Since 2004, I’ve been testing five kinds of cheap/bulk ammo, plus CCI MiniMags as a “control,” in a number of different scoped rifles (somewhere around 24). Here’s how they stack up in the best 19 rifles (five were things like an AR-7 and a .22LR conversion in several different AR-15s, which weren’t too accurate, so I excluded them from the data below to give a better picture of performance in “typical” .22 rifles).
An Anschutz 64 shot ALL SIX kinds of ammo into less than ¼” groups at 25 yards.
Due to functioning problems, etc., a few of the ammos did not complete the test in all rifles. The number of rifles for each ammo type is noted below.
All figures are the average of the best five of six 5-shot groups at 25 yards, benchrested.
#1 Winchester Dynapoints (19 rifles)
Overall average: .352”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Norinco JW-15, .291”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .513”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 12
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 6
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 1
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 0
#2 CCI MiniMags (16 rifles)
Overall average: .376”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Rhineland R22, .182”
Worst grouping rifle: Marlin Glenfield 75, .647”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 10
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 2
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 3
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 1
#3 Remington Golden Bullets (15 rifles)
Overall average: .414”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Squires-Bingham SB-20, .275”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 floated barrel, .588”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 5
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 7
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 3
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 0
#4 Federal 510 Lightning/Champion (17 rifles)
Overall average: .434”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Ruger 77/22V, .208”
Worst grouping rifle: Marlin/Glenfield 75, .830”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 7
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 4
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 4
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 2
#5 Winchester Xpert (19 rifles)
Overall average: .454”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Ruger 77/22V, .253”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .831”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 6
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 8
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 1
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 4
#6 Federal Walmart Value Pack (19 rifles)
Overall average: .580”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Higgins 31 (High Standard) .417”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .839”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 1
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 5
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 8
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 5
Comments:
Winchester Dynapoints: Excellent functioning; didn’t work in only one rifle (Higgins 31). Very consistent accuracy regardless of gun used. 95%+ are subsonic but a few crack. Very low number of misfires. Copper-washed and shoots very clean. IMHO, overall the best of the cheap ammo.
CCI Minimags: Used as a “standard price” control ammo (now about 5c a shot or more at Walmart). Very good functioning but somewhat “hot” and went full-auto in a couple guns. Almost no misfires. 100% supersonic with consistent report. Consistently good ammo in a wide range of guns. Copper-washed AND wax-lubed, both. IMHO, if your rifle won’t shoot either Winchester Dynapoints or CCI MiniMags well (or both), it’s probably the gun, not the ammo.
Remington Golden Bullets: These make no fewer than FOUR different sounds from rifles: normal subsonic report, normal supersonic report, a very “hot” sounding supersonic crack, and a very quiet, almost squiblike report. Oddly, the obviously different power levels don’t seem to affect either functioning or 25-yard accuracy, and even the “squib” sounding rounds all exited the barrel, even 24”-26” barrels. Functioning was excellent in everything but the Higgins 31. Accuracy quite good in some rifles at 25 yards, only so-so in others. Also works particularly well in semiauto handguns. Highest number of misfires/duds of any ammo tested, but they do give you 50 “extra” rounds in every box.
Federal Lightning/Champion #510: Consistent supersonic report. Lubed lead bullet. Runs fine in some semiautos, won’t function at all in others. Outstanding accuracy in some guns, very disappointing performance in others. Very few misfires. I use this stuff exclusively in my 77/22V now, and don’t bother wasting it in anything else.
Winchester XPert: Lubed lead bullet of truncated/SWC shape. Consistent supersonic crack. Feeds and functions fine in some semiautos, not at all in others (strangely, it worked fine in the Higgins 31, which was the ONLY rifle that wouldn’t run Dynapoints). Delivers outstanding accuracy in some guns, only so-so in others. Somewhat dirty. A few duds/misfires in every box, though not as many as Rem GBs. Generally a good ammo for bolt-actions and revolvers. My load of choice in several of my rifles and pistols.
Federal “Walmart Bulk” Value-Pack: Copper-washed, very clean burning. Consistent supersonic crack, but seems to be the lowest-powered of the supersonic ammo. Extremely reliable feeding in everything, but sometimes doesn’t develop the power to fully operate the action in auto handguns with full magazines (first round or two in the mag only). Mediocre or poor accuracy consistently across the board; only in the Anschutz did it shoot less than 3/8”. Most lots have few if any misfires but some boxes can have quite a few. Most variation lot-to-lot of any ammo tested. Due to its reliability, low cost, easy availability, and cleanliness, this is good plinking or “combat practice” ammo but if you are looking for any kind of real accuracy, this would be my LAST choice of the six ammos tested here.
