r/canadaguns • u/edyuster • 3d ago

Shooting Ammo question for competitive .22LR

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/CR123CR123CR 3d ago

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)

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u/edyuster 3d ago edited 3d ago

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)

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u/CR123CR123CR 3d ago

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

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u/edyuster 3d ago

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