.22lr ammunition.......

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  • rb288

    Sharpshooter
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    2   0   0
    Apr 14, 2019
    309
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    Grovertown
    I recently gained possession of a CZ 455 22lr bolt action rifle.
    I am new to the 22lr world and would like some advice, or, "education" as to what ammunition others are using for accuracy.
    My purpose with this rifle is mostly, target shooting, but, for use as a backup shtf/survival rifle, if ever necessary.
    I have a bulk box of Federal 40gr copper coated bullets that shoot well, but, would like to "educated" as to what other/better options there might be.

    Thanks in advance.
     

    Gabriel

    Grandmaster
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    9   0   0
    Jun 3, 2010
    6,713
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    The shore of wonderful Lake Michigan
    I'll start off by saying you picked a bad time to get into a new caliber. Finding 22LR right now (or any other caliber) is not easy.

    To answer your question, I've had good luck with CCI SV. Most of the CZs seem to like SK Standard for a little more accuracy. When it comes right down to it, 22LR rifles are finicky and one really needs to try as many different rounds as possible to find the one the rifle likes best.
     

    Hawkeye7br

    Expert
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    1   0   0
    Jul 9, 2015
    1,363
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    Terre Haute
    Almost any mid budget ammo will shoot reasonably well. CCI, SK, Wolf, RWS, etc. If you shoot a lot of groups, low budget ammo will seldom outshoots higher price ammo. The difference between mid price vs high dollar ammo is smaller and often not worth triple the price.
     

    Egldriver

    Plinker
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    5   0   0
    Aug 15, 2010
    85
    8
    NW Indiana
    I have a 455 varmint. I have had great luck with federal auto match. I could pretty regularly hit a 4 ” plate at 200 yards and it grouped about
    an inch at 100 yards. Sk match is better. I just got some eley tenex but it’s so expensive it’s like shooting centerfire.
     

    1775usmarine

    Sleeper
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    81   0   0
    Feb 15, 2013
    11,264
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    IN
    Every rifle is different and what one may like yours may not. Being its a bad time I'd work with what I got till things calm down to branch out and experiment to see what works best.
     

    1nderbeard

    Master
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    38   0   0
    Apr 3, 2017
    2,529
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    Hendricks County
    I have some federal bulk packs left over from when that's all I could find, and I also have a bunch of CCI stuff in varying velocities. I find all them to be adequate for my general use.
    I've rarely shot competitively. The two casual matches I was in I came in first and second using my 10/22. I lost by a few points over a guy using a (much) more expensive set up. Shoot what you can find, and practice the fundamentals of shooting. Ammo won't make a huge difference over practicing.
     

    wtburnette

    WT(aF)
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    Nov 11, 2013
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    SW side of Indy
    Remember that with "match grade" ammo, you're paying for consistency. You should get less "flyers" that are the fault of the ammo and not the fault of the shooter with match grade ammo. As mentioned, each gun/barrel prefers certain ammo to run through it. Figuring that out if half the fun. I have two very nice .22 bolt action guns, one an Anschutz and one a Ruger and both do well with CCI SV, but do even better with SK Standard Plus or Wolf Match Target. I recently picked up some Eley Club and Eley TenX to try out when it warms up. I would keep an eye on ammo search engines, the ammo thread here, etc to try to see what you can find. When you see something, pick up what you can.
     

    mmpsteve

    Real CZ's have a long barrel!!
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    11   0   0
    Nov 14, 2016
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    ..... formerly near the Wild Turkey
    View attachment 123958
    These all run pretty great in my 10/22 I put together. Groups get even tighter with Eley Club and SK ammo.

    That's some pretty impressive shooting DK. I have a bunch of 22 rifles, and I don't know that any one of them would shoot that consistently with that variety of ammo. Gives the OP a worthy goal!

    .
     

    T-DOGG

    I'm Spicy, deal with it.
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    262   1   0
    Feb 4, 2011
    17,403
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    New Haven
    I recently gained possession of a CZ 455 22lr bolt action rifle.
    I am new to the 22lr world and would like some advice, or, "education" as to what ammunition others are using for accuracy.
    My purpose with this rifle is mostly, target shooting, but, for use as a backup shtf/survival rifle, if ever necessary.
    I have a bulk box of Federal 40gr copper coated bullets that shoot well, but, would like to "educated" as to what other/better options there might be.

    Thanks in advance.
    Try and find a friend who has a nice selection of 22 ammo and work a deal to get a "sampler platter" of various kinds. Shoot a couple of groups of each to see what your rifle likes. Then hunt that ammo down every day until you exhaust yourself.

