What is the point of .22LR hollow point plinking ammo?

Some people hunt small game or do varmint control with 22 lr and prefer hollow points. It isn’t all for target practice or rimfire competitions.

Maybe the thinking is it'd lessen the chance of ricochets after hitting something hard? They're saving the miniscule expense in lead? I know the copper plating is to supposedly minimize barrel leading.

rpenmanparker said:

The title says it all. Why is cheap .22LR ammo made as hollow points? What does it accomplish? We aren’t talking about self-defense expanding rounds like the expensive larger bore stuff. This is just target practice fodder. Why bother with the hollow point? In fact, why isn’t all this stuff just plastic coated RN lead? Why waste the copper? It is really valuable.

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Because quite a few folks hunt, target shoot and plink with the same ammo.
A hollow point has less lead than round nose.
The copper is not a jacket, just a thin wash or gilding to prevent leading at higher velocities. There are some companies using plastic coatings.

The cheapest "plinking" ammo is rarely high speed or copper plated.

I like 36 gr plated in my 10" pistols. I find it shoots a bit flatter than 40 gr. I could care less if it expands. I figure the HP is how they make the bullet lighter.

The 36 gr HP leaves the muzzle about 100 faster than the same load with a 40 gr FMJ. At least with CCI Mini-Mags. Some rifles shoot the 36 gr bullet more accurately.

Most .22 bullets are soft swagged lead. Some have a copper wash, some don't. Those that don't are sometimes waxed. Doesn't seem to be based on price or brand. As has been said, the hollow point makes for greater expansion and less chance of ricochet. HPs are said to be more accurate than solid RN because of the weight to the rear. For much of what I do with my .22s, the "crap bricks" as you call 'em do just fine. The bullets used in those "crap bricks" are probably have the same hardness and the same profile as the higher priced spreads. What you are probably paying more for is a more consistent flow of priming compound around the rim(as in rimfire) and a more consistent powder charge. Even the highest priced .22 ammo uses old fashioned, low tech, swagged bullets. Since I don't shoot competitively, the very slight amount of difference in accuracy is pretty much moot. When I go to the range and burn 500 rounds with the grand-kids, I'd rather pay a nickle a round for Federal value pac as a quarter a round for upper end Ely. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I used anything but Federal 36gr CPHPs from a 525 rd value-pack for either target or hunting.........altho I do remember that not too long ago they sold for half of what they do now.

Saves 4 grs of lead. It adds up , if manufacturing a million rounds a year.

Sometimes it’s just cheaper for the company to buy one type of bullet in bulk. And yes, 22 HP bullets do expand. They are generally made of a softer lead alloy then plain LRN bullets. Just ask some squirrel hunters. Hollow points cause more damage on little critters.
I have a some 22 rifles that shoot the Federal 550 bulk pack very good.
Now if you don’t care for cheap HP 22 ammo, just don’t buy them.

The copper "plating" is absolutely minuscule in most of the cheaper bricks of ammo. It just barely is enough to keep the lead from oxidizing and discourage leading in barrels.

rpenmanparker said:

And do those things REALLY expand?

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Nope. I learned early-on as a kid shooting those things that they do not expand.

Actually, I did not understand just how lame they were (as "hollowpoints") until I saw just how devastating effective centerfire hollowpoints could be.

Op:
Am I missing something or are you just being cranky?

There are far more reasons to manufacture bulk hp ammo than to not do it.

More to the point, why do you care?

If I shoot it and like it's my business. If you want to save copper then cast all your own bullets.

Hp 22 ammo allows a very thin copper gilding which reduces leading, it can allow a shift of the bullets balance point, it can increase accuracy to a minimal degree, it Does in fact expand or fragment depending on design.

243winxb said:

Saves 4 grs of lead. It adds up , if manufacturing a million rounds a year.

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No 'millions' to it, unless you are talking per day,,,

Old article, but 12 million a day (back then) by just Federal and CCI alone,,,

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/20...eral-to-increase-22-production-by-20-in-2016/

rpenmanparker said:

No. On the contrary I am wondering whether a simpler bullet would be cheaper.

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Well, right now you can buy it as cheap as 4 cents a round. I don’t think it cost any more to make a HP bullet then it does to make a RN. It’s not like they have to pay Elves, with like hammers and punches, to make the hollow points in the bullets.

most firearms feed hollowpoint just as well as round nose, even dating back to the 60', and hollowpoints are considered more accurate, though it doesn't really make a difference in a swagged lead projectile. This way you still have the ability to hunt with it, and there's no downside. One often ignored value of hollowpoints is that if they do not expand, they still offer a more damaging channel than round nose, due to the need to cut, rather than displace, like a round nose flat point. As far as the copper wash, its very cheap to do, and plastic coating would foul the barrel just as much as anything else. The process for powder coating is probably comparable in cost to electroplating.

Elves with hammers and punches. I'd watch that cartoon with my boy.

just a note, I was able to shoot a 50 round box from a 'crap brick' into a 1" circle at 50 yards last week from my $90 savage MK, and I an NOT a great shooter.

milemaker13 said:

Elves with hammers and punches. I'd watch that cartoon with my boy.

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Heck with watching a cartoon, I need the Elves to come over to cast my lead boolits, powder coat, them and do case prep on the rifle brass.
Brass Elves, now, that would be worth watching.

Oh, and OP, maybe the cost of those

rpenmanparker said:

The plastic coated, lead RN bullets

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isn't because of the rn vs hp or coating, but maybe the QC processes they use to create better quality ammo?

rpenmanparker said:

But how much copper does it waste? Isn’t copper s lot more expensive than lead?

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Mauser lover said:

The copper "plating" is absolutely minuscule

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Yes, not a lot of copper used. I was supprised on the % of zinc used. .

The Win/Rem msds and sds give alloy percentages of copper and zinc The old Lubaloy , was composed of 90% copper, 8% zinc, and 2% tin. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubaloy_C41100 Tin does not seem to be used today?

Remington has .6% antimony listed. Win shows nothing. No tin listed in both.