Remington Golden Bullets

....I have several Nylon 66 semi-autos, and they ALL run perfectly with Goldens. I would avoid standard velocity ammo in all semi-autos, pistols and rifles, because, as you noted, they have to cycle the action.

 

....I have several Nylon 66 semi-autos, and they ALL run perfectly with Goldens. I would avoid standard velocity ammo in all semi-autos, pistols and rifles, because, as you noted, they have to cycle the action.

I think it would be more accurate to say "avoid sub-sonic ammo in semi auto guns".
Standard Velocity works fine in my 10/22 and all my pistols.

 

Ohhhh, I think I've used almost everything at some point in the 10/22's. Off the top of my head I'll share what I can remember. There is a brand called CI, they were bad. Also anything under standard velocity such as CCI Quiets will not cycle. The most important thing I have found is using only the Ruger Brand Magazines, keeping the rifle, including the chamber clean. If you shoot suppressors this is more challenging in autos. Get a chamber brush from Gunsmitter tools or make your own.

I've probably put 10,000 rounds of golden bullets through the 10/22's with fine results. Federal bulk also worked fine. Thunderbolts we're good. Automatch is lot specific I've had some good and some bad, so I'm staying away from those. CCI Minimags are of course a forum favorite, I did run into a few 100 round CCI Mini Mag packs that had way too much wax on them and gummed up about 8 of my auto rifles and pistols causing all kinds of chamber havoc. They had so much wax that they would have be coaxed out of the plastic box. I think this is rare occasion for CCI.

The new 38 grain Federal Range packs are working well. The copper plated ones. M-22 has worked fine also. Very impressed with the Norma at $40/brick. That's probably my top plinking and casual target load right now. A bit greassy but that's how the good stuff comes. SK Magazine is good also....but more grease. I've had a 10/22 since the early 80's so I'm just reporting on ammo that's currently available.

One last thing, Eley has come out with bulk packs, I have not tried them yet, but I'd grab some if you find it to try.

I probably missed some tid bits but at least that's a start for you. Reminder to not fall for the off brand magazines...BX all the way. At some point get the BX drop in trigger or one of the better ones if your gonna get real serious....sorry to get off topic on that.
The BX drop in has done fine for me.

 

Congrats! I picked up a 10/22 a few months ago and found there are a few things you should do to make it a bit more reliable. Scotchbrite the inside of the receiver. I used 1000g sandpaper because it was a mess inside. I started with #00 and #0000 steel wool but there were still a few high spots. I also polished the trigger group and it's much smoother and crisp. Use dry lubricant if you can.

The main reason for getting a 10/22 was to use up the ammo that didn't work with my AA conversion kit. Smoothing the inside of the receiver and polishing the bolt helped with standard velocity ammo (CCI, Fed, etc). I had some FTE with CCI SV before. All the HV ammo I've used worked flawlessly and now with a few hundred rds thru it along with the smoothing/polishing work, it eats any ammo.

 

My Rem SA 597-22 can gobble CCI-SV and better subs as fast as the wife munching peanut M&Ms.

 

This has to be one of the best lines I've ever heard.

 

High-velocity for my 10/22

Eventually, I will know what my rifle shoots best at a given distance, but for now I'd appreciate some feedback on your experience. Thanks!

My 10/22 all-weather carbine has been quite happy with CCI MiniMag 40, CCI Blazer, and Federal Premium Gold Medal HV Match (719)- very few failures of any sort. I find Blazer to be a little dirtier than the other two.

I have tried various SV ammo with mixed results, mainly failure to feed. The slowest reliable one has been certain lots of CCI SV at 1,053 fps through my chronograph. Nothing slower seems to cycle my rifle every time.

