• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Weird ammo results today.

Toddcal13

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 29, 2010
164
1
42
Bay Area, CA
I went to the range today to continue to try and find which .22lr ammo my mark II tr likes most. I started with AE 40 grain ammo at 1080 fps, zeroed the rifle at 100 and went to switch to a match grade round.

I switched to RWS target ammo 40 grains at 1082 fps. My first 5 shots were about three MIls lower than my zero with similar ammo with one massive flier that spun right. Thinking I may have moved zero somehow, I switched back to five rounds with the AE and the rifle was on zero again. I recognize that with any rifle when you switch ammo you will recognize a shift in zero, especially in a rimfire. But three mils? Seems like a lot.

Anybody ever experience this type of spread before?
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.

yeah, different ammos could have considerably different POI, and some stay in the neighborhood.

i guess that's what makes it interesting, and drives you crazy at the same time.
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.

And it might not settle down for 10-25 or more rounds after switching ammo. You have to get a consistent barrel condition.
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.

Yup, I get fliers when I switch to a different ammo until the barrel settles. Takes me about 10 shots.
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.

A couple of us were shooting our TC contenders with match rifle barrels one day and noticed when accurracy started going away with match(subsonic)ammo we would shoot a minimag or two and accurracy would come back.I guess the hotter shell would maybe burn it on out.Every gun is different though.Try some wolf ammo if you can find it.My Annie likes the Match Extra and the Eley black box is good too but pricey!
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.


I have a box of RWS target that I picked up at a local store, it shoots low and every few rounds I get one 150 fps slower than the rest. 50yd groups 3" low and the size of a baseball. The RWS match and target I ordered online for ammo testing all shot pretty well. Maybe it's a bad batch.
 
Re: Weird ammo results today.

I documented the effects of switching 22LR ammo in this thread. I didn't see much of a POI difference between RWS R50 and Eley Match. I did, however, see groups start out wild and tighten up. I start shooting upper left, then middle, then upper right, then lower left, then lower right. You can see on my clean bore target that groups had tightened after 20 shots to some of my best at 100.

You really need to clean the barrel with solvent before switching ammo and then give yourself half a box to a box to season the barrel before things tighten up.

BTW... this is not "cold shooter" effect. I had run a couple of boxes of Eley through the gun that day before cleaning at the range and switching ammo. I was surprised at how extreme the results were.