what .22lr ammo?

In a .22 rimfire my first consideration is dependability. If it always fires and functions, it's on the list. Beyond that, accuracy is more important than bullet design or actual velocity.

Practice a lot!

Aim for the EYES :shock: EYES

 

Using a .22lr in the defensive role is iffy at best because hollow points lack good penetration and solids penetrate but do not create a significant wound channel. My personal choice of ammo for rimfires is a 40gr solid for almost everything I use my twenty two's for. I do carry a small Taurus PT22 during the summer months when making a quick trip to the store during daylight hours, and its always loaded with CCI Mini Mag 40gr Solids.

A 36gr hollow point can possibly be stoped by a rib bone, it will hit, expand and most likely stop before getting to the internals. The 40gr will most definitely penetrate a rib bone and punch right thru to the internals. Some years ago I tested this theory by shooting into a pressure treated 2x4 from a 16" barrel rifle at about 15 feet. The 36gr HP round hit the board and stopped immediately, it went maybe 1/8" below the surface and I was able to dig it out with a small pocket knife. I shot the same board with a 40gr solid and it was a thru n thru shot, thinking it was a fluke I repeated this about 5 times and came up with the exact same results each time. So... I use 40gr solids for everything now, except for very informal plinking then I use bulk pack hollow points because they are dirt cheap.

Main reason I use the CCI ammo is reliability. Cant ever remember getting a dud round with Mini Mag's in all the years I have been shooting rimfire guns. Mini Mag's also cycle great in all my semi-auto's and tend to turn in some of the best accuracy for general purpose use.

rimfirehunter

 

Avoid the 500 count boxes if you're looking for good accuracy. The good CCI match grade stuff is good, but pricey. When shooting the mega box stuff, if you listen close, you'll notice the irregular sound of one shot compared to the next. With the match grade, every shot sound the same, and can get pretty tight patterns at 50 yds. A friend of mine was able to cover 10 shots with a quarter at 50 yds with the CCI match grade.

 

If it could be your absolute last line of defense option, work on attaching a bayonet :wink:

 

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I have never had a lot of luck with Rem Golden Bullets, due to cycling issues in semi-auto's and high number of dud's in all guns. Accuracy has never been that great in my guns with the Golden Bullet.

Rem Thunderbolts are deadly accurate in my Savage MkII bolt rifle and decent in my semi-auto's, but I do find a few "low power" rounds in each box of 50rds. This causes a 50yrd quarter size group to open up significantly and really ticks one off. I still buy this ammo for the Savage because its the most accurate in that rifle even with the periodic flyer.

Winchester Xperts are great small game bullets but dont always feed reliably in some semi-auto's due to the large opening in the truncated cone shaped bullet. My M6 Scout .22lr/.410 shoots the Xperts better than any of my other rifles so I buy them for this rifle only.

Federal Bulk Pack (.36gr HP's) is what I use for very informal plinking fodder. Cheap to buy in bulk, cycles and function well in all my guns, very low dud count per bx but lacks sufficient accuracy in my guns for serious paper shooting or hunting.

Just picked up a brick of CCI Blazer ammo before Christmas and have not had a chance to test it in any of my guns. Lot of folks on other forums are reporting good accuracy and reliability with this ammo, so I will give it a try and see how it performs for me.

Wolf Match Target is extremely accurate in several of my guns, but its one of those brands that must be ordered online because none of the local shops carry it. Due to the popularity of Wolf MT among competition shooters finding a place that has it instock is not easy.

 

As I have said before most of my guns one being a Remington do not like the Remington Golden Bullet bulk packs. They shoot all over the place. But I have had great success with the bulk pack CCI .

