Does anyone know the story of why Wolf .22 Match Ammo is unavailable? I bought a brick a couple years ago when I started this game, and my Ballard really likes it, as did my shooting budget. I purchased that first brick from Outdoor Marksman, and now it can't be found anywhere. Sad thing is, it shot every bit as good, if not better, than the expensive Lapua or Eley ammo at a fraction of the cost. I know Wolf sells ammo from all over Europe, and this Match ammo was made in Germany.

SK makes the Wolf Match Extra and Match Target - all SK match and Wolf match ammo is made with Lapua primed brass - just check the headstamp.  If you want the Wolf try Champion Shooters Supply out of Ohio or Champions Choice out of Tennessee. But the price is not going to be as friendly as two years ago.  you have a good day now - the rimfire - cdpersons

Thanks for the helpful information Fellas! Like I said, the Wolf performed every bit as good as the expensive stuff in my rifle, so why bother throwing away money? The cost of ammo is going through the roof as it is. 

Wild Bill

It looks like all the rf target ammo makers are revising their lines. dropping old standbys, reducing their selections, and for some reason not lowering prices either.  must be something to do with the decreased dollar value on the international market,  corn, and oil prices or the coming election.

As a possible aalternative to the Wolf:
At EG last month I was given a box of some Aguila 22 rf match (Superextra I think--I forgot and tossed the empty box) ammo to play with,  its Ely cased and primed I believe and priced at about the same level as the Wolf TM.
it was windy and condition were a long long ways from ideal for evaluation but it was shooting to about the same point of impact and the group/patterns seemed to be about the same as I normally get from the Wolf which my rifle likes.

while I still have most of a case of Wolf I'll be taking a closer look at the Aguila especially for my 22 rf offhand rifle. 

obviously your lot and batch may vary,  to paraphrase GF's  "YMMV"

Rimfire ammo is the cheapest part of shooting matches.  Rim-fire Hudson sighters and all may spend 20 bucks total.  And burn 30 gallons of gas out and back from the match. Not to mention all the other cost.

Every shot counting winners vs also rans in a 100 shot match 4 or 5 off shots difference.  Is it worth saving 10 dollars and risking flyer's  with cheap stuff ? 

Not for me. Buy Ely best you can get and practice with there less expensive line.


Boats

Wild Bill, Coast Guard, So you can see I am going to be contrary. Don't take offence please.

My unpopular belief that most will say is false is low priced ammo shooting well is the result of short run test not showing up problems.  As far as rifles "liking" ammo thats another popular and often repeated myth. All the gun magazines run the same article several times  a year, which one the rifle liked.

The top shooting teams won't pack ammo that each shooter decided his rifle "liked" before getting on the plane for China this summer. Teams test for consistency work out a sponsorship deal with one of the major ammo companys and run it though every thing they have. All the same. Imagine a couple of dozen high strung young competitors worrying about the rifle liking a certan brand or lot rather than focusing on shooting well ?  Not a recipe for sucess.

The question is will the ammo throw flyers in a long run.  Few good groups won't show that.  I proved this to my self when I had to shoot smallbore prone for 3 years while working in Austraila.  No other matches avalable nearby. Only offhand was Air Rifle.  Not having shot prone for some time qualified right  away in the 4th or lowest level.   I wanted to bost my performance.  The qualifiers were best 20 20 shot matches or 400 rounds scored. Club ran 1 for record and one pratice every Wed night 2 for record and one pratice on Sat.   You could mess one up and not a problem they only scored the top 20 matches. sort of like our re-entrys.  And with 150 matches for record a year sounds easy.

One of the top shooters pulled me aside and gave good advice. "It's a difficult sport and use the best you can buy".   Year later with over 70 matches for record shot I jumped from 4th class to 2nd,  By 3 points. One flyer would have ruined the whole season.  I watched 3 bricks of Ely match go down range and never saw a single off shot that was not my fault.  The new production Federal 711 B I am using for pratice now gives flyers misfires or "bloop" sounding shots, not many but enough to remember.  My last lot of Federal 900 B never has given any cause for concern. Finishing 4th brick of it up now and since no more is being produced will switch back to Ely.

