Fun with ammunition "testing"

[Doc S]

Well, the last few weekends I've had my American .22 WMR out at the range, trying to figure out what ammo it likes (At least, a good excuse to go to the range and shoot a lot). I can, without a shadow of a doubt, say that it absolutely despises Armscor and Winchester Super-X 40 grain rounds. It does well with CCI Maxi-Mag HP, but really does a good job with V-Max, both CCI and Federal. I've got some Aguila soft-points on their way to see if it shoots those at all well.It's funny that it does better with lighter-weight rounds, since I've seen the opposite in my centerfire rifles. The best 10-round, 100 yard group I've managed to turn out so far is about the size of a quarter. I guess I can't be too upset about it.

As for my Savage 93R17, I'm getting MOA groups at 100 yards with V-Max ammo, no matter what brand (I think I saw that CCI makes most of it, so no wonders there). I was surprised to see that Remington Accutip boat tail was a little less accurate that the V-max stuff. She really has no love for CCI hollow-points or FMJ. 17 grain ammo for a .17 cal rifle. Fitting combo, I suppose. Just a little breeze does make a big difference with these tiny little rounds, though. I think we had a half-hour with a stiff breeze, and it was throwing the rounds every which way (The range I go to is in kind of an odd spot, so the wind "swirls" instead of just blowing straight across).

It's been a lot of fun getting back into rimfire shooting - I've been shooting my pistols and my service rifles (Garand and M4) so much I forgot how much fun they can be! Next weekend is .22 LR playtime I think...