 

So, I hear you all (at least, those who shoot a 10/22) saying that subsonic rounds will cycle the action. Of course, I can experiment with all of it, but I plan to use this rifle only for target work. With my bolt guns I only had to concern myself with accuracy, but now mechanics are involved, so I don't want to waste $$ on ammo that is renown for its accuracy but won't run the bolt. I just bought four 50 rnd. boxes of CCI Standard (on sale at Big 5), and I have no other .22s to use it with, so I'm hoping it will do the job. Later (once I start tuning the rifle) I will try some of the better, more expensive ammo, but for now I just want to get the feel of the rifle with ammo that is reliable and powerful enough.

 

Standard Velocity ammo might not work the action when it's new and stiff. That's why I just wrote that I broke mine in with all HV.
And that's the cheapest ammo too. A month ago a local WalMart had Federal #745 Champion 525-round boxes for $20.97 or four cents per round. Cheapest ammo I've seen in decades!
They're selling CCI SV for $3.47 a box, seven cents each.

 

Yep, I used all HV ammo to break in my 10/22. The first 500 rounds were all bulk and I always recorded the group sizes. Cheap Federals, Rem GBs, WWs, AmEagle, Thunderturds. Not a single problem.
At about 200 rounds I polished the inner receiver and radiused and polished the bolt.

After the break in I switched to CCI SV and MM, Aquila Match and SE HV, Fed AM. They are all more accurate than the cheaper stuff and now it will cycle anything without failure.

 

You first have to ask yourself what's most important reliability or accuracy .One thing you might want to consider if you're going to shoot standard or sub velocity is to get a Kidd charging handle with the three different springs for subsonic standard and high velocity .If you're most concerned with rapid fire I've had great luck with CCI Tactical or Mini Mags if its accuracy or looking for Lapua and others are the way to go:bthumb:

 

Poor Thunderbolt. Will it ever live down its poor reputation? I ran it through my Buckmark (why in God's name did I ever sell that pistol?) and it did fine. Not excellent, but surely not crap. At any rate, good info guys. Many thanks.

I reckon each rifle will tell what it likes best, so this will be a time test. It took me about 6 months to develop a round for my Howa 1500 .223 that gave me dime-sized groups at 100 yds., and that was a fun research project. I've been away from the bench for quite awhile now, so I hope I have the same eventual results with this rifle and enjoy the process. Lots to learn....

 

CCI Tactical or MM


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Three years ago I bought a new .22 and got to shoot for the first time in years. I wasn't aware of the ammo shortage until then.
I quickly learned that I had to buy whatever I could get whenever it was available. I ended up with bulk packs of ammo that were unfortunately expensive and inaccurate in my guns.
So I've got lots of HV rounds to burn through and they're perfect for breaking in new firearms.

 

Super X

Best all depends on what you are doing. I think lot to lot variation is greater in 22 Long Rifle than in any other ammunition. If hunting you want a hollow point. I like the mini mag hollow point and the Super X 37 grain round nose hollow point as all around rounds. I noticed Winchester is also selling a 36 grain hollow point in a wooden box that looks the same as 555/333 loose pack ammo that's been OK. X pert ammo is not plated, greasy and can lead barrels. Armscore 36 grain hollow points can shoot with CCI and Winchester and is loaded hot but the bullet profile is not optimum for feeding in semi autos like the 333 and Xpert bullets from Winchester so they hang up in tight chambered autos. Ideal for me is a round nose profile with a good hollow point. While I shot a lot of Stingers and Yellow Jackets at game their accuracy limits how far you can use them reliably but at close range they can put the smack down on critters. The best all around weight seems to be 36 grains for a hollow point. 38s won't always open up and the 37 grain Winchester load fragments the nose rather than mushroom but it is accurate. Sadly one of the best bullets for expansion is put out by Remington but they have the most problems lot to lot and that's why many of us don't recommend them even though we buy them when the price is right. Often the 40 grain round nose is more accurate than the hollow point from the same company so Mini Mag 40 grain and Winchester 40 Grain Super X are very popular. Federal also had a copper plated high speed load but if you buy Federal 100 packs I believe they are really min mags while the boxed bricks are the original Federal offering made at the Federal plant.

