.22 Super Colibri gelatin test

[chopinbloc]

Short story:

.22 Super Colibri powderless ammo fired from Ruger 10/22 and Walther P-22 into gelatin.

BB calibration: 595.3 fps, 3.7"

10/22

Velocity: 409.9 fps
Penetration: 5.0"

P-22

Velocity: 468.4 fps
Penetration: 6.1"

 

[mavracer]

Interesting, be careful shooting those in a rifle Aguila warns against the practice as you can stick a bullet in the barrel.

 

[highorder]

I've stuck them in the barrel of a 23" single shot. It taps right out; the bullet has very little bearing surface so friction is minor. I've never stuck one in my 10/22.

These have very little killing power. I gave up using them against rabbits in the yard because they often dont penetrate the hide, even inside of 10 yards.

CB's or shorts are far fore effective for about the same amount of noise.

 

[nathan]

I got some of those and they are fun . But the ones i got has rough edges on the bullet sides while others are smooth. I threw away the rough one s or it can damage the rifling.

 

[rcmodel]

How exactly could a soft lead bullet damage the steel rifling??

Not gonna happen!

You just threw away good ammo for no good reason.

rc

 

[nathan]

They felt really really sharp, while others are smooth. I noticed using the roughedged bullets shot horribly vs the smooth ones even at very close distance. I guess it was manufacturing rejects some of the ones i got .

 

[kludge]

Interesting, but it makes sense.

BTW, shoot them in my rifles all the time, even the non-super ones. None stuck in barrel. This is what my little kids shoot until they are past the "bb gun" stage.

 

[FitGunner]

I shoot these out of a 21" barrel bolt-action. I do not have any issues and they are very quiet. Never tried them out of a semi-auto rifle and I do not plan on it. Out of a short barrel pistol these are rather loud.

 

[spanishjames]

There's Aguila Super Colibri, and there's Aguila Colibri. The Super Colibri is rated at 500 fps, the Colibri is rated at 375 fps. I think the regular Colibri is the one that may get stuck in a rifle barrel.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/25...ammunition-22-long-rifle-20-grain-solid-point

 

[12many]

Too slow and too much drop. I can watch these leave the barrel and arc toward the target. Need to aim high if if you have any distance. Quiter than an air gun in rifle. Ok for squirles close in.

Thanks for posting the jelly results. That is interesting and further in than I figured it would be.

 

[heeler]

I own an old Marlin Glenfield model 25 bolt that I have given thought a few times of testing that Super Colibri ammo in when things settle down and it is finally available again.
I also own a RWS Diana 22 caliber pellet rifle that is close to the Colibri's strength.
But from what I have heard the Colibri is a lot quieter than the spring powered airgun.
If so the Colibri round might not be such a bad thing for certain pests that come around the garbage can,dog bowl,barn,bird feeders,etc.
No doubt it has handy uses.

 

[r1derbike]

I'm assuming that primer ignition is the only means of propelling the bullet down the barrel, since there is no powder?

My best pre-charged .22 air rifles may double that velocity with ease...go supersonic if I want, but pellets tumble and are inaccurate at super sonic velocities.

 

[pockets]

I shoot a lot of 'Colibri' and 'Super Colibri' cartridges...I keep bricks of each onhand always. Use them in everything from a tip-up 21A Beretta pistol to 24" barrel rifles. Heck, I even load .25 pellets into .25acp shells with primer only to make my own '.25acp Colibri' for giggles (fun in a Beretta 950b).
Note: semi-auto actions must be cycled manually with Colibri types.

'Colibri' averages around 3.5fpe....about on par with a new (reduced power) Red Ryder BB gun.
'Super Colibri' averages around 6fpe....about the same as a low-power pellet gun.
For comparison, I have spring-piston pellet rifles tuned to develop 18fpe silently.
I keep my PCP air rifles tuned to around 35fpe....about the same as a '.22 CB'.

Quiet? It depends on barrel length. Colibri is loud in 2"-5" barreled pistols, but is nearly silent once you get to 6" barrels...a little "phffft" sound. Rifles have 18"+ barrels, so they are quiet with Colibri and Supers.

Stuck in barrels? Had it happen now and then in rifles. The three main factors here are (1) tight bore on some rifles, (2) barrels in the 22" to 24" range, and the most frequent reason is that Colibris are dirty and the bore can clog with crud to stop the bullet exiting. Both Colibri types are dirty shooting. Not much pressure so the brass doesn't expand to seal the chamber...soot everywhere.
Make sure every bullet you shoot exits the bore, keep the barrel and chamber clean, then it's no problem.

