cheap ammo, whats the point?

[dirtykoala]

the most expensive .22 ammo i can find is ELEY match, at about $.27 per round. i use wolf for about $.11 per round, and i see many people using federal bulk which comes to about $.04 per round.

what gets me is that the people using federal bulk are also bench resting their guns and using scopes. why?

i can see using bulk ammo if youre just going to throw as many rounds as you can, as fast as you can, at a tree stump or something, but why even attempt to shoot bulk ammo accurately? i did a small ammo comparison, and winchester grouped at about 6in at 50 yards, while wolf is at about the size of a dime, or smaller.

i understand that .22 is finicky with different guns, but the same people i see shooting bulk from bench rest are "grouping" like 8-10 inches at 50yds. so why not use better ammo?

if you are bench resting to see what your gun is capable of, you should be using good ammo to eliminate variables. if you are off hand shooting to see how good you are, you should be using good ammo to eliminate variables.

why even waste the money of going to the range if you arent there to improve you or your gun?

sorry, sort of a rant, but i would also like to know if im missing something and there actually is some benefit to buying the cheapest ammo i can find? (besides saving $35 on 500 rounds of ammo)

[GM4spd]

I can see your point to a point,however if guys just want to blast away
because they can---what's the deal? If you want to shoot for accuracy their
is nothing wrong with that but I can't see dissing guys who just want to
plink with cheap ammo. On the subject of that cheap ammo--my SIG 522
groups Fedral bulk(cheap) into 2"@ 50 yds with open sites all day long--
(maybe I just found a good combo) but I consider that pretty respectable
and it doesn't cost 27 cents a shot. Pete

[desertjosh]

8 inch groups at 50 yards? Something is wrong there and its not the ammo. Shooting federal my pretty much stock 10/22 will group around an inch. Tightens up a little with blazer with less flyers. 8 inch groups from a rest? Really?

[dirtykoala]

8 inch groups at 50 yards? Something is wrong there and its not the ammo. Shooting federal my pretty much stock 10/22 will group around an inch. Tightens up a little with blazer with less flyers. 8 inch groups from a rest? Really?

i wanted to take pics, but i figured it would be too rude. but thats my point, with groups like that, it would probably be worth spending a few dollars to find the problem. im confident that my gun can out shoot me, so im at the range pretty frequently trying to catch up, theres no way i can do that with crap ammo.

[BSlacker]

If you are grouping 6-10 inches at 50 yards you have a problem with gun and ammo match or shooter setup. No decent firearm groups these numbers with any ammo. What if the cheap stuff is what it likes.

[dirtykoala]

If you are grouping 6-10 inches at 50 yards you have a problem with gun and ammo match or shooter setup. No decent firearm groups these numbers with any ammo. What if the cheap stuff is what it likes.

i hit 6 inches with winchester high velocity, and right after that i was down to about a dime with wolf, so that takes out the shooter and the gun errors.

i was talking about other shooters though, and like you said, with groups that big its gotta be a problem with the gun and ammo, or the shooter, so it cant be that their gun likes the cheap stuff because it does horribly with it. or the shooter is that bad...

[Dutch3]

why even waste the money of going to the range if you arent there to improve you or your gun?

Because it is an enjoyable diversion. Sometimes you just need to have fun.

Free outdoor range + cheap rifle + cheap scope + cheap ammo = a day at the range with a total cost of $20 or less.

Besides, at 49, there isn't much I can do to improve my eyesight and the scope combined with a basic rest makes it easier to hit things.

[email]

Loose scope? LOL

[BSlacker]

i hit 6 inches with winchester high velocity, and right after that i was down to about a dime with wolf, so that takes out the shooter and the gun errors.

