Most people’s first time shooting is with a .22LR firearm.
But what .22LR ammo do you choose?
There are dozens, even hundreds of brands and types, so what is the best one?
Is there a best one? As with any other type of ammo, what .22LR you buy depends on what you want to do with it.
But don’t worry, I’ll walk through my favorite rounds for cheap plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even going subsonic.
Match Your Ammo To Your Use
From plinking to hunting to long range, we have all of the recommendations.
Broadly speaking .22 LR fits into a few use cases:
- Plinking
- Hunting
- Suppressed
- Long Range Precision
Plinking is just what it sounds like. It’s learning how to shoot or teaching others. It’s keeping your skills sharp. Or maybe you just want to turn some money into noise and have a good time!
In any of those cases, you want reliable and likely strong enough to cycle semi-auto guns and is hopefully cheap.
Hunting might be super- or sub-sonic for use with suppressors. Either way, you want reliable ammo and should be willing to pay a few more pennies for it.
Suppressed is it’s own category since the ammo is weaker than normal. Sometimes a little weaker, sometimes a lot. You can hunt with it if the critter is small enough and you’re close enough or you can just have fun with it.
Long Range Precision is gaining a lot of popularity with NRL22 and NRL22X! We’re going to assume that you want to shoot at least 100 yards with your .22LR, but 400+ isn’t out of the question either. You’ll want very consistent ammo that is reliable and sub-sonic. This… won’t come cheap (for .22 LR).
“But What About Selfdefense!” you might ask. Simple, we don’t believe that .22 LR is reliable enough. Either as a cartridge that will effectively stop a threat or as a cartridge you can rely on to go off every time.
Modern .22 LR is very good and very reliable, but it isn’t reliable enough for self-defense. Nor is the ballistics of the cartridge itself good enough to really reliably stop a threat.
If this upsets you, I’m sure you’ll tell me why in the comments.
Best .22LR Ammo
For Plinking
1. Remington Thunderbolt
Usually, the cheapest rounds…but some guns don’t like them. Mine have no complaints but I read enough about them that I would test them out first before taking the plunge and stacking deep.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
2. Federal Auto Match
325 rounds of affordable .22 LR that’s mostly available nowadays. No complaints in my bolts or semi’s.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
3. Federal Champion
What I’ve shot the most and have in storage the deepest.
For hunting, the name of the game is to get a quick/clean kill without making too much of the meat inedible. Usually, this means going with a high velocity and hollow point (HP) bullet.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
For Hunting
4. CCI Stinger
The gold standard in small game hunting. Fast, accurate, and deadly with its copper-plated 32-grain hollow point bullet. Can’t go wrong with this one and has enough oomph to cycle semi’s.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
5. CCI Standard Velocity
One of my favorite all-around loads in terms of price and reliability.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
For Suppressed Shooting
6. CCI Subsonic HP
My favorite overall subsonic round. Accuracy and reliability of CCI and not so slow (1050 fps) that it can’t run on semi’s.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
7. Norma T-22
You’ll be hard pressed to find someone who speaks ill of Norma ammo. This one is no exception. Should be able to run on semi’s (1017 fps).
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
8. Aguila Super Colibri
Powder? Who needs powder?
These rounds run off only the primer so they are super-quiet and super slow (420 fps). Won’t run in your semi though.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
For Long Range Precision
9. Lapua Center-X
This is generally accepted as the gold standard for long range .22 LR shooting. If you’re ready to spend some money and get the best, this is the first you should try.
It won’t be the absolute best for every rifle — but odds are it’s at least in the top 3 for your rifle. Center-X is exclusively what I shoot at matches of 100 yards or longer.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
10. SK Ammo — Standard Plus, Rifle Match, Long Range Match
Frankly — I have no idea what the difference is between these three. I’ve tested all three and my results depend on the rifle, but all of my rifles love at least one of them.
SK Rifle Match and Long Range Match are both 1 MOA for me at 100 yards, Standard Plus opens up a little but has a better standard deviation normally.
Pick one or all three and give them a try!
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
11. Wolf Match Target
I was surprised at this one, Wolf is normally not known for making high quality ammo but their .22 LR stuff is surprisingly good. Only slightly above 1 MOA at 100 yards for my rifles.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
12. Norma TAC-22
I like this one since it works very well in my semi-auto guns like the 10/22 and .22 LR AR-clones.
If you’ve got a suppressor or want to be a little quieter…going subsonic is the way to go. It sounds like a cap gun instead of having the *CLAP* of a faster-than-sound bullet.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Conclusion
So there you have it…our roundup of the best .22LR for plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even sub-sonic.
Did we miss any that you really think belongs here? Let us know! If you’re looking for a new .22LR, take a look at the 7 Best .22 LR Rifles! And for more calibers check out Best Places to Buy Ammo Online.
44 Leave a Reply
I am one of your faithfuls in Australia. I do not know if you have SK ammo in America. Here I use the SK Rifle Match and Pistol Match. Excellent. Never had a failure, accuracy is great, you should try some if available.
