New Magazine Loading Tools From Speed Beez and Maglula

Loading magazines.  A critical task for a day at the range if you aren't one of those people with dozens of magazines that are all loaded ahead of your trip to the range.  2018 brought us two new rimfire magazine loading tools.  The Speed Beez Rimfire Pistol Magazine Loader and the Maglula Loader Unloader set for the Ruger 10/22.  I purchased each from Amazon last year with a plan to try them out and publish a short review on each.

Speed Beez Rimfire Pistol Magazine Loader

I stumbled onto this loader while searching for some spare Wilson Combat magazine loaders.  Speed Beez is a pretty big name in the revolver shooter world.  They have a broad range of revolver speed loaders, but this rimfire pistol magazine loader was new to me.  For $13.49 it was worth a try.

Step 1 - Fill the hopper.  I suggest 100 vs. 50

Step 2 - Shake to align the cartridges

Step 3 - Watch the video below to see a demonstration on the loading process.  I had success with Ruger and Browning magazines.  Other magazines were not available for testing.

The good news is the loader works as described if the weather is warm.  I initially tried this loader in cold weather and was ready to throw it in the garbage.  The wax on lead bullets can really play havoc with the reliability of this loader.  In warmer weather, it works great.

After much trial and error, I found that it's best to hold the loader at 45 degrees away from you and 45 degrees to your left if you are a right-handed operator.  This pitch and yaw seem to work best to eliminate problems loading the magazines.  Again, you will see this demonstrated in the video.

Bottom line, is it worth it?  I think so.  It's faster than manual loading and works best in warmer weather.

Maglula Loader UnLoader Set for Ruger 10/22 Magazines

Maglula Uplula has been in my range bag for many years.  It's been a fantastic friend when it comes time to load double stack center fire magazines.  It even helped cure a bad case of Glock-thumb I acquired during the 1990's Wonder 9 craze.  The concept is the same for the 10/22 magazine loader.  The loading tool depresses the follower while you shove another cartridge in the magazine.  Simple and very effective. 

The loader works with all 10/22 magazines and aftermarket magazines.

Snap your magazine int the loading tool.  Cut outs will help you orientate the magazine correctly.

The loader works with all 10/22 magazines.  The author's preferred TandemKross Double Kross magazines work wonderfully.

This is a workable hold for the loader as demonstrated on a Ruger BX-25 magazine.

Press down with your thumb to insert the cartridge.  Slide the cartridge to the rear and release the pressure with your thumb to start the next cartridge.

Maglula UnLoader Tool

If you have ever tried to unload a 10/22 magazine you will appreciate this tool.  I really can't describe the frustration of trying to push the cartridges forward with your thumb nail without having them nose dive back into the magazine.  It's awkward.  Luckily for us, Maglula now has a tool for that.  If the Maglula UnLoader was an Iphone app, I'd give it 5 stars in the App Store.

The UnLoader uses the magazine cap nut for perfect orientation.

Best used with both hands, hold the Unloader against the magazine while operating the lever to push out the cartridges.  For photo purposes, the Author demonstrates one-handed operation.

Bottom line, is it worth it?  Heck yeah if you are the kind of person that loads 10/22 magazines frequently.  The loader works great.  The unloader was something I didn't even know I needed until I tried it for the first time and really appreciated how easy it made unloading magazines.  Could I have lived the rest of my life without these tools?  Absolutely.  Do they enhance my enjoyment of my shooting hobby?  Yes they do, and probably much more than their $37.95 price tag.

Target Sports Prime Ammo Club Review

Back in 2017, I learned about the Target Sports USA Prime Ammo Club.  The Prime Ammo program allows you to pay an up front membership fee of $95 for the year and purchase ammunition at a reduced price with free shipping for a 12 month period.  I was familiar with Target Sports from previous orders placed with them so this new program caught my attention.   

I'm generally reluctant to purchase memberships that require me to spend money now for the privilege of spending more money later.  The membership benefits have to be compelling and offer a significant perception of value to get serious consideration from me.  In my case, I tend to buy several bricks of 22LR ammo throughout the competition season.  I just don't have the room available to store several cases of ammo.  I also like to try a box or two of various ammo to see which performs best in a pistol or rifle I happen to be working with. I decided to take a chance on it.

