I'm not old enough to have shot the really old ammo, but today's American made ammo wouldn't be too tough out shoot outside of just a few exceptions.

 

Possibly true of bulk ammo but even there the proliferation of CAD/CAM software and CNC machining has made production machinery much more precise and the resultant products they manufacture more consistent. Plus the continual research on powders and primer mixes. Doesn't seem logical that we'd be moving backwards.

One thing I do know, there sure are a lot more choices of ammo today. Bullet weights, velocities, special purpose stuff...as a kid in the 60's I don't remember there being a whole lot of choices at the hardware store.

Frank

 

I think the biggest difference between the old stuff and the modern stock is quality control. It was much better in the past. I've seen too many examples of poor quality in both metallic and shotgun ammo. The bean counters don't like reject ammo so it gets boxed and sold.

 

Exacto-mondo, there is little QC. Get it out the door and + on bottom line. The return percentage is practically nil and that is a Business Plan, not an accident. They will continue until shooters vote with their bucks, only thing the Bean Counters understand.

 

I think it is more perception than reality. In the era being discussed, unless one was on a high level target shooting team, expectations were different back then. And, the 'Oldtimers' of today, were the young boys then and the definition of 'accuracy' was an altogether different animal. There weren't many guns (that most had, anyway) and ammo choices that were capable of 50 yard 1/4" groups, nor were they expected when someone discussed how accurate his squirrel rifle was....more 'headshots at 25 yards' was an accurate rifle. Just my thoughts. Super X and Remington was pretty much the name of the game...and 'aguila' meant eagle!

 

I was just having this discussion the other day. I have a Rem 572 and 550-1. The 572 was my first gun. We used to put beer or soda bottles on fence posts and at 100 yds we would take them apart a piece at a time and then shoot the bottom off the post. That was iron sights but much better eyesight than today. Remington and Super x were the most accurate. They are both junk today. The 572 now has a 3x9 Leupold scope on it. I had it out on the range the other day and at 50 it would be good for squirrel but at 100 that rifle was moa or less. That was with Eley Tenex. I had some Thunderbolt too so I popped them in. Looked like a shotgun blast on the target. Back in the day we bought what was on sale and it shot lights out. Today I feel like Im looking for fine wine for a good round. I bought the 572 in 68, my first gun. You can spend thousands of dollars on a rifle but the dweeb in charge of loading the bullets can make or break all you have tried to do.

 

Back in the late '60s & early '70s, I mostly bought whatever was available at the discount stores. Seldom saw WW Super-X, and wasn't that often that I found any Remington, except in a few hardware stores. Mostly bought Federal Hi Power, because it was available, and it had decent accuracy. But back then, I didn't have any 22RF rifles that were exceptional accuracy-wise - a Winchester M250 lever gun that Dad bought for my 1st rifle, and a used Ruger 10-22 were about it. By 1993, I had put a relatively inexpensive Clerke .920" bbl on the 10-22, and had bought a new Rem 541T with prize money won at our club's annual 'All-around' shoot. In '94, I bought a case of Win Super-X hi vel 36gr HP ammo, my first quantity purchase, and it turned out to shoot really good groups out of that 541T.
Once the CMP started selling NIB surplus military trainers (Rem 540X & H&R M12 were what I bought), I started looking for better quality std vel 22RF ammo. But I didn't get serious about trying Eley, Lapua, and SK until the CMP made used Win 52D & Rem 40X rifles available at bargain prices. Talk about going down the22RF rabbit hole...

 

" Better " ? I really doubt it .

 

Back in the early '60's, I shot thousands of rounds of Remington's that came in boxes just like that one. Shot them in a Browning SA 22. Paid $ .62 / box at Gibson Discount Store. Occasionally bought Peters, which as far as I know were the same thing.

Just about all my shooting was off hand, so I can't attest to the accuracy, but, as far as reliability is concerned, I only got about 4 duds out of maybe 20,000 rounds IIRC.

I shot that little SA 22 so much that I could fairly regularly hit birds flying and objects tossed up.

Back then, Remington also made .22 LR tracers; they were a whopping $4.00 / box. But I loved shooting them. I could see the parabolic arch of the bullet on its way to the target. I don't think I ever bought but just one box of the tracers. The tracers available now are IMO junk comparatively speaking.

 

Back then, Remington also made .22 LR tracers; they were a whopping $4.00 / box. But I loved shooting them. I could see the parabolic arch of the bullet on its way to the target. I don't think I ever bought but just one box of the tracers. The tracers available now are IMO junk comparatively speaking.

I set a railroad tie on fire using those tracers shooting at nail heads. It was way cool and fun until the flames started.

Boy, did I get in a lot of trouble with my Granddad, I was banned from shooting for a month (it was his rifle and he took it away).

That railroad tie was one of the corner posts for the fenced area where he kept the dairy cows prior to milking.

FYI: Railroad ties are soaked with Creosote and are almost impossible to put out when on fire.

