Aguila SSS in a Taurus PT22

[NG VI]

Has anyone used the 60 grain Aguila Sniper SubSonic .22 in a Taurus PT22 before, and more importantly is it OK for the pistol? I know Taurus says not to use hypervelocity or anything more hotloaded than ordinary standard and standard high velocity ammo in the pistol, but how much of that is lawyerly CYA?

I am wondering because in a tiny BUG/pocket gun like that, penetration is king and the Aguila SSS seems to tumble in a bad way. Especially on that groundhog I got last week with my 452

Other than that, does anyone have any reccomendations for maximizing the usefulness of the pocket .22 with ammo?


Oh yeah, I sold my Sigma and bought the Taurus.

 

[NG VI]

Bump bump bump!

 

[burningsquirrels]

:shrug:

fwiw, i have CCI Stingers in the p22 when it's not at the range. nice flower shaped muzzle flash.

 

[NG VI]

Oh really? I know they say not to use any over velocity ammo in them, but I think the Aguila Supermax or one of the hot CCI loads would be pretty good as far as a 2" .22 goes.

 

[memphisjim]

the sss isnt hotloaded
only problem ive heard is that you will need much more frequent cleaning due to the long lead

ive been thinking about getting a box for my naa mini 22lr

 

[NG VI]

Do it! Price is usually around $4 something, I just bought four more from Midway for 4.60 each. They are pretty neat rounds, and I think they have a tendency to tumble because of their unusual length, which to me is a good thing in a contact range weapon like the NAA Mini and PT22

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I can't imagine that this would harm the gun. If anything it is likely loaded to lower pressure than "high-velocity" .22. As for cycle reliability, the only way to be sure is to buy a box or two and test it in your gun.

 

[jackstinson]

Consider that the SSS is a 60 grain bullet loaded in a .22 Short case. According to Aquila, it is rated at 950fps for 120 foot pounds of energy. However, we should assume this is from a rifle, since the Aquila Standard Velocity is rated at 1135fps on the same chart (114fpe). I seriously doubt that is out of a 2.5" pistol barrel.
The specs for a Black Widow on the NAA website are interesting for looking into .22LR rounds in short revolver & pistol barrels. http://www.naaminis.com/bwlrvel.html From a 2" Black Widow barrel....
CCI Standard Velocity - 46fpe (foot pounds of energy)
CCI Stingers - 73fpe
CCI Mini-Mags - 64fpe
CCI Velocitors - 73fpe
Remington Yellow Jackets - 75fpe
There are no specs for the Aquila SSS on the NAA site, but comparing standards to standards, you are probably looking at around 50 foot pounds of energy even though you have a 60 grain bullet. The heavy bullet doesn't get moving very fast from a short barrel. Short barrels require .22LR rounds that get moving quickly, not rifle rounds. From what I have observed, the Aquila Super Maximum is much better than the SSS from barrels under 4". And if you don't mind an extremely dirty round, the Remington Yellow Jacked is a pretty hot .22LR from a short barrel (as long as the bullet shape feeds in your gun).
FWIW- CCI Mini-Mags cycle my Taurus PT-22 100% reliably....some other brands of HV's aren't quite as reliable in it, Hyper Velocity (including Super Maximum) are also not quite as reliable in my own PT-22. Experiment to find which one will give your gun the most energy at a 100% reliable function rate. I own a couple dozen .22LR pocket guns, all are 100% reliable with CCI Mini-Mags.

 

[NG VI]

Well I know the SSS wouldn't be by any means the highest powered in terms of energy, but it is the biggest bullet available for a .22 long rifle and I thought that .22 twist barrels probably wouldn't be able to stabilize it very well, resulting in a long bullet that easily starts twisting and turning all over, causing a slightly worse wound than say a stinger or yellowjacket that isn't moving fast enough to really cause a bad wound and are half the size of the heavy SSS bullet.

Plus I figure that what works for the 9x19mm and .40 in short barrels (heavier bullets give up less velocity than lighter faster bullets in short barrels) would probably work for the diminutive .22 pocket gun as well. But I don't know, and don't have a chrono, so I can't be certain it works the same. Maybe I will volunteer to dispatch rabid cats or something and see what works best?

 

[jackstinson]

heavier bullets give up less velocity than lighter faster bullets in short barrels

If the pocket gun were being used past 21 feet, perhaps yes.
I can't access Steve's Pages from work (it's blocked), he has some good .22LR pocket gun cartridge comparison data there also.
I personally would rather have 65-75 foot pounds of energy out of the muzzle of a pocket gun, than 50fpe. That figure not going to change much either way over a few yards of flight. But hey, that is just my opinion. The furthest I shoot my PT-22 is 15 yards.
I dunno, over on the RFC forum they have discussed (beaten )the SSS subject at length.
Jack

 

[NG VI]

Oh I didn't mean as they fly, I just mean that as a percentage of their long-barrel velocity, a heavier bullet will lose less than a lighter bullet given the same reduction in barrel length.

I'll look for steves pages later. I know what I want from service calibers, but I am out to sea with this new pocket pistol.

 

[Litlman]

I use CCI Standard vel. in my PT 22 and have never had a problem with it. It just runs with them. All my shots are placed to the face and to the left side of the chest. It is used for CLOSE range.

 

[NG VI]

Yeah I was ventilating some cans yesterday, the sights took a little getting used to but I eventually got it and placed seven or eight good ones into a fairly small area on an almond canister. It is a fun little gun, I think I may be getting hooked on mouseguns!