.22LR Ammo

MrDesertBrat

New member
Folks,

I am returning to the .22LR benchrest game after a near 20 year hiatus - so please pardon a few questions that probably have been asked before a bunch of times. Looking at IR 50/50 with the new 50 yard and 100 yard programs.

Current rifle is a dusty Annie 54 action, <1 oz Annie trigger, with a Shelin barrel, McMillin stock, Hoen Tuner and was assembled and chambered by Niel Johnson out of Colorado for me 20 years ago... it has produced a couple of RBA 250 - 250-19x's. It loved the Eley flat nose auto @ 1072 fps (2005 version). Lapua Midas L as a backup. That was then. I need to search for "todays best". Where do I start.

We used to believe that Eley Tenex was Eley's top line and made on their "best" and "tightest" machines. Eley would then "cull" out some round that varied from their tightest standards and that was rebranded as a "lesser" Eley subbrand. In this way, Tenex had the least amount of deviation - each round was closer in spec to each other. Or so we believed. We believed Lapua did the same. We even went so far as to try and determine, by lot number coding (we had spy's that supposedly gave us the secret coding) , what machine the ammo was made on - and if a lot was consumed, we searched for other lots made from the same machine. No sure this was true or just the desert heat frying our brains. {sigh} - in retro spec we probably spent too much time on this and should have used that time on the range.

I recognize that every gun shoots rimfire ammo differently - sometimes CCI SV cuts a one hole group at 50 yrds for some rifles and Tenex has more of a spread then you might like. No telling what a gun might like - it can surprize ya.

All that said, in today's world, with current manufacuring and cross brand manufacting (Wolf and Eley - SK and Lupua, etc.) what is currently occuring in todays .22lr markets? What brand(s) seems to be the most consistant? Eley, Lapua, Wolf, SK, RWS, etc.

Where the heck do I start??????? beside asking this brain trust, where to start.

Thanks a Bunch.
 
Folks,

I am returning to the .22LR benchrest game after a near 20 year hiatus - so please pardon a few questions that probably have been asked before a bunch of times. Looking at IR 50/50 with the new 50 yard and 100 yard programs.

Current rifle is a dusty Annie 54 action, <1 oz Annie trigger, with a Shelin barrel, McMillin stock, Hoen Tuner and was assembled and chambered by Niel Johnson out of Colorado for me 20 years ago... it has produced a couple of RBA 250 - 250-19x's. It loved the Eley flat nose auto @ 1072 fps (2005 version). Lapua Midas L as a backup. That was then. I need to search for "todays best". Where do I start.

We used to believe that Eley Tenex was Eley's top line and made on their "best" and "tightest" machines. Eley would then "cull" out some round that varied from their tightest standards and that was rebranded as a "lesser" Eley subbrand. In this way, Tenex had the least amount of deviation - each round was closer in spec to each other. Or so we believed. We believed Lapua did the same. We even went so far as to try and determine, by lot number coding (we had spy's that supposedly gave us the secret coding) , what machine the ammo was made on - and if a lot was consumed, we searched for other lots made from the same machine. No sure this was true or just the desert heat frying our brains. {sigh} - in retro spec we probably spent too much time on this and should have used that time on the range.

I recognize that every gun shoots rimfire ammo differently - sometimes CCI SV cuts a one hole group at 50 yrds for some rifles and Tenex has more of a spread then you might like. No telling what a gun might like - it can surprize ya.

All that said, in today's world, with current manufacuring and cross brand manufacting (Wolf and Eley - SK and Lupua, etc.) what is currently occuring in todays .22lr markets? What brand(s) seems to be the most consistant? Eley, Lapua, Wolf, SK, RWS, etc.

Where the heck do I start??????? beside asking this brain trust, where to start.

Thanks a Bunch.
The advice I can give you is to look on the IR 50/50 website for a match close to you and go have a look. Take your rifle and shoot it. If you don’t shoot they will not take you serious. Meet as many people as you can and they will share with you everything you need to know to bring you up to date.
If you are in an area that has a lot of ARA look on that site and do the same thing.
Good luck and we are glad to have you back.
TKH
 
The main problem we have today is finding ammo. The top three brands shot at today's matches are RWS R 50, Lapua Midas Plus and Center X and Eley Match and Tenex. Eley is readily available while RWS and Lapua are virtually unobtainable at present. You can order test lots of Eley from different machines, shoot them in your rifle to determine what lot shoots the best and order that lot # before it's sold out. Check Killough Shooting Sports or Whidden Gunworks for ammo. Ammo availability today isn't the same as it was 20 years ago. Welcome to the great ammo chase and good luck.
 
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arrange to have lot testing on your gun/bll'd action done at one of the big three( lapua, and two independents..some one fill them in) and then buy the lot that shoots the best
 
I finally decided to stop trying to make lower grade ammo work and order some Lapua just to find that it is near impossible to obtain.
 
I finally decided to stop trying to make lower grade ammo work and order some Lapua just to find that it is near impossible to obtain.
again, see my post..they will test wit what is actually available...widden gunworks is one, the other is in tx
 
I had a fiasco a while back sending a bullseye pistol out in the mail and will not send another firearm out again. My only other option is to drive out to Whidden but that will probably never happen. I only shoot in local matches so finding the perfect lot is not that big of a deal.
 
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