Collected by: Ed Skinner, ed@flat5.net http://www.flat5.net/

Revised: 03/08/2005

Converted to HTML and additional notes added: 07/26/2005

Background

I tried a wide variety of 22LR ammunition when I first purchased my Smith & Wesson Model 41. Some ammunition worked reliably for hundreds of rounds whereas other brands seemed to suffer frequent stove-pipes, jams, feeding problems and misfires. Was this bad ammunition? Was something wrong with my 41? Or was something else going on?

To find out, I collected all the data I could find on the different brands and then started recording how each performed in my new handgun.

It took a while but, eventually, a pattern emerged. I found that ammunition rated with a muzzle velocity above a certain number would stove-pipe in my S&W 41 and, the higher the velocity, the more prevalent the problem. And conversely, below a certain muzzle velocity, failures to eject and similar jams were more and more likely. The problem wasn’t the gun, and it wasn’t the ammunition, it was the combination.

Most significantly, I found I could predict the performance by looking simply at the ammunition’s rated muzzle velocity. That is, my Smith & Wesson model 41 seems to do best with ammunition having a muzzle velocity of about 1000 feet per second, plus or minus about 10%.

In discussions with other shooters I have since learned that some guns are more tolerant than others but, by and large, all guns are somewhat picky about what they shoot. Some automatics may be frustratingly finiky.

Gunsmiths will talk about the timing of a gun’s action, and muzzle energy is a critical factor. That energy, when behind a bullet of a given weight, will determine the resulting muzzle velocity. Additional factors such as slide travel distance, recoil spring strength, mass of the slide and many others also come into play in determining the actual timing for a given combination of handgun and ammunition.

Changing the recoil spring in an automatic to one with a higher or lower rating may resolve the problem. Most agree that the “right” recoil spring is one that provides reliable operation without battering the gun (or the shooter). Some use the approach of installing a high strength recoil spring and shooting a few dozen rounds. If jams occur, switch to a lighter spring and retest. Eventually, a strength should be found that results in reliable operation. Critics of this approach, however, say that this encourages the use of a strong spring which batters the face of the chamber because it exerts too much force when closing the slide. And still others say the “right” spring is the one that throws empties about six (6) feet out. Changing recoil springs may work but, as can be seen, there may be other considerations.

For me, the bottom line was that my Smith & Wesson model 41 performed reliably and accurately [enough for me] with the factory-installed recoil spring using CCI Standard Velocity ammunition. Knowledgeable readers will note, of course, this is what Smith & Wesson recommends in the instruction book for the handgun. So, you may ask, why did I spend all this time figuring out what was already in the book? Simple, because I wanted to know why they recommended that ammunition. And now I also know a good way of finding additional brands that are likely to work well in the same gun.

Using This Data

To find what brands of ammunition your 22LR handgun (or rifle?) prefers, you’ll need to buy, shoot and make careful notes about a lot of different kinds of ammo. This can be a time-consuming, and expensive, process.

But if you already know, or discover, a brand that works well, look it up and note the muzzle velocity (or perhaps more significantly the muzzle energy) and then find other brands with similar performance. There’s a good chance that brands with similar muzzle energy will have similar performance in a given handgun.

Finally, if you have a spreadsheet program that can process “XLS” (Excel) files, this information is a lot easier to manipulate in that form.

[Click to download 22LR_velocities.zip][/miscellaneous/22LR_velocities.zip]

With the Excel file open on your computer, you can then sort the lines in the file on the different columns that might be of interest (such as muzzle energy).

And if you discover something really cool or useful (or an error in this data!), please let me know.

Disclaimers and Important Notes

• Values shown like this (in italics) are computed from other values herein.
• Values shown like this (boldface) are handgun figures (and may appear in columns labelled otherwise).
• Standards of measurement, if any, are unknown (e.g., whether or not a “standard barrel” was used).
• I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these numbers other than my attempt to make an accurate transcription thereof.
• Manufacturers may revise their published numbers independently from the contents of this table. Always check with the manufacturer for the latest information.
• Velocities are as stated by the manufacturer unless calculated or otherwise noted herein.
• Where manufacturers have presented two velocities but not otherwise described them, it is assumed herein that they are “Rifle Muzzle” and “Rifle 100 Yard” velocities.
• Where only one velocity figure is available from a manufacturer but not otherwise described, it is assumed to be the “Rifle Muzzle” velocity.
• It is likely that pistols will impart a lower velocity to the bullet than the rifle velocities shown herein.
• Repeated rows indicate different sources, conflicting data, separate purchases, and/or range experiences.
• It is unlikely your gun will have the same performance as shown herein.
• Price information should be used to compare relative prices, not as what you would actually pay.

Experiential Data

Experiential (Exp.) Data appears in the right-most columns.

• This information is what was experienced in my Smith and Wesson Model 41 with 7.5" barrel, all parts “from the factory”, purchased new December 2004.
• Misfires include complete duds and any other problem such that the bullet does not leave the gun.
• Stove pipes include any trapped empty cartridge whether or not the subsequent round is involved.
• Fail to feed counts herein include partial cycling resulting in an empty chamber, a ramp jam, etc. but only where the previous shell has been successfully ejected.
• Unless otherwise stated, the ambient temperature during any shooting session could anywhere between 50-100 degrees farenheit.
• Relative humidity is unknown but generally very low and sometimes very, very low.
• Much of my shooting is at an indoor, air-conditioned range, but not all.

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