$69 worth of .22 ammo at Wal Mart today

[Jeff H]

THUNDER TURDS!!!

The old truncated cone thunderbolts was worst ever. Federal Lightnings only slightly better!!

NEW Thunder bolts are mush better but damage to the name was done.

The Rem Goldens claim to fame was NO MESSY WAXY LUBE EVER! But still primed in Remingtons lack luster methods.

Wait, it was REMINGTON THUNDERBOLTS too! Those always seemed to lead the middle third of any barrel, regardless of barrel length.

My dad used to order cases of Remington "Standard Velocity," which were much more expensive, because they were much less common, yeah the "standard" velocity. Those always worked well and were accurate in all our guns, but had to be clipped too, because the RN wasn't effective on game.

"THUNDER-TURDS!" That's funny.

 

[Mitty38]

THUNDER TURDS!!!

The old truncated cone thunderbolts was worst ever. Federal Lightnings only slightly better!!

NEW Thunder bolts are mush better but damage to the name was done.

The Rem Goldens claim to fame was NO MESSY WAXY LUBE EVER! But still primed in Remingtons lack luster methods.

I have 2 semi auto rifles, that Only feed thunderbolts, and CCI.
The rest will shoot whatever.
Accept Match Grade Aquillas seem to have issues in some of my guns.
CCI had always seemed the Premo brand to me. If you can find them.
I am good on 22 for a while just been replacing and rotating as I shoot. Last box of 500 I got was 39 bucks. Figure my average cost of current stock would be 7 cents a round.
Thunder bolts seam to be just fine for head shots on squirrels.

 

[david s]

Nothing personal about Walmart I just don't like going (or any big box store) there. About the only exception use to be for 22 Rimfire ammo. Local Walmart's use to carry Federal and Winchester 525 (of maybe 550) bulk packs at $9.97 per. I'd take 50 dollars in, but 5 packs, cash out in the sporting goods department, and be on my way in under 15 minutes. That of course was a while ago.

 

[JonB]

I use to shoot whatever was cheapest.
Then my friend had severe lead fouling from Rem Thunderbolts (in the 1990s), I set all my thunderbolts aside and ended up selling that stash some years later (for less than the 1990s pricing, I shoulda waited another decade, LOL).
I never had a problem with "fresh" Fed Lightning, and that was my ammo of choice, until I started shooting in a rimfire league...then it was all about the expensive ammo, I really got into Aguila brand for a while...But I seemed to try any brand that was available, and still have some of each in my stash. At that time, I was really negative on 22LR ammo that was bulk packed, don't want the noses all dimpled, did that really matter? I doubt it.
Back to the Fed Lightning, Fed's lube will dry out in a few years or decade (depending on storage conditions), and then they wouldn't cycle in some semi-auto's, unless I "freshened" the lube with a shot of WD40.
Nowadays, with my league shooting way back in the rear view mirror, and all my 22LR shooting is extremely casual, and the shortages...I buy whatever I find at a reasonable price.

 

[Winelover]

Never an issue with the Federal Lightning. One of my 22's prefer them. The only truncated 22 that I remember from Remington was the Yellow Jacket. The Thunder Duds, aka Thunderbolts, have a bad rep that I've never noticed. However, I only have the vintage ones (pre 1997), on hand.

My preference, in most of my 22's, is the CCI Blazer.

All 22's are not created alike. I have had misfires in some firearms, with some brands, but not in others with the same lot. In my pistols the Ruger Mark II will feed and fire, the same stuff that, the Ruger Mark IV Lite or the LCP II will have the occasional FTF.

The rifles, Ruger 10-22 and Winchester 94 rarely, if ever have a FTF. YMMV

 

[Bret4207]

Shot a LOT of Blazer ammo up. Good stuff IME. I never had a lot of problems with any name brand 22LR ammo. The CCI Stingers were about the only thing I recall being an ammo that some guns just wouldn't tolerate. Stingers were good on porkies though.

