ammo testing Henry 22LR

[crinkles]

Today I went out to the range to test some different types of ammo. First range visit couple of months ago went bad, using Highland RX Hi velocity solid nose bullets. Constantly shot high then, 4 MOA above where I needed to be with a centre hold.

Today I tested:
WInchester power points (hollow point, hv) (WPP)
WInchester subsonics (hollow point, low velocity) (WSS)
Eley Sport (green box) solid nose lead standard velocity (ELY)
Winchester T22 solid nose lead standard velocity (T22)
CCI solid nose lead standard velocity (CCI)
Retried Highland X high velocity solid nose copper plated. (HRX).

Here are my results. this was for open sights, 50m range, 6 o clock hold, factory sight setting, resting the front on a bench rest but not the rear of the rifle.



Ammo Type --- Shots --- Group Dia. --- Fliers --- Cost/round --- Notes
WPP --- 10 --- >15cm --- 2 --- 17.9c --- Shot about 6" high. Had one jam during lifting the round into the chamber, overshot the chamber and hit to top of it.
WSS --- 10 --- 9cm --- 1 --- 15.9c --- Shot about 2" low
ELY --- 15 --- 9cm --- 0 --- 20.7c --- Shot True
T22 --- 15 --- 11cm --- 0 --- 11.9c --- Shot True
CCI --- 20 --- 12cm --- 1 --- 11.9c --- Shot True
HRX --- 5 --- Gave up! Terrible stuff in this rife. 9c/round. Shot 8- 10" high.


The gun was NOT happy with the Win Power Points. not happy loading it, not happy shooting it, felt like to much powder for it.

It looks like this rifle prefers solid nose lead bullets. for the cost, the T22 looks like a good balance between cost and reasonable performance in a little lever action with iron sights.

Too bad I bought a 500 brick of the highland stuff when I got the rifle... will have to be my apocalypse day stash.

Now I'm no sharpshooter, but guys at the range said those groups are about as good as they get with iron sights. What can one expect at 50 yards with open sights with a little lever?

One more thing. after 200 rounds total, the lever action really grinded where the bolt slides over the hammer. it was very bad on the start of the return stroke. Spent 10 minutes trying to figure out where the grinding was from... solved by a drop of gun lube!

 

[ECUpirate]

Kudos to you for actually testing ammo in your rifle.

Start rant:

I know far too many people that buy a new rifle, grab the closest box of ammo on the shelf and then go hunting with it. It's unethical IMO. Nothing frustrates me more than blood trailing a deer that someone shot with their new rifle that has never fired a round until they shot at that deer.

/rant.

Seems to me your .22 likes the solid nose lead bullets also. I also think your assessment of the T22 is correct. I think you've found your round for that gun!

 

[bvance554]

Nice gun. I think if I could only own one gun, it would be a 22lr. In any flavor, but if pressed I would pick the Henry.

 

[Shannow]

crinkles, T22 and CCI blue box are the ones that are the absolute mainstays of the decent club shooters around here...everyone messes with other stuff, but these two (and lapua cans) are pretty OK.

SOunds like a fun time.

 

[Boomer]

It is a fact that .22 rifles are very picky about ammo. I have tested about 12 types in my rifle that is SCOPED, firing 25 rounds at a target 25 yards away just to see how the ammo behaved. I, too, found that some ammo will hit consistently inside about a 1" circle and others are all over the paper!! I keep these targets in a notebook that I take to the range and whenever I see someone having trouble hitting a target consistently, I show these targets to them and explain why they should test a variety of ammo in their gun. Surprisingly, they never even heard of testing different ammo, much like ECUpirate noted above.

My rifle does not like the lower weight, high velocity rounds at all. Like above, it seems to prefer standard 40 grain solid points or standard hollow points.

 

[BISCUT]

Took my 5 and 7 year old boys to the range yesterday. They love shooting their Savage Rascal (short stock for young shooters) 22LR rifles. They sure do shoot a lot of them!! They shot 200 rounds each. These are single shot bolt actions for added safety.