    CCI Standard Velocity has generally been a better than average ammo for non-match stuff in my experience.
     

    diver dan

    Sharpshooter
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    8   0   0
    Jan 21, 2013
    668
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    DeMotte
    I have a CZ 457 MTR 22lr.I was very surprised to see federal bulk shoot so good out of my rifle.The ammo was about 10 years old.
     

    DadSmith

    Grandmaster
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    1   0   0
    Oct 21, 2018
    22,191
    113
    Ripley County
    I recently gained possession of a CZ 455 22lr bolt action rifle.
    I am new to the 22lr world and would like some advice, or, "education" as to what ammunition others are using for accuracy.
    My purpose with this rifle is mostly, target shooting, but, for use as a backup shtf/survival rifle, if ever necessary.
    I have a bulk box of Federal 40gr copper coated bullets that shoot well, but, would like to "educated" as to what other/better options there might be.

    Thanks in advance.
    As to what is the best ammo for your gun you will have to go out and shoot it. Try what you have if you are shooting 1" 10 shot groups at 50 yards be happy with that ammo. If its much larger try to find more ammunition to test.

    My rifle and several others have said theirs also like Aguila Super Extra 40gr
    Eley force 42gr

    It's just what your rifle likes to shoot. Hopefully it loves your Federal bulk 40gr bullets.

    Check this out for tested 22lr ammunition velocity and accuracy from my stock 10/22
     
    Last edited:

    DRob

    Grandmaster
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    Aug 2, 2008
    5,869
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    Southside of Indy
    I am looking at getting a 10-22. Is that a stock barrel or aftermarket? I am debating getting the custom shop model or just get the cheapest one I can find and putting on a barrel stock trigger.
    Get the cheapest one you can find. You're going to end up doing all the stuff you mentioned anyway. Then trot over to the rimfirecentral forum. All the info you might need and some you don't will be there. Half the fun of owning a 10/22 is dressing it up and making it shoot better at the same time.
     

    JeepHammer

    SHOOTER
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    0   0   0
    Aug 2, 2018
    1,904
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    SW Indiana
    I recently gained possession of a CZ 455 22lr bolt action rifle.
    I am new to the 22lr world and would like some advice, or, "education" as to what ammunition others are using for accuracy.
    My purpose with this rifle is mostly, target shooting, but, for use as a backup shtf/survival rifle, if ever necessary.
    I have a bulk box of Federal 40gr copper coated bullets that shoot well, but, would like to "educated" as to what other/better options there might be.

    Thanks in advance.

    If you don't already have one, some kind of cleaning stand so you pull the bolt and get straight to work.
    With a few exceptions, .22LR ammo is lead or copper washed, not a true plate, so you get more copper in the barrel.
    While the copper wash is easier to extract, it does build up quite quickly.

    I use a chamber plug and just pour ammonia based bore cleaner down the barrel & let it sit until I'm ready to clean, makes cleaning a snap.

    .22LR is like any other chambering, the barrel will get along with some brands better than others...
    I'm pretty fond of CCI brand, it shoots pretty well in all my rim fires.
     

    SheepDog4Life

    Natural Gray Man
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    7   0   0
    May 14, 2016
    5,290
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    SW IN
    I echo what others have said about CCI Standard Velocity. I've never had a 22 shoot it poorly in bolt, semi or pistol. Some semi's might have feeding issues with it's low velocity, but bolts, no issue.

    The key is that for non-premium ammo, it's pretty consistent.

    When checking for accuracy comparisons, I always start with CCI SV and run 5 fouling rounds thru first. If any of the "cheap" or bulk ammo is close to this benchmark, I deem that "good" ammo FOR THAT FIREARM... perfect for burning half a brick and hitting what you aim at.

    I've had good luck with Federal Auto and Champion as well, but it is gun specific.

    But, CZ452/455 rifles are very capable of "eye of squirrel" accuracy... not "just" headshot, but aim to put it through the tree-rat's earhole, and that's where it goes. When looking for the best accuracy possible out of your rifle, you will need to try different premium ammos... Ely, SK, Wolf, Federal Gold, etc. to find the one your particular rifle likes best. As others have said, this is part of the fun... or at least was when you could find .22LR.

    If I had that rifle, I would look for the multiple quality loads that are "really good" and put 5 rounds same hole at 25 yds and those would be the contenders to take out to 50 yds for the "run-off' to find the "best" for that particular rifle.
     

    snorko

    Grandmaster
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    361   0   0
    Apr 3, 2008
    8,294
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    Evansville, IN
    OP, if you plan on scoping your 455 and shoot at range, there is a nice rail base in the classifieds for a good price. BTW, not mine and I don't know the seller.
     
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