Fred,

  Answering your question fully would require a lengthy article. But in short.......

  All the things you mention could be a cause of problems but the main one is fouling and it's build-up as you go along in your test.

  If you start out with a clean gun for your first test ammo, and then continue on to the next you will be not be getting a true picture of either brand.

  Most .22's with any accuracy potential require several shots to adjust themselves for best accuracy. I've seen some that would require 50 rds. before reaching their potential. Luckily these are few and far between.

  As the fouling builds up in the throat a point will be reached somewhere where the accuracy starts to fall off...... This with just one brand. So if you exceeded your rifles limit but kept on shooting the next brand of ammo wouldn't show you it's best. Each gun will have a different point at which accuracy falls off. I have one that I've shot regularly for two years, with several different brands of ammo and haven't cleaned it yet. Still shoots as accuractely as the day I got it. A coupla others I have require cleaning after every match and need ten rounds or so to bring the accuracy back up.

  So, unless you are willing to find the point at which your rifle loses accuracy with each brand of ammo in your test it's best to clean the gun EXACTLY the same way before you start, and before each brand is used. Then fire the same number of shots to condition the bore and warm the barrel up before proceeding with your testing.

  If this is a topic that interests you I'd suggest calling Precision Shooting and see about getting the issues with the articles by Bill Calfee on this topic. He's written several articles that goes into much greater detail of the "why" of the above.

PETE

Both Pete and Dave have covered the answers way better than I could, but I wanted to add just one thought. In testing .22 ammo, don't leave out any brands. I've done a lot of trials with my Stevens 44 schuetzen rifle in .22, and the differences between the high quality ammo, like Eley, Lapua, and Federal match are not all that significant in my gun. Most will shoot very good groups, but surprisingly, my gun likes (of all things!) Remington Vipers. Especially as the distances go out further. It shoots very close to the most expensive ammo, but at the difference in price, I'll gladly shoot a slightly larger group, and get more practice in!

I'm just beginning to shoot a serious .22 at 100 yards (the Ballard of earlier posts).  I've been practicing with some hardware store stuff, but I'm at the point where I'd like to move up to the next best grade.  I can't shoot well enough to justify the cost of match ammo.  The old standard velocity stuff would probably be OK, but it is hard to find.  Any suggestions?

Richard

Richard,

  I'm surprised that you can't find Standard Velocity ammo. If your local store doesn't carry it, they can get it for you in a few days. You can also order in a brick from Midway, or any of the other mail order outfits. I just got two bricks of Ely EPS by mail...... Actually this is probably the cheapest way to go if you do a little looking around. Plus any gun show you go to will certainly have it. At least they do around here.

  But, I think you're being penny-wise and pound foolish if you feel that any old Standard Velocity ammo will be good enuf for you. From your message I would guess you are wanting to get into competitive target shooting?

  I'm not the greatest shot in the world but I have found for match shooting the best ammo your gun will shoot is what you want to use in competition. I use Wolf Match Target for practicing and the Ely EPS for matches. I've found, even at my skill level, that the Ely is worth 5 to 10 points more on a target than the Wolf.

  Another argument for using the high dollar stuff for practice is that you will never know what you are capable of if you shoot nothing but ammo that's not suited for your gun.

  Each gun has to be shot with the different brands to see what it likes best. Some even shoot the low dollar stuff best. I have a Win. High Wall .22 that was re-lined by C.C. Johnson that will shoot plain ol' Win. T22 ammo better than anything else I've tried in it. But that's an exception. My Ballard likes the Ely best, and the BSA Mk IV likes the old Federal 900 UM1B best.

PETE

Even when I competed in league .22 matches, I rarely found my abilities to be on par with top shooters, and I felt that money spent on the top quality ammo was wasted on me and my gun. I did find that the standard velocity ammo from any of the major manufacturers, shot better in my Win. 52, than I could shoot. It also allowed me to practice more, as I could afford more of it, than the very expensive match ammo. I think any improvements I realised during the season were because of more practice, not the ammo I shot.