Finding the best .22LR for your gun can be a daunting task. Typically, semi-automatic rifles will require ammunition with a higher velocity in order to cycle the action and limit jams. Many manufacturers apply a copper wash to the higher velocity ammunition to avoid the bullet head fragmenting. Which in turn can copper fowl the barrel of your favourite gun. It's also nice if ammunition performs well in all your guns of the same calibre. That way you can buy 1 type of ammunition for all your guns.

 

Needless to say, I was delighted to discover that my Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 cycles and performs very well with CCI Standard Velocity as there is no copper fowling my barrel. My CZ 452 American also performs well with these.

 

Recently, Andy Norris (UK Sales manager for ELEY), popped into our store unannounced and asked me “Why do you not buy bullets from us?”. To which I had no good response.

 

As well as a FREE pen, Andy very kindly gifted me a box of ELEY Contact. So, instead of just throwing them down the range aimlessly. I thought I would put them to the test.
Bullet Type Lead Round Nose
Bullet Weight 40 gr
Velocity 1070 ft/sec
Price per 1000 £79.95
Bullet Type Lead Round Nose
Bullet Weight 42 gr
Velocity 1090 ft/sec
Price per 1000 £89.95
Using my Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22, fitted with an Aimsport Moderator and a Nikko Stirling 1-4 x 20 scope. Firing 25 rounds of first CCI Standard and then ELEY Contact from a sitting position at 25 yards.
CCI STANDARD ELEY Contact
So, apart from the fact that I need to put maybe 7 clicks up on my Nikko Stirling scope as the gun is shooting approximately an inch low. You can see that the ELEY Contact group is considerably tighter than the group shot with CCI Standard.

Now for the Ultimate test. I gave 10 ELEY contact to a friend of mine called Jim. He is a lot more interested in accuracy than myself and is always testing different ammunition. He used his Savage MK2 with a Discovery 6-24 x 44 Scope.
Shooting bench rest at 50 yards. Managed to achieve the following.
So, that concludes my field test of CCI standard Vs. ELEY Contact. What can I say... Both performed well. However, if accuracy is more important to you than a couple of quid, you would do well to give the ELEY Contact a day at the range. In a post brexit world, you will also be supporting a very British business at the same time.