Target Sports lists 4 main benefits of Prime Ammo membership on their website.  That seems like a good way to review my membership after nearly 12 months have passed.  

Buy ammunition at wholesale level...​You will be able to buy ammo at our cost all year long and save

This might be true.  I'm not sure of the exact margins in the ammunition industry so I really can't comment on if you are indeed buying at Target Sports invoice cost from the manufacturer.  What I can confirm is that with a Prime Ammo membership, you will pay 8 percent less per item versus buying the same item without a membership.  Let's walk through an example.

Federal AutoMatch 40 grain box of 325 being sold for $14.49 to any customer visiting the website will cost $13.33 for Prime Ammo members.  That's a straight 8% discount on every ammunition item.  In this specific example that's a savings of $1.16.  What I really liked was when I discovered the discount applies to ALL items.  Even the items put on special for non Prime members.  The discounts can really add up.

Free Shipping on ALL orders...​You will receive free shipping on all ammunition orders all the time

This is true.  No hidden fees or charges.  Order a box of 50 22LR it ships free.  Place an order for 5 mixed boxes of 40 S&W, 22LR, 9mm, 7.62x39, and 25 Auto and it still ships free.  I had 11 orders shipped to me during me this year without a single problem caused by improper packing or ammunition damaged in transit.  Order processing and shipping speed was a bit of a concern in the early months, but it has continued to improve over the last 12 months.  Let's look at my last order in detail.

-  Order placed Sunday 11/18 at 5pm

-  Order delivered Saturday 11/24 12:43pm

All orders placed this year were delivered by FedEx.  I think that's great because FedEx delivers on Saturdays and that might mean you can use your ammo on Sunday versus having to wait from Friday to Monday for the next delivery from UPS.  I also generally like the delivery folks and package handling care of FedEx over their competition in our area.

Exclusive ammo deals...Members only email notifications on a monthly basis for members only

I had forgotten about this member benefit until writing up this review.  I get weekly email notification from Target Sports with special sale pricing, but nothing specific for Prime Ammo members.  That said, the same sale items in the weekly email blasts are discounted an additional 8% for Prime Ammo members.  I can't really say if this is true or false, but I'm leaning toward this was a benefit that didn't get implemented in 2018.

One low annual fee... If you order ammo online three to fives times per year, the PAM pays for itself!

With so many variables involved here, I really can't tell you if this will be true or false in your specific circumstances.  Let's stick with examples and see how it works out.  Let's say we want to order 2 boxes of 22LR CCI Mini-mag Swamp People 300 count 36 grain HP.  We'll use Midway USA and Target Sports as our two competing examples.

 - Midway ammo total $46.98 + $11.49 shipping = $58.47 total delivered cost.

 - Target Sports ammo total $45.98 + Free shipping = $45.98 total delivered cost.

Single order cost savings ammo plus shipping = $12.49

How much you buy per order, from whom, and how far you live from the shipper all factor into the final delivered price you pay for ammo.  As shipping prices continue to increase, the value of the free shipping component of the Prime Ammo membership should also increase.  If you've previously ordered ammo, you should have a pretty good idea of shipping fees to your area of the country and be able to estimate how many orders you will need to place before covering your up front membership cost. 

The unexpected benefit I received about 8 months after joining was this gift package containing an assortment of ammunition in calibers I had previously ordered.  I'm sure there are occasions when packaging gets damaged in the warehouse.  It appears that Target Sports would rather give away the ammunition than try to sell it as damaged packaging or partial boxes.  Total value estimated at about $33.00 and delivered free.

As I previously mentioned, it's been almost a year since I started my Prime Ammo membership.  In the next few weeks I'll need to decide if I will continue for another year, or allow my membership to lapse.  The overall experience has been very positive for me so chances are pretty good that I'll renew again for at least another year.  Selection has been good, prices have been declining, and order processing/shipping speed continues to improve.  The only real risk I see to pre-paying for another year is if there happens to be another run on ammo and availability dries up.  That's just a risk I'll have to take and hope that doesn't happen.

