Need input on load testing for my 10/22

[SkepticalTiger]

So I managed to qualify at my local outdoor range (3 shots within 1 moa 3 attempts at 100 yards) with a stock tactical 10/22 and 6x primary arms ACSS scope using cci standard by inserting an empty mag, locking the bolt back manually, then loading each round into the chamber and then slowly moving the bolt forward. Now I can use the up to 600 yard range. I'm looking to see which ammo my gun likes the most doing the same loading method only at an indoor range to take out wind from the equation.

I saw some people boresnake their rifle 5 times then fire a few 10s of shots to season the barrel then shoot for accuracy. What I'm wondering is if that really matters or am I creating inconsistency somehow via the cleaning method, etc.? Couldn't I just fire different rounds after carbon has built up enough? Seems like the most concrete, but costly method would be to take however many range trips I have per ammo I'm testing, each time using only one brand for say... 50 - 100 rounds, go home, clean the barrel and then repeat.

 

[b6graham]

putting lot testing effort into a stock 10/22 with a 6x scope and cci standard seems like a waste to me

whats your intended goal of the rifle?

 

[Milo 2.5]

So I managed to qualify at my local outdoor range (3 shots within 1 moa 3 attempts at 100 yards) with a stock tactical 10/22 and 6x primary arms ACSS scope using cci standard by inserting an empty mag, locking the bolt back manually, then loading each round into the chamber and then slowly moving the bolt forward. Now I can use the up to 600 yard range. I'm looking to see which ammo my gun likes the most doing the same loading method only at an indoor range to take out wind from the equation.

I saw some people boresnake their rifle 5 times then fire a few 10s of shots to season the barrel then shoot for accuracy. What I'm wondering is if that really matters or am I creating inconsistency somehow via the cleaning method, etc.? Couldn't I just fire different rounds after carbon has built up enough? Seems like the most concrete, but costly method would be to take however many range trips I have per ammo I'm testing, each time using only one brand for say... 50 - 100 rounds, go home, clean the barrel and then repeat.

If qualifying day was Friday, I'd still be sitting there now trying to get my first rd in the chamber

 

[SkepticalTiger]

If qualifying day was Friday, I'd still be sitting there now trying to get my first rd in the chamber

Trick is to angle the round just enough with your thumb and then push it in with your pinky finger. It's a bitch at first but you find the right angle.

 

[SkepticalTiger]

putting lot testing effort into a stock 10/22 with a 6x scope and cci standard seems like a waste to me

whats your intended goal of the rifle?

I'm curious which ammo the rifle likes best since CCI standard is currently the most accurate ammo I own for it. A few people were suggesting cci subsonic too, but I figured it'd be worth getting a couple boxes to see what it likes. That and I'd like to tighten groups up a little so I can take it out to 200.

 

[KnowNothing256]

CCI SV is the best you're gonna find from CCI, as far as target ammo goes, in my experience. Other good ones to try, esp now that CCI SV is stupid expensive (3x what I paid a few years ago): SK Std+, SK Rifle, or similar Eley target offerings. However, @RAVAGE88 I believe has reported that the Eley offerings tend to fall off after 50 yards, I'm guessing because of the flat nose, although it could just be with the Ravage chamber.

SK Std+ tends to be cheaper around here than CCI SV, somehow, you might consider trying it.

 

[justin amateur]

I'm looking to see which ammo my gun likes the most

I can answer that question.

It won't be guaranteed by the name on the label.
It will be the cartridges with the fewest manufacturing defects and tightest muzzle velocities.
No rifle can fix poorly made cartridges. No rifle can fix velocity spread.
When y'er cartridges are beat to snot fresh out of the box, y'er gonna be disappointed.
If the bullets are seated unevenly and the drive bands are visibly different cartridge to cartridge, ditto.
If bullet material is compressed down past the crimp on to the brass, again, expect problems.
If the bullets are asymmetric in shape, they aren't going to fly similar trajectories.
The longer the distance from muzzle to impact, the worse the results.

It doesn't matter hi-v or sub-sonic, if y'er cartridges look like those above, y'er results are gonna suck.

Unless, y'er shooting offhand and close enough for the powder burn to show up on y'er target.

 

[Fuckmikebush]

Stop using crap ammo and expecting benchrest results. Lmao wtf

 

[Masojoh]

So I managed to qualify at my local outdoor range (3 shots within 1 moa 3 attempts at 100 yards) with a stock tactical 10/22 and 6x primary arms ACSS scope using cci standard by inserting an empty mag, locking the bolt back manually, then loading each round into the chamber and then slowly moving the bolt forward. Now I can use the up to 600 yard range. I'm looking to see which ammo my gun likes the most doing the same loading method only at an indoor range to take out wind from the equation.

I saw some people boresnake their rifle 5 times then fire a few 10s of shots to season the barrel then shoot for accuracy. What I'm wondering is if that really matters or am I creating inconsistency somehow via the cleaning method, etc.? Couldn't I just fire different rounds after carbon has built up enough? Seems like the most concrete, but costly method would be to take however many range trips I have per ammo I'm testing, each time using only one brand for say... 50 - 100 rounds, go home, clean the barrel and then repeat.

