Testing various .22 ammo in Rugers.

[Adam Helmer]

Yesterday, I tested three different brands of .22 Long Rifle hollowpoint ammo in my Ruger Mark I and Ruger Mark II. I had a brick of Remington, Federals and Winchester ammo. The targets were 25 yards from the bench. It was an interesting afternoon.

The pistols are used a lot in my handgun instruction classes. The Mark I is a heavy barrel with adjustable sights while the Mark II has a light barrel and fixed sights. The Federals shot so-so, the Remingtons were better, but the Winchesters shot best in my guns, your results may vary. I adjusted the windage on the Mark II to zero it for Winchesters. That will be my woods carry gun here on the farm.

Adam

[buckhunter]

In my 10-22 the Winchester's won hands down. Usually use 40 gr Power Points. On a good day they will group in a dime at 25 yards. That what I hunt with however when plinking I use everything else,

[Adam Helmer]

buckhunter,

I agree, the Winchester Hollow Points that come in a 555-round box win in my Ruger pistols and my OLD Marlin 39A .22 lever action.

The Federal bricks on establishment will be shot off during orientation classes for new shooters in my CCW classes.

Adam

[buckhunter]

I have a old HiStandard I believe Model 109 Military that will not anything except CCI Standard Velocty worth a darn. It will drive tacks with the CCI then again thats what it was made for.

[GoodOlBoy]

Adam I am curious as to which Remmys you were using. I have found that the remington golden bullets shoot best in almost anything I own. Curiously these are midrange shells, not high end ones.

GoodOlBoy

[Adam Helmer]

GOB,

The Remingtons were the Walmart offering of 500 rounds in a box for about $20, as I recall. They shoot well, but just not as well as the Winchester hollow points.

Adam

[Dom]

Nice to get out and do some shooting Adam, sounds like you are having too much fun :)

Just a quick question if you know, I have a Mark I, standard, with tapered barrel. Front sight is like a barrel band with a straight blade. Looks like I just pop the pin and the blade is off, or does the entire band come off also. Been looking for some night glow sights for it and not having much luck, most hi viz sights I see are for Mark II or bull barrels. May have to cobble something up. Eyes are getting old, and shooting competition indoors, with black sights, at black target, with no light or contrast is near impossible for me!

[Adam Helmer]

Dom,

Es ist nicht moghlich!!! Du bist ZEHR Alt! Wie geht es Ihnen, mein Freund?

Good to hear from you again. My Mark I is in the top shelf of vault #2 and I cannot grab it easily to comment. Perhaps Ruger will be a lot more helpful than I ever wished to be. Also, Ruger may have modified the Mark I front sight over time. As I recall, mine is dovetailed into the barrel at the muzle end.

Be well und, Macht viel Spass!

Adam

[270man]

Adam & others,

I have extensively tested just about anything I can buy in my bolt and SA auto rifles. My Ruger SA handguns have also been run through ammo test cycles. However, most of the handguns have open sights and it has been hard to pin down just what ammo brands and types are "best". Here are some of my general findings:

1) Numerous brands/types (both HV and Std Vel) give adequate accuracy in my handguns. If pressed for one, I would choose Winchester Super-X HV.

2) Win Super-X types (solid bullet, HP, Power Point, DynaPoint, etc.) all work well in my rifles. Remington's HV Golden Bullets don't measure up in any of my rifles -- for accuracy or reliability.

3) For sillhouette rifle competition, Federal 711B (1080fps) is the choice for my Remington 541S -- but Winchester T-22 works pretty well too. Higher priced stuff is just a bit more accurate but not enough to justify the cost.

4) With so many different loads giving good accuracy, I next look to reliability. Several years ago, my fellow handgun competitors and I were getting anywhere from 5-10 misfires with a box of 50 Remingtons -- and I haven't bought any since.

As the ads always say, your results may vary. I have concluded that no one brand/type is the best for everyone's firearms. In addition, I have had good luck with a particular lot only to find that a new lot of the same stuff doesn't work as well. We just have to keep testing for best results.

270man

[Dom]

Ja Adam, Ich sage lieber Alter und nicht sehr Alt :) Mir geht es gut, wie immer, nichts neues!

Not a problem on the Mark I sights, I'll ask Ruger. Someday I'll stumble upon what I'm looking for just figured I'd ask as you have a wealth of knowledge.

Alles gute and hope you's all here on Huntchat have a nice Memorial Day.

[popplecop]

I too have had problems with the Remington Golden Bullets in recent years. Lot of misfires in variouis rifles and handguns. I used to always have them on hand as they performed well in my various 22 rfs. Now for bulk .22 rfs have been useing Federals for plinking

[Rapier]

You know guys, testing 22 LR ammo at 25 yards is a waste of time. Virtually anything will shoot in any gun at 25 yards. Forget accuracy testing a gun without at least a scope and sand bags. Even as crappy as Remington ammo is, it will also shoot at 25 yards.