I still have some of my FIL's ammo from the early 60's. Some still in the cellophane wrap! I need to get it all into a display box, I really do.

 

[Winelover]

The Stingers are about the only ammo that the LCP II will feed and fire 100%. Needless to say, I'm keeping that brick, in reserve.

 

[Snakeoil]

Norma is selling their TAC, which has proven to be damn good stuff all the way out to 200 yds, for $42.95/brick. If you spend over $200, shipping is free, and that includes no hazmat. I bought 2 cases of the stuff.

I did a test of all the middle price target ammo, including Eley, Lapua, SK and some of the bulk stuff like Fed Automatch, although that was not one of the brands/types tested. The TAC did as well if not slightly better than the Lapua and Eley mid-range stuff. There is a video out there where another guys pretty much does the same test. I used my 52C Winchester and a 10X Unertl. He used several high-end rifle/scope combo, Vudu being one of them. His results were similar to mine although the TAC clearly outshot the Eley and Lapua mid-range stuff. If you want very accurate SV .22 ammo for a bargain price, TAC is the answer. It is made by RWS.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

When it comes to .22 rimfire rifles, they are all different. The key is to find what shoots best in YOUR RIFLE.
When attempting to reduce group sizes, nothing is more beneficial than finding the ammunition your rifle likes.

I have generally found that standard velocity .22 LR is the best place to start looking but there is no hard rule.

If you're dealing with a semi-auto action, you may have to expand your criteria to what functions in your rifle and what shoots best.

In today's climate of shortages of things gun related, a .22 flat-pointing die can be a real benefit. Neal Waltz makes an awesome one (if he's still in business?)


Not only does this die flat point the bullet (or HP if you select the other pin) it slightly swages the bullet to a larger diameter, often improving accuracy. While that process may not always be a benefit to high grade target ammunition, it can sometimes greatly improve low grade economy ammunition.
It's worth the money just to have more options available.

 

[Jeff H]

...........finding the ammunition your rifle likes...........

I think that IS the "hard and fast rule" for 22 rifles and pistols.

I've been lucky that the most available and cheapest stuff hot well in all my 22s. Almost all have been Rugers, except for a couple CZs.

To quantify what I consider "accurate" in my guns, I'm not talking about groups in the "tens," like guys on Rimfire Central, I'm talking half-inch five-shot groups at fifty yards with a rifle and one-inch groups from a pistol at twenty five yards - on demand, not on occasion. That's not that great by some standards, but it is perfectly adequate "hunting accuracy," which gets me to 75 and 80 yards, with a rifle, to handle pesky starlings.
That may narrow things down a bit, or more so - widen them out, depending on how one views it, giving one a wider selection possibly, of some of the more cost-effective ammo. Functioning is also as important as accuracy, and whether the ammo makes a mess of your bore is as well. LIke I said - I got lucky.

I believe a body could do no better for effectiveness on game than to implement one of the nose-altering 22 setups. Buy the ammo that shoots to your standards, regardless of the nose, and then make the nose work the way it needs to. It may be slow, but I can shoot unmodified ammo with impunity and switch to modified noses for when it counts without any adverse reactions regarding accuracy or feeding.

I am certain that the CZs I've owned would shoot better than a half-inch at fifty, if I'd been more selective in ammo, but I never saw the need if I could shoot a squirrel head at fifty yards with what I had. But, again, that's the standard I personally applied and others will have more stringent standards, and some less.

I know I'm just grousing again, but it would be nice if "standard velocity" really were the STANDARD these days. The only fault I find with the cheap Federal "Value Pack" ammo I have is that it is too LOUD. I'm not sure it makes a big difference in effectiveness on game/vermin/varmints having the extra velocity at what I consider (personally) "reasonable ranges" for the 22 LR, and I am absolutely certain that it does not make punching through paper or cardboard any better.

