Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires CCI Mini-Mag accuracy?

I haven't had wildly spectacular results with that one. With the HV HP mini-mag it's a different story. Across 40-ish .22s I've accuracy tested comparing different loads, the CCI mini mag hp has fallen in the top 3 every time that I can remember. The other two top three finishers vary a lot gun to gun. I've had good results with pretty nearly everything from Remington Subsonics to Yellowjackets to WW Wildcat to Eley tenex match .. but generally more guns don't do well with any given one of those loads than do well with it. The mini-mag HP just plain works.

It is still worth testing loads in every new gun rather than assume that's the thing to feed them because sometimes it's a pretty big difference between #1 and #2 in final standings in a given gun. For instance, 2 of my current .22s like that load but they like the WW power point HP even more, not a lot more, but more.

I find that .22 rifles and 12 gauge slug guns are individuals..
You can say "generally" this or that does well. But you really need to try different ammo.
Try to find someone that will give you 10-20 rounds to try in your gun.

I bought some, but haven't tested on paper. The segmented 40gr hollow point version Mini-Mag's. Anyone try them for accuracy out of your hunting rifles or handguns.

Note: They work well on steel flippers. That's all I've used them for to date.

Another example of Mini-Mag HP precision:



That’s five at fifty yards.

If we had a "like" button, I'd hit it for exchipy's post above! That's a nice outfit and fine shooting!

Thank you, sir. That’s an amazing Savage 24, using a particularly good lot of CCI Mini-Mag HPs.

They’re always accurate rounds, but not always quite that tight.

For killing squirrels and other vermin, I agree. However, I see other things differently because I don't like wasting money. I see the CCI mini mags as excessively expensive for mediocre shooting ammo, and not really a "target" bullet. If I were going to be shooting targets, I spend my money on target ammo. Just plinking and having fun, I'll run cheap azzed bulk ammo, which has worked well even for informal target practice with friends. I've shot 10 shot group after 10 shot group with cheaper ammo, Federal bulk mostly and it is a lot less expensive than CCI mini mags. It's been very consistent shooting in my rifles, so I keep using it. In actual rimfire matches, I'll run target ammo to have an edge. Hollow point mini mags work great for killing things like jackrabbits and squirrels. Like you said, they are "accurate enough" for that application. I know, some guys can post ragged hole 5 shout groups with CCI mini mags. And then I think to myself, "what a waste". I can do that with Federal automatch and I shoot 10 shot groups. Its your money, though, use it how you like..

I have the same results with CCI Mini mags as I have with the new Winchester Power Points. They work okay, but not what I would shoot in a competitive situation. For squirrels, jack rabbits, and other field pursuits they are okay but with the pricing these days I can usually find better ammo for the same or better price if I'm patient and shop around.

I really want my rimfires to hit precisely where I look with the best available bullet for the job at hand. Frequently, but certainly not always, CCI Mini-Mags will be my choice. For instance, as well as Mini-Mags shoot in that Sav. 24, I recently switched it over to CCI SGBs to get 40 grains and deeper penetration, with quite reasonable precision and excellent terminal effect with their flat point, on some of the larger, pesky varmints around my place.

While I ain’t exactly rolling in money, cost is never as important to me as having the best gun (which is not necessarily the most expensive) and round for the job. If I can’t afford it, I must simply wait until I can.

I will concur with most folks here, they're great hunting ammo, but surely not target ammo.

I have several .22 rifles that actually shoot Aguila 38gr. Super Extra Hollow Points better, but it's so close that it matters not even a little bit for squirrel hunting.

I bought several cases of the Aguila ammo a few years ago, and I'm still shooting it up. I like it a little better than MiniMags, but I'd probably be just as happy with the CCIs as the Aguilas if the situation was reversed.

Funny you should mention it. I hunt with it. I took my little Marlin 60 out today to the range and had my first CCI Mini Mag dud ever. Otherwise, out of my Marlin 60 and Browning BL-22, it will make one hole at 25 yards, and with the scoped Marlin, a ragged single hole at 50. It's good stuff.

I also like CCI Stingers but to me they are too destructive on squirrels.

You just never know. My 10-22 at 50.

I like CCI SV's and Federal AutoMatch is great bulk ammo. Shoots excellent in my guns.

Nice...

Just found this somewhat older thread. I had a Model 24 50 years ago (.22LR/20 ga) and with a very cheap rimfire scope on board, it would shoot groups like the one above. Even though the trigger was atrocious. I felt that the scope mounted directly to the barrel had something to do with that (a .22 Winchester Pump with scope mounted to the receiver shot better with the iron sights than with the scope - I thought at the time the barrel/receiver interface wasn't all that solid). Maybe the .22 barrel being brazed full length to a shotgun barrel made it very stiff. Whatever the reason, that Savage was a tack driver.

The more I shoot .22s, the more I see that there is so much inconsistency in it that it gets very frustrating trying to secure a supply of good, accurate ammo for a particular purpose.

A few years ago, I gave a sample box of RWS SSHP ammo to a range pal. That ammo had delivered really stellar accuracy in the CZ 453 I was shooting at the time. He got all enthused about it after trying it in his rifle and bought a case. That lot was nowhere near as accurate as the box I gave him, and he was kinda bummed about the cost.

Just a couple weeks ago, I was shooting some SK RM in my CZ MTR and had it zeroed and the zero-stop set. Grabbed another box and the POI shifted about an inch. Checked the lot#s and yup, they were different. Crap! I know suppliers like Killough let you buy some ammo by lot #, but I’m not sure that all that trouble of testing and jumping on a certain batch comes under the heading of “fun”. Seems like I have more control and less aggravation when I load my own CF stuff.

Anyway, with “hunting” ammo like Mini Mags, or plain-grade target ammo like SV, maybe because the expectations aren’t so high, I can just shoot and enjoy it instead of obsessing over group size. Whatever else that can be said about CCI stuff, it generally goes bang.

A lot of good info in this thread from some serious RF shooters. Consistent with my experience, CCI Mini-Mag leads the list for reliability, but mileage may vary when it comes to accuracy. IIRC, some gun companies use it to test guns sent in for repair.

I'm like BSA1917 in that I use mid-level match ammo for club level competition, and the best I can find for the bigger matches like regional or state championships. For shorter ranges and most pistol shooting I haven't found better value than CCI Blazer. My son, who is a very serious and uncompromising shooter, recently tested various ammo in a newly acquired Marlin 39A and found that Blazer was the most accurate, and hands-down the best value.

All of that said, you really have to do careful testing with a particular firearm. All the foregoing is generality.

Added: Inconsistency across lots can drive you crazy. I recall when shooting matches out to 200 yards some 20 years ago certain lots of Federal Lightning shot extremely well. There was a time when Automatch was predictably good. These days I don't have much confidence in any Federal rimfire ammo, but you never really know without serious testing.

I always liked minimags...for a higher velocity round. there hard to beat. I guess roughly out of 2000 rounds i never had a ftf. I get 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch groups out of my kimbers n others.

I like mini mags hps to hunt with. They will hit a squirrel head every time at 50 yards if I do my part.

Both the 40 gr RN and 37 gr hp high vel. have given acceptably good accuracy over the years in 22s I've owned. Some shot the HPs better, some the RNs but there wasn't much difference in either one from one rifle to another. There would be a little difference in POI but they grouped pretty similar in my rifles. The standard velocity 40 gr Target CCI has been more accurate for me overall than the High Vel ammo.

Seems like the CCI High Vel ammo shoot a little cleaner and function more reliably in my semi-autos.

A friend of mine in Virginia that hunts tree squirrels, head shots only, likes the std velocity Target CCIs for that.