I'll wrap this up with a photo of the Target Sports Team that arrived in my email just before Thanksgiving with holiday greetings and their thanks for my membership.  

Tandemkross Ultimate Trigger Kit for the Ruger 10/22

What happens when Tandemkross and Brimstone Gunsmithing collaborate on a project?  You get the Tandemkross Ultimate Trigger Kit for Ruger 10/22 rifles.  This drop-in trigger upgrade kit features components from both companies.  The kit was launched in October 2018 to coincide with Ruger 10/22 Day that is observed every year on October 22nd.  The Ultimate Trigger kit has a retail price of $134.99 and can be purchased directly from Tandemkross through their webstore.

What do you get for $134.99?  A new trigger, hammer, sear, and a trigger return spring system.  You supply a factory Ruger 10/22 trigger for the upgrade.  Converting a Ruger BX Trigger?  No problem, but you need to make sure you let Tandemkross know that when you place your order.  In my case, I also added a Volquartsen Custom Auto Bolt Release and Tandemkross Fireswitch magazine release.  These optional items have no effect on the improved trigger pull delivered by the Ultimate kit, but they do make the trigger more competition-friendly.  I plan to use the trigger for Steel and Rimfire Challenge competitions.

Factory Ruger 10/22 triggers are safe, reliable, and probably just fine for the vast majority of 10/22 owners.  This kit is targeted for someone who wants a competition-grade trigger.  Our factory trigger pull weighed in at about 3.75 to 4 pounds before we Ultimatized it.  Actually, that's a really good factory 10/22 trigger.  I've had some triggers measure in the 5 to 6 pounds range in the past.

Measuring trigger pull weight with a handheld scale is both an art and science.  Having a digital scale helps in the accuracy/science area, but you can greatly influence the measurement by where the scale hook is placed on the trigger at time of measurement.  I did my best to get the hook in the center of the trigger for both before and after measurements.

Installation of the kit was very easy.  I followed the installation video on the Tandemkross website from start to finish.  You can install the kit in 30 minutes, or less, if you follow the video.  I have nothing to add about the installation that isn't covered in the video.  Even if you really know your way around a 10/22 trigger, I'd still encourage you to watch the video before you do your upgrade.

You can't fool the scale.  After completing the upgrade, I consistently recorded pull weights between 1 pound 15 ounces and 2 pounds 1 ounce.  The kit definitely decreased the pull weight of the converted trigger by almost two pounds.  That itself is good, but there is more to a good trigger than just pull weight.

Factory Ruger 10/22 triggers have a bit of take up before they hit a wall of weight.  As you continue to press harder on the trigger it creeps rearward. Eventually it will break and release the hammer.  After the bolt cycles, the trigger is released and resets for the the next shot.

I think what makes the TK/Brimstone trigger worthy of the Ultimate name is how the trigger feels in action.  There is still a fraction of take up present and the same wall of weight as you pull the trigger.  You won't need to apply as much pressure with the Ultimate trigger.  Adjusting the included over-travel stop limits the trigger movement after the hammer is released.  Trigger reset is roughly half the distance with the Ultimate trigger versus the factory trigger.  It should be a great trigger for speed shooting as well as a much improved trigger for general target shooting.

One thing to be aware of that I feel needs to be called out.  Take a look at the trigger shape and position in the before and after photos.  The Ultimate trigger is a flat-faced design that sits forward of the factory Ruger trigger placement.  The reach distance to the trigger will increase by just over 1/4 inch with the new trigger.  This will be most noticeable with pistol-grip stocks, like the Ruger Charger featured in this review.  It's something to consider before purchasing and will be highly dependent on your stock and hand size.

The bottom line for me is the Tandemkross/Brimstone Ultimate Trigger Kit significantly improved my factory Ruger 10/22 trigger.  Not just by reducing the pull weight, but also in the quality of the trigger pull and reset.  I'm really looking forward to using the trigger in one of my competition rifles next season.