Love SK ammo!
This article is very out of date and will be updated soon!
Eley ammo from England makes a very nice ammo. Cleaner burning than most and my GSG Firefly LOVES it.
Remington Thunderbolts are DIRTY. You really have to CLEAN your weapon after 50-100rds and I mean CLEAN IT. The barrel will get fouled and the breach is so dirty, it's ridiculous. I'm working on my last boxes and... never again.
The Federal 800 box is a good buy and seems to run well.
Before the Covid drought on ammo, I was able to regularly get Armscore 22lrhp rounds for $19.99 for a 500 round brick at Rural King, which is (was) a great price. Accuracy wise it was right in there with CCI Mini Mags. It shoots about one moa out of my Ruger 10/22 target. Fortunately, I had bought a few bricks before the drought hit. If I had known it was going to be like it is now however, I would have bought a whole lot more. It's the best. 22lr "bang for the buck" I've found anywhere. I absolutely can't wait until they're back on the shelf.
The "RWS" is the only brand and item i have not tried in your list and normally use the CCI and Fiocchi as well as the Winchester. Although i was hoping ot see a mention of a few 22WMR brands that are as good? I do already buy CCI and Fiocchi in the WMR but any other brands really good for target competition shooting?
Plinking is no fun if you can't hit what you're shooting at. Not all ammo needs to be match grade, but: In my experience shooting both with a Ruger Precision Rimfire and a Henry H001 lever-action, the Remington Auto Match ammo is terrible. Flyers everywhere, making you chase your targeting when it's actually your ammo that can't hit s**t. It's cheap but not worth the frustration.
Correction: I intended to say Federal Auto Match. I have a box (less about 50 rounds) that I will never shoot because it is just terrible.
What about Eley Tenex? All my Anschutz rifles live this and it wins international matches.
HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE update to this article coming soon! Not positive that will be on the list but we're trying!
You should definitely add Eley Tenex to the list!
Growing up on a farm where we butchered our own meat the bullet of choice as a .22 short fired point blank from a single shot rifle. No mention was ever made of other bullet specs only that the bullet had to be a .22 short otherwise the bullet could travel into the shoulder meat.
If today's kids had to watch or participate in this up close and personal style of animal slaughter and see the results of being shot then there would be far fewer kids playing with guns.
Yep, I can still remember my dad using my Marlin .22lr rifle for a head shot at very close range to kill our hog to start the process.
The 'gator hunters cable show also mostly use .22 rifles to kill them with a head shot.
Joining late to the discussion, but I have found Remington bulk stuff consistently gums up my autos, pistols and rifles alike, and frequently fails to extract or cycle, with failure to fire problems caused by what I speculate is hard brass primed rims. My Browning Auto22 is the worst victim of this with its bottom ejection of gunk down through it bolt and rail system. Very disappointing ammo. The Winchester T22 bulk stuff is even worse, with regular failure to fire from 'bad' primers, even in my various bolt actions, including a Win. 52C.
I also found that the only 'general use' brands consistently reliable, 'good' cycling, clean and accurate are the Federal Auto Match and Champion you mentioned, and CCI throughout their line. It is all I will buy, when on sale if possible.
Eric, the Aquilla Super Extra is a high velocity round. The one you're thinking of is the Aquilla Super Colibri, that is the one that is driven by only a primer charge. To make it a little more confusing, the Aguilla Colibri is driven by the primer plus a very small powder charge.
My favorite low power round is the CCI Super Quiet, it is a .22 short powder charge in a .22 LR case, it sounds and hits like a magnum pellet rifle, it won't cycle but it's fun in my bolt action.
Good catch! Thanks for pointing that out, I've fixed it.
actually the Colabri is the slower at 420 ( pistol only) the super calabri is 520 (most rifles have chance to clear bore, older tight bore rifles may not but listed as pistol only), I use the super daily for squirrel, get the job done with ear and eye shots!
The Remington ammo left my gun FILTHY! Not to mention the rounds themselves are covered in lead powder. I also have had cycling problems with this ammo. I would not recommend.
SK rifle match ammo! Nothing else
Maybe you should update this? Thunderbolt? Really? Have you ever shot Thunderbolts, and pulled chunks of lead out of the barrrel? Meanwhile Federal 550 is selling for 20 bucks at Walmart and they are loaded with them, and I just shot over 700 in my pistol, without cleaning, and may go a few hundred more. And not one dud. You are lucky to shoot 10 Thunderturds without a dud. Maybe that's why you get them at Luck Gougers. I have a brick of Thunderbolts I may give away, if anyone will take it. I seriously doubt they are the best value for anything, except screwing up your firearm.
You are absolutely correct. I keep my thunderbolt as shtf barter ammo. It is the worst for reliability. CCI rarely ever lets me down.
Good assessment. Thunderbolts are the worst rounds I've ever fired. I just bought a case of Armscor 22 lr ammo that's been treating me very good!!
