why do picky .22lr guns prefer CCI minimags?

[Eta-Carinae]

You read about various finicky .22lr pistols and auto-loading rifles and invariably if a design is picky about ammunition or a particular unit is unusually picky about ammunition, the only thing it does well on is CCI Minimag.

What is it about this ammunition that makes it play well with firearms that don't like other .22lr ammo.

Jacketing? Powder load? Different casing? Wax/lack-of-wax? Shape?

 

[atilla]

so far i've noticed that when compared to the other .22s i have that the mini-mags have a more complete jacket and i'd bet that this was the reason the fed better.

all the other .22s i currently have are sold as hollow points while the mini-mags are not.

 

[Manomet]

I believe it is the wax or lack of. I was going to try and clean the wax off some remingtons and see but have not got that far yet.

 

[FPrice]

I thought that it was the extra power (more oomph) that seems to help picky guns cycle better. Maybe it's a combination of everything mentioned so far?

 

[MassMark]

This comes as more opinion, than anything factual, (though I suppose I could do some research). I think CCI's success is due in large part that they specialize in .22LR ammunition. Sure, they make other loadings, but their bread and butter is .22LR. I find them to be just perfectly made .22's and though my Ruger .22's gobble up anything, I find myself preferring to spend the extra money on CCI. I just find it consistently hotter and more accurate ammo than standard "bulk-pack fodder".... I also am of the opinion that if one possesses a .22 that is "finicky", then one posses a .22 that needs to be gotten rid of...A gun should just work - period.

 

[JohnFH]

When I picked up my Ruger MKIII, I tested lots of ammo, shooting for score I wanted the most consistant, accurate ammo I could find.

The one variable I found that seemed to make the biggest difference was velocity, anything under 1200fps would group poorly and not really feed well. The best so far has been the American Eagle 40 gr 22 lr HV(the Federal Cheapy stuff) listed in the 1320 range, although I haven't chronoed the round.

And it even out performs the CCI, I think the velocities are about the same, with the difference being in the lead vs coated bullet.

 

[swampy]

The mini mag has more punch to it so it works its way through a fussy gun. The mini mag solid point and aguila SSS are the only .22s that reliably cycle my adorable Jennings .22 Brady Bill special ( I bought it in protest when the brady bill passed). It is a fussy little gun. Cleaned and lubed or dirty and dry or anything in between it'll only eat mini mags or SSS from the magazine. It is surprisingly accurate at 25 feet though for a $60 paperweight.