 

[95busa]

I love cci mini mag solids. My squirrel hunting go to for about six years now. Solids are the way to go in. 22lr.

 

[tc1446]

Never heard of Highland. Where are they made? I always test a variety of ammo when I get a new 22 pistol, especially a semi-auto. Mini mag always excels, but Blazers seem to, overall, be the workhorse for me.....that is, if 22's ever become readily avail again!

 

[95busa]

Originally Posted By: tc1446
Never heard of Highland. Where are they made? I always test a variety of ammo when I get a new 22 pistol, especially a semi-auto. Mini mag always excels, but Blazers seem to, overall, be the workhorse for me.....that is, if 22's ever become readily avail again!

FACT

 

[Falken]

Here is what I know about .22 ammo:

Winchester: Bulk boxes apparently can't be trusted to be consistent like they used to be.

I just picked up 2 500 shot bricks of Winchester Wildcat .22 in the older packaging (old style Winchester font with the black old style cat jumping).

I got them from Walmart for $15.00 per brick. This is the same Wildcat packaging that I have used since I was about 12 years old, and it has always worked flawlessly.

I am curious if this is still good stuff or if it is junk. Going to take it out plinking soon to try it.

BUT, the modernized packaged Winchester Wildcat .22 LR, I have read, is not consistent. So don't stock up unless you try a 50 rd. box from a case lot.

CCI and all of it's loadings have always been EXCELLENT ammo. My absolute favorite loading from CCI is their CB Long and Velocitor. Don't use Velocitor in aluminum receivered semi-autos. This load actually gives a small kick. May damage 10/22's and Marlin autos with Aluminum receivers such as the 795.

I used Velocitors on jack rabbits out West and they destroy massive amounts of meat. They somehow manage to blow open holes on game that have to be seen to be believed. Were talking palm of your hand sized. So be careful what game you shoot with these. They are firecrackers on fur bearers.

I resorted to these after I wounded jack rabbits with Winchester Wildcat, the rabbit actually got away. I never thought rabbits could be "squirriel tough" after killing them out East with 3-4 #6 bb strikes that don't even go deep out East.

Remington value ammo (Thunderbolt) etc. has been filthy junk ammo for the past 25 years. Steer clear. I actually got a squib load once in an M16R, when I was about 14 years old.

I opened the action and noticed unburned powder... Managed to work the slug out of the barrel with a stiff bull rush pushed in from the muzzle. Sure enough, a little .22 slug dropped through the magazine well onto the ground. My father said he never saw that in his entire life. Had I cleared the "jam" and shot a second time, I would have ruined my gun and maybe gotten hurt.

I am amazed to this day that I somehow knew a bullet head was in the chamber.

Remington Subsonic ammo is excellent, but the hollow point doesn't expand in game though, so be aware.

Remington Yellow Jacket are decent but have had loose bullet heads on them for the past 25 years, and look corroded. Not super accurate.

Be careful of "Truncated Cone" bullet ogives. They are Jam City in some semi-autos.

If you have an accurate gun, like really accurate, only purchase RWS, Eley, etc to excract every ounce of accuracy from the gun. Target ammo from Winchester is decent. My father used to attain delightful accuracy from his Remington bolt action and he only shot target ammo and never bulk stuff. So it is worth the extra money.

Right now, the only 100% safe ammo company that doesn't cut corners is still CCI for cheaper loadings.

 

[salv]

Lever guns are right at home with lead round nose in just about any caliber.

 

[Falken]

The older Winchester Wildcat .22LR HV worked great, just tried a box of the stuff out.

 

[zerosoma]

There are some rifles that are finicky about ammo, but the Henry isn't one of them. Neither is my SR22 can't imagine having a gun again that is picky with ammo.

 

[MolaKule]

You might try the

http://www.aguilaammo.com/rimfire.html

see second line in chart.

This is the most accurate and consistent ammo I have ever shot in my Ruger 10/22 and bolt action Remington 514.