TargetTalk

I was shooting last week when I ran out of my regular target ammo for my Anschutz Fortner 1827
I had a box of CCI Mini Mags in my range bag and decided to just try it. I dialed the diopter down and finished the box. The Groups were actually ok.
Anyways, when I mentioned it to some of the bench rest guys at our local range they pointed out that it could damage the action.
Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks for your help

It will wear out things faster.
I'm always told that +P ammo in a match Anschutz isnt wise cause it wears out too quickly. Usually, they dont group well anyway.
So, for match shooting I'd leave them alone.

Hi-velocity ammo won't damage the action, it's plenty strong enough. But as posted above, hi-velocity will add unneccesary pressure and wear things out faster (especially bolt headspace). Some hi-vel ammo (CCI Stingers?) has a longer case than standard, this should be avoided as it won't chamber properly.

There are many cheaper standard velocity cartridges that would be more suitable for lower-cost practise.

Tim

Lower velocity does not equate to lower pressure.

I'm told that HV ammo will cause erosion to the chamber area over time but that will take a long time and will happen to non-match rifles as well.
Generally HV will not be quite as accurate due to supersonic buffeting once the bullet has left the barrel. Accuracy is the name of the game.

Regards,
Sp

Thanks for the input

Yeah, .22lr is .22lr. They'll be specced up for a high load for safety reasons and obviously over-pressured when proofed. The fact that target shooters prefer sub-sonic ammo for accuracy reasons is irrelevant to the design and proofing requirements.

May cause slightly higher erosion - the bullet is traveling quicker down the barrel after all. But it's not unsafe per se.

Your biggest short term problem will be barrel fouling most likely. High speed unplated bullets can lead badly, plated will most likely desposit some copper that will need copper solvent etc to remove.
From what I've understood on smallbore barrel throat erosion, the primary cause is the bullet hitting unburned powder, hence the wear at 6:00 when you borescope. Otherwise its minimal.
Tim

The OP states it is a Fortner action which with its 'funny' bits and clearances could be a totally different consideration from the normal Anny bolt action.

Missed the Fortner comment, my bad!

As far as Fortner is concerned, isn't Biathalon specific 22LR a bit hotter than "Standard Velocity" target ammo?

Having had the chance to discuss this with someone with more experience with Anny Fortner actions...
The extractor spring has been known to blow out when used with 'hot' .22LR ammunition.

Be warned.