What is your favourite 22LR ammunition?

[Leadspitter]

SK MAGAZINE is the go in my cz

Made by lapua , quality accurate ammo
$85 for 500 at abelas or horsely park.

A bloke shooting benchrest used some of my sk , which shot 1 ragged hole at 50 mtrs , same as his $20 ammo , at half the price $8 .50 per 50.

I gave up on cci when i bought a box and the projectiles were 30 degrees to the case , ammo looked like bananas.
The cardboard box was undamaged , so thats how they were packed.
Unuseable crap , didnt even bother complaining , USA ammo entry level at jacked up aussie prices.

Up untill this cci was acceptable to me.
Not anymore.

My cz cost $900 10 years ago , I easily shoot 500 rounds a month so spent thousands on ammo over the years ,
Chicken feed compared to centrefire or keepin a DUCATI on the road.

SK MAGAZINE

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

Thank you Leadspitter
And thank you everyone for the feedback
Your feedback has helped me a lot, thank you

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before Lads
But the reason as to why I want to do "ammo testing" so badly
It's because I think I will be shooting 22's for a very long time Lads
For a very long time

I think I have said this before
But I truly do have a big passion for firearms
So whenever I go down to the range to do some target shooting
I normally always spending 2x to 3x hours there just plinking away shooting around 200x rounds per session

If you wanna shoot 200x rounds per week or so
Then the 22's are of course, naturally the most viable/the most financially feasible option

That's why I wanna do ammo testing so badly with the 22's, experimenting with a bit of everything to be honest
It's a good way for me to mix things up a little and keep things interesting a little


I'm not sure if I want to get into shooting centrefire rifles just yet Lads
As much as I would enjoy shooting centrefire rifles
In terms of plinking 200x rounds of centrefire rifles
I think I would be looking at around $200 per shooting session per week
Where as plinking the 22's would cost me $40 tops per shooting session per week in comparison
($40 v/s $200)

That's why I really think that I will be sticking with the 22's for quite some time Lads

And shooting competition doesn't really interested me right now too
Coz for me shooting
It's a very personal thing
I like to just lose myself in my own world
Do my own thing
Shoot away
Relax
Unwind
Take it easy
And just enjoy
It's a good way to de-stress for me
That's my alone time
If youse get what I'm saying
So thats why competition doesn't really interest me at the moment

- RWS Fieldline Sub-Sonic
- RWS R50
- RWS R100
- RWS Club
- RWS Rifle
- RWS Special Match
- RWS Rifle Match S
- CCI Mini Mags
- CCI Velocitor
- CCI Blazer
- CCI Quiet
- SK Rifle Match
- SK Magazine
- SK Pistol Match
- SK Pistol Match Special
- SK Rifle
- SK Match Long Range
- SK Flatnose Match
- SK Flatnose Basic
- Eley
- Eley Club
- Eley Match
- Eley Standard
- Eley Edge
- Eley Tenex
- Eley Subsonic
- Eley Sport
- Federal Auto Match
- Federal Gold Match
- Federal Standard Solids
- Highland Target
- Armscor
- Winchester Bushmans
- Gecko Match
- Remington Cyclone
- Fiocchi (HV Version)

[Sergeant Hartman]

Darn only a couple hours, if i spend less than 8hrs at range i am really sad.

Who spends a dollar power round, most are 2 dollars or more if you but even s**t ammo except 223, and if you roll your own then lot less than a dollar.

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

Yeah
I may have to learn how to reload myself

How much would it be (per round) if I were to reload a 308 you reckon?

[Gamerancher]

Hate to burst the bubble, but, .22 ammo can vary quite a bit from batch to batch. Just because your rifle shot one screamer group with brand-X, doesn't mean that it will again or indefinitely. I've friends in the U.S whose kids are both on shooting scholarships at college, they take them and their rifles to one of 2 testing facilities where they run a bunch of different ammo through in strictly controlled conditions to get a start point. They then test different batches of the ammo that shoots best to find the best batch for them. Then they go home with about 20 cases of the best ammo and store it in their temperature/humidity controlled gun room.
I've had ammo that shot brilliantly in my own rifles and bought cases of it for competition. Then when resupply time comes, find out that the next available batch shoots up to sh!t. Then it's time to start over again.

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

That's a GREAT point that I didn't take into consideration Gamerancher

It definetely adds a bit of complexity to the whole thing that's for sure

[Leadspitter]

Thats were the SK MAGAZINE shines , consistency from batch to batch , versus say cci.

Having said that , some high dollar eley and other target grade ammo gets rubbished by some of the benchrest guys I know , the odd bad batch.

I reckon you are setting yourself up for dissapointment and frustration trying to shoot 22calibre bullets into 22 calibre diamater bullseyes

I am happy throwin 3 or 4 times more lead into 20 cent type target using ammo at half the price.