Eley Action Ammunition Evaluation

Action is the latest ammunition offering from Eley.  Advertised as an all-purpose round, the specifications on this load are identical to Eley Target.  With an advertised velocity of 1090 feet per second, the 40 grain lead round nose bullet leaves the barrel at subsonic velocity for a lower noise shooting experience.  Action is available in single boxes of 50, or the 300 round rec pak which contains six 50 round boxes.  Eley provided a rec pak for this evaluation.

While Action can certainly be used for paper punching, the Action name implies that Eley would like us to use this ammunition for less sedate shooting pastimes.  For me, 22LR action shooting can only mean one thing.  Ringing steel.  I have absolutely no guilt, or remorse, for sending all 300 rounds of Action down range without a single paper target being sacrificed in the process.

I did break out the chronograph to get some velocity data on this load.  Mostly just to check and see if it was subsonic from a 16.5 inch barrel.  Barrels in the 16 to 18 inch range seem to be the most popular for 22LR steel shooting.  My results came out as shown below.  It's definitely subsonic, but I thought the spread between the fastest and slowest rounds was more than I expected.  It really didn't matter though as all of the test shots landed in one thumbprint-sized smudge on the target.

10 Shot Velocity Test
Average Velocity      1046 feet per second
Extreme Spread        54 feet per second
Standard Deviation   16 feet per second

The muzzle velocity and 25-yard accuracy testing rifle and group results.

With the boring stuff out of the way, I set up a couple of cameras and got into action with Eley Action.  If you don't watch the video below, the headline is the ammunition functioned well in the 5 different firearms I used it in.  My only concern with the ammunition is that Eley doesn't spare the bullet lube.  It's more of an oily feeling lube than a sticky wax type of lubrication.  After loading magazines with temperatures in the mid-90s, you will want to wipe off your hands before shooting. 

Direct Link To Video on YouTube

If you watch, or watched, the video.  Don't be put off by my 25 yard pistol results on the small multi-colored 6" steel targets.  I'm afraid I caused my own accuracy problems there when I decided to use 6 different colors of Steel Target Paint from brand new spray cans that had been sitting for 10+ months waiting for a project like this to come along.  The cans are packed with a pound of paint solids and it required several minutes of vigorous shaking to get the six cans ready for spraying.  The targets looked great, but my tired arms did have an impact on my pistol shooting during that video segment.

The Bottom Line
All Eley ammunition is manufactured at their factory in England.  Eley Action ammunition is a premium product and retails at a premium price here in the United States.  Is it worth twice the price of other popular US produced standard velocity target ammunition?  That was a tough question to answer, but Eley recently made their value proposition a whole lot easier to visualize.  https://www.eleyammunition.com is the US website of Eley Ammunition.  On that website you will find a nifty little web app called Eley lot analyzer.

Lot Analyzer allows you to key in your specific lot number of Eley ammunition and see a comprehensive list of quality assurance metrics Eley captured during the testing of your specific lot of ammunition.  The video above has a demonstration of the app.  I'll just add one image I pieced together from two different lot analyzer inquiries below because it really helped me understand how crazy accurate Eley ammunition can be.

A US dime is about .7 inch in diameter.  Fired from factory test barrels, my specific lot of Action ammunition was capable of hitting a dime at 50 meters 99.98% of the time.  Eley Tenex is used by Olympic competitors and a random lot I checked was capable of hitting a dime at 50 meters 100% of the time.  Is Action worth the price?  I say yes when you consider Tenex costs around $20.00 per box of 50 and Action costs about $8.00 per box.  What you are buying is accuracy potential at a greatly discounted price.

Use lot number 3117-30082 if you want to try out the lot analyzer app.

If you are interested in trying Eley Action, you are in luck.  Several new online outlets have started carrying the Eley brand of ammunition.  I've also noticed Eley ammunition on the shelf at some of the larger brick and mortar sporting goods retailers.  If you do try it, leave a comment on this post and let us know what you think.

I wrecked my rec pak, but I'm sure Eley will make more.

