[Barksdale123]

When looking for ammo in .22lr I see some of listed as" pistol match". At some point do the match grade manufacturers create .22lr for pistols tht is different than rifles. The only thing I can think of is the burn rate of the powder out of a shorter barrel would be differ for maximum accuracy. Thanks for the answers.

 

[Rocinante]

Idunno.

I have ammo marked "Rifle Match" and I have ammo marked "Pistol Match."

They both work fine in both pistols and rifles.

I don't pay any attention to such things.

I think they just mark them that way to try to justify a high price.

 

[gkn]

For answers to questions like this I like to go to the manufacturer's website. If they have an explanation there, I evaluate it to see if it makes sense. If I don't find an answer, I submit a question to them. If I still don't get an answer I blow it off as marketing hype. In any event I generally learn something
gkn

 

[Jay_Evans]

It's just grading. This is from an article I found

The Ammo
According to Geoff Esterline, director of marketing for Capstone Precision Group, which handles marketing here in the U.S., SK produces just two different loads with the 40-grain round-nose .22 projectile. One is factory rated at 1,073 per second (fps), the other at 1,106 fps.

“Each production run is sorted by quality, measured through accuracy and group size at 50 meters from their lot acceptance testing tunnel with a return-to-battery-style test fixture,” said Esterline. “The best-shooting 1,073-fps ammunition is packaged into SK Rifle Match. And it’s equivalent in the 1,106 fps variant is the new SK Long Range Match.


“These are the two best performers,” Esterline said. “From there, you work down. Second-best quality for 1,073 fps is SK Standard Plus, then Pistol Match and lastly Magazine. Second-best quality for 1,106 fps is Biathlon Sport, then Pistol Match Special.”

 

[azshot]

Match grade is kept to a higher level of quality control by various means. What does that mean? The standard deviation of rim thickness, bullet weights, powder charges, and resultant FPS velocity is all smaller than plinking ammo. Sometimes a gun will shoot just as good with cheaper ammo, but often not. If you are competing in bullseye against AAA or Master shooters, or say in the Olympics, you shoot the best. If blazing away at reactive targets shooting 50 rounds in a few minutes....you won't notice. The companies most certainly don't just put words on a box and "hope" no one finds out it's the same as their cheaper ammo.

How ELEY achieve Olympic accuracy with its .22LR ammunition

How do ELEY make its .22LR ammunition with Olympic accuracy? There are lots of factors that go into the production, but here are just a few of the key ones.

eley.co.uk

 

[azshot]

Here are some scientific tests of the accuracy of different ammo types.
Ammo test
It has several tables such as this subset:
...The following are the average of 5 5-shopt groups at 50 yards.

0.162 Eley Tenex Ultimate EPS
0.164 Lapua Midas Plus
0.177 Lapua Polar Biothelon
0.187 Eley Match EPS
0.193 Eley Match
0.203 Lapua Midas M
0.215 Lapua Center X
0.216 Western Value Pack
0.229 Lapua Signum
0.241 Lapua Master L
0.243 Eley Pistol Match
0.256 Olin Ball
0.256 Akah X-Zone
0.261 Lapua Midas L
0.261 Lapua Master M
0.263 Eley Tenex Semi Auto
0.270 Lapua Super Club
0.272 Eley Tenex
0.303 Lapua Standard Plus
0.312 CCI Standard Velocity ...

 

[Rocinante]

For answers to questions like this I like to go to the manufacturer's website. If they have an explanation there, I evaluate it to see if it makes sense. If I don't find an answer, I submit a question to them. If I still don't get an answer I blow it off as marketing hype.

I've checked.

They always say Rifle Match "Works better in rifles."

Or, Pistol Match "Works better in shorter barrels."

They never say why or how it works better.

I haven't called them for more info........because I doubt I'd get anything more helpful from the people on phones.

Anyway, I've never seen any difference in these "pistol" and "rifle" versions.

So I call it pure marketing hype.

 

[samven]

I dont see it too much anymore mostly because I dont buy much Pistol Match but I have had some lots that went super sonic in a 16" barrel but always stayed sub in pistols. Many of those lots were the most accurate in my S&W revolvers and I have found that my S&W 17 and Ruger Mk2 both like 40 gr ammo rated around 1200 fps on the box. Auto Match and 40 gr Blazer both just tick over 1000 fps in the pistols and do far better then Standard Vel loads that barley make 850.
I dont know if the Pistol Match is specifically designed to get up to 1000 fps in a short barrel or if its just a slightly too fast load to make subsonic in a rifle and is reclassified.

