CCI Mini Mag 40 Grain vs HP 36 Grain in TPH / Bobcat

Status
Not open for further replies.

Bedfordtec

Member
Joined
May 28, 2019
Messages
174
Are there any real differences in the functioning and effectiveness between the CCI Mini Mags 40 gr and the 36 gr Hollow Points. Am debating which to use in my Walther TPH and Beretta 22 Bobcat. Thanks. Jim
 
Agree with Pat Riot, you have to try both. When it comes to semi auto rimfire guns, the guns are very finicky with different ammo creating a myriad of problems due to feeding, ejecting, or simply cycling the action. Try different brands and bullets and let the gun decide for you as to which ammo will function reliably with the gun you want.
 
Start with whichever one is round nose. They worked fine in my Bobcat and I can recommend them. I have seen many owners say that the round nose work better. I haven’t tried the hollow points.
 
Thanks, I have tested both and they do work fine and cycle reliably. The real point of my question is which would be better from a self defense point ... understand that it is still a 22. Thanks again.
 
Thanks, I have tested both and they do work fine and cycle reliably. The real point of my question is which would be better from a self defense point ... understand that it is still a 22. Thanks again.

You can’t count on expansion out of a short barrel 22 so penetration is what matters.
Check out Luckygunner’s gel test.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/pocket-pistol-caliber-gel-test-results/#22LR

I like Velocitors the best but you really have to be sure they’ll run in your gun. They wouldn’t in my Ruger lcp 22 so I have to run Aguila cprn super extras.
 
If function is good with both, I would choose the hollow point. Even if you do not get decent expansion, there is usually some deformation of the nose and the bullet will be more likely to keyhole and maybe even tumble.
 
I don’t know the Beretta specs but I can check tomorrow. One problem that I was advised of is that some CCI rounds are shorter than th Mini Mags and as such they will not fire in double astounding. I had failure to fire with stingers and velocitors
 
I don’t know the Beretta specs but I can check tomorrow. One problem that I was advised of is that some CCI rounds are shorter than th Mini Mags and as such they will not fire in double astounding. I had failure to fire with stingers and velocitors

Yeah, the Stingers' case is longer than a normal .22 LR or a Mini-Mag. Which I've heard can hang up in some .22 LR chambers. My Bobcat ran spotty with Stingers and wasn't as reliable in extraction and ejection as Mini-Mags.

Which points back to the long brass of the Stinger.
http://www.exammo.com/assets/images/StingerRoundComparison.jpg
https://www.quora.com/Is-the-22-stinger-based-on-the-22-extra-long-case
 
Last edited:
My Bobcat handles Velocitors and Stingers like it was made for them. I never get jams with any CCI rimfire ammo.
I have carried my Bobcat occasionally. When I do, it is with Velocitor.
 
Out of short barrel pistols for self defense, I think I'd stick to what gave me better penetration. Expansion is useless if it doesn't go in far enough to hit anything vital. Hollow points are meant for small game, not a grown man wearing clothes. This is, of course, just my opinion and there may be data out there that would suggest otherwise.
 
You will find un ending debate over which. It will come down to what you decide you want. My Wife has a few pistols in .22 that she uses for defense. I would much rather she chose something larger of course but live with her choice if it means she will at least be armed. For both of us in all the guns from .22 to .380 I long ago went to solids. Figuring that with marginal rounds I would go for as much penetration as we can get rather than hoping for expansion. So for her .22's she uses the hotter .22 .40gr solids.
 
I keep solids in my Taurus PT22, though I don't carry it. My wife won't shoot anything bigger, so the PT22 is what she learned on (however, what gets left out for her is the .25ACP version.) MiniMag solids didn't run at all in my Bobcat the one time I had the gun out to the range since acquiring it. I didn't try any other round in it because I had no others.

My NAA revolver is loaded with the HP MiniMag on the logic that the bullet is lighter and will have as much velocity as can be obtained from that 1.125" barrel. Expansion will be non-existent, so it will not hinder penetration. If I ever come across some Velocitors, I might switch. I have Stingers but, at 32 grains, they might be just a little too light.

To me, the performance difference between 36-grain HP and 40-grain RN from a Bobcat-sized barrel is likely going to be so trivial that I'd feel okay with either, provided I was confident with how well it runs in the gun, and how well I run with the gun.
 
In the two 21A Beretta I have the most experience with CCI Mini-mag 40 RN solids were most reliable.

When I worked as a range officer on a public range the most common issue with Beretta 21A was the use of ammunition other than 40 grain Round Nosed Solids. Yes I saw some that ran with Stingers and the then new Velociraptor but generally ALL ran best on 40 grain Round Nosed Solids.

What a bullet does in gel or what its velocity and energy seems to be are of no import if they do not leave the gun.

It would be nice to think that if you need your 21A for self defense that you had it clean and spotless and properly lubed....but it is not going to be, so why add the issue of ammunition less likely to provide reliable mechanical operation?

-kBob
 
kbob writes:

It would be nice to think that if you need your 21A for self defense that you had it clean and spotless and properly lubed....but it is not going to be, so why add the issue of ammunition less likely to provide reliable mechanical operation?

Curious.. why are assuming his gun won't be "clean and spotless and properly lubed" when he uses it for self-defense? Or are you referring to the idea that it won't be once the first few shots go off, since .22LR ammunition is inherently dirty?
 
Both my Beretta and TPH are carried in a pocket holster and lubed weekly. I need to chronograph both with CCI solids and go’s. Has anyone done this?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top