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What's comparable to Mini-Mags?

I have a few .22 semi’s I have a fondness for my Ruger SR , fits my hands nicely. Runs on most anything I have tried in copper jacketed so far,
A bit off topic, but second the Ruger SR22, reliability for me, size is small but I pretend it's my G43 lol...these days with ammo scarcity, it's nice to have a .22lr that runs anything. Ironically, I have an Advantage Arms G17 conversion kit that runs great on my 3 cent (when I bought it) T'bolt on a few different frames, but chokes on some of my higher grade ammo. If you already have a bunch of mini-mags, I'd get what you want, but otherwise, get a pistol that shoots anything. I've heard great reports about the Taurus TX22 I think it's called.
 
Nah. In this case it’s the casing diameter or wall thickness. The cheap bulk stuff gets stuck (oversized or fire formed). Same mags, different brands. Totally an extraction issue. Had to pry cases out with a pocket knife or even using a cleaning rod to remove the case.
do you get failure to extract on live rounds?
My guess is the brass case is a tad long and hanging up from slight over pressure?
Sometimes you also get a ring of fouling and when you use a slightly different bullet profile it jams into the crud causing pressure issues.
Much like running 38s in your 357 for a long time then cramming 357 in . Also running steel 223 for ever then shooting brass. The brass gets hung up on the fouling left over from steel.
The point where the fouling builds up in neck and lead is different depending on ammo choice and cleaning habits.
 
I grabbed a bunch of CCI blazer 22, I think it’s basically poor mans mini mags as it’s not copper plates and packaged more cheaply, but runs like a champ. My 10/22 can be finicky with 25 round mags and not fully cycle sometimes, just with the 25 round mags and weaker ammo. Blazer and mini mags always cycle it.
 
I grabbed a bunch of CCI blazer 22, I think it’s basically poor mans mini mags as it’s not copper plates and packaged more cheaply, but runs like a champ. My 10/22 can be finicky with 25 round mags and not fully cycle sometimes, just with the 25 round mags and weaker ammo. Blazer and mini mags always cycle it.
The 25 rounders can be a problem all themselves.
 
CCI makes several types that are "high velocity" in addition to the Minimags. AR Tactical was mentioned above; it's good. The hypervelocity Velocitors and Stinger give up accuracy. Minimags themselves come in two flavors: 36gr hollowpoints and 40gr round nose. I use high velocity ammo for reactive targets and vermin control. For target shooting my bulk ammo go-to is CCI Standard Velocity because it has excellent accuracy at half the price of Eley. Another good-quality hypervelocity round is the Browning (made by Winchester) with 1435 fps and a 40-gr bullet.
 
Sometimes you also get a ring of fouling and when you use a slightly different bullet profile it jams into the crud causing pressure issues.
And with most .22LR having waxed bullets
(which they say is not always obviously visible),
there's a lot more melty crap to foul things with.
 
I like the 40 grain mini mags, however at times I've bought the 36 HPs.

Both run well in my SR22's, have a long and short slide version. Both also run well in my 15-22 and 10-22, though I suspect that the high velocity stuff isn't as accurate in the rifles. I only stock mini mags now, though have 1000 or so goldens I try to remember to load into the rifles to burn off (rifles kinda don't care what you feed them).

Golden bullets are comparable but unfortunately a couple years ago they seem to change something on those that made them less reliable, regardless of if I bought a bucket or small pack. At the time I used mini mags interchangeably, now I just stock mini mags.

If I couldn't get mini mags, golden bullets aren't that bad, I would deal with a jam here & there.
 
If you want to see real crust -
look at the guys who own that ammo
from a different millennium.
the oldest 22lr I have at the moment is 45 years old, I used up the last of some 50 plus year old remington last summer. I have a few boxes of 22lr thats loaded with black powder somewhere
 
the oldest 22lr I have at the moment is 45 years old, I used up the last of some 50 plus year old remington last summer. I have a few boxes of 22lr thats loaded with black powder somewhere
original.gif
 
do you get failure to extract on live rounds?
My guess is the brass case is a tad long and hanging up from slight over pressure?
Sometimes you also get a ring of fouling and when you use a slightly different bullet profile it jams into the crud causing pressure issues.
Much like running 38s in your 357 for a long time then cramming 357 in . Also running steel 223 for ever then shooting brass. The brass gets hung up on the fouling left over from steel.
The point where the fouling builds up in neck and lead is different depending on ammo choice and cleaning habits.
My 10/22 with issues is a custom shop one with a tight chamber.

Only fired rounds get stuck. And with bulk pack or even match ammo.

What I notice on a lot of my .22’s is the manufactures vary enough to be finicky in one gun vs the other.
 
I like the 40 grain mini mags, however at times I've bought the 36 HPs.

