I was shopping for a Ruger 10/22 the other day and on a whim I ended up with a TacSol X-Ring Takedown with a Magpul Backpacker Stock. Now I’m wondering with all the super deals on .22LR ammo these days, what’s the best ammo to get started with and to stock up on?
I’ve been seeing the Remington Thunderbolt 40gr stuff out there for less than $0.03 per round, but I have to believe it’s so cheap because it’s a subpar round. Can anybody speak to that? Also, I have to believe there’s stuff out there that is more accurate, clean, forgiving, etc. just as with any other caliber, but I don’t know enough to know what it would be. .22 cal has always been an afterthought for me, but now I’d like to get a little more serious about it.
This rifle will be a part of my survival kit, but I’ll mostly be using it for fun. I’ll do little bit of target shooting, plinking in the mountains, and I intend to suppress it. I don’t mind running different ammo for different scenarios, so does anybody have any good recommendations that will work well with the X-Ring Bull Barrel, or should I just be looking at price, price, and price? Also, any other pertinent info like bullet weight, velocity, or anything else that I should consider, including a good subsonic choice, will be greatly appreciated.
I like CCI Standard, Fiocchi Subsonic, Winchester Subsonic.
Remington Subsonic and Thunderbolt would make my semiautomatic pistols choke.
My finished rifle, sighting on my range from my private driveway.
I did a lot to the above Ruger 10/22. Here’s what it looked like before.
I installed a Kidd single stage trigger, initially. Accuracy was subpar at 50 yards with how it was above.
I kept it in the safe since I didn’t enjoy shooting it. When I acquired suppressors, I decided to work on it last month. I replaced the barrel with a Tactical Solutions Barrel.
I then changed the internals to Kidd, also. Extractor, screws, firing pin, spring and rod kit.
I polished my factory bolt.
Now it shoots subsonic Ammunition.
My rifle’s favorite ammo, of which I acquired 5000 rounds is Aguila Super Extra. I also have several thousand CCI Standard.
Before you stock up on ammo, try a small box to see how it works in your gun. $3-8 for a box is better than a couple of hundred for a huge set of bricks of ammo.
I say CCI all the way. You pay a little more but get good results. For plinking use the Standard Velocity CCI.
For Varmints I use the CCI Velociter or Stinger.
I got away from the Remington Rimfire stuff back in 2013 because of bad misfires and it was just so dirty to shoot.
It seems EVERY mfg says, “DO NOT USE THUNDERBOLTS!” So first thing I do, is shoot thunderbolts through it. Figure if it can’t take THAT, then what is the POINT of it?
Ruger Mk.III has run fine on them for almost 10 years now. Ditto my dedicated TacSol .22 AR. I have more trouble cycling Peters .22 than anything else.
I’m partial to CCI…Especially the MiniMag. Their plain-Jane Standard Velocity stuff is good as well, as are the SGBs.
Win and Federal bulk pack stuff is also clean, reliable, and reasonably accurate in all of my rimfires.
Thunderbolts, while functionally reliable, lead terribly in everything I’ve ever fired them in. After a couple boxes, the leading has built up to a point that it’s necessary to tap a cleaning rod down the bore, and the lead comes out in long twisty streaks. Totally pain in the ass to clean up after…I ain’t got time for that shit, man.
My Adaptive Tactical takedown 10/22 barrel will consistently group under 1/2" at 50 yards with CCI Green Tag, and right around 1/2" with CCI Standard Velocity. No stoppages with either over a few hundred rounds. Wolf Match was good out of my M&P 15-22, but I haven’t shot it though the Adaptive barrel.
I go by the general rule of thumb to shoot subsonic for precision, and use high velocity stuff for small game inside 50. I know that there are some folks that do use supersonic for long range stuff, but I haven’t compiled enough data or experience with that to embrace it, where I know that the current record holder for long-range .22LR was shooting Lapua subsonic .22LR.
For semis, I look for the heaviest round going the fastest that has some kind of ‘plating’ or wash on it- not bare lead. Then I get hooked by a PSA email offer.
Looking in the ammo closet, I have a bunch of Federal ‘Automatch’. Runs great in a SW MP15-22 and M&P9-22. I have some Thunderbolt that I’ve shot, and I can’t say I noticed as difference. When we go we put about 300-600 rounds through the 15–22 and clean it every other time.
I agree CCI is better, cleaner ammo and probably the ‘best’ for what you are looking to do.
Thanks for the input so far. CCI is actually some of the stuff I have on hand, so I’ll be taking a closer look at their offering based on these reccomendations.
My 10/22 shoots wolf match in silly small groups. I buy it online in 500 round boxes. Was hard to find before but getting better now that everyone has a basement full of .22 ammo.
Remington thunderbolt costs more per round after you factor in all the duds that failed to go off.
I’ve had good service with the Federal Auto Match in the Ruger 22/45, 10-22 standard and CZ Varmint. The 325 count boxes. I still have some SK standard and purple box Lapua from long ago when the OSHA ammo transport ban was looming, but never happed. That was mid 1990’s I believe. I think I picked up 25k then. Another sleeper for match is the Wolf Match, seemed to run right with the Match Target line. The SK standard is accurate but finicky in semi’s.
For plinking I buy Remington Golden Bullet (not Thunderbolt) and for hunting CCI. I have not had any problems with that particular Remington round (out of semi autos, bolt action or revolver) and it is cheap enough for plinking. CCI is just plain accurate- especially their sub sonic hp out of a bolt action.
You gotta see what your gun likes with accuracy and feeding / ejection. Buy small quantities before buying 5,000 rounds. I like the Federal Auto stuff for semi autos. I also found it to offer acceptable accuracy.
If you are going to suppress it, save your money on CCI subsonic and buy CCI standard velocity. It is still subsonic. More readily available and higher velocity.
Sub is 710fps
SV is 1070fps
But like PB stated, make sure it likes The ammo first.
CCI Standard Velocity worked good for me too. The WOLF black box as well. Green Tag wasn’t that thrilling in my gun… I forget which other flavors I tried.
I have used everything from Wolf extra match to basic bulk ammo and I suggest you try every brand you can get your hands on and see what your gun like. The two 10/22 I have tricked out like the same ammo which is nice but my factory 10/22 likes other brands.
Some of my top performers, CCI standard velocity, GemTech standard velocity, Wolf extra match.
Now for plinking or shooting long distance I don’t waste my standard velocity stash. I get good results with Federal auto match, Blazers, Basically anything made by Federal HV.
Here are some targets, 100y and 150y with basic bulk ammo from my tricked out 10/22.
If your happy with the results and can find it whenever you want I say that’s a great ammo choice.
Another vote for CCI Standard Velocity and Mini Mag.
CCI has been the most consistent rimfire ammo for me. I shoot a good bit using my 10-22 and MK-II semi-autos and most of the other brands will have an occasional under-powered or dud round.
I am sure match ammo from any company would be consistent and reliable.
My Iver Johnson single shot rifle is fun to shoot with CCI Quiet ammo (hell, it’s fun to shoot period, but I avoid HV ammo in it).
