Bullet weights

[Tomh]

I do not understand bullet weights. For example with .22 rounds; I've been told a 36 gr bullet is more accurate than a 40 gr. why? Is the gr weight the overall weight of the case and bullet or just the bullet? Thanks in advance for helping me get this straight in my head.

[ttousi]

just the bullet

[TTS]

There is no arbitrary rule for one weight bullet being more accurate that another. The consistency of the powder charge, barrel length, twist rate and many other factors come into play. A 36gr. bullet might be very accurate out of my rifle and not out of yours.

ETA: What ttousi said too

[Sigfan220]

That's like saying 6cyl cars are faster that 4cyl cars. Yeah some are but not all depends on a whole lot more. My 10-22 likes 40gr it shoots 36gr fine but the 40s are a bit better. That may not hold true even in another 10-22. The only way to find out is to try.

Also ask your source why 22 match is 40gr if 36 is so accurate??

[Rip Van Winkle]

Volumes have been written about the accuracy of smallbore ammunition. IMHO, finding what shoots best in your rifle almost boils down to a black art. The serious smallbore competitor will spend large amounts of money on test lots of ammo, not only from different manufactures but different lot numbers from the same manufacture. I know of one local man who flies to the UK periodically to test the latest production from the Eley factory. These guys have no problem spending $20 or more for a box of 50, of course once they find the lot number which they think shoots best they buy every box/brick/case of the stuff they can get their hands on.

[noylj]

Whoever told you that is so full of s***, they aren't worth listening too about anything else.
ALL GUNS ARE DIFFERENT. ALL BARRELS ARE DIFFERENT. WHAT BULLET MANUFACTURER, STYLE, AND WEIGHT ONE GUN LIKES MEANS ALMOST NOTHING WITH RESPECT TO ANOTHER GUN.
You can't even say that a 1:9 rifling in .223 will perform best with 50-60 grain bullets. You just don't know what your gun will like without testing it.
I have NEVER found any of my .22 to have a preference for one bullet weight, but they sure show a preference as far as what lot of ammunition they like.
I have one .22 that loves some old cheap greasy Yugoslavian ammo I bought several decades ago and doesn't care for the expensive stuff at all. One chokes on copper-flash bullets (and I have no idea why).
I think you can check magazine articles on .22s and you will find that all the articles come to same conclusions--the only way to tell is to shoot 'em.

[s4s4u]

Every gun is different, and one will never know what shoots best until one shoots them all.