Granddad's solution: Thru a chain around it and pulled it out with a tractor and buried it in dirt. Smoke came out of the ground for a very long time.

 

There is no way to know without rigorous testing. As we get older nostalgia often clouds our judgement.

 

I think we were more accepting of FTE/FTF, it's only 22 after all, and we only remember the great groups, not the norm.

Wayne

 

Show us the paperwork… Squirrels don’t count.

 

They do if your hungry

 

It's an opinion with no data to support a position. Meh...

 

 

Wasn’t the quality of most things made from those time periods better than the junk that’s made now? I mean nowadays you have to spend a couple thousand on a custom .22 rifle that still may not shoot any better than what you could get at Sears for 39 bucks back in the day. I wouldn’t expect Ammo to be any different. Unless you spend the extra dollars for the precision stuff made today.

 

Not really. Unfortunately, time makes most of us start wearing rose colored glasses. Sometimes one runs into an elderly person that doesn’t suffer from sentimentality and they paint a completely different version of the good ole days.

 

Well, I was hotter, more accurate, and better back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Could be said of anyone old enough to have shot back then.

 

"Old Dead Eye Crunch, missing most of what I aim at since 1963!"

 

Old versus new.
Which one would win in a shoot off ?

 

Adjusted for inflation, it was /a lot/ more expensive then.

And then there are wages;
When I was in high school (mid-80's); I could buy about Qty.6, 50ct boxes for one hours' wage.
Now I can buy about 20, 50ct boxes for one hours' wage.

 

You must have a very well paying occupation.

 

It seems to me that Western Auto carried their own brand of .22s. I have no idea who the manufacturer was. What I do remember is that they shot GREAT! (Because they shot at all!) I think they went for somewhere around $8-$10 a brick. Knocking down a sweet $2.50 per lawn it wasn’t difficult to keep myself shooting. I had to stockpile before fall for squirrel season and suit up early when it snowed to hustle walkways and driveways before the other kids got them all. Of course, there were the “old folks” (like I am now) whose walks got shoveled first, for free…. They would have been happy to pay, but Dad had given me my orders. Then they would want you to come in for hot chocolate and cookies because you wouldn’t let them pay. I’d try to be polite and excuse myself as all the walkways were getting snatched up by the other kids. (Competition) The pressure of timelines and meeting supply expenses at such a tender young age! 🤣

 

Try to get a kid to do anything now! Shovel a sidewalk? If it meant getting up in the mornings forget about it! No work ethics anymore like going to work on time. too much cell phone time while on clock. If these kids are shooters they would not be shooting much.

 

Dad said when I missed something with his Rem 552-22lr it was my fault and not the ammo's. Draw your own conclusions of ammo quality today.

 

The conclusion I'd draw, would be that you are a poorer shot now than you used to be. ;-)

 

[QUOTE="bahamajoe, post: 13348498, member: 314915"

[/QUOTE]

I swear I’ve got a box of this exact stuff somewhere. If I find it, I can do a little comparison at the range.

 

[QUOTE="bahamajoe, post: 13348498, member: 314915"

I swear I’ve got a box of this exact stuff somewhere. If I find it, I can do a little comparison at the range.
[/QUOTE]
please do and report

 

I have shot my share of that exact same ammo and I think it was better quality, there was an old hardware store where I lived that had that ammo still in stock the late 70s early 80s, cases of it. Good stuff.

 

Sorry I can’t remember.

 

Back then, in the late 60's, I was just able to buy a box of .22s with my meager income of keeping the change when my relatives would send me to the store to buy sundries. About a box a week, less than buck a box. Who cared about accuracy if it was within minute of squirl

 

I do not know..I predate that ammo..

 

I'm not too sure about all of this. I got my first .22 when I was 8 yrs old (I still have it). Back then hitting Coke cans and squirrels at 25 yrds was pretty accurate to me.

Many years later shooting NRA Silhouettes at 25-50-75-100 yrds, accuracy was a whole different story. Or shooting NRA Bullseye and trying to hit a 50yrd X-ring the size of a fifty cent piece, one handed was something else again.

Today busting up clay pigeons at 25 to 50 yards with my pistols and todays ammo is accurate enough for me. The biggest difference I can see in yesterdays ammo and today's ammo is the price.

 

Was in a my local gun store and they sell ammo and firearms from an estate when grandpa passed away.
On the ammo shelf was some old Remington
22 ammo and bough some and I did shoot it
against newly made Rem. ammo @ 25 yards
and there was no oh wow moment.
But the burn’t powder aroma was just a wonderful nitro smell that brought back some good memories.
Shot the shorts in my work buddy’s dads
Mossberg made in the 50’s @ 25 yards
and let’s just say I wouldn’t take that ammo
on a hunting trip and the old long rifle ammo would be a better choice in the rifle.
I do this from time to time for fun then keep the old boxes 😁