I have begun shooting my new[for me] Lee Enfield No.7 Mk I, and so far am having fun, which is the main thing.
I've not owned a .22 previously, and I'd appreciate recommendations as to which ammo to use.
First question: high velocity or sub-sonic?
Second question: which type is best in the long No 7 barrel?
I have begun shooting my new[for me] Lee Enfield No.7 Mk I, and so far am having fun, which is the main thing.
I've not owned a .22 previously, and I'd appreciate recommendations as to which ammo to use.
First question: high velocity or sub-sonic?
Second question: which type is best in the long No 7 barrel?
Thanks in anticipation!
In my No7 Mk1 I've had fairly good results with HV 'CCI Stingers', but (by a big margin) much more consistency with Sub-Sonic "Winchester Max" 42 grain
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
You'll probably get as many different responses as there are posters on this forum, but I'll say:
1) As of right now, anything you can get your hands on. There's a serious ammo shortage right now, and .22LR can be very hard to find or significantly more expensive than it should be.
2) If you're accuracy minded, its usually best to avoid higher velocity. Standard velocity is typically best for accuracy.
3) I always avoid copper coatings on bullets, as they do nothing for me performance wise, and are harder to clean up after when you've shot a few thousand rounds.
My generic best starting point is CCI Standard Velocity. Its quite accurate in most .22s, and usually pretty inexpensive (right now, that's not likely the case if your supply market is anything like it is here in the USA.)
I think Jamie is right. .22 views are like bums, everybody has one. I would take 5 brands to the ranges with you and find which one the rifle likes..........thats another view, and trust me they will vary wildly!
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
I don't have a No7, but I have found with my No8's and No2MkIV's that they all have different ammo tastes. Sub sonic, definitely, but buy half a dozen boxes of regular .22 ammo and hit the range.
I have had good results with Eley team in one No8, but it's crap in the other one! RWS match is good, SK match, Geco, etc. Winchester T22 works in the No8 that doesn't like the Eley Team, but it's filthy in the bore.
But these .22's are so much fun to shoot that you'll be trying lot's of different ammo just for an excuse to get back to the range!
From my experience of shooting many different .22's I've found that the ammo choice is really up to each individual rifle. What suits one does not necessarily suit another.
I would suggest trying as many different brands/types as you can. Unfortunately even particular types can vary between batches. The experimenting can be equally as frustrating as rewarding.
As a general rule of thumb the more you pay for your ammo the better the consistency between rounds. I would suggest starting with the cheaper rounds working your way up towards the expensive end.
Generally avoid high velocity ammo, for target shooting, as accuracy issues can occur as they pass through the transonic phase, but this will depend on a multitude of factors. Having said this my BSA Mk3 International, 29" barrel, loves RWS R100 at 50m.
Rimfirecentral.com is an excellent source of info for anything .22.
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Originally Posted by RobD