Loved shootin golf balls at 100 yards , 6 power scope sporter barrel , politically incorrect now , so I am told.

Whatever floats ya boat i guess.

[SCJ429]

Hate to burst the bubble, but, .22 ammo can vary quite a bit from batch to batch. Just because your rifle shot one screamer group with brand-X, doesn't mean that it will again or indefinitely. I've friends in the U.S whose kids are both on shooting scholarships at college, they take them and their rifles to one of 2 testing facilities where they run a bunch of different ammo through in strictly controlled conditions to get a start point. They then test different batches of the ammo that shoots best to find the best batch for them. Then they go home with about 20 cases of the best ammo and store it in their temperature/humidity controlled gun room.
I've had ammo that shot brilliantly in my own rifles and bought cases of it for competition. Then when resupply time comes, find out that the next available batch shoots up to sh!t. Then it's time to start over again.

Very true, also even if you are using Eley Tenex, it is not the same stuff that top shooters like Matt Emmons are using.

[bladeracer]

Yeah
I may have to learn how to reload myself

How much would it be (per round) if I were to reload a 308 you reckon?

It can vary greatly depending how hot you run them and the type of bullet you use. Under a dollar apiece isn't difficult.

Stepping down a bit from factory load levels can greatly extend case life, further reduced loads can mean you're using the same batch of brass in twenty years or more. Loading hot enough to have pressure signs might mean only getting two or three loads out of the brass.

Bulk .308" bullets can be as cheap as fifty-cents apiece, even less on special, but the cost of lead and copper means bigger bullets generally cost more than smaller bullets, in .224" you can buy 6000 bullets for around $800, cheaper than a lot of .22LR ammo. Most of my .308" bullets are $80-100 per 100, some are cheaper though, and some are dearer.

You're probably going to pay sixty-cents to a dollar apiece for new .308 brass, but you could pay three-dollars for some of the top-tier competition brass. You should be able to pick up once-fired brass for around fifty-cents, or less if you buy bulk or find a great deal.

Primers cost me eight-cents apiece, but there are cheaper ones, and buying boxes of 5000 keeps the price down.

Powders are significantly cheaper if you can buy them in 4kg bottles, rather than the 500gm ones. Powder density varies, you might get similar velocity out of 40gn of one powder as 50gn of another, so your powder cost per round can vary by 25% or more. Personally I prefer good case fill, compressed if possible.

Or you can use trailboss for greatly-reduced loads of about 10gn, very cheap shooting.

When you start casting your own bullets it gets even cheaper, 1kg of lead makes about 100 140gn bullets, for $10. If you're plinking at home and salvage the bullets you can reuse it indefinitely. Also an excellent reason to salvage all your .22LR bullets. A case of 5000rds of .22LR will give you 200,000gn of soft lead, enough to make 1200+ .308" bullets.

[JimTom]

Mate there are a few variables to consider, ie, projectile, brass life (how many reloads) etc. buying in bulk if you can is more cost efficient obviously. Mate you can reload .308 for under a buck a shot, there are and have been some good deals around on projectiles. Conversely you could double that easily with more expensive projectiles.

[Sergeant Hartman]

In the last year i have seen hornady eldm for around $50/100 sierra 168/155gr for similar and bought nossler rdf for about same. Don't see any point of spending $1+/proj. You goto little river and pretty much any day pickup 50+ once fired ADI brass fir free or get it from many ppl selling for $30/100. The adi will last 10 reloads easily.

Works out at around 85c for good quality reloads, can get cheaper projectiles like speers and save even more

[in2anity]

Yeah
I may have to learn how to reload myself

How much would it be (per round) if I were to reload a 308 you reckon?

Light Speer TNT bullet + AR2207 + Cheap Primers = <70c. In a decent gun, it groups competatively out to 300m (sling shooting).

Irrespective of cost, rolling your own will change your perspective on things big time.

[FNQ]

You blokes should be farmers or politicians.

The numbers always quoted for reloading miss two key ingredients... equipment set & labour cost.

Imagine if Qantas for example didn’t include the aircraft & labour on its balance sheet... instead only quoting fuel and a little on going maintenance cost. Airfares would be ssssoooo cheap & Qantas would be so far in the red.

Once those two factors are included the price of “roll your own” blows well out & factory ammo is by far cheaper. Yes it’s more accurate yes it’s a hobby...

[in2anity]

You blokes should be farmers or politicians.

The numbers always quoted for reloading miss two key ingredients... equipment set & labour cost.

Imagine if Qantas for example didn’t include the aircraft & labour on its balance sheet... instead only quoting fuel and a little on going maintenance cost. Airfares would be ssssoooo cheap & Qantas would be so far in the red.

Once those two factors are included the price of “roll your own” blows well out & factory ammo is by far cheaper. Yes it’s more accurate yes it’s a hobby...

He asked per round, not total outlay.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Eveyone knows labor is free haha.

