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How about discussing factory ammo. What do you like? What don’t you? Why?
From bird shot to slugs to rifle ammunition. What brands perform consistently. What goes into choosing the right ammunition for your hunt? Are the differences obvious or too subtle to notice.
Are current ammunition manufacturers making better ammo, or do you have an old box of something you’re saving?
Let’s get the ball rolling, what are everyone’s thoughts?
These days be happy if you have a chioce between that box or that one, cupboards are bare and beggars can't be choosey.
I’ve been shooting Federal ammo for a long time. From the blue box to the Premium line you can’t go wrong. IMO
Most hunters who care to try, and have tried different ammo ,and did pay attention to what ammo IS THE BEST for a given gun ,can and do have ammo preference or at least positive opinion.
Regardless of the availability.....that is a different topic.
I love in my 30-06 the 180 gr Win AccuBond for moose/bear
For my 20 G Savage i love Remington AccuTip 3".
They both outperform my shooting ability.
Both are consistent in performance(but -i watch ammo Lot number,and buy several boxes from the same lot any time i buy ammo)
Oh yeah-Sako Hammerhead 180 gr beats even the 180 gr Win AccuBond in my gun(maybe because the gun is also Sako ? )who knows.
But i kind of prefer bullet construction of the Accu Bond better.
For 22 LR if that matters, my Marlin Bolt likes Federal 40 gr solid....a lot.Steady performance ,never had misfire on this ammo(had on other ones.........do not want to beat brands)
For Muzzleloader i prefer TC Shockwave Super glide sabots (yellow)250 GR ,with 100 GR Triple seven pellet,Win or Rem primer-do not make noticeable difference.
I normally use CCI SV (.22lr) for my target shooting - it is very reliable and reasonably consistent in terms of accuracy. Lately I've also been using Sellier & Bellot Canadian Match which is a bit more consistent (accuracy), but not as reliable in my rifle - I mat get as many as 10 failures to eject per box.
Cheers,
Neil
.22, CCI. I shot smallbore silhouette at the Provincial level for a number of years, and have to admit, if nothing else, their ammo is consistent. I have tended to avoid Remington, only because i've had noted a number of mis fires, etc over the years, didn't matter which gun.
For centerfire?
I've Used Winchester Silvertips for a number of years, and it's been consistent. Currently shooting S&B for my 6.5x55 which does well. My 30-06 isn't terribly finicky, Either Winchester, PPU, S&B, Hornady...currently shooting 150g Federal Fusion...and achieving decent results.
As far as shotgun?
Target loads - Challenger
Steel - Kent Faststeel 2.0, or Hevi-Steel.
Game loads - Winchester Super X.
I roll my own except for .22lr because reloading .22lr is more trouble than it's worth.
I like the CCI Quiet. The rounds stay subsonic which is nice on the ears and actually end up being more accurate because they never have to break the sound barrier.
That was typically what we shot competitively. Sub-sonic .22 is way more consistent, and stable. Shooting off-hand with a 10-24x scope, it was kind of neat you could see your bullet go downrange.Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrible_E
My Mossberg 535 and 835 for Sabots prefer the Federal Blue box stuff, Federal Premium and the Winchester. My guns do not like the horandy in fact so bad I thought there was something wrong with my scope or gun.
In my 22's I only shoot CCI and a few of their other brands like (Blazer) with round nose only.
My shot guns with bird shot pretty much anything is fine.
Geese I don't like steel
+1 Federal blue box
Having spent many years loading, patterning and testing ammo I've moved away from any hard favourites. It's all pretty much the same although there are some brands I won't use.
Target shotgun: Challenger in #7-1/2 shot. I won't use Winchester Super-Target because I've seen it repeatedly fail in semi-automatics including mine.
Upland: For pheasant any 1-1/8 ounce 12 gauge #6. For grouse and woodcock see above.
Waterfowl: Kent Tungsten Matrix. Expensive but worth it.
Slugs: Brenneke
Centrefire rifle: Any of the major brands. Haven't found one significantly better than the rest in my rifles. I pay more attention to the weight and type of bullet than the name on the box.
Rimfire: Same as centrefire.
I use federal slugs in my girsgan and my remington 870.
For sabots acutips
Hornady shoot very weird in all the shotguns I've tried. And they hurt LOL
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water fowl Kent Fast Steel 3 inch #3 for ducks BB for geese
deer 20 ga Rem Accutips
12 smooth bore Challenger slugs
rifle: Remington core-lock
grouse/woodcock 20 ga prefer 7/8 or #8 or 7 1/2 (not fussy on brand)
chuckars (game farm) #7 1/2 1 1/8oz Winchester Super Sport (very fast - very effective)
Lots to discuss here. Some random points.
First - every rifle shoots every bullet differently. Nobody can tell you how a particular bullet will shoot. They may shoot great for me, but awful for you, for no real difference in the rifles. It just happens. The only way to find out is to shoot them in your gun.
Now that said, I have settled on Federal Fusions as my go-to for deer. Having shot them across five rifles over the past decade I have found them no less then "acceptable" and as good as "excellent" with some guns. No other bullet I've tried can do that. I also can vouch for their excellent performance on game. They drop deer perfectly.
In central Ontario where game is typically shot at close range I see no reason for premium ammunition on moose. The typical soft point is enough. Having watched many moose killed by soft points with ease in the sub 100m range I see no real argument for a premium bullet at twice the price.
Small game - #6 is my go-to shot size. 7.5 works fine on grouse too. I don't do much duck hunting anymore but I settled on #4 for when I do.