I imagine that for most of the ASSRA competetive shooters the 22rf is pretty much a side show to the main event.  However I have really taken a serious shine to the 22 only matches.  I had Steve D put together a new 22 for me over the winter and I'm ready to start playing with it.

Has anyone come up with a rational and practical system for evaluating 22 rf ammo.  I've read over the years about it and it all seems to boil down to:  buy as many different kinds as you can and then shoot'em all and when you find the one your gun like best try to buy as much of that ammo/lot as possible.  I'd like to be able to narrow that down a bit if there is a more rational process.

I've got the new 22 to play with at the 22 rf matches and need to try to find some thiog that works with it.   I mostly shoot the 200 yd Schoyen.  the barrel is a GM and Steve cut it with a match chamber.   I just don't have a clue as to where to start.   I still have a couple bricks of Wolf TM as well as some odds and ends of other stuff, but it is all probably from long sold off lots.  So I'm guessng my few boxs of this and that old Federal GM or Ely won't tell me much.  That is unless the minor lot to lot variations within a trand/type are less than variations between brand/types.   Any opinion on that.

I have spent some time on wwwrimfirecentral, but they don;t seem to have the same orientation.  Is there a site that is more oriented to the .22rf precision shooting guys?

DWS

Testing is often written about in the popular shooting press. However rifle companies producing high grade target rifles test all with a single brand of ammo.  Most of us have test targets from rifles makers like Anschutz and Kimber that show the brand and lot. They don't switch around looking for something the rifle likes. 

Top teams, Olympic, Service, College etc almost all pick a brand and stay with it for all rifles.  They may test Ely against Fiococi or used to test against Federal when they were paying sponsorship money but when they do it's machine rest indoors with the rifles they employ (and they almost always use the same brand of rifle) Once they have confirmed the ammo will shoot the actual choice depends on sponsorship or endorsement deals. 

There is no doubt team members will have some prefrence for one lot or another however it's not something the coaches cater to.  Think about the logistics of transporting top shooters to the Olympics each wanting to use his own "pet" ammo that he feels will shoot like no other in his rifle. Matching ammo to rifles is just not done at top levels.   

If a well known brand of match ammo throws a large group the rifle and conditons as well as hold and bench methods are generaly at fault.
I see people at our club range all the time going through box after box with small samples and conditons that are not contolled, then declaring one is better than another based on data thats suspect.  The holy grail of all testing is the brand that shoots 5 shots tigher than any other and comes from Wal-mart at a couple of bucks a box. 

I recomend making a choice based on whats avalable to you in your area or from one of the big mail order suppliers. Look carefully at  reputation, results in local as well as major matches. I like to have a Match and Pratice grade that use the same bullet, velocity, and lube too. Lay in a large supply then take some long run test to confirm it truly shoots to standard. If you shoot the same brand long enought you will get a feel for flyers or inconsistency.  Then spend your time on Conditons & Positon forgetting about the ammo completly. 

I feed one rifle with Ely beause thats all it has ever shot. Another with Federal for the same reason. When my stock of Federal match runs out will run them all on Ely.  I don't think it's going to cost me any points. 

Boats

QuestionableMaynard8130 wrote on Apr 13^th, 2007 at 5:35pm:


Yes, but everytime I post it, I catch hell.   

Test it like you would test anything else with control, replication, and a serious eye towards variance.

Brent

Yeah, but you would be back again  in no time.  Your handle ought to be Phoenix... 

Brent

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QuestionableMaynard8130 wrote on Apr 14^th, 2007 at 11:16am:


This is a relatively common occurrence with some CFs, notably those with fast twists, but I personally have never seen it with RFs. That doesn't mean much though, since I'm not that experienced (yet) at the 200-yd RF stuff. I, also, would be very interested in data on this question.
Regards, Joe

When you stretch out beyond 50 or 100 yards there are so many more factors that come into play, wind drift for one, bench technique becomes critical, perhaps as much asor more than lot variations between batches of quality ammo.  To me since I don't have access to a 1000 yard range is is almost the ultimate rifleman's challange.


When I talk to most non-ASSRA shooters about shooting 200 yds with a 22rf in match shooting they look at me like I was talking about using a pogo-stick to go to the moon.

Harken back to yesteryear, about 1990, when the late legendary Buddy Street of Richmond, VA. shot those sub MOA groups at 200 yds. Buddy used, I believe, a Dorn Ballard (Ballard converted to striker ignition), about 8 wind flags, and infinite patience. He shot those groups at the Fairfax VA club, a site often so wind free as you look down range at under certain light conditions and watch the insects flying in a circular pattern. Ah, so patient, hard to tell if old Buddy was breathing. In fact, the Buddy Street rule was started which meant that if Buddy keeled over first person yelling "dibbs" got his rifle. I am sure
he shot a few five shoters just about 1". This was printed years ago
in the SSJR. I had a Arthur Hublek barreled low wall which held about 2.5" with cheap PMC ammo. I think Charle McNett got that rifle and is now probably in Gary Quinlins hands.