More 22 stuff .... The "normal" ammo stocked by most stores is "high velocity", which is available with several different bullet weights ranging from 32gr to 50gr with 40gr solid points or 36gr hollow points being the most common. HV ammo with 40 gr bullets are rated at 1255 fps from a rifle barrel. Stores that maintain a large inventory of ammo usually stock "standard velocity"(ie CCI Green Tag), which are rated 100 fps slower than HV ammo. Nearly all "match grade" ammo is also "standard velocity" and with rare exceptions, are only available with 40 gr bullets. Hyper velocity ammo uses lighter weight bullets, typically from 26gr to 32 gr and can reach velocities as high as 1650 fps (CCI Stingers).
Gun manufactures such as Ruger, design their 22 LR rifles, revolvers, and pistols around "high velocity" ammo .... specifically with copper or brass washed bullets. As such, they don't waste any time polishing the bore and they use recoil springs in semi-autos that are designed for the thrust of HV ammo. It is not unusual for semi-autos to malfunction with "standard velocity" (or match grade) ammo because the weaker ammo does not develop enough thrust to cycle the slide or bolt. It's also very common to see match grade barrels with tight chambers intended for match grade ammo with .221" bullets. The standard for 22 LR HV bullet diameter is .222~.223" or .221" for match grade, however it is not uncommon to to find bullets as fat as .224". Bore diameters in standard production rifles and handguns is .221~.223" whereas match grade bores are usually .221". One notable exception is a Ruger Single-Six where bore diameters are .224" to accommodate 22 Mag ammo with .224" jacketed bullets. Further, the long accepted barrel twist rate for 22 LR pistols, revolvers, and rifles is 1:16 and was geared for 40 gr HV bullets.
Because there can be a couple thousandths difference in bore diameter and chamber diameter from gun to gun and bullet diameters can vary from brand to brand and even lot to lot, it becomes quite a challenge to find ammo that best matches bore diameter to bullet diameter for optimum accuracy and chamber diameter for best function. This is why you frequently see comments like "22s are ammo fussy" and it is very true. Using a bullet that is too fat will often result in failures to feed plus they are more likely to foul an undersized bore. Under sized bullets will feed better but because they don't get a good seal in the bore, they will also foul the bore and won't be as accurate.
Just for grins, I measured several of my 22s and here are the results:
10/22 Carbine, made in '74; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 TD, made in 2012; .222" bore, .225" chamber
10/22 DSP, .223" bore; .225" chamber
10/22 with Green Mountain match grade barrel; .221" bore, .223" chamber
MK III Slabside Competition; .222" bore, .224" chamber
MKK III Target Bull; .222" bore, ,225" chamber.
S&W Mod 18 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 17 revolver; .221" bore, .223" chamber, .224" throats
S&W Mod 41 pistol; .221" bore, .223" chamber
Ruger OM RSS5 Single-Six (22 LR only); .222" bore, .224" chamber, .224" throats
Ruger NM Single-Six (22 LR/22 Mag); .224" bore, .224" chamber (22 LR), .224" throats
Savage Mark II Target rifle; .223" chamber, .222" bore
CZ 452-E2 rifle; .223" chamber, .221' bore
Marlin 39A rifle (micro groove rifling); .224" chamber, .223" bore
As you can see, there is quite a variation in this small sample. For the rifles and handguns with .221" bores, match grade ammo shoots best. For all others, CCI Mini-Mags seem to shoot quite well and cheap Federal bulkpack 22s are great for plinking. Years ago I went on a quest to find the most accurate ammo for each of my 22s. It didn't take long to give up because I would need a lot of different ammo and since then, I have accumulated even more 22s.
