My second criteria is cost. I think most people have a natural tendency to shoot more rim fire ammo than any other type. Convenience is probably the primarily reason for this. The ammo is already assembled and ready to go so all we have to do is open the box and start stuffing them in. Consequently, there’s no personal sweat factor involved as there is when reloading center fire ammo.

     Lack of recoil, is probably another big reason why most shooters tend to use more rimfire ammo that any other type. It’s just so mild and easy to shoot we can totally concentrate on the shot without any consideration of any personal discomfort. We can fire dozens of shots and not even be aware we’re doing it. Not so with center fire ammo. Every shot makes its presence well known - some times very well known. Subsequently, considering that we’re probably using a lot more rimfire ammo than other types, cost becomes a very practical consideration.

     The last criteria that I use is knockdown. With first class commercially made silhouette targets and straight and even target rails, knockdown isn’t usually a problem, although a ram will, from time to time, fail to fall - even when well hit. However, not all clubs can afford the luxury of having absolute fool proof targets and rails and have to get by with home made animals made from whatever materials that are available. Knockdown and target quality is always a consideration.

     As you know, over the last year or two, I’ve come to appreciate the qualities of Lapua ammunition, especially as an alternative to the other well know brand of target ammunition. Like the other guy, Lapua has a ton of choices for every conceivable shooting situation. It’s always nice to have choices, but on the other hand, the perfect ammunition that exactly fills all of our requirements can get lost in the crowd. I think this is exactly the situation that describes Scoremax. While many silhouette shooters are familiar with Lapua’s Club, Super Club, and the premium Midas, Scoremax is an unknown factor to many people. This is unfortunate, as I believe that Scoremax, from a performance standpoint, may just be the perfect rimfire silhouette ammunition.

     The primary characteristic that distinguishes Scoremax from all other rimfire ammo is the fact that is uses a 48-grain bullet versus the standard 40 grainer. When I first became aware of that fact, I assumed that the purpose of the heavier bullet was for hunting purposes. Indeed, the 48 grain bullet is significantly more effective on game than your run of the mill rim fire bullet. However no matter how useful for hunting, Scoremax is primarily a match grade target type ammunition with a secondary application for hunting.

     So how can a heavier bullet contribute to better long-range performance? Within a given diameter, a heavier bullet is going to be a longer bullet, and a longer bullet will have a better ballistic coefficient than a bullet that is not as heavy/long. A longer bullet will therefore be more aerodynamically efficient and will lose less velocity over long ranges. The result is that the Scoremax bullet will not only be delivering more weight on the target rams but it will be delivering it at a higher velocity than a standard target grade bullet. At a 100 yards, the improved BC provides an advantage.

     Putting a longer, heavier bullet in a standard length rim fire case presented Lapua with a technical challenge. After all, a longer bullet might not work as well in standard 1: 16 twist barrels that most firearms manufacturers use. Plus the cartridge would have to work in standard and target chambers whose dimensions are spelled out by SAAMI and other similar organizations.

     Another part of the weight gain comes from the fact that a less tapered, more rounded nose is used. This ogive is actually the same ogive that was used on Lapua’s very successful "Championship" ammunition, which was made in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. While some may criticize Scoremax’s less streamlined nose, the simple fact is that at subsonic velocities, nose shape is not as important a factor as it is at supersonic velocities.

     Indeed, Scoremax’s velocity is rated at 1032 fps. With the longer bullet being subsonic, it means there will be less bullet drag and that means we’ll experience less velocity drop, less wind drift, and it will hit harder at extended ranges. When the wind is blowing, and it always is, this is the ammunition you want to use.

     OK. That’s the theory part, but what about real world performance? Well, there was only one way to find out. I grabbed a box of Scoremax, my chronograph, and my 26-inch Winchester 52. I also brought along a box of PMC Match Rifle ammo for comparison. The PMC is loaded with a standard 40-grain bullet. In Step One the plan would be to chronograph each ammunition at the muzzle and record the results. In Step Two, I would then walk my chronograph out to one hundred yards and repeat the process and compare the results. The improved ballistic coefficient of the longer, heavier bullet should result in less velocity drop at that distance. Here are the results.

     Ok. What about accuracy. I don’t say this very often but the ammo will shoot as well as you can hold. The group in the photo was shot at 50 yards with a Thompson Contender equipped with a Bullberry match barrel. My Burris 8 X 32 provided the optics. Four shots went into exactly the same hole. The fifth shot went into the group just slightly below the first four making a somewhat elliptical hole overall. Overall group size was scant .168". I was definitely pleased with the results.

     How about price? This ammo falls in what I would call the middle price range. It can be found for around $5.25 to $6.50 a box, so shop around. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely not in the $10 a box range either, although it does shoot like the ten-buck stuff.