Well, first the 455 Varmint with factory barrel liked 40 gr CCI JHP's.
Then it didn't. So I tried some 30 gr V-max and it did really well for the first box.
Then it didn't. So I tried some CCI 40 gr fmj, which was terrible for the first box,
great for the second box, then back to blah for the rest of the brick.
I got hold of some 40 gr choot'ems and did,
but they were never gonna be anything more than chicken coop predator thumpers.
Then I got my hands on some Fiocchi 40 gr jhp's and the results were so-so.
Some were so much this way and some were so much that way.
So I picked up a Lilja 22wmr match barrel.
And went through the process all over again.
Sometimes it did really well, most times it was 2 moa or worse.
So I picked up a ballistic chronograph and used it, a lot.
After seeing the results of multiple types of 22 wmr and the mv's
I sold both the factory and Lilja barrels.
There ain't any match grade 22 wmr, only hunting/plinking grade.
For the cost of 22wmr I can shoot bulk 223 and get the same results.

Don't talk to me about Winchester, Armscor or Aguila.
Not impressed by them either.

 

Since you are not likely to get rid of your new 455 SS based on Jaia's experience with 22WMR ammo, I suggest you try some CCI 40g JHP, CCI 30g V-Max, or Hornady 30g V-Max. CCI 30g HP+V was not that great in my guns, and the Winchester Super-X Varmint 40g was the worst of the various brands & styles I had.

My 22 Mags include a Marlin XT22M, RAR, and CZ 452 FS. Results among the ammo types noted above are basically the same across all three guns, with the occasional swapping of one type for another in terms of accuracy between specific rifles.

Have fun sorting it out for your gun!

 

I'm not saying you won't find batches of 22wmr that are decent.
I'm just saying if you are attempting precision shooting with a 22wmr,
don't get y'er hopes up. It's hunting ammo, never intended for sub-moa.

 

Oh, that last one-shot-per-bull target is very, very humbling. Lot of fun to shoot, but humbling.

Glad to see you posted those, Jaia. Its not all doom & gloom on 22WMR.

 

Ha I can relate to that experience of sometimes shooting great and the same ammo later being on the rough side from the same box even. In a 77/22 stainless synthetic mag though.

 

Had to hunt it down, but this was the best the Lilja ever did at 100 yards.
All those bricks of different brands/types/testing/tweaking
and this was the best it could do. Top of target is left side of image

CCI 40 gr maxi-mags 455 SOF Lilja

 

Not questioning your ability. In my experience cz in 22 long rifle seem to be the caliber that's the best cz makes. The other calibers are not that good from my experience. As to 22 magnum there are rifles out there that are capable of moa even some guarantee it. Yes you can get bad lots have not yet seen any rimfire ammo that doesn't. As to lilja there has been more than their fair share of bad/not great barrels, some claim head space issue. What I do know that the one I had on a sako wouldn't beat sako factory barrels so I remain skeptical about them especially when they are making shims to help with cz headspace issue.

To the op 22 magnum ammo I like Winchester 34 grain supreme ,hornady and cci 30 grain vmax, Remington 33 vmax

 

I have a couple of quick questions. Is the CCI 30 gr VMax and the Hornady 30 gr VMax the same load?

Also, does Remington load their own 22 mag ammo or is it just re-branded? If it is re-branded, who loads it?

I think that the CCI 40 gr JHP is going to be my next ammo to try, if I can find any locally. This is what the factory tested the gun with FWIW. Haven't located any yet but have found a box of the Remington 40 gr JHP.

 

"Is the CCI 30 gr VMax and the Hornady 30 gr VMax the same load?"

No. CCI 22 Mag V-Max is not Hornady 22 Mag V-Max, although both are 2200 fps 30 g poly-tipped bullets.

 

CCI makes the 30 gr vmax for Hornady.
Check the date codes on the boxes.
Same as the 17 hmr, assembled by CCI, sold by everyone else.

 

I stand corrected and learn something every day. Thanks.

 

My 452 Lux shoots Hornady 30 grain V-Max at approximately 1 MOA, MUCH better than it does the 40 grain Winchester Varmint & Game and CCI Maxi-Mag that I've tried. Those two shot about 1.6 MOA or even worse. I have about 2,000 rounds of said V-Max, have pulled random boxes and not encountered any that seemed to shoot poorly.

I've seen posts over the past 3 - 4 years here from several others who found the 30 V-Max stuff to shoot best from them in their CZ 452s as well. I'm not sure I've noticed what 455 owners have generally reported.

 

Only revolver

I only have one revolver which can shoot 22 wmr, which is a Heritage combo steel, and have used winchester with no issues. Also shoot CCI with no issues. I like CCI better as less smoke but otherwise have no issues with Win.

 

As to 22 magnum there are rifles out there that are capable of moa even some guarantee it.

Only if the ammo is capable.
At 100 yards, 100 fps difference in mv between shots with the 22wmr
vertical spread is about 1 inch. My testing over a chronograph
showed almost 300 fps ES with the SD of 90 fps from 40gr CCI jhp.
You can do the math and come up with the moa to expect.