Both run well in my SR22's, have a long and short slide version. Both also run well in my 15-22 and 10-22, though I suspect that the high velocity stuff isn't as accurate in the rifles. I only stock mini mags now, though have 1000 or so goldens I try to remember to load into the rifles to burn off (rifles kinda don't care what you feed them).

Golden bullets are comparable but unfortunately a couple years ago they seem to change something on those that made them less reliable, regardless of if I bought a bucket or small pack. At the time I used mini mags interchangeably, now I just stock mini mags.

If I couldn't get mini mags, golden bullets aren't that bad, I would deal with a jam here & there.

My mk3 hunter was laser accurate with 36 gr HP cci minimags, but inconsistent with 40gr or match ammo.

Still need to get through a few more.mags with the 22/45 I have now, but it also seems to be a tack driver If I do my part with 1250 FPS, HP CCIs @ 36grn
 
My 10/22 with issues is a custom shop one with a tight chamber.

Only fired rounds get stuck. ...
Maybe it is a dimensional deal, but...

Is your extractor freely-moving and has a clean edge -
no crud, no wear (blunting/peening)?

Come to think of it, is the extractor notch in the chamber
clean as a hound's tooth, and no mysterious peening
on the edges that could bind it?

(I normally hate to go here, but) you could replace it with an
aftermarket (Volquartsen) extractor.

"Hate to go here", because I've seen people talk about running out
and replacing all the tidbits in their gun with no rationale -
no statement of the problem to be solved.

On the other hand, this thread I just whiffread makes good arguments
for (eventually) getting a Volquartsen:

RugerForum.net: Difference in OEM and Volquartsen extractor?

It is conceivable that this upgrade is Right For You.

But between you and me, you're the expert on your gun (and .22's, I suspect).
 
Maybe it is a dimensional deal, but...

Is your extractor freely-moving and has a clean edge -
no crud, no wear (blunting/peening)?

Come to think of it, is the extractor notch in the chamber
clean as a hound's tooth, and no mysterious peening
on the edges that could bind it?

(I normally hate to go here, but) you could replace it with an
aftermarket (Volquartsen) extractor.

"Hate to go here", because I've seen people talk about running out
and replacing all the tidbits in their gun with no rationale -
no statement of the problem to be solved.

On the other hand, this thread I just whiffread makes good arguments
for (eventually) getting a Volquartsen:

RugerForum.net: Difference in OEM and Volquartsen extractor?

It is conceivable that this upgrade is Right For You.

But between you and me, you're the expert on your gun (and .22's, I suspect).

The gun has less then 1K of rounds through it. Sometimes I have to use the tip of a pocket knife to pry the case out and twice had to use a cleaning rod. This was the case with Winchester bulk pack and even EK Match ammo. The Federal Bulk pack extracted just fine.

So while normally I would absolutely blame the extractor, this is the chamber. As a custom shop rifle, I believe the bolt is enhanced and has a better extractor. But I could be wrong. I do have a spare KIDD Extractor someplace I could swap out for.

My other older 10/22 eats pretty much anything.

This is from the Ruger Site

Proprietary, enhanced semi-auto chamber proven to increase accuracy and precision while not compromising reliable feeding and extraction.

 
Sounds like they are using their own normal extractor. Swap it and see.

Does the rifle perform more reliably with HV than SV ammo or the other way around? My experience with a match chamber 10/22 was the geometry of the extractor affected how it would extract the higher-energy rounds' brass, and the HV stuff was the stuff with the problems. The SV rounds simply didn't deform as much. A VQ extractor did the trick.
 
So while normally I would absolutely blame the extractor, this is the chamber. As a custom shop rifle, I believe the bolt is enhanced and has a better extractor. But I could be wrong. ...
This is from the Ruger Site

Proprietary, enhanced semi-auto chamber proven to increase accuracy and precision while not compromising reliable feeding and extraction.

https://www.ruger.com/micros/customShop/31127.html
(Pardon for not paying attention to that angle).

An on-topic discussion with inconclusive results:

RimfireCentral.com: Fail to fire/extract

(Note: if half the commenters say one thing, and half the other,
I'm not gonna pretend there's a lead-pipe cinch panacea in there for you).


A member of the polish-American community finds lead shaved off the bullets,
and polishes lots of stuff:

RimfireCentral.com: New Custom Competition

Another folk theory they've got is to disassemble their rotary magazines,
and reduce the preload on the torsion spring.
If you can count and you're meticulous, at least that's a reversible hack.

But, lots of the standard QC whinging in that thread,
don't click until you brace yourself to avoid buyer's remorse.


Did the failures to extract occur pretty much from the very beginning,
or did they become more frequent over time? Ramping up implies
a crud problem, or a wear problem that appeared scandalously quickly.
OTOH, steady-state lends credence to the dimensions of that specific rifle.