Welcome to the 22lr club. It is a fun one, for sure.

My only input on your question about cleaning affecting accuracy - there are two areas affected - the chamber, and the rest of the barrel. Most 10/22s use just the spring to seat a round in the chamber. Over time, buildup where the chamber starts and the rifling begins creates resistance to the bullet seating fully. For my Kidd 10/22s, they recommend cleaning the chamber much more often than the rest of the barrel.

The rounds come with some sort of lubrication on the from the factory. Most people see accuracy improve after 10-50 shots as the lubrication is transferred from the bullets into the cleaned barrel (my Vudoo tightens up in about 5-10 shots, my Kidd takes 20-30, as two reference points). So cleaning the barrel almost hits a reset button on this “seasoning” process. I have not tested it, but have read that if you change from one manufacturer to another, you can do so on a dirty barrel, but you should allow it time to season to the new bullet lube. So, don’t expect repeatable results until you shoot 10+ rounds through it.

I have been looking for the best method to clean the chamber without cleaning the whole barrel. The best thing I think is a nylon brush used to clean drinking straws. Bend the end of it about 1.25” from the end to 90 degrees, and insert that in the chamber, and give it a few in and out strokes. I would think if you used any solvent or cleaner, it would be very light. And then use a patch worm to pull it out in a single pass.

Good luck with your rifle and what you are trying to do!

 

[SkepticalTiger]

Welcome to the 22lr club. It is a fun one, for sure.

My only input on your question about cleaning affecting accuracy - there are two areas affected - the chamber, and the rest of the barrel. Most 10/22s use just the spring to seat a round in the chamber. Over time, buildup where the chamber starts and the rifling begins creates resistance to the bullet seating fully. For my Kidd 10/22s, they recommend cleaning the chamber much more often than the rest of the barrel.

The rounds come with some sort of lubrication on the from the factory. Most people see accuracy improve after 10-50 shots as the lubrication is transferred from the bullets into the cleaned barrel (my Vudoo tightens up in about 5-10 shots, my Kidd takes 20-30, as two reference points). So cleaning the barrel almost hits a reset button on this “seasoning” process. I have not tested it, but have read that if you change from one manufacturer to another, you can do so on a dirty barrel, but you should allow it time to season to the new bullet lube. So, don’t expect repeatable results until you shoot 10+ rounds through it.

I have been looking for the best method to clean the chamber without cleaning the whole barrel. The best thing I think is a nylon brush used to clean drinking straws. Bend the end of it about 1.25” from the end to 90 degrees, and insert that in the chamber, and give it a few in and out strokes. I would think if you used any solvent or cleaner, it would be very light. And then use a patch worm to pull it out in a single pass.

Good luck with your rifle and what you are trying to do!

That makes life much easier on my end then. seems like if I fire 1 25 shot magazine and let the barrel cool for 10 minutes the barrel will be seasoned well enough. Appreciate the input, I know I can get some real nice results with a better barrel, but am having a ton of fun pushing myself with what I have. Figure might as well get close to outshooting the rifle before I upgrade anything.

Looking into a caldwell rest and testing different screw weights with the stock. Tempted to just not even have it in the stock when I test lol. Again all for the fun of it, but I like having consistency.

 

[SkepticalTiger]

I'm looking to see which ammo my gun likes the most

I can answer that question.

It won't be guaranteed by the name on the label.
It will be the cartridges with the fewest manufacturing defects and tightest muzzle velocities.
No rifle can fix poorly made cartridges. No rifle can fix velocity spread.
When y'er cartridges are beat to snot fresh out of the box, y'er gonna be disappointed.
If the bullets are seated unevenly and the drive bands are visibly different cartridge to cartridge, ditto.
If bullet material is compressed down past the crimp on to the brass, again, expect problems.
If the bullets are asymmetric in shape, they aren't going to fly similar trajectories.
The longer the distance from muzzle to impact, the worse the results.

It doesn't matter hi-v or sub-sonic, if y'er cartridges look like those above, y'er results are gonna suck.

Unless, y'er shooting offhand and close enough for the powder burn to show up on y'er target.

Awesome! So inspecting the ammo too before fire is a good suggestion then too.

 

[SkepticalTiger]

Stop using crap ammo and expecting benchrest results. Lmao wtf

Suggestions for better ammo are always welcomed lol.

 

[b6graham]

Suggestions for better ammo are always welcomed lol.

SK Rifle Match
Lapia CenterX / Midas+
Eley Match / Tenex

 

[justin amateur]

Careful there, ST...using visual inspection with Mark I Eyeball can lead to serious consequences.
Start culling y'er ammunition based on the amount of damage found, can result in the removal
of entire product lines from use when attempting precision shooting with 22lr.
I've had to eliminate anything made outside of Western Europe.
My go to cartridges are made by Eley, Lapua/SK, RWS and Fiocchi Italia.
The FiocchiUSA labeled rimfire is relabeled CCI, with the same production problems.

 

[Perazzisc]

I use Eley Benchrest Precision for my Kidd 10/22. It doesn't have as much lube on the bullet which results in less crap accumulating on the front of the bolt face and everywhere else. I shot a NRL22 match last weekend and had an amazing group at 200 yards.