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Accuracy, cold temperatures, batches and ammunition testing for biathlon
Which .22 LR ammunition is best for biathlon?
The simple answer is that there is no single type of ammunition that can be considered the best for every biathlon rifle. Tests from the biathlon community, ammunition manufacturers and shooting sports instead demonstrate why ammunition should be evaluated together with the individual rifle and under relevant conditions.
In this guide, we look at what different tests actually show – and, just as importantly, what they do not show.
The purpose is not to declare a winner among different brands. The aim is to provide a fact-based foundation for understanding how .22 LR ammunition can be tested and selected for a biathlon rifle.
Why should ammunition be tested in your own rifle?
Two cartridges of the same calibre can produce different results. But even two rifles of the same model can perform differently with the same ammunition.
The Norwegian national biathlon team's work with ammunition provides a clear example.
Nammo describes how Norway has developed a systematic method for ammunition testing since the early 2000s. In the testing programme described by Nammo, the team received 39 selected ammunition batches from Lapua. More than 30,000 rounds were then test-fired to select ammunition for the athletes.
Each athlete's rifle was tested with different ammunition batches and at different temperatures. The objective was to identify combinations that produced low average dispersion and high accuracy.
According to Nammo, even a junior or development athlete could achieve an exceptional test result when a particular rifle happened to match especially well with a specific ammunition batch.
This is an important observation:
Results from one rifle cannot automatically be transferred to another rifle.
Skidskytteexperten's Swedish test
In 2026, Karl-Axel Utterström and Anine Karlsson from Mora Gymnasium carried out a school research project investigating the importance of ammunition in biathlon.
Skidskytteexperten sponsored the ammunition used in the project.
The study tested:
- six different types of .22 LR ammunition
- two Anschütz 1827 Fortner rifles
- 360 shots
- a shooting distance of 50 metres
- controlled conditions inside a ski tunnel
The study examined factors including average group size, flyers, temperature, differences between the two rifles, and the relationship between muzzle velocity and accuracy.
Under these specific test conditions, Lapua Center-X produced the tightest groups and the fewest flyers.
This result shows what performed best in the two rifles tested and under the specific conditions of that test.
It does not, however, demonstrate that Lapua Center-X is generally the best ammunition for every Anschütz 1827 Fortner or every biathlon rifle.
This distinction is essential when interpreting ammunition tests.
What do the Norwegian national team's tests show?
The Norwegian programme is particularly interesting because the scale of the testing is far beyond what is normally possible for an individual athlete.
Nammo describes how Norway has built up a historical database of test results. By conducting large volumes of test firing, the team can identify patterns between individual rifles, ammunition batches and temperatures.
Above all, the testing demonstrates the value of comparing specific batches, rather than simply comparing product names.
Two boxes carrying the same product name do not necessarily come from the same production batch. This is why the national team tests specific batches against specific rifles.
The Norwegian programme therefore does not provide a public ranking of which ammunition is best.
Instead, it demonstrates that individual matching between ammunition and rifle is used at international elite level.
What happens to .22 LR ammunition in cold conditions?
The effect of temperature is more complicated than simply saying that “cold weather reduces accuracy”.
In December 2017, Det Norske Skyttervesen conducted a controlled cold-weather test of .22 LR ammunition.
The test included:
- six types of ammunition
- six Sauer 200 STR rifles
- +20 °C
- −2 °C
- −10 °C
- 25 shots with each ammunition type in each rifle at each temperature
Both rifles and ammunition were allowed to acclimatise to the relevant temperature before firing.
The result was that cold temperatures did not affect accuracy at 100 metres to any significant degree in that particular test.
The test did not, however, investigate how temperature affected the point of impact.
Det Norske Skyttervesen also noted that lower temperatures generally result in lower muzzle velocity and therefore recommended zeroing the rifle and ammunition at approximately the same temperature as the upcoming competition.
This distinction is important when comparing the results of different cold-weather tests.
A test of group size and a test of point of impact or muzzle velocity are not measuring the same thing.
Temperature is still relevant in biathlon
The fact that the Norwegian DFS test did not find a significant deterioration in accuracy does not mean that temperature is irrelevant.
Norwegian national biathlon team rifle technician Lars Axel Nygård describes to Nammo how the team has tested ammunition at different temperatures over the years, including freezing and thawing ammunition. His conclusion is that temperature can affect performance.
Lapua also offers specialised biathlon testing in climate-controlled chambers.
At Lapua's testing facilities in Schönebeck, Germany, and Røyken, Norway, rifles and .22 LR ammunition can be tested at temperatures down to −25 °C.
This demonstrates, at the very least, that temperature is considered a relevant test parameter in professional ammunition testing for biathlon.
Biathlon ammunition is designed for winter conditions
ELEY describes specific design adaptations in its Match Biathlon ammunition.
According to the manufacturer, research into bullets and chambering at sub-zero temperatures resulted in features including:
- a reduced cartridge diameter for easier chambering
- a lubricant developed for sub-zero temperatures
- adaptations for bolt-action and straight-pull rifle systems
This shows that the winter performance of biathlon ammunition is not simply a matter of group size.
Reliable function and chambering in cold biathlon rifles are also part of the design considerations.
Accuracy, point of impact and function are different things
When comparing ammunition, it is important to understand exactly what the test is measuring.
Accuracy
How closely the shots are grouped in relation to one another.
A small group indicates high accuracy under the conditions of that particular test.
Point of impact
The location of the centre of the group in relation to the point of aim.
A rifle may still produce a tight group even if the group's point of impact has shifted.