 

[Snakeoil]

The TAC has demonstrated accuracy in multiple rifles at the club from modern Ancshutz to vintage Ballard's and everything in between. The video I mentioned used 3 rifles.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I know I'm just grousing again, but it would be nice if "standard velocity" really were the STANDARD these days. The only fault I find with the cheap Federal "Value Pack" ammo I have is that it is too LOUD. I'm not sure it makes a big difference in effectiveness on game/vermin/varmints having the extra velocity at what I consider (personally) "reasonable ranges" for the 22 LR, and I am absolutely certain that it does not make punching through paper or cardboard any better.

Standard Velocity .22 LR (as opposed to High velocity or Hyper-velocity ammo) SHOULD deliver a muzzle velocity around 1070-1080 fps. This doesn't always hold true and there are a lot of factors as to why the "Standard" isn't very standard.
Some .22 LR Standard Velocity ammunition will exit the barrel at supersonic speeds. Some will be supersonic in rifle length barrels but not pistols. Some will be supersonic on cold days but not hot days (the speed of sound in air is lower in denser air. It isn't the speed of the bullet in that example but rather where the speed of sound in air falls depending on the density of the air)

Jeff, I'm in your camp concerning the lack of need for a for more speed in rimfire ammo.

Even though Standard Velocity 22LR ammo is often subsonic, there is another option when you Really want to make absolutely certain the bullet will be slow enough and that is the specific use of Subsonic ammunition. The ammo marketed as Subsonic uses an even heavier bullet to make extra damn sure the bullet will be traveling under the speed of sound.

I've never had much use for the High-Velocity or Hyper-Velocity 22LR ammunition.
Some semi-auto pistols and rifles will function better with the High-Velocity stuff, but I don't think that fast stuff kills any better and I know that it doesn't make smaller groups on paper.

Adding a flat point to a lead round-nose 40 grain rimfire bullet will be FAR more effective at improving the terminal performance of that bullet than adding another 100-200 fps that will lost in the first 25 yards anyway. Not to mention the flat pointing operation often improves the accuracy as a bonus.

 

[Michael]

When it came to consistent, certainly not the easiest to come by, was the original orange box Power Points made by Win back in the early 90's at their plant in Geelong, Victoria, Australia when it was still operating. Some may say oh B.S., though in all honesty, if it was not the most accurate ammo, it was not very far off in every rifle I shot it through. Due to scarcity of it, I limited those Aussie PPs to strictly hunting Jacks. Put one through the lungs and just watch and wait, they did not go far, if at all. Nice full 22 caliber entrance accompanied by a good 3/8" or better exit hole. Any number of times I would walk up to retireve a Jack that was down but still breathing, talk about a sucking chest wound, could hear it 10 feet away. Velocity was on par with standard high velocity LR, but that big 'ol flat hollow 3/16" deep HP performed text book perfect. The PPs made here have never been anywhere as accurate, nor exhibit the same terminal performance.

 

[Snakeoil]

Norma is running a special today. Just got the email. Free shipping on any order over $49.00.

 

[david s]

When it came to consistent, certainly not the easiest to come by, was the original orange box Power Points made by Win back in the early 90's at their plant in Geelong, Victoria, Australia when it was still operating. Some may say oh B.S., though in all honesty, if it was not the most accurate ammo, it was not very far off in every rifle I shot it through. Due to scarcity of it, I limited those Aussie PPs to strictly hunting Jacks. Put one through the lungs and just watch and wait, they did not go far, if at all. Nice full 22 caliber entrance accompanied by a good 3/8" or better exit hole. Any number of times I would walk up to retireve a Jack that was down but still breathing, talk about a sucking chest wound, could hear it 10 feet away. Velocity was on par with standard high velocity LR, but that big 'ol flat hollow 3/16" deep HP performed text book perfect. The PPs made here have never been anywhere as accurate, nor exhibit the same terminal performance.