Dom, the early Ruger Standard Auto front sight is held in place by a small pin, later changed to a screwed on arrangement. You have an early gun.

Go Here: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=8284

Ed

[popplecop]

Only if it fires everytime one pulls the trigger. Will try some Golden Bullets again, hopefully they are more reliable, used to be my favorite .22 rf.

[Rapier]

Yep, ifin it not go bang, it ain't worth much. :D
Ed

[GoodOlBoy]

Keep in mind that rate of twist and dept of rifling had changed from vendor to vendor and decade to decade.

I have a old winchester model 67 single shot (LR/L/S) that doesn't like ANY current made easy to find shells. The best it shoots are CCI CB short or CB long. Aguila Super Extra Subsonic, and Remmy Subsonic shoot OK in it.

My Marlin Model 60 and my Ruger 10/22 both seem to prefer the Remington Golden Bullet HP http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/rimfire/22-rimfire/golden-bullet.aspx

CCI Stingers worked well in a buddies browning buckmark. As did the Winchester Red Label HV stuff. Bother were ok in my Ruger 10/22 but nothing to write home about.

CCI Stingers worked moderately in another buddies Ruger Mark II pistol, but The CCI Velocitors worked wonders in it. As did the Aguila SSS 60 grain subsonics. The velocitors work decent in my old marlin model 60 so long as I am satisfied with consistently 50 cent sized groups.

Remington Yellowjackets shot minute of squirrel and minute of bunny in my Marlin Model 60, but my Ruger 10/22 hates them, which is weird because dad's 10/22 shoots them pretty well.

Federal Lightning (old box pre-champion style label) shot VERY well in my marlin model 60. However the new box (champion style label) doesn't shoot great in it, AND it is much dirtier than it used to be.

Remington Cyclone has shot decently in my ruger 10/22, a buddy's remington viper, and in another buddies browning buckmark.

Winchester Super Speed RN & HP and Hyper Speed HP shot OK in my Ruger 10/22.

I will look through some of my other various 22 shells at home I know I have some older and oddballer ammo in there as well. We don't have alot of winchester 22 shells for sale down here.

GoodOlBoy

[Rapier]

The following article I wrote for the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association's IHMSA News after attending the 2001 Shot Show as the director of Industry Relations. In its original form the article appeared in 2001 with the revised article appearing in 2004. I thought you rimfire shooters might find the article interesting and informative. What is not reported here is that a request was made of all clubs in the IHMSA to report any use of the SSS ammo and the results. No match accuracy was reported from anywhere in the world. What is missing here are the photos of the round and its components, with the box.


