Up to what range are my .22 bullets still effective?
Two queries on .22 rimfire rounds. One reader wants to know the range of his .22 bullets. The other is enquiring about a new segmented .22 rimfire round.
New CCI rimfire rounds
New CCI rimfire rounds
New CCI rimfire rounds
Q: I see that CCI now produces a segmented .22 rimfire round that is meant to be safe because it splits into three pieces. Does it work and how good is it?
Bruce Potts comments.
A: True, one of the problems with all the rimfire .22-calibre loads is that they are made from lead and thus have a tendency to ricochet. Hollow points help the lead to expand and deliver greater energy to the game, but CCI has a new approach. Each round has an overall length of 0.9790in and the CCI has its own copper-clad or washed finish and dry lube.
The CCI weighs 40-gr and has only 0.8 grains of silver flake powder in the case. Compared with a conventional Eley Subsonic round that has a larger hollow point, the CCI’s hollow point is smaller, but the secret behind the CCI is that whereas the Eley bullet is designed to mushroom on impact, the CCI segmenting ammunition is, as you say, designed to break into three parts.
I have tested these rounds many times and here are my results. The control Eley Subsonic bullet when shot in the ballistic medium perfectly mushroomed and weighed 40.2-gr, so no loss in weight and it penetrated 3.5in. The CCI segmenting ammunition performed very well and did indeed separate into three parts that penetrated radially out into the medium up to 4in.
Each segment weighed 14.6-gr, 11.6-gr and 13-gr for a total of 39.2-gr, so came very close to the original bullet weight.
Those are honest results and if the CCI shoots accurately in your rifle then yes, buy some.