Here's that best Lilja target correctly oriented as shot.

Look at the vertical locations of the groups moving up an down
relative to point of aim at center of bullseye. That was due to
the mv's changing as I worked through the box of 50.
Those were the best 6 bulls on that target. The other 3 reeked.

If you were to calculate total vertical spread on that target
you be looking at about 3 inches, which is what I expect with those measured mv's.

You don't have to take my word for it.
Shoot groups over a ballistic chrony, record the numbers
correlate to the target results and verify my conclusion.
It's easy to see the pattern develop.
There are no match grade 22wmr manufacturers, only hunting ammo.

 

THANKS FOR ALL OF THE RESPONSES! Good info.

I thought CCI probably loaded the Hornaday 30 gr V max in 22 WMR since they load the 17 gr V Max in the 17 HMR. I had a handful of Hornaday 30 Gr V Max and shot them yesterday. So far they have been the best of what I have tested - Win 40 JHP=junk, CCI 30 gr TNT=much better than the Winchester, Hornaday 30 Gr V Max=best so far.

Still working on breaking in the barrel, rest position/hold, and torque settings so no group size or pics. Too early in the game for that. Plus that is half the fun of getting a new gun. A new challenge and a learning experience.

I'm having fun! Thanks for the help.

 

Hornady 30VMs shoot best in my 455 barrel, and they are pretty good, but overall, I have to agree that they are hunting loads, NOT target loads, and frankly, I've set aside that WMR barrel and will use my 527 .22 Hornet for any purpose that might be better done by the WMR.

The Hornet's accuracy doesn't vary with ammo as much as the WMR, and offer more rat whackage than the WMR. I guess the WMR has not convinced me that it has a place in my stable. I bought the barrel on a whim anyway, and haven't been happy with it, It's pretty sloppy with 40-50 gr ammo, while the Hornet is better and cheaper to feed (handloads).

For ME, the WMR has been a waste of money, time, and effort. I"m not a fan. Not a hater, really, but I've got a couple HMRs that outshoot them, and the .17 and .22 Hornets will leave it sucking dust, so they have no real place in my collection. I've got .204s, .221 Fireballs, for faster wants/needs, and recently sold the boring .223s, but the WMR leaves me wondering what the heck it was good for, and all I can figure out is that the poor saps that don't handload can get by if they have to, with them.

Yawn.

 

Hornady 30VMs shoot best in my 455 barrel, and they are pretty good, but overall, I have to agree that they are hunting loads, NOT target loads, and frankly, I've set aside that WMR barrel and will use my 527 .22 Hornet for any purpose that might be better done by the WMR.

The Hornet's accuracy doesn't vary with ammo as much as the WMR, and offer more rat whackage than the WMR. I guess the WMR has not convinced me that it has a place in my stable. I bought the barrel on a whim anyway, and haven't been happy with it, It's pretty sloppy with 40-50 gr ammo, while the Hornet is better and cheaper to feed (handloads).

For ME, the WMR has been a waste of money, time, and effort. I"m not a fan. Not a hater, really, but I've got a couple HMRs that outshoot them, and the .17 and .22 Hornets will leave it sucking dust, so they have no real place in my collection. I've got .204s, .221 Fireballs, for faster wants/needs, and recently sold the boring .223s, but the WMR leaves me wondering what the heck it was good for, and all I can figure out is that the poor saps that don't handload can get by if they have to, with them.

Yawn.

I just went to the kitchen and got a bowl of popcorn.....

 

The 30- and 33- grain polymer tipped V-max ammo sold by Hornady and Remington have been outstanding in my 452 FS and my 512.

 

The only codes I saw on boxes of each respective ammo look different in format

CCI and Hornady 22 wmr in their little plastic 50 round boxes

Same 2 boxes flipped upside down so the date codes are visible

Both have the CCI manufacture date codes on 'em.

Here are the date codes for CCI products:

The date code is a letter, a number, a letter and an id

Example: M21RX6

First letter is the Month,
Number following is the day
Next letter is the year
followed by the lot id

Months

A - January
B - February
C - March
D - April
E - May
F - June
G - July
H - August
J - September
K - October
L - November
M - December

Years

A - 1995
B - 1996
C - 1997
D - 1998
E - 1999
F - 2000
G - 2001
H - 2002
J - 2003
K - 2004
L - 2005
M - 2006
N - 2007
P - 2008
Q - 2009
R - 2010
S - 2011
T - 2012
U - 2013
V - 2014
W - 2015
X - 2016

Letters I and O are not used as they can be confused for numbers.

 

Thanks, Jaia!

Only one of the two boxes I pulled at random had a date code like yours on the bottom, hence my confusion. Sometimes on the bottom, sometimes on the side.

I appreciate the info.

 

In my Win 9422M I tried several brands of WMR and the Rem 33Gr V-max was by far the best with CCI a good runner up.