Browning Buckmark vs Hammerli Trailside 22 Long Rifle Target Ammo Comparison

Join me in what ended up being an almost feature length video comparing premium 22 long rifle ammunition. Jump past my inane chatter to the parts where I shoot six different types of ammunition through a Browning Buckmark Field Target and Sigarms Hammerli Trailside (X-Esse). Shooting at 25 yards I test ten rounds each of CCI Standard Velocity, Eley Target, Eley Match, Federal Premium Gold Medal Target, Norma Match-22 and Aguila Target Competition. While fast forwarding, don’t forget to pause during the posting of the chronograph data from the ammunition tested.

[@fronterae]

Very good video. I have myself a Trailside Competition with the blue stock… beautiful. You are hitting at lower-left… that on you, not the bullets or the pistols.

[@texmexshoots]

Thanks for watching Fronterae! Those original Trailsides with the blue wooden grips are good looking pistols. I think I may need to adjust the red dot on it to hit point of aim.

[@Valorius]

Flaunting those Gucci rimfires! 😁 a very enjoyable video brother

[@texmexshoots]

I lusted over the Field Target for many years before I finally found one at a gunshow many moons ago. The Trailside I got used for a decent price in the early 2000's. They definitely are some fancy pistols 🤩 Hope you have a great weekend!

[@Valorius]

@@texmexshoots you too brother!

[@frankbrowning328]

Great video. They all have their preferences. My Buckmark likes CCI Standard velocity but that's not true of all Buckmarks. I've had some incredible accuracy from my S&W model 41 with CCI Suppressor but in that gun everything shoots really well.

[@texmexshoots]

Thanks for watching Frank! Hope you are doing well. It is amazing how picky 22's are. I've eyeballed the S&W 41 many times. Have been thinking of buying one for years but never pulled the metaphorical trigger. Or literal trigger for that matter since I've never shot one 😁

[@frankbrowning328]

@@texmexshoots Yes, hope you're doing well too. I always had sticker shock with the S&W model 41 but I happened to find 1a 5 1/2'' model used in new condition in the box with 2 mags and a Trijicon RMR on it last year for 900 and that made me buy it. It is the most accurate pistol I have ever shot. 3 rounds touching with match ammo at 25 yards is fairly common now that I'm used to it. My best so far is a 0.292'' 3 shot group at 25 yards with CCI Suppressor ammo. I doubt I'll ever do better than this. It really shoots anything well. Even inexpensive CCI standard velocity will shoot most every shot into a 1/2'' -3/4'' cluster at 25 yards. It's actually more accurate than many of the 22 rifles I've had over the years. My guess is that is more accurate than I can hold it.

[@texmexshoots]

@@frankbrowning328 Sounds like an amazing pistol and you scored it for a great price! You are making me want one even more 🤤

[@frankbrowning328]

@@texmexshootsI got lucky that day. IIn the last 10yrs Ive greatly increased my rimfire shooting. It's still affordable at this point for me to spend a few hours at the range when I bring a few 22's. Have a great weekend

[@cervus-venator]

Hi Tex Mex, I think I'd sight them both in with the Norma Match. It's cheaper and easier to obtain as well as it seemed to do well in both pistols. Now my 10-22 really likes the ELEY Match, but I'm out of it and in order to get more I have to order it. I can't seem to get any ELEY locally any more. I have three or four boxes of ELEY Team and I think that is pretty good too, but I need to test it. I picked up three boxes of the Norma Match yesterday mainly based on what you mentioned in a previous comment. I have to test that one too. I'll be testing some SK Rifle Match for the Captain America challenge as well. I last shot some ELEY Target and it just wasn't near as consistent as the Match. Now I've shot some of the Aguila Target and it shoots well out of a rifle but not the pistol or vise versa. I can't recall. I haven't had much luck with the Federal, but I'm willing to give it another shot (pun intended 😋). Thanks for the video, great shooting and great info gathered and provided.

[@texmexshoots]

I have about the same luck with Eley Target. It's good stuff but not nearly as good as the black box Match. I hope the Norma and Team work well for you for your next challenge. I like the accuracy of the Federal, but it seems to choke on some of my semi-autos. Hope you are having a great weekend!

[@Salieri47]

I would loved to have seen a Ruger Mark 4 Target in the mix.

[@texmexshoots]

If I get my hands one one, I'll compare some ammo with it. Sadly I don't own any Ruger 22 pistols at the moment. Thanks for watching!

[@Salieri47]

​@@texmexshootsI'm in Houston. I have a Ruger Mark 2 Target (special run two tone edition), with a very low round count, that I retired in favor of the much, much easier to disassemble & reassemble Mark 4 Target.

