Speer / CCI 22LR Standard Velocity Ammo Problem

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whatnickname

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I’ve shot CCI Standard Velocity ammunition in my target pistols for years and have always had excellent accuracy and reliability. Bought a new case of this ammo recently (current production...red, white and blue box) and have a high failure to run rate in four of my target pistols. Two are 60s vintage Smith & Wesson Model 41s and two Clark Custom Guns Ruger MKII RU 22 Conversions. (Full blown conversions.) Point being that all four pistols are tuned for standard velocity ammunition. All are in excellent condition and none have given the slightest hint of a problem with a wide range of standard velocity ammunition until now. The new batch of ammo has a persistent 20% to 30% failure to run rate in the Rugers. The two Smith & Wesson pistols will not run this ammo at all. The most common failure to run problem is a failure to eject, some will smoke-stack and some will not eject at all. I have switched out the magazines with new OEM magazines...problem continues. One other competitive shooter at my gun club reports the same problem with his Model 41 Smith.

I contacted Speer / CCI and returned 200 rounds for testing. Speer reported that the ammo met their specifications. Considering the number of pistols being used, their condition and quality, my conclusion is that the new Speer / CCI ammo is the problem. So now what? Change slide and bolt springs with lighter springs? Dump the remaining 8 & 1/2 bricks of what I have left and switch to another brand?

Have any of the rest of you experienced this problem? Do you know of other brands of target or match grade ammunition that exhibits these types of problems? Is this my fault or Speer / CCIs fault?
 
I may have. But I also mixed in some quiet ammo in one case. I have eliminated that, but the recoil does seem a little weak. This is for ammo that I purchased just prior to the current ammo crisis.
This is for a model 41 smith.
 
My last buy of CCI SV was in 2018 and it is fine in my M41. I haven't shot my High Standard in a good while, it was ok with the previous batch from 2017.

MiniMag bought in 2020 is good and MiniMag hollow points ordered in Feb 2022 are fully reliable in Nelson Conversion with one oddity and work as well as anything in my cranky old ACE.

The little S&W M&P C plinker just doesn't care, it has shot about anything after a few hundred MiniMags to break in.
 
The S&W people have told someone that I know on a phone call to only use CCI SV in the mod 41. Many that I know will use aguila SV and oil the cartridges to increase recoil. Oiled rounds can be worst than HV and remember a competitor may fire many thousands of rounds over the course of say 20-30 years of shooting. A standard 900 weekly match fires 90 rounds x how many matches are fired per year.
 
the is when a bolt action target rifle, or a .22 target revolver seems like the answer.
 
I have run into the same problem About 25% failure to eject. I played with the springs and got back up to 100% reliability. It's definitely the ammo problem, not the guns.

Order a spring kit from Volquartsen. It has a new firing pin and three new springs. The right combination should get you out of your situation.
 
I dare say a high Expert or Master will want something better than CCI.
It does depending on what you are doing and also your skill level. I do not shoot better than CCI SV unfortunately. The last fellow I saw with Eley was an MD at the local VA and it was his first time shooting a bullseye match and he had lol a ruger single action .22. On the slow fire no problem. His mentor, that was also his patient lent him a ruger semiauto pistol for the timed and rapid fire portions of the match.
His mentor a retired Naval aviator with captains rank is recovering from covid and so along with the md he had his oxygen bottle with him. He was using the MD to set up his targets I believe.
CCI does have Match target grade also as does federal. I believe RWS does too.
Pistol target .22 is loaded so as to function a semiauto pistol. Today almost no one uses a revolver for format target shooting in .22 caliber. Target rifle ammo will not function a semiauto with the exception federal Match auto .22s and it is supersonic.
There are even autoloading pistols from europe in .32 smith wesson long. I have even seen expensive target pistols in .32 ACP.


upload_2022-5-20_19-31-6.png
 
I am not a bulleye shooter, the difference between CCI SV, Green Tag, and Match is not significant to me. I was just today talking to Larry Nelson about going from his target chamber to HV, which he does for Steel Challenge guns.

I understand that the .32 ACP Pardini with XTPs is better at NRA 50 yard slowfire than the .32 S&W Long wadcutter guns meant for 25 meters.
 
Have seen CCI sv with to much crimp. The brass is bulged right at the case mouth. Hard to see, put a micrometer on it.

Brush the chambers with Breakfree CLP. Let sit for an hour. Then run 1 patch to dry. The teflon should help extraction.

If all guns have the problem, its ammo or old oil has collected. Spray with a cleaner, degreaser. Then brush with CLP.
 
I have run into the same problem About 25% failure to eject. I played with the springs and got back up to 100% reliability. It's definitely the ammo problem, not the guns.

Order a spring kit from Volquartsen. It has a new firing pin and three new springs. The right combination should get you out of your situation.

My thoughts exactly. I will also have to get reduced power slide springs for the Model 41s. Think I’ll see what Wolff has to offer.
 