 

I've had best luck with accuracy from CCI sv, Eley subs, best high velocity for me is Velocitor. Blazer was my first major purchase of ammo, and it's ok for plinking.

Did the same as you a year ago, got my first rimfire after years of shooting centerfire, and had to to a lot of trail and error before I got my 10/22 to shoot good, both on ammo rifle.

 

one of the best ways to "slick-up" your action, so it will shoot ANY 22LR ammo, is to install a Stainless Steel Bolt Guide Rod. Note that I said 22"LR" ammo, no matter what the velocity rating.

 

AR Tactical works absolute best for me. Never a fff or fte so far. The best grouping for cheap ammo has been Federal Champion with the 40 grain solid bullet. After shooting a couple 325 round boxes of the AR tactical in mine, I guess I got lucky with a light spring because mine now will cycle with RWS sub-sonic HP's & accuracy is very good.

For a NOTE: My 10/22 is the 20" heavier barrel LVT in stainless.

Jim D---:bthumb:

 

Some people try to make it sound like a 10/22 is picky about ammo. It's not !

Remington thunderbolts, golden bullets, Blazer, Winchester M-22, CCI velocitors, CCI Mini-Mags, stingers, Federal Auto Match, American Eagle, American Eagle Suppressor (SV), Federal Champion, Federal Gold Medal Target (SV ), CCI SV,... I've put all these brands thru, and more..

Have I gotten the guns so dirty that they might start having issues? Yep. Especially when I have been shooting suppressed, and then take the suppressor off.. Throw the suppressor back on, and it'll go for a while longer.

The only stuff that I knew wasn't going to cycle the action was the stuff that is real low velocity- like CCI Quiets. I knew going in it would not cycle the action; no surprise. Standard velocity stuff- no issues. HV - no issues. If you get a 10/22 with a match chamber, you might want to avoid the stingers; also generally well known...

Personally, I'd be interested in what shoots well, and what does not..
Shoots well ( in no particular order ) Winchester M-22, AE Suppressor, Fed Gold Medal Target, Blazer, CCI SV....

Not so much: Stingers, Thunderbolts (sometimes OK, sometimes not ), golden bullets, Federal Automatch ( all over ).

With any semi-automatic, I see far more issues with the gun and gun maintenance than I see with the ammo. Magazines: When you see buildup, you are past due to take them apart and clean them right. Gun: Over-cleaning of .22LR, especially over-oiling- the gun does not need to be cleaned all of the time, but when you start developing issues feeding, ejecting, - it's probably time to clean it up some; especially if adding a suppressor fixes the problem temporarily. Over oiling is an issue that does happen..
If you are running 10 round mags, I highly suggest the CLEAR ones. easier to see when it's starting to buildup- thus you can avoid problems from the get-go.

PS, I would not buy thunderbolts anymore unless I am completely out, and it was my only choice. I had issues with failure to fire like 3 and 4 rounds per 10 round magazine, one after another, and severe leading to the point that I could not put a cleaning rod down the bore. I ended up pounding out what amounted to a melted lead slug from the barrel. Another box of thunderbolts ran fine. Still have one box- for some lucky stiff that runs out of ammo...

 

10/22 ammo

Recently shot up my stash of federal 525 hollow points I bought in the late 90s.
I had just bought a drum and shot several thousand of those with few hiccups. I've been replacing those with Cci mini mag round nose over the years. I also like M22. My bobcat likes Cci standard but not my 10/22. My 10/22 is strickly for fun. It's not a precision hunting rifle.

 

Once I cleaned up the receiver and added a good extractor, the 10/22 will shoot anything very well. Any kind of bulk stuff I've found goes through no problem. Fairly accurate even with the cheap stuff.

 

My 10-22 will handle almost anything accurately out to 50 yds. However, I would not trust anything under 1000 fps to cycle the bolt reliably either in it or any .22LR semi-auto handgun.