[@texmexshoots]

@@Salieri47 When the Mark 4 came out, I was very tempted to buy one. Had a Mark 3 hunter that I ended up giving to a close friend's son. The new take down system seems so intuitive that I'm surprised they didn't figure it out sooner.

[@Salieri47]

The following comments are meant to be constructive. I know this was tedious process, & I thank you for the vid. 1. Are the fliers the ammo, or the shooter? I lean towrds the shooter because it seems on average seven or eights are quite good. 2. You could've gotten basically the same info with five shot groups, which would've also meant cleaner gun barrels. 3. I've never heard of seasoning a barrel. Warming up, yes. Again, thanks for sharing with us.

[@texmexshoots]

Thanks for watching and I certainly appreciate your input. As to question 1, I can honestly say that I verbally call out any time I feel/see myself pull a shot. Unless I'm using a scope, I shoot with both eyes open (trained that way as a kid with shotguns) and don't blink when I fire. So although I cannot definitely rule out user error, those shots felt good to me (i.e. did not move my point of aim as I pulled the trigger). 2) I shoot ten shot groups just to get a better feel for how any particular ammunition groups. I'm certainly no expert, just an enthusiast. But I do try to do my research and many shooter's forums have argued the benefits of 10 shot groups over 5. I'm sure I could get by with 5, but 10 helps me distinguish the performance between the loads I'm shooting. 3) As for the term "seasoning" it can mean different things in the shooting community. Some use it as a term for the initial "break-in" of a new barrel. But for rimfires, it can also be the term used for the first "fouling" shots after a cleaning of the chamber/barrel. Some serious target shooters claim that you need to shoot a few rounds of the particular ammunition you are going to use before attempting to group. Does this really help? I have no idea. Once again, not an expert, nor an engineer. Just figured I'd do it for some of my videos. You are right in that it does warm up the barrel a bit before I start testing. Maybe that's the only real benefit. Once again, I appreciate you watching my video and for your comments. I've been shooting for almost 50 years now, and I'm still learning something new all the time.

[@Salieri47]

​@@texmexshootsThanks for responding, esp civilly (some gun guys on KZbin get seriously POd if they feel their techniques are being questioned). Your explanations make sense. TBH I've never heard of seasoning (conditioning?) a barrel before accuracy testing to make sure the rounds fired for testing have the rifling depth, build-up, etc. It makes sense.

[@cervus-venator]

@@Salieri47 Hi Salieri, I had not heard of seasoning a barrel (in the 22lr world) until just a few years ago when I started watching 22 rifle competitive shooters. So my understanding of the seasoning is due to the lubricant/coating that the ammo manufacturer uses. If you noticed, TexMex mentioned some of the ammo uses a wax coating on the projectile. Ammo such as ELEY and SK have an oil coating on the entire round. ( I find that it makes it difficult sometime to load the magazine because they are slippery) Anyway, the seasoning of the barrel is to get the bore coated with that specific lubricant to get consistent shots. Some prefer to shoot at least 20 rounds just to season the barrel, but I find that to be expensive given the cost of this match target ammo. But, I suppose in competition you want to do your best and this may cost you a little. Now there is also the cold bore shot. When the barrel is not warmed up this cold bore shot can be different than the remaining shots from the warmer barrel. So warming the barrel up helps too, but when seasoning the barrel you are also getting a warmed barrel as long as you don't wait too long between sets. That's about all I know of Seasoning and warming the barrel when it comes to shooting these high end target ammunition. I hope some of this helps.

[@texmexshoots]

@@Salieri47 Luckily I don't take myself very seriously. 😁 My channel is an outlet for me to have fun. And I always appreciate any input I get. Hope you are having a great weekend!

[@Salieri47]

​@@cervus-venatorIt makes sense to have each of the rounds that count in scoring going through the same condition barrel bore (that sentences makes sense in my brain, lol). Thanks for the explanation.

[@joeltowle2737]

Those velocities are pretty good out of a pistol!

[@texmexshoots]

Thanks for watching! I agree. Especially considering it was match ammo which is typically slower than most 22lr ammunition.

[@emmausroadjourneyman3530]

There's something strange going on with your Trailside. In 5 of the 6 groups the 1st round was a high flier. It would be interesting to see if that was still the case if you "slingshot" the first round rather than using the slide release. Or press on the back of the slide after chambering the first round to make sure it is seated completely.

[@texmexshoots]

Thanks for watching! You are probably right. I usually use the slide release when closing on a loaded magazine. I know that Trailside is much more accurate than I am. I'm certain the weight of the Buckmark helps me steady my shots which is why I shot it a little better.