Run the guns wet, see if it makes a difference. I hose then down with WD40. ( please, no debate on wd40 ty)

Try some Aguila SV 40 GR. The velocity posted is out of a rifle. Its same or better then CCI sv.
I have both.
Aguila will not function a model 41 dry. It will with lubrication.
As I said earlier oiling the cartridges is very hard on the gun. The recoil is increased to the point that one will batter the gun. I do have a buffer added to my model 41 for when I am forced to shoot ammo loaded stronger than CCI SV.
If you must lube, put a drop on the bullets loaded in the magazine. Spraying the entire gun will splatter the optics and glasses if you wear them.
I prefer to use federal auto match rather than to lube aquila SV loadings. The Aquila does work in other .22s.
upload_2022-5-20_23-44-58.png
 
This is not my experience with SV ammunition.

I can run bricks of SV through a tight Volquartsen 22 upper along with a looser Ruger MKII without issue. This last batch of ammo was bought in January. On the other question, I am no help on the better CCI lines.

I'm thinking this means the problems are not universal in nature.
 
Let the WD40 drain on a paper towel & wipe off excess before shooting.

My beater gun, Ruger mk1 gets hosed when it stops working, after scraping the crud off the barrels face.
The 70s High Standard get better treatment, field stripped & cleaned with #9.

The 70s S&W M41 HB was sold long ago, after returning from the factory. It had problems like OP 41. When you have alibis in precision pistol, shooting timed or rapid, its a pain.
 
This is not my experience with SV ammunition.

I can run bricks of SV through a tight Volquartsen 22 upper along with a looser Ruger MKII without issue. This last batch of ammo was bought in January. On the other question, I am no help on the better CCI lines.

I'm thinking this means the problems are not universal in nature.

The Aquila will function in my ancient browning challenger and also in some other guns for sure. You apparently do not have a mod 41. It is the most common .22 pistol used for bullseye pistol shooting.
I still have about 10,000 rounds of SV aquila.
 
Send me a box of ammo and I will test in my SW, Ruger and Browning.:)

If you have access to a chrono test the velocity/
 
I have been buying and shooting CCI standard velocity for years. I bought a new brick, a few weeks ago. I shot two boxes through my High Standard Victor, a Browning Belgium Challenge and a Savage Anschutz 164, the majority of it was shot in the rifle. I shot two magazines each through the pistols. I didn't have any failures. I am sad to hear CCI SV is going down hill quality wise. It's been my go to .22 ammo, for years. In the past, CCI green tag didn't shoot much better than SV. Now days, if I could find some green tag, I probably couldn't afford to buy it. I still have 12, boxes of green tag,in my stash. I do hope CCI gets wind of this and gets it worked out. CCI SV maybe just going the way everything else is going with the things we once knew and trusted.
 
Ever since Obama was in office, I’ve found all domestic 22 ammunition is a roll of the dice.
I actually returned some CCI SV during the Obama administration that had so much wax on the bullets they wouldn’t even feed through a 10-22 magazine. They told me on the phone that they would make it right and also reimburse me for shipping. They never reimbursed me, and the replacement ammunition was just as bad
 
Look for a bulged case head. If bulged, it pushes the fired case off the bolt face before brass can be ejected. It was std vel in Rem or WW, forget what one? High Standards could not run it Ruger Mk 1s could.
 
Hope that they fix the problem before I run out and prices come back down to earth. I still have about 1/2 of a case left.

You might try some Norma TAC-22. I just picked up some for a decent price, and it ran well in my MK III 22/45.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/mem...lr-tac-22-40gr-lrn-50rd-box-ammo-2318716.html

Normashooting is selling that for $42.89/brick with free shipping. Depending on how much you buy it might be a better deal due to the free shipping. I bought a couple of bricks and am hoping that it is comparable to CCI SV.

https://normashooting.com/shop/caliber/rimfire/22lr/22-lr-40-gr-lrn-tac-22/
 
Hope that they fix the problem before I run out. I still have about 1/2 of a case left.



Normashooting is selling that for $42.89/brick with free shipping. Depending on how much you buy it might be a better deal due to the free shipping. I bought a couple of bricks and am hoping that it is comparable to CCI SV.

https://normashooting.com/shop/caliber/rimfire/22lr/22-lr-40-gr-lrn-tac-22/
In my brief testing the other day in a pair of CZ-455’s, the Norma TAC-22 not only beat out the CCI SV, but also grouped better than my usual match ammo SK Standard Plus. The more accurate rifle averaged 1.3” for 5 shots at 100 yards. Not everyone can afford Eley or Lapua.
 
I'm glad this post came up. I bought a hundred of CCI SV to shoot out of my H&R 22 revolver and 2 out of 6 didn't go off. I thought it was the revolver.
I took it home and cleaned it really well but haven't tried it again. When I'm back on my feet I will take it back to the range again and try it with a different brand.
 
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