Peter,
Same experience with Thunderbolt here. At about one hundred rounds, they began to keyhole my targets and became very inaccurate. Took forever to remove the lead from my relatively new MP 22 and ruined a new bore brush. Thank goodness I had bore snake that finished the job. Shoot cci and Agulla and never have inconsistency and leading issues that that I had with TB.
Rem Thunderbolts are the absolute worst ammo of any brand or caliber I've ever shot. Duds, lousy accuracy out of my Marlin 39A, the best .22 rifle I've ever owned.
It leaded up the barrel of my new (at the time) Walther P22 in less than 50 rounds. It was unbelievable; the barrel was plated with lead and I had quite the time getting it out.
I gave the rest of that trash away.
I bought a M&P 22 Compact pistol a week ago. It shot both Golden bullets and CCI without a hitch. I tried Federal Champion 525 today and 30% were stovepipes or misfeeds. I even had one where the spent casing got stuck in the barrel. I won't be buying that anymore.
Which is cleaner for plinking?
CCI standard is the cleanest I've found.
Presuming CCI Standard is non-plated lead, is non-plated lead clean or dirty?
I also don't want to dirty up a suppressor.
Plan on shooting from AR15.
Thx.
Federal 550 Red box is plated, very clean, and cheap too. Less than 4 cents a round at Wmart.
I shoot more 22 ammo than anyone I know my preference would be eley for target shooting chi 32 grain segmented hollow point is by far the best hunting ammo and as far as plinking blazer is cheap consistent and reliable
I have some of the Aguila and I have found if I load more than two or three they fall into the clips. I have a Ruger bolt action 10/22 precision
Any suggestions?
You hit on something I've known for over twenty five years. Remington Thunderbolt is top plinking fodder. As a "promo" brand of Remington it's cheap, reliable and accurate. It functions great in all my .22's; Ruger 10/22, Rossi 62SAC, and Matched Pair, Norinco ATD.22, Marlin model 20 (Glenfield) and Papoose, Ithaca 49 saddle gun and it's the only reliable ammo for my Charter Arms AR-7. You know how fussy that rifle can be.
Only drawback is NO copper wash. and bore cleaning can be a bit laborious. Until 2010 it was less than $10 a brick. I stocked up plenty in 2013. My Ruger KNR5 loves it too!
I'll take Federal 550 over Thunderbolts any day over Tbolts. Cost less, less duds, no lead left in barrel, better consistency. Where do you live? I'll sell you a brick cheap, or trade you 800 rds for one box of Federal 550.
BTW, I just shot over 1K rounds of the Federal 550 through my S&W Victory pistol, not one dud, failure of any kind, and cleaned gun once. With Tbolts I would expect at least 50 duds, two or three jams, maybe even a squib, and have to clean the gun at least five maybe six times, rigorously, maybe even soak the barrel with solvent to get a brush through. With the Federal, I sometimes don't even need a brush. Parch of solvent, dry patches, patch of oil, and the barrel gleams.
You left Eley tenex & match off you list. Most Olympic level shooters use tenex, lot matched to their particular rifle. Match (black) is suitable for practice at that level.
As a .22lr match shooter, I would be remiss if I did not say Eley, across the board, is an outstandingly accurate round. Most varieties work exceptionally well, provided you’re not prone to overcleaning your match rifle. The old-timers tell me when I ask how they clean their match rifles given their ridiculously high scores - and the usual response is ‘seldom’. Finally a pursuit where laziness is a virtue. How often and thoroughly do you clean your .22lr?
I would NEVER recommend CCI or Winchester. I have at least a 10% failure rate with both. All the rest I would agree with except I would also add Remington Golden Bullet and Yellow Jackets.
You agree with Thunderbolts?
Hi Eric, In regard to ar15 rifles what are the current rules for featureless vs non-featureless and having to register your ar15 as an assault rifle in California? Thanks, Jesse
Check out our Featureless article!
What's an "assault rifle"..
That's just foolish
What about rat shot? I would use it to kill snakes around my pond.
Good tip...I've personally never tried it yet but seems like it works well for you!
Some of these brands I have never used. But the ones I have, most of them I will agree with you. With a few exceptions, they all work fine in my lever rifle, but, unless they are at least 1230 fps my semiauto will not cycle. I will never use any CCI. or Winchester. I get at least a 10% failure rate with both. The Federal Match Grade works great. I use them for target and plinking. I also use Remington Golden Bullet, 36 gr. JHP. 1280(?) fps and 135 fp. for target. For hunting I use Remington Yellow Jacket, again 36 gr JHP. but 1500 fps and 165 fp.
I have found that CCI Mini Mag ammo works the best for me. I have fired thousands of round through my two .22 rifles and one .22 pistol and have never had a fail-to-fire or bad feed or eject.
I have also put about a thousand through a now month old ruger Mark IV competition and get 7/10 in the bull and 3 in the 9 on a regular basis at 10 yards standing unsupported using CCI mini mags. 10/22’s love them too with 1” group at 100 yards. They do get an occasion flier but I’m sure I’m part of the issue too.
Try CCI quiets for a quiet low dB round that still cycles a semi.