The Rimfire Report: Browning PRO-22 40gr 22LR Review
Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! As part of this ongoing series of entirely rimfire-focused topics, I’ve been going through as many different types of .22LR ammunition as I can get my hands on, and running them through a series of standardized accuracy and velocity tests using a Bergara B14R rifle and Garmin’s extremely handy Xero C1 Pro chronograph. In the past, we’ve had the opportunity to check out everything from CCI’s very much loved Standard Velocity ammo, to some of Europe’s best budget offerings like last week’s S&B Club 40 grain. This week we’re checking out another rather odd ammo I picked up while browsing a local outfitter – Browning PRO-22 40 grain. This ammo is marketed as a varmint hunting/recreational shooting cartridge and today we’ll run it through our normal series of tests so I can give you my thoughts on the ammo.
More Rimfire Report @ TFB:
The Rimfire Report: Sellier & Bellot Club 40 Grain Tested The Rimfire Report: NRL22 – The Poor Man’s Precision Shooting Sport The Rimfire Report: Is .21 Sharp Taking Rimfire Anywhere New?
The Rimfire Report: Browning PRO-22 40gr 22LR Review
Product Overview: Browning PRO-22 40 grain 22LR
Product Link: https://browningammo.com/Products/Ammunition/Rimfire/PRO-22/B194122101
Browning PRO-22™ rimfire ammunition achieves superior accuracy from precision manufacturing techniques and rigorous quality controls. Each PRO-22 cartridge is meticulously loaded for The Best There Is® in rimfire ammunition.
Bullet Weight: 40 GrainBullet Type: Lead-Round NoseMuzzle Velocity: 1085Muzzle Energy: 105Rounds Per Box: 100Usage: Small Game/Recreational ShootingPrecise Target CrimpSubsonic Velocity*May not reliably function in semi-auto firearms
It’s interesting to note that some of the data listed on the website does not match what is listed in the product imagery on the site or in the actual physical packaging that the ammunition comes in. As far as I can tell, the correct information is what is found on the box. The website erroneously states that the cartridge uses a copper-plated hollowpoint when, in fact, it seems to have the standard lead round-nose bullet that the box states that it has.
Unlike the S&B Club we checked out last week, Browning’s PRO-22 ammunition can be found both in stores and also online for about $15 per box of 100 rounds. At $0.15 per round, PRO-22 is a touch higher in price than most standard velocity ammunition and about $0.08 more expensive than budget plinking ammo. I do appreciate that Browning states on the packaging that the ammo likely won’t function in semi-autos. I would probably take their word for it since a lot of standard velocity ammunition tends not to work so well in popular semi-auto rimfire firearms like the 10/22.
Velocity Data
To sum the performance of the cartridge up in simple terms I’d say it’s quite “acceptable” but not the best I’ve seen nor is it particularly special given its asking price. Maybe it’s just me comparing it too closely to the S&B Club but what we’re looking at here is closer in performance to CCI’s Green Tag ammunition we tested a couple of months back. When we compare it to Green Tag it fares slightly worse with an extreme spread of 77.7 fps and a standard deviation of just 15.4 fps – still pretty good but not quite as accurate as some of our other tests.
Compared to what was advertised on the box, we’re getting slightly higher velocities with over half of the individual shots breaking 1100 fps. This could be clearly heard at the ear but it was more notable in this case since there were much fewer subsonic shots. I presume with a slightly shorter barrel we might see some lower velocities, about 30fps slower by my estimates which would make this a solidly subsonic round out of most 16” barrels.
Accuracy Data
The groups produced with the PRO-22 were very consistent with an average group size of just over an inch at 50-yards. This is great accuracy for plinking and perhaps small game hunting. Being able to nail a groundhog at 50 yards shouldn’t be too difficult with this ammunition. My rifle was zeroed previously with CCI Standard Velocity 40-grain, and from what I can tell, both cartridges have the same point of aim and point of impact, a nice feature if you want to swap out the CCI Standards for the PRO-22s when you go hunting or maybe want a smidge more accuracy out of your platform.
Final Thoughts
I was actually quite surprised to see that Browning sold rimfire ammunition. It’s neat that they kept their rimfire offering stylized the same as their other ammo by featuring the Browning headstamp on the bottom of the case – that’s a nice touch to otherwise rather obscure rimfire ammo. Overall I’d say that Browning PRO-22 lives up to its on-box claims, however, I have a hard time justifying its price when there are so many other options out there that do what Browning PRO-22 does but better in a lot of respects. If you can find this stuff on sale for between $0.12-$0.13 per round, I’d say it would be a good buy for virtually any bolt-action 22LR rifle. I tried throwing a handful of rounds into my 10/22 and couldn’t get them to cycle very reliably without a compensator attached so I think it’s probably best to stick to manual-action firearms with this ammo.
Browning PRO-22 Ammunition
As always, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this ammo and whether or not you’ve had any experience with it. Thanks as always for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report and we’ll see you all again next week!
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