Ammo question for competitive .22LR

[u/edyuster]

I got a CZ 457 MTR Varmint and I’m looking to shoot competitively next season/ year. I did some small batch of ammo testing at 50 yards and the best results was between the SK Rifle Match and SK Long Range Match. I tried 100 yards and the SK Rifle seems to be all over the place.

I know .22LR ammo can also vary by lot. By the time I purchase more I’m not sure how the new lot will behave.

So the questions here are:

What’s the best approach to testing ammo and getting a large amount? Do I purchase a test batch at the beginning of the season and buy a boat load it quickly after?

I’m seeing a drought in ammo, do these come in waves and I just have to keep checking retailers? or do I need to preorder them so I get the amount I need?

Also for anyone shooting ISSF .22LR as well same questions. Looking to get a Pardini and doing this process but it seems like the pistol ammo is in even shorter supply.

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[u/preferablyoutside]

There any chance there was a wind sock at the 100Y target?

As how much wind is a factor with .22LR is often overlooked on here.

Normally I’ve bought six or eight boxes of “premium” .22 tried them all then shot to 100Y

The ones that are good I keep buying, the ones that are good enough and reasonably priced I use for shooting and testing fundamentals for me that’s been the Sellier and Bellot 40gr as it’s accurate enough to 200Y for me, an then Lapua for beyond that.

I wait until Tenda has a good sale on and buy 5k rd packs, normally that lasts me from spring until hunting season whereupon the bolt gun gets hung up and the bow takes precedence for after work and weekend activities. I shoot archery daily I just prioritize time in the treestand as lobbing .22 to 300Y doesn’t put a moose in a freezer.

[u/edyuster → u/preferablyoutside]

I’m still fairly new to precision rimfire (been doing more centre fire).

I discounted then horizontal shifts as I know it affects 22LR a lot more at 100yds. The elevation shift was anywhere between 1-1.5”. Which seems a bit much to me.

Where do you go for Lapua ammo? Haven’t seen much in stock since this time last year and was only able to pick up Midas+

[u/preferablyoutside → u/edyuster]

Makes sense, I’d still hang a sock up if possible as I’ve had some weird experiences with wind and .22LR

I snagged a shitload of Lapua SK LR Match spring of ‘25 from Tenda and haven’t burned through it yet mostly as I’m a cheap maf’k and use the S&B

Honestly finding a good enough ammo and shooting the piss out of it has been better for me than really worrying about lot numbers as good fundamentals and better trigger discipline have been tightening up my game

[u/Collins705]

Im just getting into the precision rimfire myself.
I shot a few days at 50 and with great success. I bought my 457 from a guy at my range which he already did the “ammo taste test” and found eley team worked the best out of my gun.
On Friday I warmed up on 50 yards and then went to 100. To say it was an eye opener would be an understatement.
I’m still getting my base stuff figured out which just adds to the tail chasing.
The eley team had a fps SD of 15 +- and the wind wasn’t great on Friday, I was going out to practice in the wind but it made me realize I’ll need to spend more time at 100 and flag reading/mirage reading to really get used to 100 yards and hold overs.

[u/edyuster → u/Collins705]

Same experience here, though I shot at 50yds indoors so there’s no wind effects and going out to 100yd was a huge difference. I definitively need to practice more at 100yds. For .22LR factory ammo I’m assuming SD of 15 is still very good?

Do you shoot with a flag down at the target and muzzle? (Im used to having one at the muzzle and one half way down the range for centre fire)

[u/Collins705 → u/edyuster]

Yes very good, the chrono had 9.8 SD but there was 2 lower velocity rounds out of 30 rounds, So I called it 15.
I got some hand me down flags that need some repair so I was working off the “range is hot” flags and mirage. But that is what I’ll be doing. Probably 15 yards out and one at 85 yards

[u/CR123CR123CR]

So for me I shoot 25rds of each type of ammo I want to try in 5rd sets with a minute or two between each group.

I use 50m as my target.