Also (and pardon if you already said), does it extract unfired rounds
from the problematic ammo lots significantly more reliably?
That also lends credence to the cases bulging just enough.

If you haven't tried that, maybe remove the firing pin
(so you don't have a Living Room Pop) and then spend
some time racking a few mags of live ammo through the action
and keep tally of the extraction failures (if any).
(Don't let a half-ejected round get crunched by the bolt - zing!).
 
Well lets look at what a CCI mini mag is
36 gn copper plated bullet with a velocity of 1250 fps
There are other manufacturers with 36 gn 1250 fps

Depending on your pistol of choice and what you expect from your ammo will dictate what you buy for ammo.
Right now in this current ammo supply or lack of your going to have to buy what you like.

as for Eley , they make great ammo even thier bulk stuff is very good.

With my S&W model 41 it likes most sub sonic 22lr. I actual get my best accuracy with subsonics out of rifles and pistols.
Hollow points do not feed well in my 41.

if you have been happy with mini mags stick with them.

Sadly most 22s made these days cant cycle plain old 40gn 1050-1080 fps ammo?

I think ruger needs 1200 fps plus to even have a chance to function.
For your choices the cheapest ammo that functions is a good start.
Qc is important too... the 2 brands you mention do a good job qcing their ammo which is a big reason it runs

Golden bullet is spec'd for 36 grains and 1280 fps actually. But the qc is terrible... I've seen bullets way out of spec... that were misformed pressed and bent the case... cci does a good job of getting rid of the crap rounds.

And I believe ccis run a little cleaner but that could be perception
 
My 10/22 with issues is a custom shop one with a tight chamber.

Only fired rounds get stuck. And with bulk pack or even match ammo.

What I notice on a lot of my .22’s is the manufactures vary enough to be finicky in one gun vs the other.
Any idea what chamber , theres got to be 20 or so. Some are very ammo specific.
Have you checked headspace. Sometimes head space is a little sloppy and variations in case rim thickness and dia. Can cause extractors not to latch on well
 
(Pardon for not paying attention to that angle).

An on-topic discussion with inconclusive results:

RimfireCentral.com: Fail to fire/extract

(Note: if half the commenters say one thing, and half the other,
I'm not gonna pretend there's a lead-pipe cinch panacea in there for you).


A member of the polish-American community finds lead shaved off the bullets,
and polishes lots of stuff:

RimfireCentral.com: New Custom Competition

Another folk theory they've got is to disassemble their rotary magazines,
and reduce the preload on the torsion spring.
If you can count and you're meticulous, at least that's a reversible hack.

But, lots of the standard QC whinging in that thread,
don't click until you brace yourself to avoid buyer's remorse.


Did the failures to extract occur pretty much from the very beginning,
or did they become more frequent over time? Ramping up implies
a crud problem, or a wear problem that appeared scandalously quickly.
OTOH, steady-state lends credence to the dimensions of that specific rifle.

Also (and pardon if you already said), does it extract unfired rounds
from the problematic ammo lots significantly more reliably?
That also lends credence to the cases bulging just enough.

If you haven't tried that, maybe remove the firing pin
(so you don't have a Living Room Pop) and then spend
some time racking a few mags of live ammo through the action
and keep tally of the extraction failures (if any).
(Don't let a half-ejected round get crunched by the bolt - zing!).

I bought it, did a quick sight in at the range, maybe 50 rounds then went directly to an Appleseed (Winter Seed, got my patch and qualified with my AR also) with it. About 400-450 rounds (SK Match, not EK as I said above) through it over 2 days, Had 3-4 FTE's, one as mentioned required using a cleaning rod. I think after day one, I did give it a clean it that night.

I have a bunch of Bulk .22 and some better stuff. The Winchester is just horrible. As it was hanging up every 1-3 rounds. I tried my buddy's federal .22 and no issues. When I had issues, the round was definitely stuck. Sometimes I could get it out with my finger nail, a few with a knife.

I don't have any failures to feed or fire. So I'm blaming the chamber. I do think an extractor change will help. At least a stronger spring as I can see the extractor ride the rim. I'll check the current extractor next time I clean it.
Any idea what chamber , theres got to be 20 or so. Some are very ammo specific.
Have you checked headspace. Sometimes head space is a little sloppy and variations in case rim thickness and dia. Can cause extractors not to latch on well

According to Ruger it's Proprietary . So no clue, could be one of the better one or just their own version.

(Proprietary, enhanced semi-auto chamber proven to increase accuracy and precision while not compromising reliable feeding and extraction.)

They say not to use stingers as they are too long. So I assume they really are using something that is more geared to match ammo.
 
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