Aguila’s 60 Grain 22 LR Ammo


Aguila, the ammunition manufacturer from South of the border, has introduced a new type ammunition for the 22 Long Rifle. The new ammo has potential for the silhouette sports or small game. The full and correct name of the new ammo is Sniper Sub Sonic (SSS).
What makes the new ammo noteworthy, in the world of 22 LR cartridges, is the bullet weight. The new cartridge is loaded with a 60-grain bullet!
Think about the bullet weight for one moment. Will the Field/Hunter Pistol 75 yard turkey and 100 yard ram fall to the SSS, if hit properly? You might be able to use a rim fire in a center fire game.
The SSS round is a joint effort of manufacturing. As I understand the process, Eley makes the case and primer. The powder and bullet are from Aguilla. The round looks very similar to a 22 short case with a very long lead bullet sitting up top. The overall length of the SSS has been kept within the tolerances of the overall length of the standard 22 Long Rifle cartridge. The SSS will fit in and feed from a standard 22 LR clip.
Some particulars about the bullet; it weighs 60 grains and is .244 diameter. It is a standard round nose design with elongated sides. The lubricant appears to be wax based and is fairly thin. The bullet pull weight is at least twice that of a standard 22 LR cartridge. The SSS bullet length is .700 as compared to .480 for a standard 22 LR bullet.
The SSS case, in appearance, looks to be pretty much a standard rim fire brass case. The SSS case is the same length as the case used for the standard 22 Short and 22CB Cap cartridges.
The powder in the SSS is gray in color and is a flat ball powder. The powder charge weight is 1.5 grains. When the cartridge is fired, the powder residue left in the case appears to be a liquid.
At 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50-ft elevation, the average velocity for the round fired from a 10-inch Anschutz barrel is 920 feet per second. The terminal momentum at 100 yards is .23 By comparison, the standard velocity 22 LR cartridge with a 40 grain bullet has an average velocity of 1025 feet per second and .15 terminal momentum. The momentum increase of the SSS over a standard velocity 22 LR is 53%.
How does the new cartridge perform on the Field/Hunter Pistol ram? We ran an informal test at a silhouette match. We used three guns in the test, an XL eight inch, a TC ten inch and an Anschutz 10 inch. After 30 rounds, 10 each gun, only one ram stood to the Aguila bullet. The stubborn ram had a partial bullet impact (about 1/2 bullet) on the “belly extension.” Various hits were recorded, top of back, top of leg, center, etc. The rams were all set on the back of a railroad tie. That is wood, not steel!
The only problem that we could determine was accuracy. We were able to achieve 1.5 to 2 inch groups at 50 yards. One person that I talked to had keyholes at 75 yards during a prior test. The 100-yard groups were almost the size of the ram. The culprit was the twist rate of the standard 22 guns available on the “production” market. The standard twist rate for most 22 LR guns is one turn for every 16 inches of bullet travel.
After pulling a 60-grain bullet and measuring the bullet’s length I ran the information in Carlton Shy’s “Compubal” computer program. The program confirmed what I thought; the standard twist rate of 1-16 is to slow for the 60 grain .224 bullet. According to the computer program, the optimum twist rate for the 60 grain bullet is 1 turn for every 10.5 inches of travel.
There is no reason that the new cartridge will not perform given the proper barrel length and twist rate. However, for silhouette purposes, Field/Hunter Pistol competition requires “production” guns, even in the “Any Sight” category. The Small-Bore competition does not really require a bullet heavier than 40 grains. However, the SSS cartridge would be fun to try out in a fast twist custom gun.
The new round appears to be intended for close up use where additional penetration is desired. It would make an excellent business cartridge for up close social work. I would think that a person using a 22 LR pistol for a defensive gun, ladies, etc., would be well advised to consider the use of the SSS cartridge.
Food for thought; the optimum twist rate for the 40 grain 22 Long Rifle bullet in the Compubal program is 1 in 15 inches. It is possible that a person could get acceptable match accuracy for 40 grain and 60 grain 22 bullets from a 1 in 12 twist. I do not think anyone would want to build a gun just to shoot the SSS bullet. However, a gun that would shoot both weights, hmm, now that sounds like another winter project.

As an up date of this article: The 1-12 twist gun was built by yours truly, using a cheap single shot pistol. The barrel was drilled, re-lined and chambered. The 1-12 twist rate was not fast enough. A friend, in the mean time, built a 1-10 twist barrel for a 10-22. The 1-10 twist gun shoots the SSS like magic, 1/2 inch groups. Just goes to show you, if the computer says 1-10, build it that way.

While at the Shot Show in February I did get to see and fondle the new .17 Aguila. Unlike the Hornady .17, which is based on the 22 mag, the .17 Aguila is based on the 22 Long Rifle cartridge and uses a 33% heavier bullet at around 1700 fps. A neat little package with very respectable stats. The cartridge would work in any rebarreled 22 LR gun. Now a 10-22 in the .17 Aguila, scope, squirrels, hum…..well it is winter.

[popplecop]

Very interesting, wonder If I can find a 1-10 barrel commercialy for one of my 10/22s. Would make for an easy barrel swap. I use them in an old from the 50s Ruger Bearcat when bird hunting. They do well in it for an occassional sitting bunny or squirrel. Thanks for the update.

[Dom]

. . . Dom, the early Ruger Standard Auto front sight is held in place by a small pin, later changed to a screwed on arrangement. You have an early gun.

Go Here: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=8284

Ed
Thanks Ed, that's exactly the front sight on mine. Forgot about checking Numrich :)

[Gil Martin]

I buy the Federal and Winchester bulk packs and my rifles and handguns like them both. All the best...
Gil

[Rapier]

Sorry but I have been remiss in not returning to this subject to address the question of availability of the barrels to shoot the 60gr bullets. ER Shaw makes a 1-9 twist replacement barrel for the 10/22 which I understand is a drop in and is fairly inexpensive. The 10/22 yet one more time gets dressed up for a dance it never was intended to attend.

One question no one asked was just how effective is the 60 gr bullet, well in my discussion with the company reps they quoted some astounding penetration in pine boards and the ability to defeat lower rated vests. If you go on the web you will find notes documenting 24 inch penetration at 200 meters in gelatin. Basically for up close and personal, the 60 gr bullet becomes a viable defense or backup round in a "have to" situation as it can penetrate to the vitals.

If someone insists on a 22 LR as a defense gun, give them a box of the SSS ammo as it will be the best they can hope for at close range with a handgun sporting a standard twist barrel. If an auto, just make sure it will function the slide or bolt.
Ed

[popplecop]

Thanks, I'll have to check out the Shaw barrel.