Mini mags vs. Reg .22lr

[tsmith1499]

Okay, so I'm a total dork and never really paid attention and have not been able to find a thread on here about this.

What is the difference between the two???

 

[AntiGun]

CCI mini-mags vs CCI standards
higher velocity and a copper wash
roughly 1200fps vs 1000fps

 

[jmiller320]

There is no difference, both are almost impossible to find.

 

[Pinecone]

There is no difference, both are almost impossible to find.

 

[Pinecone]

MiniMag is the primary CCI high velocity round.

Not really different from Federal or Winchester or Remington high velocity.

 

[RugerFan]

In my Ruger Mk II target pistol, I get the occasional FTF with CCI Std but never with MiniMags, which is why I prefer them. They're super consistent, IMO.

 

[Fishguy]

The mini mags are super duperer.

 

[Augie]

Mini Mags are good high velocity ammo that will feed well in finicky guns. They are not the best if going for small groups at 100 yards, I've found target grade ammo necessary for that.

 

[Sundazes]

Mini Mags shoot well (read cycle) in every 22 I have. I rarely have any issues even with the most finicky one.
CCI SV shoot well also, especially suppressed. Both are cleaner that most 22 out there IMHO.

 

[HokieKev]

In my Ruger Mk II target pistol, I get the occasional FTF with CCI Std but never with MiniMags, which is why I prefer them. They're super consistent, IMO.

Same for me in my Marlin 795.

 

[erwos]

Mini Mags are essentially very high quality high velocity 22lr ammo. As others have noted, they will often cycle guns that other ammo has trouble with. They are NOT match ammo.

FWIW, I actually prefer CCI Standard for most purposes.

 

[traveller]

They also come in very functional clear plastic boxes

Great marketing, from back when you actually had to market .22lr and people didn't rip the boxes from your hands.

 

[ma_deuce]

Mini Mags shoot well (read cycle) in every 22 I have. I rarely have any issues even with the most finicky one.
CCI SV shoot well also, especially suppressed. Both are cleaner that most 22 out there IMHO.

This. I like the SV even better than MiniMags, they're more accurate. But I haven't seen any SV for a long, long time.

 

[AlpineDude67]

You aren't alone, a lot of people struggle with this who aren't familiar with it.

Standard Velocity = normally fine for revolvers and bolt guns, often not enough power to cycle a semi-automatic reliably. Some semi-autos can cycle this stuff, but many cannot. Think of this as the "old, original .22 speed".

High Velocity = More power than standard, enough to power semi-auto actions. This is basically today's standard power .22 - the most common stuff out there. But they can't call this stuff standard velocity, since there was already standard velocity ammo around when this stuff was developed. It is normally fine to use this speed in almost every modern gun, even if it is not a semi-auto.

CCI MiniMags - good quality high velocity ammo, better than other manufacturers mainly because the quality control is better so it is less likely to have an underpowered load than what you may get with other brands. Basically, premium high velocity ammo that is a little more expensive. That consistency makes it work better in finicky guns that cannot tolerate the wide power variances that are more commonly found in cheaper ammo.

Hyper Velocity + More power than high velocity - CCI Stingers and a few other brands. This increases the speed even further. It is basically a hunting round designed to increase the damage to the target. Two downsides - that increase in speed can reduce accuracy and it can damage a lot of semi-autos that were never designed to handle them. Read your manual before using these in a semi-auto. If it says no, follow their advice. You can likely do it and get away with it, but you'll experience accelerated wear and might very well break something. They can also sometimes cause jams because they make the action run faster than it is designed to.

Match Ammo/Target Ammo = This is normally standard or high velocity ammo, and it is of higher quality/consistency than even MiniMags - that consistency is so that you can get repeatable results and tighter groups. Much more expensive than regular .22 per round.