Look at the match results for ASSRA Schuetzen matches.  Not the throway re-entrys, the single entry matches, Very few points seperate the good shooters from also rans. Might as well use the best you can.

My last and again argument no one is going to agree with, It's going to cost me a couple of hundred dollars to shoot Bushy Mt end of this month. Why risk results by using 3 dollar per box ammo instead of 7 or even 10, Only going to shoot 3 boxes anway.

Thats my take on cheap ammo.

Boats

PS....
cmp has some good buys on the wolf brands or sk or whatever its called now.. IF,,, you belong to a qualifing club..

..tt.g..

What Boats said, word for word.
Regards, Joe

Since I also shoot a full calender of IR50/50 benchrest every year, we tend to be tied in to ammo developments and might offer the following suggestion. Try some of the 6 bucks a box ELEY orange box stuff. Lots of it is proving to be quite competetive in a lot of big matches and you do not have to pay some of the over the top prices currently being seen. Just an FYI.

My routine is to use best quality match and pratice all from the same manufacturer.  I figure lubes etc will be the same and the rifle does not have to settle down so much box to box when switching out.   

Another thing is what match you are shooting. Some sports you can afford to miss without severe penalty. Silouette AAA shooters only need to hit 70 % or so.  ASSRA re-entrys you can throw targets away all day and only score the good ones. Smallbore prone squaded in relays you can't miss a single shot.  I don't like to give anything up in the ASSRA rimfire Hudson, will miss enough on my own.

Smallbore prone used Ely but Smallbore Silouette used Federal when the 900 B was avalable.  My Schuetzen I only use the .22 barrel to get the feel of conditons etc with no more than two record matches each year.  Have been using up the last lots of Federal.  Ran out of the pratice 711B and found the new stuff not up to par.

When the Brick of Federal 900 B I just opened is gone will switch everything to Ely.  It's a big advantage to me using something thats avalable rather that here today gone tomorrow.

On the cost not only has ammo gone up the weak dollar has taken a big toll value wise. It's down by half from 6 or 7 years ago.  Ely is getting 50 P on the Pound when they convert and if they maintain prices so it's bound to rise.  As far as I know only adequate US made ammo was Federal and not am not so sure it's good anymore.

Testing as a sport in it's self is fun and have done my share. But don't do it anymore.

Boats

That explains it on Federal.   My ratio was one brick of match two of pratice and ran out of Federal 711 B while holding a brick of 900B match.  New 711B has "bloopers" and enough to notice. Beancounters ruin another I guess.

In there day Federal was paying sponsonship money, and would even give some bucks to small time shooters if they won using it.  I was in Wiggers relay at the smallbore Silouette nationals some time ago, relay, not class for sure. 

He was shooting a Kimber sporter and using Federal. I shoot a Kimber too so we talked about the rifles. He told me both were paying his way, He lost the championship on one ram in a shoot off.  Watched the shot and to this day believe the rifle/ammo missed not Wigger. He is as cool a shooter as there has ever been.

Boats

Boats

Well, for all I know, that price was a "suggested retail", or misprint...
But if that price WAS true, a case of it better be delivered by a busty Finnish girl who will then... uh, never mind... (supposed to be a family friendly forum... I'm sure you get the picture...)

On another ammo note..
It looks like I need to stock up on a few bricks of Eley Club... I'm reading at ChampionSHooters that it's being discontinued and replaced with Eley Team (at $2 more a box!). I'm too cash poor to pony up for a full case, so it looks like by August, I'm gonna hang up my prone rifle for the year.  Oh well, probably time for that new buttplate I've been threatening to install.

Paul F.