Most Colibri are surprisingly accurate at their effective range....7-10 yards.
And they are an absolute hoot in tube-fed lever action and pump action rifles...the Henry Mares Leg is a blast with Supers!

I use a home-brew 'silent pellet trap' with Colibri and Supers. I designed mine for large bore PCP rifles. The trap will effectively stop a .50 round ball from a Dragonslayer PCP rifle.
.

 

[Kiln]

They felt really really sharp, while others are smooth. I noticed using the roughedged bullets shot horribly vs the smooth ones even at very close distance. I guess it was manufacturing rejects some of the ones i got .

They're totally safe. Lead is extremely soft and deforms in steel barrels to contour to it's rifling. You can't harm a steel barrel with lead ammo through normal firing. The only thing dangerous is if you have a round hang in the barrel and attempt to fire another behind it.

Basically you tossed ammo that would have worked fine, regardless of how it looked.

As Pockets noted, colibris do tend to hang in the barrels of long rifles at times. I've experienced this several times in only a few hundred rounds.

 

[pockets]

I forgot to mention.....got an email notice from C-T-D the other day and they had bricks of 'Super Colibri' listed for only $79.99 !!!!
I'm glad I stocked up on 'Colibri' and 'Super Colibri' before they became part of the epic PANIC-OF-2013!
What's next....a run on paint balls and marbles? Whodathunkit?
.

 

[chopinbloc]

With as little pressure as is involved and as thick as most .22lr barrels are, I would wager a guess that you could fill a bore with .22 Super Colibri from muzzle to breech and never have a problem (not that I'd be inclined to try).

When I was in middle school, I had a friend who managed to get a .22lr bullet stuck in his rifle and fired several live rounds as well as home made "blanks" to try to get it unstuck. He was not successful but he also didn't blow himself up.

 

[Kiln]

I forgot to mention.....got an email notice from C-T-D the other day and they had bricks of 'Super Colibri' listed for only $79.99 !!!!
I'm glad I stocked up on 'Colibri' and 'Super Colibri' before they became part of the epic PANIC-OF-2013!
What's next....a run on paint balls and marbles? Whodathunkit?
.

I saw that too. CTD is robbing people on all kinds of gear and ammo now.

I didn't stop buying from them when they pulled that stunt after the Newtown shooting but I'm not buying from them anymore after seeing them jack up ammo and equipment prices to take advantage of dumb people.

 

[The_Guy]

The supers are beer bottle accurate at 25 yards out of my Henry lever but my J.C. Higgins model 30 throws them all over the place.

 

[r1derbike]

I'll keep my PCP rifles/pistol, thanks. All barrel shrouded and quiet as a mouse...except for the pistol. It is shrouded, but still somewhat of a noise maker.

 

[kludge]

But from what I have heard the Colibri is a lot quieter than the spring powered airgun.
If so the Colibri round might not be such a bad thing for certain pests that come around the garbage can,dog bowl,barn,bird feeders,etc.
No doubt it has handy uses.

The Colibris in a 19" rifle barrel sound like dry firing. Until you hear the bullet hit the target.

Super Colibirs sound like a typical low-power air rifle.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have shot some rats with them and they work.

 

[481]

Cool test. Thanks for posting it here.

 

[tubeshooter]

I agree, thanks for the testing and results. I buy these and CBs regularly, they are nice to have around.

I have never tried to dispatch anything with them. Strictly plinking ammo for me. I don't think I'd shoot at anything besides a rat with these.



Would love to see a comparison with .22 short and CBs later on if you have the time. Preferably the shorts, if it's either/or.

 

[Mobuck]

I used the super colibri on my trapline in 2011 as a low noise alternative in my Ruger 22/45. Results were unsatisfactory. Accuracy was poor and killing effect was below requirements. The bullets failed to penetrate the skulls of old boar coons and/or required multiple shots to kill. Numerous coons were only stunned requiring suffocation to finish the job. Accuracy was inadequate to properly hit skunks at 10-15' resulting in some rather unpleasant consequences.
Last year, I used the Remington C-Bee ammo with much better results. One shot and done. Accurate enough to hit a golf ball at 15'. The Remington ammo fits my needs better than the other low noise ammo I've tried. It has enough power for reliable kills but doesn't cycle my pistol making it strictly a mag fed manual operation.
Using Colibri successfully in rifles mostly depends on smoothness of the bore. A well used rifle may work fine while a rifle with a rough/pitted bore may stick a bullet.

 

[22-rimfire]

Mobuck, that's about what I would expect and they are about equivalent to using an air rifle and not a very powerful one to boot.

Chopinbloc, thanks for posting the test.