For those of us using AR .22’s you know what Federal has done with the Bulk .22.
It’s very inconsistant and unreliable. Several duds are being sent out.
I have written Federal 3 times in the past two years.
It wasn’t always that way. I used to recommend Fed Bulk. Now it has become a joke across several boards.
I stated to Federal that I will suggest a boycott on Federal .22 Bulk Pack. Maybe if it doesn’t sell, they will take a look.
No real reason to buy it anyhow. It’s crap.
Dave
What are our other similarly prices options? I don’t shoot much .22lr, but I’d like to start. In the past I always just shot Federal or Remington bulk packs.
I’ve been using Winchester Bulk 333 and 555. It’s within $1.00 of the Federal Bulk.
Available at Walmart.
Just so you are aware, most AR type conversions recommend againts Remington. The bullet profile is just enough to potentially cause feed problems. It’s also very dirty.
My last test rifle, a CMMG m4 LE has over 6000 rounds on it and will now fire Remington Goldens.
As far as bulk ammo goes I grabbed a silver box (can’t recall brand) from walmart and was very impressed with it. It was not federal or Remington but maybe be on the look out for it. Other than that, cci has been unbelievable great ammo but you have to pay. Makes me think rimfire could be as reliable as centerfire.
As far as Remington feed issues, if you look at the tip, they are not quite as round like other brands. Some .22 guns have abrupt feed ramps or none at all and rely on the round nose of the bullet to feed well. If you are at walmart and can’t decide between two I would recommend looking at the noses of the rounds.
But def hate federal and don’t remember them being as bad when I was a kid. Times change though, guess they are just trying to turn a profit however they can.
Oddly enough, I’ve never had a problem with federal bulk. It’s not the most accurate stuff, but I’ve yet to find a “hollow point” .22 round that is… and I’ve tried several. With that said, I usually shoot cci mini mags… great bang for the buck .22 ammo.
This is concerning the Federal 550 Bulk Pack sold at Walmart.
What I am finding is mixed. Some have a lot of issues Some have none, which is even more baffling.
I din’t think I made myself clear on the main issue for me.
I’m not stating they don’t ignite. I realize any bulk pack will have some of those. I realize bulk ammo isn’t the most accurate.
What my main complaint is, the inconsistant loads which lead to failures to cycle and inaccuracy. 20% of the Fed I have shot in the last couple of years go sub sonic, meaning they have less powder than the other 80%.
I’ve had some that sound like they barely push the round out of the barrel. And that has been consistant through many boxes.
That has nothing to do with what set up they are fired from.
I go thru about a pack of Fed 550 a month. No issues with guns that like the stuff. I have more issues with Remington - all their .22LR loads, in all my guns.
never had issues with 550… however i had some major issues with a batch of the automatch last year. i contacted Federal and they reimbursed me.
never been impressed with winchesters, hate remingtons, and although CCI is pretty good, i usually step up to wolf at that price point.
Ok, what I’m finding is apparently the .22 bulk pack produced during the ammo panic is the problem. I bought several boxes and it looks like several others did too.
But I keep hearing from guys that have had no problems with the current production.
That’s great. I’ll get a couple boxes of the new production and see what happens.
Keep us updated, bro.
The only 550 bulk packs I bought were before Y2K – Federal and Rem. The Fed from then was GTG. Rem had some issues…
In preparation for Y2K I used to buy a bulk-pack or 2 every time I was out of the house near a Wallyworld. (like $11-$12 a box IIRC)
Both Federal and Rem Golden whatever are complete trash. Spring for Federal Auto Match if you want decent rimfire. I’ve got to the point where I won’t even buy junk rimfire ammo anymore.
Clearing rimfire malfuntions gets really old.
Only time we’ve had problems with Fed Bulk is when guns are filthy nasty; too, I generally leave the boxes in the trunk of a vehicle for months at a time. Have thought the few function/ignition problems could have been as a result.
I’ve used those as teaching opportunities with my pupils; while the clearance drills may be different the point is getting students to understand guns may not run as well in the real world as they do in the movies…ya gotta think to keep them running.
Think you are talking about Winchester HV. Good stuff. Was shooting some after Halloween pumkins with it and it was just blowing chunks out compared to the federal my brother in law was shooting.
I have been shooting the snot out of Federal bulk pack 550, a box a week or so for the last year. After I got caught with my rimfire ammo supply depleted after the 2000 election I stocked up on just this ammo. I have no complaints. It burns clean, I have very few misfires (few by rimfire standards), maybe one per 2K. It is accurate enough for promotional ammo. I have no complaints. In fact, I need to see if they have it back in stock as they had run out locally. I’m very satisfied with the Federal 550s.
I picked up 2 cases of Fed Bulk 550’s and boy, wish I had gotten somthing else. Basically use it for plinking but really was surprised one day when I took out the Volquartsen rifle. 3" groups at 50. I thought my gun shit the bed until I found some Rem subsonics in my bag, back to a 1/2":p. I’ve got half a case left now and looking for something different. I used to shoot alot of Rem Target but I think they stopped that. For squirrels I’ll stick with the Subsonics or CCI but then again, I don’t do to much of that anymore either.