Most reliable 22 LR ammo?

[Carl N. Brown]

To topic:
Most reliable 22 LR ammo? Posted by Elkins45
.... I have an acquaintance who insists her 22 revolver is all she’s willing to use as a self-defense gun. IMO reliability is the single most important factor for this use, more so than velocity or fancy bullets. My first instinct would be something from Eley. ....

On topic:

When I participated in .22 silhouette matches at the local gun club Eley had a great rep for reliabilty among the competitors. I, a mere participant, could not justify affording the higher-price butter and made do with Winchester T22 and CCI Standard Velocity lead round nose, the lower-price oleo. I still buy CCI Standard for my Ruger Mark II.

Off topic:

On the subject of duds with semi-auto .22s, I clean my guns' firng pin channels of fouling til the pins move freely and clean their bolt faces and the breech faces and extractor slots of their barrels of foulng and flattened lead shavings. My .22 fired casings have distinct firng pin indents. Some of the dud .22s that I find abandoned at the range look like they were pecked by a chicken with anemia.

 

[Remington1911]

These two sentences are completely opposed to each other. The ones with fewer issues are clearly better.

I could have worded that better, but I think most understand where I was trying to go.

 

[Riomouse911]

In the past three range trips I have had FTF with a Winchester round (3 hits in different spots, no fire), Aguila Super Extra (same) and a Federal Auto Match (second strike it fired). Over the past year or two I have also seen a case rim rupture spraying powder into my sons face with a CCI Maxi-Mag .22 WMR (wearing glasses!), failures to load due to oversized rounds with Browning .22 in my new Browning auto rifle (irony), FTF with CCI Blazer, Winchester bulk, on and on.

CCI stuff is usually very good, and for off the shelf ammo I would trust it above the others sold next to it.

.22 reliability will always be something to be thinking of. For ultimate reliability I would go with Eley, Lapua, SK or RWS match ammo. The top Eley and Lapua stuff is Olympic quality, they stake their reputation on firing and hitting targets when the triggers are pulled.

I saw a post about elders/weak handed people and .22 DA revolvers being a good option. Recoil wise, I certainly agree the .22 LR is pretty much recoil free and good in those situations for sure.

But the DA trigger stroke, especially on smaller .22 revolvers, is notoriously difficult for those same people to operate. And I mean not just tough to shoot accurately, but tough to operate, period.

Hopefully the OP’s shooter is able to operate her revolver, because if she can’t the choice of ammo is moot. In all honesty, I am glad to hear she is thinking about such things though. (I wish my Mother had less of a lambs mentality when it came to personal/home protection, she was nearly attacked twice in 15 years in her homes!) I hope the OP’s shooter learns to shoot it well, but never, ever need to use her gun for defense!

Stay safe.

 

[Smokin Gator]

I know at least in the recent pass that Blazer was used by a lot of steel challenge shooters.

 

[Scout21]

Don't believe I've ever had an issue with CCI; whether it be duds, cycling, or poor accuracy.

 

[entropy]

CCI Mini Mags, Standard Velocity, and if you can find them, "Stangers" have been the most consistent for me. We used thousands upon thousands of Standard Velocity for 4-H, very few misfires. Yes, I've had one or two even with Ely.(Club)

 

[Jonah77]

CCI Mini mags. My 22/45 loves ‘em.

I usually shoot at least 100 rounds during a range session, across 8 different OEM magazines. No issues-period.

Last time out I was Shooting Aquila high velocity side-by-side with it. Countless FTF, duds, and underpowered loads (thankfully no squibs).

I’ll save the Aquila for the grand kids. CCI for me and my pin matches.

 

[Jonah77]

Sorry, dbl post

 

[Slamfire]

For a pistol, I would look for SK High Velocity hollowpoint. I just finished a case of it, shooting it in 2700 Bullseye, and the stuff has been accurate and reliable in my pistols. I would go to the HV only after testing the pistol.

My Ruger MK 1, built in the late 1950's or early 1960's

does not like high velocity ammunition. I have bolt over rides, the bolt catching the round as it comes up from the magazine. This is probably due to a weak return spring. However, CCI SV feeds like a champ. You have to test the ammunition for reliability.

I have had misfires and low velocity shots with SK STD plus in my S&W M41's. The M41 has a wonderful trigger, because the mainspring ain't too strong. Arg! This is a problem with even match ammunition in pistols, the ignition system of pistols is weak compared to rifles, and primer cake sensitivity varies by lot.

It is possible the CCI SV did not have primer cake in the rim, or, the cake fell out after the first firing pin hit. Problems like this are common.

I asked an Eley representative what was the difference between their match rifle and match pistol, and the difference is lubricant. Rifle match has a wax lubricant, pistol a vegetable based. I do know shooting a 22lr pistol in the cold, wax lubricants will gum up the action. These rounds are coated in a lubricant so they will not adhere to the chamber of a blow back action, and thus, extract. Wax is a great lubricant in warm weather, but in cold, when the case extracts, there is always some residual pressure in the tube, and gunpowder and wax get woofed out into the breech The wax condenses in cold weather, with unburnt powder, and that gums up the action.

