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best 22 ammo?

6K views 29 replies 23 participants last post by  Fausty 
#1 ·
for carry? i know, not like 22 is really sufficient for defense, but i just ordered a pt22 for plinking, and as i only own a glock 23 right now, i will probably carry this as a bug until i get a proper 380 or 9 single stack.

so yeah, what do you all think? best ballistics, best penetration? if you only had a 22 what would be your carry ammo?
 
#2 ·
the round nose ammo seems to feed more reliably for many people. I like the standard Rem 40gr RN lead Thunderbolds standard velocity for plinking with my 10/22, Buckmark, and Phoenix so if I thought I needed a 22lr for self defense for some reason, I'd stick with what I knew worked.
 
#5 ·
For carry I would go with any MATCH GRADE .22LR that functions 100% in your handgun.
Match Grade IS much more $$$ than typical bulk .22 ammo but, the quality control is incredibly much tighter during the manufacture.
As far as off the shelf non "Match" grade CCI is probably the most reliable. I have shot up piles of ELY Tenex & Fed Gold Max.
Just pick any high quality .22 ammo that feeds/functions flawlessly.
 
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#14 ·
The "Segmented Hollow Point", not the Velocitor, is the pre-fragmented round. It's the latest version of the old MPB Quick Shok load. They make it in a full power and subsonic (and the subsonic is THE suppressed pest control gun load). The CCI stock number is 0064 for the full power amd 0074 for the subsonic. The Velocitor is 0047. My defensive use for a .22 is mostly against the odd stray dog in the woods where my family walks, and I was thinking the SHP was a little light on penetration.

I use the Viper from Remington in the .22s I carry for woods walking purposes, but not every gun will feed it. It's a solid point LSWC. For a HP I mostly use Velocitor, Stinger, or the Yellow Jacket Remington. Problem is every .22 likes different loads. Try a bunch of premium loads first. I wouldn't use any bulk pack loads for serious SD.
 
#7 ·
Comparison of .22 LR

.Sometimes by necessity and sometimes by choice, a .22 is the firearm we carry. Often my Glock 23 is too large to carry while hiking or simply going for a stroll. Often my weapon of choice is a Ruger SR22 semi automatic. To determine which load to carry, (for defensive purpses), I st up a simple test of a frame that placed several 5/8" thick pine boards spaced 1" apart. Shooting from a distance of 15' I found that the Winchester 37gr. Superspeed and the Aquila 30gr. SP, HV Supermax both far surpassed others tested. (They both penetrated 5 boards while most others penetrated 3). Of course this is not a gel test but all the testing is proprotional to one another. Since the .22 is such a small bullet, penetration is the important factor.
 
#9 ·
If you have to rely on ,22 rimfire for defense, then at least avoid the bulk pack ammo and get the stuff that comes in boxes of 100 or less. The bulk pack seems to have fewer quality checks and is overall less reliable. I'd probably go with solids over any HPs, but as far as "terminal ballistics" go that's probably splitting hairs. .22s tend to do their damage on humans by bouncing around once they enter the body.
 
#11 ·
If you’re going to carry it, I would avoid all ammo that has the bullet loose in the case. Remington and Winchester both have this type, the reason is moisture could get in and cause a failure to fire or reduce the velocity as to not come out of the barrel (a real bad thing) or not operate the slide with enough energy to load another round.

CCI has bullets that are tight to the case and don’t move there may be others, as to type of bullet I don’t think it will make that much difference. Just make sure it functions in your gun whatever you use.
 
#12 ·
oh yeah, squib load is a scary thing. witnessed someone have one first hand. dude was lucky to walk away unhurt.

i was looking at cci stingers. they advertise 1680 fps on a 36 grain bullet. i am sure that will be less out of a 2.5" barrel...
 
#19 ·
I'd avoid HP's (particularly warp-velocity ones) altogether...let alone the gimmick "frangementing" mall-ninja-neato bullets.

A good 40gr solid. The match-grade suggestion is good to get a more reliable primer.

Personally, if I needed to use a .22 for defense, the brick of Aguila HV solids I've got someplace would be my choice; I went most of the way through another one, and have not had a single misfire in any of my .22's.
 
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#22 ·
.22's are notorious for being ammo sensitive, I have had it both ways guns that will only fire one brand reliably and others that eat what ever I feed them. If I had to carry a .22 it would come down to what ammo runs the best in the gun. with it being a .22 a 500 round test cycle is only 20-30 bucks. I suggest the heaviest reliable round in your gun.
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
.22 ammo if very finicky depending what gun you use. You can use the best "defense" ammo possible but if it keeps jamming or misfeeding it is worthless. I use CCI mini mag in my Mark III and 10/22 and it eats it up...I have used otherr good ammo and have had feeding problems.
 
#25 ·
yes i will be doing extensive shooting of the gun in the first place, i bought it to be economical at the range and work on point shooting, and yes, at 7$ or so for 100 rds of each i will be doing a lot of shooting with the carry rounds.
 
#27 ·
I agree with the recommendations to buy a BUNCH of different High Quality (no bulk) .22 LR ammo and see what shoots best in your gun. No gimmicks, no junk, no ammo with Zombies on the box. Reliability & accuracy are paramount in any carry gun. If you're gonna' pick a .22 for EDC, shot placement & split time becomes even more important. Just like any other CCW, buy the BEST, most PROVEN self-defense ammo you can find at any price. And practice, practice, practice...
 
#28 ·
I typically only buy bulk 22 ammo and most of the time it is federal. CCI is supposed to be a higher quality round though. Sorry I can't help anymore.
 
#30 ·
no worries. the gun get's delivered tomorrow (at the ffl, then it is a 2 day, and probably another 3 because i get delayed every time). i am gonna try cci mini mag 40gr and cci stingers. hopefully they work well in it. i should emphasize this isn't a primary carry gun. i will just carry it as a bug if i think i need one until i buy a kel tec p3at.
 
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