Probably is the answer to most of your questions. MOA or better is possible with a .22 mag rifle and ammo it likes. It's a "thumping" hunting round, not a bench/target one. As such, most fans find it satisfactory for accuracy. Within its normal effective range, it's fine. Try Remington 33 gr. Accutip-V. In my experience, it's the most expensive .22 WMR ammo but also the most precise.

 

RWS 22WMR ammo was even more expensive and more accurate when you could get it. Not imported anymore.

 

After lots of time behind the trigger (1.5 years on my current setup), a more than decent scope plus properly torqueing stock screws and such I have my Savage shooting .75MOA when everything (wind, gun, me, the gods) is right.
Short of a bench rest setup (don't know of any competitions geared to the WMR) can't say as I have any need of any better accuracy.
If I really want to seriously 'paper punch' at 100yds I'd be going with a centerfire anyways...you aren't going to get sub 1/2MOA groups till you can control and play with powder loads, ammo/brass combinations, etc...which of course is out of the question with rimfire.

 

I would agree. Smoothing the trigger, putting a good scope on, and finding ammo it likes, made a big difference for my Sav 93.

Some of the newer ballistic tip ammo has helped also.

I haven't tried the Remington accutips yet, but with the Hornady 30 gr Vmax, I get just under an inch at 100. If I need better than that, it's because what I want to hit is farther than the energy of a 22mag is affective at. That's what I have a .223 for. And if that can't get it done, I get out the 308.

But, of all those, the 22mag is cheaper to shoot out to just over 100 yards and still packs a wallop for small game !

If I was going for 100 yard target, I'd hand load for my Sav .223 or, some other accurate center fire cartridge. Cost would be close to that of quality 22 mag ammo, but with much better choice of accurate bullet designs.

Paul

 

For me the 22mag is a hunting round and if I can hit a tennis ball out at 150yards then I am happy...any small game I will hunt and shoot at that distance is toast. I don't need anymore than that with a rimfire, and if i do that is where a centerfire would come into play. Don't get me wrong I would love if they made some 22wmr ammo that could be labeled target and still have the energy needed to kill stuff out at 150yards...from what I have read the 30gr bullets do fine but lose power at longer ranges, compared to the 40gr ammo.

Just one guys opinion.

Signalman

 

The last time i shot my CZ FS it put 5 rounds of Hornady 30 grain Vmax into a less than 3/16 inch group at 50 yards.I immediately put it back into it's case and haven't shot it since,because if it's like every other 22 mag i have the next group would open up another 1/4 inch! Being consistent is not a 22 magnums forte,at least for me.

 

My Savage 93 in 22wmr would shoot MOA at 100 yards wtih CCI MaxiMags (40grn JHP or FMJ)

 

I don't know if you can call it target grade or not, but my Savage FV-SR Mag made this 5 shot group at 50 yards with the Hornady 45 Gr. FTX Bullet (Critical Defense):

It also shot several other brands and weights equally as well. I'll post up some more target pics if anyone is interested. I just recently was able to find some Winchester PDX-1 rounds I'm anxious to try. Over-all, I think the choices in Quality 22 Mag ammo have expanded rapidly in the last few years, and I'm enjoying the opportunities to try them all. Best regards,
Steve

 

To me Rem 33gr accutip an Hornady 30gr ballistic tip are usually one is the most accurate in my rifles. RWS in my area runs 34.95 a box. I don't own any or do I know anyone that uses it on a regular basis. 22 mag ammo has come along way in accuracy since the 30 an 33gr ballistic tip loads hit the market......Redworm........ :AR15firin

 

To get the best understanding of 22 WMR accuracy groups should be shot at 100 yards. You need to use the average of five 5 shot groups. More groups with more shots is even better.
What you will find is the 22 WMR will group fair at 50 yards and terrible at 100 yards.

Asking for good groups from 22 WMR ammo is sort of cruel. If you examine the SAAMI drawings for both ammo and the chamber you will find that the chambers are designed with a lot of clearance - they are sloppy. The chambers are both much larger in diameter than the ammo and the leade of the rifling clears the bullet a lot. When fired the bullet is often off center and it has to jump a long way to reach the beginning of the rifling. Anyone familiar with a .22 LR match chamber knows they are made tight and short to avoid that.
Like another shooter said
"It is like they allowed the rabbit that was going to be shot at with the .22 WMR to design its chamber."

In summary -
Your rifle's chamber is probably the source of a lot of inaccuracy. Shopping for ammo is a way to cope but all ammo would probably shoot better if you had a decent chamber.

 

Just like most rimfires, the accuracy is dependent on the gun's appetite. I tried about 10 different ammos in each of my mags. I have an abolt that shoots cheap (used to be anyway!!) gray boxed winchesters under .75 (5 shots) at under consistently (when calm). I had tried many other ammos (even expensive ones like Rem premier, etc) but the gray boxed win were the best. Now I have a 597m that likes 33gr v-max. Again, trial and error. Overall, I have had the best overall consistency with the v-max in most of my guns. I have yet to shoot anything with it, but accuracywise, the vmax is it!

