Aguila .22 Rimfire Ammunition
- Last updated: 15/12/2016
It’s not often you get to test a new rimfire ammunition, York Guns are now bringing in Aguila ammunition from America and I was given a standard round and a high velocity to test. The standard ammo I wanted to try at 50 and 100m and the high velocity I felt would be of more use in a semi-automatic rifle for Mini Rifle events which are very popular at our club.
Test Kit
The first test gun was my own Ruger K77/22, which in fact bears little resemblance to a standard Ruger; it has a carbon fibre Volquartsen barrel, custom moderator and custom walnut stock. Topped with a Burris scope it is a serious tool.
The semi auto I brought was by GSG-5 SD, it has won me quite a few Mini Rifle events and would be a good test bed for the HV ammo. I was not alone in my testing, as I roped in Damo, a very good shot from my club who also owns a few tasty rifles. He brought along an Anschutz match 54 action, which has had the heavy profile barrel cut to 14 inches from 22 inches with the off cut turned into a moderator by none other than Ivan Hancock of Venom fame. This was fitted with a Weaver 6-20x40 Grand Slam scope. He also brought along his his Ruger 10/22 to test the HV ammo and his girlfriend’s gun, a rare Anschutz 1808 MSR in a multi positional thumbhole stock and a Tasco Varmint 6-24x42 scope.
The idea was we would try to beat each other for the best groups, which is a very good way of testing ammo.
Aguila Standard Extra
We could have picked a better day as the wind was strong and gusting, so we were putting ourselves to the test. The first thing I noticed about the Aguila Super Extra was that it was not over oiled or over greasy as some other rimfire ammo can be.
The Aguila Standard Extra has a 40 grain solid head and is fired out at 1135 feet per second. It also uses “Eley Prime” as they say on the box, which can only be a good thing. At 50m Damo came out on top with his ‘Venomised’ gun putting in a truly stunning 10mm group with five shots of the Aguila Standard Extra. My groups hovered around the 14 to 15mm until I shot Damo’s girlfriend’s gun when I saw three shots enter the same hole only to spoil the group with my last two shots catch in the wind, three shots were within 2.7mm and all five 14.4mm. I did also shoot four shots in 6.7mm with the fifth shot dropping out to 14.8mm with my own Ruger K77/22. At a full 100m I have to say I wiped the floor with Damo, shooting four groups under 25mm (one inch) with my two best five shot groups being a 23.5 and a 23.8mm. Damo only managed one under 25mm at 24.8mm, the rest were only just over 25mm however. That really surprised up both and for the price of the Standard Extra it really is an outstanding performance for rimfire ammo. Suffice to say we both bought some more and will use it at our clubs 100m tactical comps.
Centurion High Velocity
The HV round is branded as Centurion, which is the American name for Aguila. It too uses a solid 40 grain head but propels it out at 1250 feet per second. I use HV in my Mini Rifles to ensure they feed. Out of the GSG and Ruger 10.22 it never missed a beat. I am going to use it at our club’s next Mini Rifle event that’s for sure.
It may not be a well known brand over here but look out for the Aguila and Centurion brands, as with competitive pricing and accuracy they are definitely worth a try for both target and field use.
The Aguila Super Extra Standard Velocity with 40 grain solid head is priced at £61.50 for 1000, while the Centurion 40 grain solid head is £66.95 a 1000. For more details contact the UK distributor - York Guns on 01904 487180 www.yorkguns.com