I would recommend some trigger work on that rifle when you get it. Ruger sets their triggers at over 8 lbs and, unless you're rock steady, it negatively impacts accuracy. I sent mine off to Brimstone Gunsmithing at BrimstoneGunsmithing.com, and they did a superb job of polishing things up and easing the trigger to around 3 lbs, which, in my rifle, passes the bump test and gives me much more accuracy. I went from 8" groups at 50 yds to less than 2", using iron sights, which is acceptable for a 70 year old. - I have no interest in Brimstone Gunsmithing other than as a satisfied customer.

If you want to test various ammo manufacturers, but a box at a time and take notes.

Good luck.

 

CCI Mini Mags, of course

 

Big Question - Cliff Notes Answer

Your question is huge and has many answers but ultimately the correct answer is a combination of what works best in YOUR firearm. To make this as brief as possible

If your goal is accuracy match ammo is a step up but it doesnt necessarily mean it will be the Most Accurate for your rifle - test many brands and find what works best and you may find that the best may be some cheap bulk ammo

If your goal is rapid fire fun then you need something that cycles well. That can be achieved multiple ways with either HV ammo or if you are a tinkerer, you can get a reduced tension spring for your guide rod and and replace the OEM spring.

If your goal is rapid fire accuracy (I dont even know what that means ) then you need to find an ammo that is accurate from your rifle and cycles well.

The usual suspects for .22 ammo are CCI, ELY, Lapua. Some cheaper options are Federal Auto Match, Aguila, Remington Golden bullets. There is only one universal truth about testing different ammo to find :bthumb: the right ammo for your rifle. The longer it takes means more fun at the range.

 

10/22 Is not that picky

Hello, as some have already said, the 10/22 is not a finicky firearm. There is a good reason Ruger sold millions of them. I almost never have a range session where I don't see a few fellow shooters having fun with their 10/22's. I watch them feed all sorts of ammo from good to cheap bulk.
I too use a lot of less expensive ammo thru my 10/22. I don't only feed it garbage though.

Most people here have put you on the right path. Break her in with 300+ rounds of HV ammo ( like CCI 40g RN Mini Mags) then clean it up a little, and it should shoot SV ammo easily after that.

After break in, mine has no problem shooting Federal Auto Match, which is a less expensive ammo in bulk. I personally don't think it is a great ammo, but it is ok.

It is a learning process. Yes, it is true that most guns have a specific ammo or ammo's that they do better with, cycling and accuracy, and in this regard the 10/22 is no different. Just don't get under the impression that it is a picky eater. It is not.

Enjoy the process, especially knowing that there is a variety of ammo types available now to try at all price ranges. As recent as a year ago, obtaining 22lr was basically take whatever you can find. Today, we have choices. Good on that.

Enjoy the process of learning your gun. It is part of the fun.

Kind regards

Rich

 

We read a lot of "works just fine in my gun" but what does that mean? 0.5 MOA? 5 MOA? Cycles the action? Only jams every five rounds? ;-)

Are you looking for plinking rounds? Anything that cycles the action will work. Hunting? What game? Are you looking for a quiet round? An accurate round?

Expensive target ammunition is designed for guns with tight target chamber, not semiauto guns with looser chambers. Generally, you'll get your most accurate results from standard velocity/subsonic ammunition. CCI SV is the go-to for many of us as it combines consistency with affordability, but it may not best for you and your applications.

 

RWS

For squirrel hunting with my 10/22, I've had great luck with RWS subsonic hollow points. Very good accuracy. I target practice with other subsonic ammo, but then hunt with the RWS. RWS is more pricey than some other ammo in its class, so I hunt only with them. Absolutely no issues with recycling.

 

While the shortages seemed to have quieted down and you can get almost....I said almost anything you want or need ....My suggestion for a new rifle would be to run a couple of hundred rounds of high velocity to break it in and get everything working good ...then it's a matter of Personel preference as you know people will swear by certain types and others say anything goes.....my expirence with rim fire is the HV to break in and whatever goes afterwards.....Hope this helps as well as the others good luck...I love rim fires and have many easy on the pocket and fun esp if you don't have a real long range or property to shoot at....