can compete with a decent bolt action for accuracy.


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## nutzmcg (Dec 3, 2008)

the cci blazer is ok too it shoots good in my sons mossberg 702


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## fishndinty (Dec 3, 2008)

I gotta try this Federal Auto Match stuff...what does its container look like?  Sounds like it would be good for offing squirrels  

Nutz,
I've never used bulk CCI, but I have never had anything but good luck with their ammo in any caliber.


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## discounthunter (Dec 4, 2008)

i know you said unofficial  but a little more acurate breakdown would result in information that is usable ie: exactly how many missfire,missfeeds,which guns they occured in,when they occed hot/cold barrel, did the problems increase after 100rnds,200rnds,ect.

plus id throw a bolt action in there as a control.


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## fishndinty (Dec 4, 2008)

Discount,
I do science for a living, so when I go shooting, I don't wanna fill out another danged lab report    I more than anything wanted to share the general trends we noticed, and to start the discussion to see if anyone else might have done similar experiments.


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## discounthunter (Dec 4, 2008)

i hear you about lab reports! but at least take a bolt action as a control . i can all but guarentee you will not have feed/eject probs, but you will get an occational miss fire.thats the drawback on ANY bulk ammo .


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## fishndinty (Dec 4, 2008)

None of the ammo we tried had severe problems with misfires.  I agree a bolt would have shot and cycled it all fine.  And it was actually all fairly accurate.  Certainly enough to hunt squirrels at 50 yards with the rifles and 30 yards with the handgun.

I am happy about this thread...I have got to try some of that Federal Automatch ammo...lots of good commentary about it on the web.  


Surprisingly, the Winchester SuperX ammo we found to be excellent has been rated either 5 stars or 1 stars by most people...seems like there might be a bad batch or 2 of it floating around.


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## Robust Redhorse (Dec 9, 2008)

The Auto-Match is sold in a yellow box of around 350 rounds for about $14.50 at Walmart.  Not all Wal-Marts have it, so you might want to call before you start driving around.


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## Squirrel Sniper (Dec 17, 2008)

federal match is a good bulk.  i use a Remington Nylon 66  with CCI hypervelosity Stingers  1640fps clean fire and hits HARD!


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## chambers270 (Jan 13, 2009)

I have had the best luck with Federal 36gr Hollowpoints in 550 round bricks. I had problems with Remington misfeeding in my 10/22


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## shawn mills (Jan 13, 2009)

Have you tried to buy bulk .22 ammo lately? I can NEVER find it at walmart anymore!!!!!


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## kornbread (Jan 14, 2009)

me and my uncle shot 200 rounds of federal and had lots of miss fires and eject prob both of us are shooting 10/22 we tried the wild cats and only a few miss fires and no eject prob going to try the cci next week. this has been a good thread


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## siberian1 (Jan 14, 2009)

Has anyone ever tried the winchester powerpoints. I hear they are pretty awesome!


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## ejs1980 (Jan 14, 2009)

I've tried alot of 22 ammo. My best round for accuracy is usually eley target. Shot silouette with it and have hunted squirrels with it also. On average it's been the best in most guns. Bought a few rounds of remington target and had several misfires in the first box and accuracy averaged about the same as cci mini-mag which feeds well in most guns and accuracy is acceptable for small game and it hits hard. CCI stingers never shot well in any rifle I've owned and are a little noisy. Winchester bulk with the lead head allways shot well for bulk ammo and was reliable but the lube on the lead makes it next to impossible to get the dirt off if you drop a round while loading. Remington bulk and wildcat allways shot as good as federal for me and is usually a little cheaper.Another good choice for accuracy is the wolf match. I'm not a fan of wolf ammunition but I've seen several target rifles that liked it enough to make dime sized groups at 50 yds. Back when I used alot of bulk ammo I didn't worry to much about group sizes I knew I had enough rounds there to hit what I was chasing. These days I'd rather sit down and hit what I'm shooting at the first time.


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## fishndinty (Jan 17, 2009)

I recently got a Remmy 597 which is VERY accurate.  What's hilarious is that the Federal Bulk (550 rounds) stuff is more reliable than the Super X is!   I guess it's shoot till you find what works in your gun.

For hunting I still prefer stingers or aguila supermax.


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