An Anschutz 64 shot ALL SIX kinds of ammo into less than ¼” groups at 25 yards.
Due to functioning problems, etc., a few of the ammos did not complete the test in all rifles. The number of rifles for each ammo type is noted below.
All figures are the average of the best five of six 5-shot groups at 25 yards, benchrested.
#1 Winchester Dynapoints (19 rifles)
Overall average: .352”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Norinco JW-15, .291”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .513”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 12
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 6
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 1
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 0
#2 CCI MiniMags (16 rifles)
Overall average: .376”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Rhineland R22, .182”
Worst grouping rifle: Marlin Glenfield 75, .647”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 10
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 2
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 3
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 1
#3 Remington Golden Bullets (15 rifles)
Overall average: .414”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Squires-Bingham SB-20, .275”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 floated barrel, .588”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 5
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 7
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 3
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 0
#4 Federal 510 Lightning/Champion (17 rifles)
Overall average: .434”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Ruger 77/22V, .208”
Worst grouping rifle: Marlin/Glenfield 75, .830”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 7
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 4
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 4
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 2
#5 Winchester Xpert (19 rifles)
Overall average: .454”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Ruger 77/22V, .253”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .831”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 6
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 8
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 1
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 4
#6 Federal Walmart Value Pack (19 rifles)
Overall average: .580”
Best grouping rifle (except Anschutz): Higgins 31 (High Standard) .417”
Worst grouping rifle: Ruger 10/22 barrel band removed, .839”
Number rifles grouping .000”-.375”: 1
Number rifles grouping .375”-.500”: 5
Number rifles grouping .500”-.625”: 8
Number rifles grouping over .625”: 5
Comments:
Winchester Dynapoints: Excellent functioning; didn’t work in only one rifle (Higgins 31). Very consistent accuracy regardless of gun used. 95%+ are subsonic but a few crack. Very low number of misfires. Copper-washed and shoots very clean. IMHO, overall the best of the cheap ammo.
CCI Minimags: Used as a “standard price” control ammo (now about 5c a shot or more at Walmart). Very good functioning but somewhat “hot” and went full-auto in a couple guns. Almost no misfires. 100% supersonic with consistent report. Consistently good ammo in a wide range of guns. Copper-washed AND wax-lubed, both. IMHO, if your rifle won’t shoot either Winchester Dynapoints or CCI MiniMags well (or both), it’s probably the gun, not the ammo.
Remington Golden Bullets: These make no fewer than FOUR different sounds from rifles: normal subsonic report, normal supersonic report, a very “hot” sounding supersonic crack, and a very quiet, almost squiblike report. Oddly, the obviously different power levels don’t seem to affect either functioning or 25-yard accuracy, and even the “squib” sounding rounds all exited the barrel, even 24”-26” barrels. Functioning was excellent in everything but the Higgins 31. Accuracy quite good in some rifles at 25 yards, only so-so in others. Also works particularly well in semiauto handguns. Highest number of misfires/duds of any ammo tested, but they do give you 50 “extra” rounds in every box.
Federal Lightning/Champion #510: Consistent supersonic report. Lubed lead bullet. Runs fine in some semiautos, won’t function at all in others. Outstanding accuracy in some guns, very disappointing performance in others. Very few misfires. I use this stuff exclusively in my 77/22V now, and don’t bother wasting it in anything else.
Winchester XPert: Lubed lead bullet of truncated/SWC shape. Consistent supersonic crack. Feeds and functions fine in some semiautos, not at all in others (strangely, it worked fine in the Higgins 31, which was the ONLY rifle that wouldn’t run Dynapoints). Delivers outstanding accuracy in some guns, only so-so in others. Somewhat dirty. A few duds/misfires in every box, though not as many as Rem GBs. Generally a good ammo for bolt-actions and revolvers. My load of choice in several of my rifles and pistols.
Federal “Walmart Bulk” Value-Pack: Copper-washed, very clean burning. Consistent supersonic crack, but seems to be the lowest-powered of the supersonic ammo. Extremely reliable feeding in everything, but sometimes doesn’t develop the power to fully operate the action in auto handguns with full magazines (first round or two in the mag only). Mediocre or poor accuracy consistently across the board; only in the Anschutz did it shoot less than 3/8”. Most lots have few if any misfires but some boxes can have quite a few. Most variation lot-to-lot of any ammo tested. Due to its reliability, low cost, easy availability, and cleanliness, this is good plinking or “combat practice” ammo but if you are looking for any kind of real accuracy, this would be my LAST choice of the six ammos tested here.