Muzzle velocity
The velocity of the bullet as it leaves the barrel.
Velocity can be measured separately and compared between cartridges and test conditions.
Function
For biathlon, safe and consistent function is also important.
The cartridge must work reliably with the rifle's action, magazine and chamber under the conditions in which the rifle is used.
For this reason, it is not enough simply to ask which ammunition produced the smallest group in a single test.
Why do different ammunition tests sometimes appear to contradict each other?
Two carefully conducted tests can produce different results without either test necessarily being wrong.
This is because the test conditions may differ.
For example, different tests may use:
- different rifles
- different barrels
- different ammunition batches
- different temperatures
- different numbers of shots
- different shooting distances
- different measurement methods
Skidskytteexperten's test, for example, showed the best results for Center-X under the specific conditions of that test.
At the same time, the Norwegian national team's extensive testing demonstrates that different ammunition batches may perform differently in different rifles.
The DFS cold-weather test, in turn, found no significant deterioration in accuracy at lower temperatures in that particular test, while professional biathlon organisations continue to test ammunition at different temperatures.
These results therefore do not necessarily contradict one another.
They are, at least in part, answering different questions.
What can an ammunition test actually tell you?
A well-designed test can provide information about how the ammunition types or batches being tested perform in the specific rifle used in the test.
For example, it may show:
- which batch produces the smallest dispersion
- whether the results can be repeated
- whether certain cartridges produce more flyers
- whether the ammunition functions reliably in the rifle
- how the results change at the temperatures actually tested
However, the test cannot automatically predict how the same ammunition will perform in every other rifle.
It is therefore important to document the rifle, ammunition batch and test conditions to which the results apply.
How professional test centres work
Lapua describes a structured testing method at its Rimfire Performance Centers.
Normally, six to eight ammunition batches are tested for each rifle.
The rifle's action and barrel assembly is mounted in a test fixture to reduce as many external variables as possible. Promising batches are fired additional times to verify repeatability, while less promising batches are not tested further.
At the Schönebeck facility, testing is carried out on a 50-metre range using digital measuring equipment. For biathlon, testing can also be conducted in a climate chamber at temperatures down to −25 °C.
The principle is clear:
Several batches are tested in the same rifle, and the best results are verified through additional firing.
How should a biathlete approach ammunition testing?
Based on the verified testing methods, several clear conclusions can be drawn.
The primary question a test should answer is:
Which of the ammunition types or batches that I can actually choose from performs best and most consistently in my own rifle under relevant conditions?
For the comparison to be meaningful, the conditions should be kept as consistent as possible between the different alternatives.
Professional test centres go to considerable lengths to reduce other variables. The same basic principle is relevant for an ordinary biathlete, even if the equipment and testing volume are more limited: change as few things as possible when comparing ammunition.
At a high competitive level, it is also relevant to compare batch numbers, not just brands and product names.
How many shots are needed?
There is no universal number in the sources used here that can be stated as the correct number of shots for every ammunition test.
Skidskytteexperten therefore does not specify such a limit.
What professional testing methods do demonstrate, however, is that results should be verified through repeated firing.
Lapua retests promising batches to confirm repeatability, while the Norwegian national team uses very large datasets to identify patterns.
A single small group should therefore not, on its own, be considered proof that a particular ammunition is the best choice.
Should you choose the most expensive ammunition?
No.
Price is not a test result.
A more expensive competition cartridge may be manufactured to demanding standards of consistency and accuracy, but this still does not determine how well a particular batch will perform in a particular rifle.
What matters is the documented performance in your own rifle.
Conclusion – let the rifle have a say
The different tests do not produce a universal winner.
Instead, they point towards the same basic principle:
Ammunition, ammunition batch and rifle need to be evaluated as a combination.
The Swedish biathlon test demonstrates that clear differences can occur between ammunition types under the same test conditions.
The Norwegian national team's work shows how far individual matching between rifle and ammunition batch can be taken at elite level.
The DFS cold-weather test demonstrates that lower temperatures do not automatically result in larger groups.
At the same time, Lapua's test centres demonstrate why temperature and batch testing are part of professional ammunition testing for biathlon.
ELEY also demonstrates that ammunition specifically developed for biathlon can incorporate design adaptations intended to ensure reliable function at sub-zero temperatures.
For these reasons, Skidskytteexperten does not recommend any particular .22 LR ammunition as universally “best”.
When the goal is to achieve the highest possible accuracy, the relevant question is instead:
Which ammunition and batch performs best in my particular biathlon rifle?
That is a question answered through testing – not by price, brand name or what happens to work best in someone else's rifle.
Sources and further reading
Skidskytteexperten: Gymnasiearbete som verkligen träffar rätt – ammunitionens betydelse i skidskytte. A test involving six types of .22 LR ammunition, two Anschütz 1827 Fortner rifles and a total of 360 shots at 50 metres.
Nammo: Finding the Winning Bullet. An account of the Norwegian national biathlon team's systematic work with ammunition batches, individual rifles and temperature testing.
Det Norske Skyttervesen: Kuldetest av .22-ammo. A test of six types of ammunition in six Sauer 200 STR rifles at +20, −2 and −10 °C.
Lapua: Rimfire Test Shooting / Performance Centers. Information about professional batch testing, test fixtures, repeatability and climate-chamber testing down to −25 °C.
ELEY: ELEY Match Biathlon. Manufacturer information about design adaptations for biathlon ammunition and sub-zero temperatures.
Marklund & Pettersson: Lead-free 22lr ammunition for sport shooting: A simple implementation or a huge challenge? Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. Scientific research into .22 LR ammunition for sport shooting.