Good initial choice for .22LR

I am new to Bullseye shooting. My first acquisition is a Hamden High Standard Victor, of which I am already fond. I am aware of the need to test ammunition in the individual firearm, and of the variability among different lots of rimfire ammunition. Having acknowledged this, does anyone have a recommendation as to a "starting point" ammunition that is generally regarded as very accurate and reliable? My primary arms are a standard velocity Marvel unit, and the Victor. My secondary firearm is a pre-war Colt Officers Model Target. Thank you for your advice.

CCI SV has historically been a good, reliable choice.  They had a short period where they were having quite a few issues 3-4 years ago but I think that may be behind them.  I tried a few hundred rounds of new (current) production and it seems as good as the case I bought in 2018.  I bought a couple cases of Aguila SV from Alan at Interarms/High Standard and it seems ok as well.  I haven’t used it enough to confirm it’s on par with CCI but it fires and functions fine.  I have the same two 22s you are using so hopefully that experience will transfer over to you.  FWIW, those two brands plus what’s left of my CMP Eley all function through my Victor with no adjustment to the magazines.  Maybe I’m lucky with that one but I’m pretty pleased.

Good luck.
John

SK Pistol Match is good price IMO and reliable IME

You didn't mention it specifically but make sure you're shooting standard velocity in the Victor too.  I'd ask how serious are you about this?  How much are you willing to spend?

The High Standard should only be shot with standard velocity ammunition.  So…. That means you should avoid any 22LR ammo that shoots a 40 grain or 36 grain bullet that has a listed velocity bigger than 1150 fps.  Which leaves a lot of the “big box store” ammo off the table.  

I have found the most consistent ammo to be CCI SV.  Other good ammo is Norma TAC and Norma Match, Magtech SV, Fiocchi SV. I have found Aguila to be accurate but my pistols didn’t function reliably.  Match grade brands are SK, Eley, and Lapua.  They’re good but pricey.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the advice! FWIW, I found Aguila Match to be a tempermental feeder in my Marvel. The Victor seems more tolerant of ammunition. I'll give the ammo types recommended a try. I'm looking for something that combines a high level of accuracy and functional reliability. Price is not a great consideration.

My Victors like CCI SV quite well.

Another good one I found is S&B Club,

I can’t add to what’s already been said regarding ammo starting points except that I have had good luck with Eley Target as far as function.

I do recommend picking up one of the magazine feed lip adjustment tools that are available. Very helpful and if you read Barta’s instructions on how to set feed lips (and some other tips on magazines) you’ll find reliability to be very high, in my experience.