 

I just picked up some Federal Bulk Pack for the first time. It does not function very well in my '76 vintage Model 60. I can tell, just by the sound, if the round will cycle the action or not. They seem accurate enough at 100 yds though.
Cross these off the list for home defense!!!
Never had a problem with CCI's

 

Velocitors first then Stingers

I practice rapid fire of 11rnds from my phoenix (maybe 200 weekly), i rarely shoot single or doubles from it since in an SD event 2 will most likely not stop someone....But, 11 in COM is roughly equivalent to a shot of 00buck 8)

this is last lines stuff though as i would have to have emptied the mags on every other gun i own before i turn to a .22

BTW neither velocitors nor stingers can be shot thru a phoenix, i reserve the velocitors for my 10/22 and revolver.

...unless your talking pistols, I can do that w/ 3 or 4 20rnd mags in my 10/22 using a 500 pack. thats all i shoot.

 

I shoot the Rem GoldenBullets for plinking in both the marlin 60 and the Heritage Roughrider. The groupings are acceptable with the rifle probably owing to the longer barrel and more spin on the bullet. I haven't been impressed with their accuracy in the pistol.

As far as feed issues with them in the Marlin; in my experience that is ebcause after I shoot a bunch of them the gun is very dirty and you have to stop and clean it.

I've shot 2/3 of a box of Goldenbullets so far and haven't found a dud, but with a box that size odds are there are some in there. If I was shooting competively I'd use a better round, and if I were to use the .22 for personal protection, (although I can't imagine the scenario in which I would), I would defintely use the 40gr round.

 

ive shot 8,000 rounds of goldenbullets through all of my .22s combined, no duds yet. 8,500 if you count the 500box of federal too (didnt like em, too waxy)

ive had more than my fair share that dont load properly, but if the pin hits 'em theyve all shot.

 

I shoot CCI Mini mags and Remington Golden Bullets in my P22 because that is all that I can get to feed reliably. I actually got pretty decent 5 round groups with the RGB's at 7 and 25 yards.

In my 10/22 I shoot Eley target ammo when I want to get the best groupings, but that gets expensive at around $15 for 50 (I can fit 10 rds under a dime at 50yds though). If I want to get decent groups of 1"+/- 50 yds and reliable ammo I shoot the Federal Auto Match. It comes in a loose box of 350 and costs about the same as the 550 boxes but is much better "bulk" ammo.

I shoot Federal bulk 550 boxes in my savage bolt action because it is the only gun that the ammo will work with besides a single shot lever action that shoots anything. I would probably quit shooting this and only shoot the Auto Match, but people keep giving me boxes of it. I think I have 1500 rounds right now.

 

Here is a picture of my wifes target. This was her first time she ever shot a rifle(savage 64). She shoots pistol every week with me 300-400 rounds. I am very proud of her. This was at 25 yards and the rifle did have a 4x15mm scope on it. She was shooting Federal bulk pack from Walmart.


I only had a problem with this ammo in my Browning Buckmark. It works fine in my Model 41 and Model 17. I fell into a deal so I just purchased 6000 rounds of 40grain Remington Target. You can't pass up those deals...

 

A Ruger 10/22 with a few good 50rd magazines loaded properly (High Velocity Solids) can be a real home defender. No recoil, combat accurate and a high volume of fire is a real plus and everyone can afford to stock its ammo. Its not my preferred choice by I will not discount its value as a Home or BOB defensive weapon.

 

I use CCI Blazer always...

 

One word on CCI Stingers.....

These rounds look very impressive when they hit a water filled jug, rabbit, squirrel or other small vermin because they are explosive. This makes great shooting fun to say the least.

The Stinger gets its hyper velocity speed from using a tiny 32gr bullet in a longer case packed with slow burning powder. The slow burn powder is optimum for use in a 18" to 20" rifle barrel, anything shorter or longer effects velocity. When using Stingers in a handgun you loose a LOT of velocity and the round just does not look that impressive anymore.

Another thing about the Stinger. The bullet is designed to rapidly expand when it hits an object and it does not penetrate well. I would not consider using Stingers in the self defense role unless its all I had left onhand.

rimfirehunter

 

i agree with glockman..

50rds of good high vel. 22 WILL stop you.. i cant say that it will 100% kill, but that shouldnt necessarily be a requirement. try imagining being shot with 50rds of anything.. not cool.