Winchester Subsonic 42 Max LHP 22LR Ammunition Test and Review

Winchester Subsonic 42 Max is made by Winchester in Australia.  This small game hunting and pest control ammunition features a "heavier than most" 42 grain lead hollow point bullet.  Pushed to subsonic velocities, it is also quieter than high velocity 22LR rounds.  Packed in boxes of 50, I found this ammunition available by the brick at Bass Pro back in February 2017.  This test should be representative of ammunition currently available at your local retailer.  Expect to pay $5 to $7 per box of 50 at current retail price levels. 

Velocity, accuracy, function, and terminal performance testing were all done in a Ruger 10/22 Carbine with 18.5 inch barrel at a distance of 25 yards.  The testing results are documented in the video and data sheet immediately below.  You may need to click on the data sheet image to enlarge it for better visibility.

Direct Link to Video On YouTube

Wrap Up

The greatest concern when using subsonic ammunition in semi-auto rifles is reliable function.  I am happy to report that 42 Max fed, fired, and extracted perfectly in my mostly stock Ruger 10/22.  25 yard velocity averaged 1042 feet per second, which is right in line with the 1065 fps muzzle velocity published for this ammunition.  Downrange energy at 25 yards was right around 100 ft/lbs.  Perfect for small game and nuisance pest control.

Terminal performance was very good.  This load expanded like a high velocity hollow point, but did so at subsonic velocity.  Penetration was also greater than we have seen with other subsonic hollow point ammunition I've previously tested.  I believe this is due to the slightly heavier bullet Winchester uses in this loading.

My only quibble with the overall performance of this load was demonstrated accuracy. We've seen this rifle turn in smaller groups with other brands and bullet weights of subsonic ammunition. Rimfire rifles are notoriously picky about the ammunition that produces their smallest groups.  At 25 yards the ammunition delivers acceptable accuracy for small game hunting and pest control.  I would be reluctant to push distances to 50 yards and beyond with this rifle and ammunition combination.

Norma Subsonic-22 LHP Ammunition Test and Review

Subsonic-22, from Norma USA, is a 40 grain lead hollow point load intended for small game hunting and varmint control.  Subsonic velocity makes this round a lower noise option over high velocity ammunition.  This load is also a good choice for use with suppressors.

Norma USA ammunition is produced by RUAG.  RUAG also produces RWS rimfire ammunition.  For those with a keen eye, you can see that the Norma brass cases share the same headstamp as RWS ammunition.  I purchased the ammunition used in this test from Graf's earlier this year.  I believe it was fresh ammunition and should represent inventory currently available at retail locations throughout the US.

Velocity, accuracy, function, and terminal performance testing were all done in a Ruger 10/22 Carbine with 18.5 inch barrel at a distance of 25 yards.  The testing results are documented in the video and data sheet immediately below.  You may need to click on the data sheet image to enlarge it for better visibility.

Direct Link to Video on YouTube

Wrap Up:

Norma Subsonic-22 performed great in this test.  I was well on my way to a one ragged hole 25 yard accuracy test, but blew it on the last shot.  Even with the flier, the group still fits under a dime.

Functionally, this subsonic load had no difficulty cycling the action of my semi-auto rifle. That's good news because not all subsonic rimfire ammunition will function reliably in semi-auto firearms.

Terminal performance was very consistent across all 5 test shots.  Each bullet expanded fully and penetrated to a depth of at least 8.75 inches.

At current prices, expect to pay around 16 cents per round for this ammunition when purchased by the 50 count box.  It's a little cheaper if you buy it by the 10 box brick.  If you are looking for reduced noise small game hunting ammunition, Norma Subsonic-22 should be on your list of ammunition to try in your rifle.  You may get even better results than I did.

          

Eley High Velocity Hollow LHP 22LR Ammunition Test and Review

Back in January 2016, Eley Ammunition announced three new 22LR products.  For the rimfire competitor, Eley Force and Contact.  For the rimfire hunter, High Velocity Hollow small game hunting ammunition.  At the time, I made a mental note to give High Velocity Hollow a try in the gel to see how it performed as compared to Eley Subsonic Hollow.  I was curious to see the performance differences in the areas of accuracy, velocity and terminal expansion performance.