Eley claimed they spun the case to get an even distribution of primer compound in the rim. One member here sectioned a bunch of inexpensive 22lr cases, and the primer compound distribution was uneven to non existent.

Anyway, pistols are finicky, and even with the best ammunition, you have to test.

This is a collection of alibi rounds at a range where 2700 Bullseye Pistol matches are conducted. If the competitor has an alibli, a Range Officer comes over, helps the competitor clear the alibi. If the alibi is due to a defective round, then the Range Officer collects the round, and gives it to the Match Director. Who places the round in this cup.

I think every brand of 22lr ammunition is well represented in this cup. I think it is obvious, centerfire ammunition is a lot more reliable than rim fire.

 

[jmr40]

I would go with a high velocity 40 gr solid. Match ammo MIGHT be more reliable and accurate, but I'd want the most velocity and bullet weight I can get. As long as you stay with ammo with a known reputation for quality, I think the individual firearm is the weaker link. I shoot a lot of 22 ammo downrange and can't remember the last time I had a dud.

I shoot a lot of CCI Mini-Mags, but shoot other ammo as well. I'd say the odds of getting a dud are well over 1 chance in 1000. Maybe closer to 1 in 10,000. When you consider the odds of even needing to fire a shot in the 1st place, then factor in the odds of getting a dud I think there are more important things to worry about.

If you get beat by those odds then maybe today just isn't your day.

 

[hdwhit]

I'm a CCI Stinger fan myself, but depending on the length of the pistol barrel in the OP, I'd probably go with Mini-Mags.

During the 2000's drought, I managed to find my Father a box of 525 Winchester .22s. Every one he shot was fine.

I also bought myself a bucket of 1,400 Remington .22s. More than 3% of them failed (we kept records) and the failures were due not only to primer issues but not having any powder.

 

[Elkins45]

When you consider the odds of even needing to fire a shot in the 1st place, then factor in the odds of getting a dud I think there are more important things to worry about.

Agreed, but since ammo choice a variable you have some influence over it makes sense to minimize the odds.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Which brand of 22 ammo is most likely to have the fewest dead priming spots? I have an acquaintance who insists her 22 revolver is all she’s willing to use as a self-defense gun. IMO reliability is the single most important factor for this use, more so than velocity or fancy bullets. My first instinct would be something from Eley. Am I wrong?

CCI Standard Velocity is usually pretty good. And it's "cheap" so you can stockpile it.

 

[jonnyc]

CCI Mini-Mags and Standards are VERY reliable for me in all my .22s.

I just thought I should add that I currently have 9 .22 pistols and 4 .22 rifles. Same ammo works great in all.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Several hundred CCI Velocitors have been 100% in a 10/22. Mini Mags have been good as well.

Federal bulk has to be the worst.

 

[Elkins45]

I also bought myself a bucket of 1,400 Remington .22s. More than 3% of them failed (we kept records) and the failures were due not only to primer issues but not having any powder.

A guy at the range had a box of Golden Bullets produced during the height of the Sandy Hook banic and the failure rate was closer to 7%. He gave them to me in disgust and I gave them to someone else after shooting less than 50. I think they were on their fourth owner by the time I left the range.

 

[DMW1116]

The only one I've had notable misfires from is Armscore. I had about 7 out of 50 that wouldn't fire. Now, you'll also note that I just had one box so that's a small sample. I've had a few misfires from the infamous Thunderdud (Remington Thunderbolt), but that was 5 out of 500. I've had one or two misfires from Aguila Super Extra high and standard velocity, out of probably thousands. I don't recall any misfires from CCI MiniMags but I don't use them much either. CCI SV, I shoot a fair bit and haven't had any there, but I'd be reluctant to use SV for SD. Never tried Stingers, so I wouldn't know about them. Aguila Interceptor might be a good option if you can find them, but I've only shot one box of those too.

 

[DMW1116]

For what it's worth, I am just getting into the 10/22 rifle, but all the questionable stuff I've had jam or even misfire in my other guns has shot failure free from the 10/22. It won't solve a dud round, but I haven't had one yet either.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I'll add my voice to the resounding chorus; CCI Mini-Mag™ or Velocitor™.

 

[Buzznrose]

I have pretty good luck with most .22 ammo. I favor Federal lines for range blasting, as it’s cheaper, but the best for the money for me is CCI lines above the Blazer.

Blazer is good, like Federal bulk lines, but CCI SV and MiniMags are what I consider premium working man ammo.

 

[Pete D.]

For years, when I was shooting Bullseye matches, I used a High Standard Victor and Federal 711 SV. The combination was Ultra reliable. then, for some reason, Federal changed the ammo. It did not work as well and I switched to CCI SV. It was a very good pairing.........Until.....at Camp Perry.....the last stage in .22 (rapid fire). I had a double alibi. Was it the ammo or the HS magazines? Not fun.