6 inches won't be enough for plinking. A soda can is half that on the bottom how would you ever hit the can end on. People would quit and look for a problem with the firearm or sights and such. Apparently some folks frustrate quicker than others. I qet toasted quick with a firearm that won't shoot or that I can't shoot reasonable (sub 1.5" min) groups from any bench setup. YMMV.
Tolerance in manufacturing can stack up and a firearm may have issues with most in spec ammo that is on one side of the spec. Lets take headspace on a rimfire it is easy to determine and it can have a major effect. It varies not so much lot to lot within a Brand but Brand to Brand it can vary. If you have a headspace that is on the other end of the spec that whole group of ammo may not shoot well in that firearm but do well in firearms with a headspace better suited to the ammo on the other end of the spec.
Too many variables to tell exactly what is happening when you get a 6-8 inch group but that gun has problems. Nobody shoots 6 inch groups from a rest it has to be some issue with the firearm. Not even a ammo firearm match issue a 6" group has no value.

[Izzy43]

Grouping 6" @ 50yds with one ammo and 1/2" with another ammo from the same gun on the same day under the same conditions indicates a very bad batch of ammo.

I shoot a lot of bulk ammo, specifically Federal AutoMatch. I use it to work on shooting technique, trigger pull, breathing, position and hold on the rifle. I don't worry about groups or accuracy while doing this as its practice. This ammo however will produce 3/4" groups @ 50 yds using a scope and 1" groups @ 50 yds with aperture sights with an occasional flyer. This ammo is great in one of my rifles, a Zastava Z5 with a 3-9X scope produces 1/2", 5 shot groups @ 50yds.

So there is a serious use of bulk ammo from a bench rest if one is serious about improving their shooting technique. I do agree that if you want to shoot small, consistent groups then you have to spend more for ammo. The Wolf MT is a good choice for accuracy vs $$$.

If I am going to spend big $$$ for rimfire ammo, I prefer to shoot 17HMR. Very accurate out to 200yds and costs only $.20 per round.

I think that folks shooting semi-autos with iron/peep sights are wasting $$$ on match ammo and will shoot as good with bulk ammo, especially off hand.

[cannon]

I use cheap Walmart bulk ammo in a scoped Saiko for ground squirrels. Works great and no problem hitting them out to 75 yards.

I think your gun is off.

[Stoopy]

I get great groups with wolf match target and get a huge spread with cci stingers. I think it has a lot to do with the weight and speed of the bullet and the twist of the barrel than something being wrong with the gun. The wolf is 40gr bullet and on the slow side at 1050fps compared to the 36gr stinger at 1640fps. For my gun it seems like the heavier slower bullets work better.

[Ornery Ol Bastard]

I use cheap Walmart bulk ammo in a scoped Saiko for ground squirrels. Works great and no problem hitting them out to 75 yards.
I think your gun is off.

MMMMM... O Ma's Squirrel Pie... I can smell it now....Now that's some good down home on the farm cookin...

[paul0660]

the most expensive .22 ammo i can find is ELEY match, at about $.27 per round. i use wolf for about $.11 per round, and i see many people using federal bulk which comes to about $.04 per round.

what gets me is that the people using federal bulk are also bench resting their guns and using scopes. why?

i can see using bulk ammo if youre just going to throw as many rounds as you can, as fast as you can, at a tree stump or something, but why even attempt to shoot bulk ammo accurately? i did a small ammo comparison, and winchester grouped at about 6in at 50 yards, while wolf is at about the size of a dime, or smaller.

i understand that .22 is finicky with different guns, but the same people i see shooting bulk from bench rest are "grouping" like 8-10 inches at 50yds. so why not use better ammo?

if you are bench resting to see what your gun is capable of, you should be using good ammo to eliminate variables. if you are off hand shooting to see how good you are, you should be using good ammo to eliminate variables.

why even waste the money of going to the range if you arent there to improve you or your gun?

sorry, sort of a rant, but i would also like to know if im missing something and there actually is some benefit to buying the cheapest ammo i can find? (besides saving $35 on 500 rounds of ammo)

I think you are drawing conclusions from a limited sample of data.

[olhunter]

That's a pretty big swing.

Maybe you're allergic to the lube or some other thing in the bulk ammo and it's making you twitch or go cross-eyed or something.