There is other stuff like subsonic ammo (often target ammo) that is designed not to break the sound barrier both to make it quieter and also fly more accurately because turbulence is introduced when the bullet breaks the speed of sound. Then there are things like .22 shorts vs. .22LR but that is a whole other topic. .22LR is the most common form of .22 and it is shot from most modern .22 pistols and rifles even though the LR in .22LR stands for "Long Rifle".

 

[Biggfoot44]

Way back when , like the early '70s , the Mini Mags had a reputation for being slightly faster ie "hotter" than normal Hi Velocity .22lr . May well have been true at the time , as their tighter than usual consistancy allowed them to nudge closer to SAAMI Max pressures than most mfgs.

Nowdays , you can assume that all major brand .22lr HiVel being similar within usual lot to lot variations.

Mini Mags are still well regarded for consistancy and reliability , and what everything else is usually compared to.

 

[rico903]

A lot of good info here. In some bolt guns CCI may be a bit hard to chamber but it is not something to be worried about. My S&W 41 likes CCI SV better but all my other guns like the Mini Mags. SV is more accurate but very hard to find any more. Basically CCI MM are just a quality, consistent brand of ammo. As opposed to Rem Thunder Bolts which totally suck.

 

[Pinecone]

I have found CCI SV to be one of the easier ammunition to find. I have a good bit of it, all purchased since spring 2013.

CCI Stinger cannot be safely fired in many firearms as the case is 0.1" longer. And this causes issues with some chambers. Most of the Hyper velocity rounds shoot a lighter bullet.

The original .22 ws the BB Cap (1845). It was a primer only fired round with a round ball bullet. It was developed for shooting galleries (when shooting galleries used real guns).

Next was the CB Cap, which had a tiny amount of powder. The .22 Short was developed by Smith & Wesson for their first revolver. It used a longer case and 4 grains of black powder. 1857.

The .22 Long was a longer case with 5 grains of blackpowder. Same 29 grain bullet as the .22 Short

Then came the .22 Extra Long (no longer made) that used an even longer case, more powder and heavier bullet (40 grains).

The .22 Long Rifle mated the .22 Long case, with the .22 Extra Long bullet and history was made.

Many bolt action, lever action, and pump action rifles can use Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles interchangeably.

.22 Short is still made and used in Olympic rapid fire competition (very low recoil). .22 Long Rifle is the most common and prolific cartridge made. CCI alone makes 4 million per day

CCI also makes .22 Long CB caps. These are .22 Long rounds (same case length as .22 Long Rifle, but with a 29 grain bullet and a small amount of powder). They will NOT run a semi auto firearm. But are very low recoil, quieter, and shorter range. Designed for shooting indoors or pest control.

There is also .22 WMR (Winchester Magnum Rifle). This is a longer (and larger diameter), higher power round for hunting. It is not interchangeable with any of the other .22 rimfire rounds.

 

[photoracer]

Okay, so I'm a total dork and never really paid attention and have not been able to find a thread on here about this.

What is the difference between the two???

Mini-Mags are just like any other high velocity .22 LR ammo, except in general they have always had better QC so they tend to have the least amount of duds of anything out there. CCI, with the exception of high dollar match ammo, is considered the premier maker of rimfire ammo. Plus they make lots of other brands of .22 ammo in their factories.

 

[Mark75H]

There is no difference, both are almost impossible to find.

This. I like the SV even better than MiniMags, they're more accurate. But I haven't seen any SV for a long, long time.

How much do you guys want to buy?

 

[erwos]

Standard Velocity = normally fine for revolvers and bolt guns, often not enough power to cycle a semi-automatic reliably. Some semi-autos can cycle this stuff, but many cannot. Think of this as the "old, original .22 speed".

My experience with CCI SV is that it reliably cycles most semi-autos, and it's subsonic. You will definitely have no cycling problems when running it suppressed.

That ultra-expensive "22lr subsonic" that some manufacturers (*cough*Gemtech*cough*) sell is essentially a rip-off. CCI SV works just as well.