 

[Currahee506]

here is SKs info.

SK Pistol Match | rimfire ammunition | .22LR - SK-Ammunition

SK Pistol Match ammo gives you the edge both in training and competition, for both pistol and rifle.

sk-ammunition.com

SK Rifle Match | Rimfire ammunition | .22lr - SK-Ammunition

SK Rifle Match is a high-performance rimfire match cartridge especially developed for rifle shooting in all 50 m / yd disciplines.

sk-ammunition.com

hype at the top, specs (theirs) at the bottom

 

[Mike Clark]

I've seen some guys claim the pistol match shoots a bit better in their rifle. Not sure what distances though. Lower velocity and less spin might be the reason. It can go either way. Only testing can tell you, but you need to keep some info like temperature.

 

[azshot]

Again....read tests of the ammo. I linked to some. Match ammo almost always shoots better than bulk or cheap ammo. It's not smoke and mirrors, it's not a big marketing conspiracy. It's higher quality yields better results.

Not only controlled tests prove quality ammo matters, but anecdotal evidence from most shooters that do target work. You shoot junk ammo, you get junk groups. Better ammo...better groups. Top match ammo, the best groups. Just about every time, for every gun, for every shooter. Except for a few aberrations. I'm sure we'll hear from them next. "My old marlin auto .22 shoots Thunderbolts better than a Winchester C with Eley Tennex! That PROVES match ammo is a marketing fakeout! hyuk, hyuk."

 

[DBD34GS]

Here are some scientific tests of the accuracy of different ammo types.
Ammo test
It has several tables such as this subset:
...The following are the average of 5 5-shopt groups at 50 yards.

0.162 Eley Tenex Ultimate EPS
0.164 Lapua Midas Plus
0.177 Lapua Polar Biothelon
0.187 Eley Match EPS
0.193 Eley Match
0.203 Lapua Midas M
0.215 Lapua Center X
0.216 Western Value Pack
0.229 Lapua Signum
0.241 Lapua Master L
0.243 Eley Pistol Match
0.256 Olin Ball
0.256 Akah X-Zone
0.261 Lapua Midas L
0.261 Lapua Master M
0.263 Eley Tenex Semi Auto
0.270 Lapua Super Club
0.272 Eley Tenex
0.303 Lapua Standard Plus
0.312 CCI Standard Velocity ...

I would like to add "Norma standard velocity" as a back up practice 22lr. Accuracy not far behind the CCI and in my area, SE US, easier to find and cheaper..

 

[MajorD]

It was explained to me there are two “groups of SK ammo for example.
the slight faster velocity is graded as to accuracy and this goes into long range match. The next most accurate into biathlon sport, then the next in pistol match special. In theory the pistol applications do not require quite as much accuracy as longer range rifle applications.
the regular velocity goes into rifle match then pistol match then standard plus.

due to the lot variability lottery, I have had some people claim the pistol match shot better in a particular rifle than rifle branded ammo.

from what I can tell there is absolutely no difference in powder type or charge or bullet profile between the types.
it would be nice if the factory ballistics tables showed velocity for the pistol match in rifles and vice versa.
without a chronograph it would be impossible to know how much different ( if at all ) pistol match versus rifle match velocities are in identical length barrels.
one very skilled shooter I know did the lapua test center thing and found in some of his guns the pistol match was more accurate than some rifle branded stuff

 

[john the plinker]

Here are some scientific tests of the accuracy of different ammo types.
Ammo test
It has several tables such as this subset:
...The following are the average of 5 5-shopt groups at 50 yards.

0.162 Eley Tenex Ultimate EPS
0.164 Lapua Midas Plus
0.177 Lapua Polar Biothelon
0.187 Eley Match EPS
0.193 Eley Match
0.203 Lapua Midas M
0.215 Lapua Center X
0.216 Western Value Pack
0.229 Lapua Signum
0.241 Lapua Master L
0.243 Eley Pistol Match
0.256 Olin Ball
0.256 Akah X-Zone
0.261 Lapua Midas L
0.261 Lapua Master M
0.263 Eley Tenex Semi Auto
0.270 Lapua Super Club
0.272 Eley Tenex
0.303 Lapua Standard Plus
0.312 CCI Standard Velocity ...

Not sure I'd put much stock in that chart. Those tests are 10 years old, and a lot can change in that length of time.