I thought I still had a partial 550 round box of the Winchester Power Points that you mentioned. But the ammo I use to buy from Wally World for $9.97 per 550 is the Winchester Xpert ammo as made in the USA not from Australia. It reminds me of the old 1970's vintage Winchester Dyna Point ammo. A shallower hollow point that's a bit larger in diameter than the normal rimfire hollow point. It's just your run of the mill bulk ammo nothing great just decent blasting/plinking /gopher ammo. Back in the later 1980's I use to buy CCI Mini Mags at Big 5 (?) sporting goods store in California for $9.99 or $10.99 per 500 round packs if I'm remembering correctly. It was a pretty decent round back then. Then CCI decided to make it premium and special and packaged it in the 100 round plastic sliding top boxes and charged twice as much as it use to cost in the plain cardboard packaging. Twice the price for upgraded packaging took it out of the pretty decent category of plinking ammo. I use to have a 1937 heavy barrel Winchester 52 with a same vintage Lyman 20X Super Targetspot scope on it. This rifle use to dote on the Eley ammo that had the brown label (named Club Match maybe Club Target ?). It wasn't the most expensive Eley ammo at $5.50 for fifty rounds that you could buy in the early 1980's but close. But if you wanted to actually hit something with a rimfire this was a combination you could count on. At .11 cents for every trigger pull (1980's penny's) meant it wasn't a pinker. But as a great rifle/ammo combo where everything seems to come together and the stars align there was no arguing about the cost. Just a great rimfire match.

 

[Bret4207]

I made a 22LR nose altering fixture out of an hunk of old 22 barrel. Just lopped a piece off, chambered it and kept cutting it back until I got what I wanted. I started out thinking I was going to use a file to make the flat, but I ran onto some small, very sharp wire cutting pliers. Filed the "bottom" side flat and it works great. I don't know exactly the diameter of the flat, but it's probably around 65-70% of the diameter of the bullet. Still shoots well out beyond 50 yards. Hits on skunk sized varmints are decisively more effective than hollow point hi speed stuff using cheapy bulk box hi speed ammo.

 

[Mitty38]

I made a 22LR nose altering fixture out of an hunk of old 22 barrel. Just lopped a piece off, chambered it and kept cutting it back until I got what I wanted. I started out thinking I was going to use a file to make the flat, but I ran onto some small, very sharp wire cutting pliers. Filed the "bottom" side flat and it works great. I don't know exactly the diameter of the flat, but it's probably around 65-70% of the diameter of the bullet. Still shoots well out beyond 50 yards. Hits on skunk sized varmints are decisively more effective than hollow point hi speed stuff using cheapy bulk box hi speed ammo.

I need to try that. Hmmm.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

That's a good idea. You're about 85% to making that a flat pointing die. Instead of cutting off a bit of the bullet tip (and losing that mass) how about putting the fixture in a small arbor press (or maybe just a C-clamp ?) and flattening the tip that way? You would put a flat point on the bullet, maybe swage it slightly larger in the process and not lose bullet weight.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

When it comes to .22 rimfire rifles, they are all different. The key is to find what shoots best in YOUR RIFLE.
When attempting to reduce group sizes, nothing is more beneficial than finding the ammunition your rifle likes.

I have generally found that standard velocity .22 LR is the best place to start looking but there is no hard rule.

If you're dealing with a semi-auto action, you may have to expand your criteria to what functions in your rifle and what shoots best.

In today's climate of shortages of things gun related, a .22 flat-pointing die can be a real benefit. Neal Waltz makes an awesome one (if he's still in business?)
View attachment 27321
View attachment 27322
Not only does this die flat point the bullet (or HP if you select the other pin) it slightly swages the bullet to a larger diameter, often improving accuracy. While that process may not always be a benefit to high grade target ammunition, it can sometimes greatly improve low grade economy ammunition.
It's worth the money just to have more options available.

I have been wanting inenif these for years.

I was lent one and made a video (deleted now) awesome lil tool!!

I have called and emailed a few times no replys. I get impression be is a ol timer not "up" on modern stuff.

CW

 

[Petrol & Powder]

You can always write a letter.