You know i started b looking into reloading to ave money... but even before i bought the equipment i realised that isn't do. I just do it cuz it because i like to tinker...so it's a hobby and bring booth frustration and pleasure to me, which is priceless

[bladeracer]

You blokes should be farmers or politicians.

The numbers always quoted for reloading miss two key ingredients... equipment set & labour cost.

Imagine if Qantas for example didn’t include the aircraft & labour on its balance sheet... instead only quoting fuel and a little on going maintenance cost. Airfares would be ssssoooo cheap & Qantas would be so far in the red.

Once those two factors are included the price of “roll your own” blows well out & factory ammo is by far cheaper. Yes it’s more accurate yes it’s a hobby...

Rubbish, anybody that charges themselves an hourly rate for enjoying their hobby is an idiot.
If you spend a weekend hunting do you cost that time at $500? If you spend an hour playing with your kids do you charge it out as an expense?

The setup cost is as cheap or as expensive as you choose to make it. My brother loads .243 on the Lee Classic Handloader, I doubt he spent a hundred bucks setting up.

Even if I did charge my time and equipment, my equipment over just the past five years would be around 20c on each round I've loaded at most, probably a whole lot less. If I load 200rds of .303 in an hour, even at $50/hr is still only 25c per round.

[bladeracer]

Eveyone knows labor is free haha.

You know i started b looking into reloading to ave money... but even before i bought the equipment i realised that isn't do. I just do it cuz it because i like to tinker...so it's a hobby and bring booth frustration and pleasure to me, which is priceless

I absolutely save money by loading my own, even if I charged myself for the labour. Just for the .204 I'm looking at $2000 to fire 1000rds of factory hornady. I doubt my first 1000rds cost me even $1000.

.303, could I lie in a paddock and happily burn 100rds of factory ammo, no chance. A 150gn Hornady soft point on Trailboss costs me about 70c per shot. In .30-06 the Berry's Copper-Plated 123gn costs 25c apiece and shoots very well, for about 45c per round.

Casting my own bullets in .44 magnum costs little more than shooting .22LR ammo, which is cool as they are cast from recovered .22LR bullets. Casting requires nothing more than a gas torch, a mould and a ladle if you want to keep it cheap. Add a $50 toaster oven if you want to powder-coat them.

[TassieTiger]

I save a shed load reloading AND more importantly, learn more about shooting - how much $$$ value to learn??
And - if I were not reloading and at the pub drinking beer and watching little fukn balls? It’s relative...

I don’t know how I’d feel about taking shooting advice from someone who permanently lives on factory rounds...but if I’m shooting along side someone who knows the difference between 2209 and 2206...well, my ears prick up.

[Farmerpete]

If you're still taking suggestions I use Winchester power points to prune the saplings around my target stand
My view on reloading is it can be as cheap or expensive as you make it.
get a lee classic hand loader for 60 to 80 bucks and start with one caliber producing 1 round a minute or go buy a Dillon progressive for a couple of thousand a set of dies for another 100 and go nuts producing 20 rounds a minute.
It's a hobby not a chore and time shouldn't be a factor

[SCJ429]

You blokes should be farmers or politicians.

The numbers always quoted for reloading miss two key ingredients... equipment set & labour cost.

Imagine if Qantas for example didn’t include the aircraft & labour on its balance sheet... instead only quoting fuel and a little on going maintenance cost. Airfares would be ssssoooo cheap & Qantas would be so far in the red.

Once those two factors are included the price of “roll your own” blows well out & factory ammo is by far cheaper. Yes it’s more accurate yes it’s a hobby...

Of course you should consider the cost of equipment and labour, but have you forgotten to send yourself an invoice for rental of the corner of the shed where your reloading bench is located and storage fee for your firearms safe. No serious shooter would forget to dip into the research budget when talking to your mates about reloading or reading forums like this one.

And...red is loss but black is profit. Qantas would be in the black.

[JimTom]

You blokes should be farmers or politicians.

The numbers always quoted for reloading miss two key ingredients... equipment set & labour cost.

Imagine if Qantas for example didn’t include the aircraft & labour on its balance sheet... instead only quoting fuel and a little on going maintenance cost. Airfares would be ssssoooo cheap & Qantas would be so far in the red.

Once those two factors are included the price of “roll your own” blows well out & factory ammo is by far cheaper. Yes it’s more accurate yes it’s a hobby...

Settle down mate, there was no deliberate intention to mislead anyone on the cost of reloading. Of course it costs money to set up. Everyone knows that. Thank you for the Qantas example though.
Out of curiosity mate do you reload?

[Member-Deleted]

Had a top day at the range yesterday testing ammo. This time there was only a slight breeze. I didn’t get time to acquire any new ammo so just retested what I had.

SK standard + and SK rifle match were definitely the stand outs at 50 and 100m for my lithgow anyway.

Now I need to get more ammo to feed my addiction