I only look at the vertical difference between holes as it's near impossible to get a windless day where I live 

I make sure that my rifle is clean before I go out

I shoot 50rds of whatever garbage ammo I have kicking around before I start as a warm up. 

I shoot it all from a comfortable bench rest position. 

This is enough to make me comfortable I can pick out which ammo my rifle likes without getting too extreme. 

IF you go to a competition, someone there will have a chronograph. Ask if you can join them next time they go and do the same thing again while watching the data out of it. That'll get you a better answer xD

(Also I am not very good xD I am lucky to maintain 3MOA average while shooting NRL22 type competitions and 1.2MOA while in benchrest xD so might not be the best person to get advice from)

[u/edyuster → u/CR123CR123CR]

This is good advice regardless. I’ve heard mixed advice on shooting the “garbage” ammo. Some people say the coating on some cheaper ammo like then CCI SV really messes with the accuracy of more premium ammo. Do you find that to be the case with your warm up ammo? Is 3 MOA considered good enough to get the points for NRL22? (Still very new at this and don’t want to chase single holes if 3MOA is enough)

[u/CR123CR123CR → u/edyuster]

I usually am bottom 30% of the ones I've gone to but I haven't placed last yet

I have a bone stock CZ452 with a shitty bipod and a Vortex Venom 5-25 on it, so it's probably not entirely my rifle xD

As for CCI SV, I've never noticed a difference, but I think it's probably one of those things you won't notice till you're in over a few grand on your scope/rifle setup

[u/edyuster → u/CR123CR123CR]

Haha, that’s the goal. Don’t place last and always improve on your last score.

[u/SpectreBallistics]

Also for anyone shooting ISSF .22LR as well same questions.

I just shoot what's cheap for that. I'm doing ISSF Rapid Fire and right now for me ammo isn't the limiting factor.

For long range, I don't bother testing at 50m. I shoot at 100m and see how it does. My 457 likes Eley Contact a lot.

For buying ammo of a specific lot number, I don't bother. It doesn't change between lots enough to matter IMO.

[u/edyuster → u/SpectreBallistics]

I heard for ISSF ammo doesn’t make much of a difference unless you’re shooting nationals and international stages. I’ve been shooting CCI SV on a borrowed gun, but I heard they had fitment issues with Pardini mags. Just seeing what everyone recommends before I purchase a large amount of ammo

[u/mhkhung]

The 457 is probably good for (Canadian-sfc) hunting rifle competition (prone or 3p, with scope, at 50m max, or 20yd indoor). It is not benched and you can check what's your current group size in that strance, which will be somewhat bigger than the bench test. And based on that you can pick cheaper / available ammos (seriously I shooot the cheapest Norma in my 457).

[u/edyuster → u/mhkhung]

Hearing a lot of good experiences with the Norma in the 457 now. I’ll give that one a shot, I skipped all the cheaper stuff and went for the premium ones.

All those disciplines you mentioned, any idea if they shoot these in Ontario? I haven’t seen much outside of 10m air rifle.

[u/mhkhung → u/edyuster]

Monitor https://ontariotarget.ca/ LSBA matches will be starting in Nov.

[u/Lost_Aioli4731]

You should look at the North Silva website. They do sell rimfire ammo to non-distributors and non-stores like you and me, and they are the importers of SK and all the premium ammo from Europe and the UK to Canada. 

You can try boxes individually or buy bricks if you're so inclined. You're buying good stuff to begin with; the SK ammo is premium, so I wouldn't go too crazy trying other stuff, to be honest.

[u/edyuster → u/Lost_Aioli4731]

Thanks! I didn’t know NS sold to individuals, but this is very useful information. I was thinking of just buying bricks at this point.

[u/Lost_Aioli4731 → u/edyuster]

You can speak to a guy there named Peter Kraus. Ask for him; he will accept your call. 

And yes, they absolutely do sell ammunition to citizens in different volumes, only the marksmanship-grade stuff that you're looking for. 

Best of luck, and good shooting!

[u/edyuster → u/Lost_Aioli4731]

Thanks!

[u/Big-Guitar-1979]

Seems like sk long is sold out everywhere