I recently had the chance to test High Velocity Hollow with some samples provided to me by Eley USA.

Velocity, accuracy, function, and terminal performance testing were all done in a Ruger 10/22 Carbine with 18.5 inch barrel at a distance of 25 yards.  The testing results are documented in the video and data sheet immediately below.  You may need to click on the data sheet image to enlarge it for better visibility.

Direct Link to Video on YouTube

Wrap Up:
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I was really curious to see the performance differences between High Velocity Hollow and Subsonic Hollow.  You can refer back to my previous test of Subsonic Hollow HERE.

High Velocity Hollow runs about 200 fps faster than Subsonic Hollow when tested in the same rifle under similar conditions.  Eley publishes a velocity specification of 1250 feet per second for this load which falls in the ballpark of what US consumers expect from high velocity rimfire ammunition.  My velocity measurements came in quite a bit lower so I asked Eley about it.  I learned they establish their velocity in 23 inch test barrels with chronograph screens positioned at the muzzle.  My data was generated with a much shorter 18.5 inch barrel and chronograph screens positioned at 25 yards. Knowing this, it's understandable to see velocities in the 1100 fps range.

In my rifle, accuracy with this load was minute of quarter.  It didn't appear to be as accurate as Subsonic Hollow, but I've changed my accuracy testing from 5 rounds to 10 so it's not a perfect comparison.  At 25 yards, point of impact shift between the two loads was small so switching between the two shouldn't require re-zeroing of sights and optics at this distance.

I found on target terminal performance was the most notable difference between Subsonic and High Velocity Hollow.  As you can see in the image below, the extra velocity really helps the 40 grain soft lead hollow point expand, and still penetrate to a slightly greater depth than Subsonic Hollow.

Functional performance in my rifle was perfect through the testing.  I didn't experience any failures to feed, fire, or extract.

For small game hunting and varmint control, Eley High Velocity Hollow delivers higher velocity and enhanced terminal performance over Subsonic Hollow.  For those that prefer Eley ammunition, this new load is definitely worth a look, and test, in your own rifle.  Eley High Velocity Hollow is currently available at many retailers that stock Eley brand ammunition.

Aguila and CCI - Standard Velocity Shootout

I've long considered switching from 22LR high velocity ammunition to standard velocity match ammunition for speed steel competition.  While most wouldn't consider the recoil of 22LR ammunition as a detriment to fast shooting, I've done enough side by side comparison testing to know I can "feel" the difference between standard and high velocity ammunition.  With competitions won and lost by tenths of seconds, anything that allows me to get back on target faster is something I'm interested in exploring.

If you are new to the world of 22LR ammunition, here's a ballpark overview of the 22LR velocity continuum.  It's not exact, and you will notice that the ammunition types may overlap at the ends of their velocity range.  Let's just call this my interpretation of 22LR ammunition I've seen available recently with a little bit of 22LR SAAMI specification review thrown in for good measure.
     Subsonic  usually less than 1080 fps
     Standard Velocity between 1050 fps and 1125 fps  
     High Velocity  between 1150 fps and 1300 fps
     Hyper Velocity over 1300 fps

As 22LR ammunition supply has started to catch up with demand, two of the more widely available standard velocity loads are produced by Aguila and CCI.  CCI Standard Velocity is a favorite of many shooters and has been for many years. Aguila Super Extra is comparatively new to me.  I honestly can't remember ever seeing the Aguila ammunition brand until about 5 or 6 years ago. Earlier this month I purchased a brick of each and decided to do a little testing to see if either brand performed noticeably better than the other when tested in firearms similar to those I use for speed steel competition.


At this point, I feel compelled to state the obvious.  These tests were funded entirely by me. The tests were conducted as stringently as possible to control variables that were under my control.  The test results are representative of the performance differences I noted when testing TWO SPECIFIC SAMPLES of ammunition purchased at retail level. The results are not intended to be interpreted as representative of their respective brands, or even other samples of these specific ammunition products.  I have no vested interest in the outcome of the tests other than my own knowledge and satisfying my curiosity.