 

I also would like a match grade ammo. For paper punching.

 

New calibers get created, 17hm2, 17HMR. What would it take to make match grade 22WMR ammo?

With the caveat that some ammunition just won't shoot in some rifles, it's interesting to consider the introduction of the 17HMR.
When it first landed with the HMR market, it was pretty obvious to anyone with a WMR rifle, that the Hornady product was way out in front for accuracy, and most of the 17HMR's available would turn in groups never seen by the eyes of a WMR fan at any distance you made a comparison. My fist encounter was sitting next to a shooter on a club with a dedicated rimfire range. His target was sitting right next to mine at 100yds, and he was shooting groups that could be covered with a Quarter. When Hornady introduced their 30gr WMR load, I grabbed the first box I saw, and my M93 turned into a completely different rifle with respect to accuracy. The Hornady HMR and WMR ammunition is manufactured to the same standards, and having used thousands of Hornady bullets over several decades, Hornady can make some very good jacketed bullets. The WMR ammunition products of the age were largely loaded with healed bullets of swaged lead, and the few jacketed bullet products were made and sold to compete with the legacy products available, not the HMR.

Many of the new product offerings for the WMR market consist of loads with precision jacketed bullets, and if you test a few of them, most, if not all of them will out perform the accuracy of the swaged lead plated products. They do cost more. I have stocked up on the jacketed bullet WMR ammo from Hornady, Speer, Remington, CCI, and Federal, including the loads for short barrel handguns. It's all good stuff in the 3 rifles I have chambered for the WMR. My M93 and my RAR/8373 with the heavier barrels will both keep groups in the MOA range +/- at 100yds, minute of ground hog out to 150yds.
I still have and use the legacy ammo, after all, CCI maxi Mags, (and the ammo they make for other company's), is still adequate for dropping pests and predators quite a ways out, (100yds or even a bit farther). I also have a good supply of Winchester 45gr Dynapoint, it's fine in my handguns as far as my eyes can tell, and relatively inexpensive. How much accuracy do you need?

No matter what ammo you bring home, accuracy is still slave to a good trigger, mass, barrel quality, optics, and talent/practice.

 

I have a Sako Quad in 22 mag. Tried all brands of 30 to 40 grain shells and not happy with any. Read on this forum where people had good things to say about Federal 50 grain. I tried that and my rifle loves it. Inder an inch when I do my part. I wanted to shoot the light bullets for the speed but this works for me.

 

I have a Sako Quad in 22 mag. Tried all brands of 30 to 40 grain shells and not happy with any.

At what range?
What ammo products did you actually try?
What were your expectations?
Are you shooting off a stable rest and bags?
I have 3 working class WMR's in residence. Topped with decent optics, and shooting from a stable bench rest, 2 of the 3 will turn in MOA groups +/0.1"- 0.2" at 50 and 100yds with multiple ammo products, including 30gr and 40gr loads. None of them will do that with most, (any?), of the legacy swaged lead plated ammo from CCI, Fiocchi, Remington, Winchester, or Federal.
The Hornady WMR products, 30gr, 35gr and 45gr bullets are typically best in class, but the newer Speer and Federal loads are in the same class for accuracy. If they don't perform in your Sako, you might want to try something else. With a couple minor exceptions, all of the legacy products are sufficiently accurate for bumping off foxes, coyotes, and groundhogs at 100-125yds.

 

Shooting off a concrete bench with a Harris bi-pod and Bald Eagle rear bag. Bone stock rifle with wood stock. Leupold 6.5x20x40. The lighter bullets shoot ok but not consistent. The Federal 50 grain works best when I do my part. The lighter bullets will shoot 1.5 to 2 inch at 100 yards.

 

Of the several 22 mag. rifles I have, CZ, Ruger American, Savage/Anschutz, and Sako Quad, my Quad is by far the most accurate. It loves the Win. Super X 40gr. hp and will generally keep them under an 1" at 100 yds.

 

No competitions allow it or in the competitions that technically would it would be totally outclassed by centerfire options. .22LR is the sole exception due to olympic style target shooting, PRS22 is possible solely because of the olympic smallbore discipline and the resultant push to develop "Match" ammo.

 

I am 100% with the OP on this. I never understood why some ammo manufacturer wouldnt pour a little effort into developing the wmr to its fullest.
I truly believe I got lucky with my single wmr sample, a 457varmint, that thing shoots everything I put in the magazine great, all the time. Different brands, different weights just dont seem to matter. I know Ill never part with that thing. And when I say it shoots good I mean sub moa, .5moa and does it consistently. Yes, I have plenty of evidence (pics).
So I think the potential is certainly there.