What is the best .22 LR round for target shooting?

Question

I've got a Ruger 10/22 rifle and a Ruger Mark III pistol I use solely for target shooting. I don't want hollow-point bullets since I want as small a hole in the target as possible.

I've been using Remington Thunderbolt ammo (cheap -- as in $11 for a brick of 500) but they seem pretty dirty. A guy at the range suggested the "Gold Metal" Remingto rounds but I can only find them in hollow point.

Folks, .22LR ammo is soooo cheap that I don't mind spending 'a lot' for the rounds...it's still an order of magnitude cheaper than a 9MM or .45 ACP or whatever.

What do you recommend I get to shoot clean little holes in the targets...and keep my guns nice and clean in the process?

One problem I'm having with the 10/22 is that some of the rounds don't seem to have enough 'oomph' to correctly cycle the action, resulting in an incomplete feed...the Remington Thunderbolts are definitely better than the crappy Federal stuff the range sells in this regard, so that's what makes me believe it's an ammo issue. I keep the gun as clean as I know how, including the occasional teardown to be sure the receiver area and bolt slides stay clear of dust and bits of lead.

OK, I took the day off work yesterday to go have an absolute ball with my new Mark III and my 10/22. My non-scientific results (and thanks to all of you for your input):

Remington Thunderbolt: About 100 rounds through the rifle, and about 300 through the pistol. Absolutely nominal performance, but visibly dirtier than the others.

CCI Standard Velocity CRN: About 50 rounds through each, again nominal performance. Visibly less dirty to handle, less smudge in chamber after firing.

Federal American Eagle: I had about 40 of these left over from a previous range trip (had rented a gun and range (rightly so in my opinion) wanted me to use their ammo in their gun so I got this stuff) Several popcorn-fart short loads, caused both weapons to fail to clear cartridge.

I didn't get a chance to try the Winchesters, but I do have a box of Remington Golden Bullets to try (30 grain hollow point). Thanks to all for your great suggestions and experience.

Answer 1

Rimfires in general tend to be particular about the ammo they shoot best with. The thing is, we can't tell you which ones.

Some guns will shoot great with the cheap stuff, some want expensive Eley Match ammo....you just can't tell untill you test it.

The fun part is, you get to test it yourself and a day shooting a couple hundred rounds ain't a bad day!

Now, you want to get a good variety of available ammos. No sense in testing stuff you can't get easily in your area. Get a bunch of standard size targets and head to the range.

Now, you want a day with no wind and you really need to shoot from a stable bench while seated and off of shooting bags, a rest or just sandbags. You are testing ammo, not your shooting skills. You cannot compare ammo shooting offhand, standing, etc. From a bench rest and seated.

I shoot five rounds per target. Then go and get the target and allow the gun to cool off. Mark each target with the brand and type ammo then set it aside. I will usually test five ammos, five rounds each then start over for three rounds. So at the end I have 15 targets to score.

Score "groups" only, that is, how closely each round landed to the other shots. Draw a circle as small as possible around each group and then measure that circle. The smaller the circle, the better.

Do not worry about how close you were to bull's eye, as tighter groups can be adjusted later by adjusting the scope.

I have a Ruger Mark II and it likes CCI Mini mags. I have a whole bunch of .22 rifles and they all like something different, but also do very well with the CCI Mini mags, so I usually stick with it, but your results will vary so test yourself.

The hollow point in .22 won't expand in a paper target....so it really makes little difference, go ahead and test the so called hollow points, sometimes it flies better.

CCI Mini mag solid point cost $5.11/100 at my local Academy sports store.

Yes, you will find in semi autos that some will operate better than others. It's not just power sometimes it's shape and size of the brass.....some is easier to extract and eject than others.

Answer 2

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So the really funny thing (to a math guy I suppose) is that of all of the rounds out there, these two are really easy to compare. Essentially, 9mm and .22 LR have the same velocity - around 1,200 FPS give or take. So, one of the simplest rules of thumb is to look at the relative kinetic energy of the rounds. In a .22 LR you have 40 grains and about 140 foot pounds of energy. So, 9mm 115 grains is about 3x the 40 grains, so 3x140 = 420 foot pounds of energy. Which for game animals and pests is enough to obliterate them. You can easily kill anything up to about a mid size dog with a .22 LR (say 50 - 75 pounds). Now, on people? The really biggest difference is the availability of quality controlled expansion rounds in 9mm vs. the more or less pretend hollowpoint ammo in .22LR. With a 9mm even if you are carrying enough energy to go through and through a soft target, if you get expansion which doubles the diameter of the round and keeps the energy in the soft target it will be much more damaging than a .22 that just goes through and through. However, that's not to say that a .22 won't kill someone, it most certainly will. However, if you are looking at a more dedicate defense weapon step up to the big brother and get a P99. If you are mostly looking for a plinker the P22 is a decent choice. Thinkingblade

Answer 3

I have tried the more expensive rounds of 22 ammo ($5 for a box of 50) and they don't seem to shoot any better than the cheaper rounds so I tend to buy what ever I can get cheap (under $10 for a brick of 500). I have never had them dirty up my guns either, I clean them once a year. I have a Ruger 10/22, a Remington 597, plus a couple of old bolt action 22's. The hollow points aren't going to mushroom until after they have gone through the paper target.

Answer 4

here at my shop, we were asked this question a lot. So, we decided to test all the (then) available factory ammo for accuracy, consistency, clean burning etc. We tried all the brands. the one brand that stood out in all categories was American Eagle brand 22Lr. Yes it does come in a hollow point bullet, but if your shooting paper, it won't make any larger hole than a lead round nose bullet will.
We did the test using a Remington model 512 bolt action rifle and a ruger 10-22. It functioned flawlessly in both rifles. held the most consistent FPS with the least variance of all the .22 tested. and was the most accurate. After the testing, I stocked up on 4 cases of the stuff ( not the 500 rnd cases, the 5000 round ones). That's how happy I was with it. I've used it to shoot flies off a piece of sandwhich tossed out in the desert, lit matches with it, killed more whistle pigs than you could count, and have just really been happy with it.

Answer 5

Best 22 Pistol For Target Shooting

Answer 6

The 22 is a higher velocity round with a small impact. The 9mm is a lower velocity round with a bigger impact. Not to sure what your hunting, but 9mm is typically not a hunting round. This is usually for self defense or standard police issue in some states. The 22 is for small game, and good ole plinking targets. Be safe.

Answer 7

22LR firearms are funny about ammunition. For instance, my Buckmark 5.5 target shoots CCI Mini-Mag Hollow Points more accurately than CCI Mini-Mag Round Nose. One of the guys who shoots with me has found that Winchester Dynapoints are so accurate in his pistol that he doesn't feel the need to buy more expensive target grade ammunition. The top 2 shooters at one league use identical pistols and shoot virtually identical scores--one with Ely Pistol XTRA, the other with CCI Green Tab. Each of my rifles likes different ammunition. When I get any new 22LR one of the most fun parts is going to the local sporting goods stores and buying a box of everything they have then testing them out at the range. So my advice for you is have fun and look for ammunition sales.

Answer 8

Gee, I been shooting nothing but the el cheapo Rem. Thunderbolts in my Ruger Mk II 22/45pistol and a Rger 10/22 rifle, and I have no problems.

Answer 9

I think CCI MiniMags shoot the best out of my 10/22 and my browning buckmark. They are a bit pricey as far as .22 is concerned, but like you said, that is still cheap compared to most calibers.

BTW, mini mags are about $8/100.

Answer 10

Use Remington Match Grade Ammo.*