My test firearms were previously used by me in speed steel competitions.  High power scopes were added to facilitate more precise shooting.  Both scopes were dialed up to 16x magnification for the tests.  Rifle barrel length 16.5".  Pistol barrel length 4.5".  All shooting was done from the rests shown in the photo above.

Targets were set at 25 yards.  A chronograph was positioned 10 feet in front of the muzzle to capture the velocity of each test shot.

The velocity data summary and test targets are all displayed below.  Three rifle test groups were shot on the bottom targets and a single pistol group was shot on the top target of each page.  The groups are labeled for your convenience.

It might be tempting to rush to judgement based on this comparison test, but we also need to consider functionally reliability.  I actually worked on this project over two days. On day one, I sighted in the scopes.  I quickly discovered the trigger installed in my rifle was giving me light strike failures to fire with both ammunition types.  More frequently with the Aguila than the CCI.  I recovered a few of those rounds and included a picture below.

I swapped out the trigger with another I had on hand before returning to the range to conduct the actual testing.  Replacing the trigger resolved the light strike "problem" with both ammunition samples.  Clearly, this wasn't really a problem with the ammunition, but rather my test firearms.  It does illustrate the importance of testing ammunition in YOUR specific firearms before you rely on it for competition.

Similarly, your personal pistol and rifle barrels may give you better, or worse, groups than I managed in my testing.  My take away from this testing was confirmation that Aguila Super Extra SV groups really well from Tactical Solutions X-Ring rifle barrels.  This is something I initially discovered during my accuracy testing with the Ultimate Lightweight Small Game Rifle.

I'm currently working my way through my last few cases of Federal Champion AutoMatch.  Before that supply is gone, I'm going to do some additional testing with Aguila Super Extra SV in my current competition firearms to make sure it's 100% reliable. If it is, I anticipate making the change to use Super Extra SV as my practice and competition ammunition.

Fiocchi Subsonic Hollow Point 22LR Ammunition Test and Review

The next stop in my search for 22 LR subsonic small game hunting ammunition brings me to Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 40 grain lead hollow point.  You can currently find this ammunition for about 10 cents per round at various on-line ammunition retailers.  This ammunition is made in the USA by Fiocchi of America in Ozark, Missouri.

While very familiar with Fiocchi centerfire ammunition, this was my first opportunity to gel test their rimfire ammunition.  The ammunition tested was purchased in 2017 so it should represent current production ammunition available on retailer shelves as of the date of this test publication.

Velocity, accuracy, function, and terminal performance testing were all done in a Ruger 10/22 Carbine with 18.5 inch barrel at a distance of 25 yards.  The testing results are documented in the video and data sheet immediately below.

Direct Link to Video on Youtube

Wrap Up:
In the video I just couldn't keep myself from using the word "consistent" as I described the performance of this ammunition.  25 yard velocity was right on target with the 1050 feet per second muzzle velocity published for this load.  Across all test shots, the ammunition reliably fed, fired, extracted, and cycled the action of the semi-auto test rifle. The terminal performance was very good with all bullets expanding to at least 1.5 times starting diameter and penetrating between 9 and 10 inches.

Practical accuracy is what sold me on this load.  The 25 yard ten shot test group measured .439" and can be easily covered with a dime.  Accuracy performance may be different from other rifles, but the field-grade Ruger 10/22 used for this test seems to like it very much.

 
I recently completed building and reviewing my ultimate lightweight small game hunting rifle.  I was a little disappointed in the accuracy results I achieved with this rifle when testing various subsonic ammunition during the review.  I had to chance to run this load through the rifle several weeks later and was very pleased with the performance. Shooting standing off hand from 25 and 50 yards, I ran a 10 round magazine through the rifle at both distances.  All 20 bullets found their mark on the steel plate, so the 16.5" Tactical Solutions X-Ring barrel also seems to like this load.  I think I have found my new small game hunting ammunition.

If you are looking for a subsonic small game hunting load, you should definitely check out the Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 40 Grain Subsonic LHP.