What bulk ammo to use?

[sigfan91]

What's a good bulk ammo right now for semi-autos? I have some Federal Champion bulk (525 pack) and Federal Value (550 pack) left over from 2017ish and they work very well in my Ruger LCP2. Remington Golden Bullet from that time don't work too well. Winchester M22 fail to cycle multiple 22 semi auto pistols I have. Aguila Super Extra 40gr, not even bulk pack, don't work well.

I have some Armscor 36gr bulk ammo from before and after the pandemic and they work in most of my semi autos. CCI MiniMag of course is the gold standard.

I did some research and it seems like Federal Champion bulk ammo right now is crap. At the same time Aguila Super Extra got better over the last few years. Winchester rimfire is still crap. Remington might be hit and miss, but I plan to avoid them.

What do you guys use and what bulk ammo would you recommend for semi auto use right now?

[oscfifteen]

PMC; only have run their 9mm and 5.56/55 & 62 grain variants. South Korean I believe, so you know they are on top of their game right now.

[Grendel Guy]

Various. All purchased before bullet registration was implemented.

[Teachu2]

CCI MiniMag of course is the gold standard.

You said it all right there.

[bigbossman]

Federal Auto Match

[sigfan91]

Federal Auto Match

I heard good things about it, but I am worried about the bare lead bullets because I shoot at an indoor range. I would jump on these if Federal used plated bullets.

[sigfan91]

Various. All purchased before bullet registration was implemented.

Yeah, a lot of mine were bought before that bull crap went into effect. But now I will have to replenish the supply. Imagine my surprise when I read some reviews on YouTube stating Federal Champ bulk Ammo has gone downhill in quality over the last few years.

[jarhead714]

Copper plated, round nose.

[bigbossman]

I heard good things about it, but I am worried about the bare lead bullets because I shoot at an indoor range. I would jump on these if Federal used plated bullets.

I use them for indoor bullseye league. They pound the 10-X ring on the regular, out of my Browning Buckmark.

[sigfan91]

I use them for indoor bullseye league. They pound the 10-X ring on the regular, out of my Browning Buckmark.

Do you get lead fouling problems in the barrel or chamber? Will bare lead bullets cause more fouling in revolvers than plated bullets?

[hermosabeach]

Cleaning... I had a 10/22 hiccup... I had been really lazy on cleaning and would normally just use a carb cleaner on powder... Turns out my extractor broke... it would still fire 30-50 rounds and self extract with blowback...

If you are having cycling issues, has the firearm been deeply cleaned? Load and eject a few rounds... are the bullets marred? If yes- whats causing the issue.

I have not purchased bulk 22 in a very long time... the rugers runs everything.. some other hand guns require a copper clad projectile

[echo1]

.. the rugers runs everything.. some other hand guns require a copper clad projectile

My '70s era 10/22 is like an SKS in that regards. In changing ammo, after the first shot that's the new POI, PAX

[sigfan91]

Cleaning... I had a 10/22 hiccup... I had been really lazy on cleaning and would normally just use a carb cleaner on powder... Turns out my extractor broke... it would still fire 30-50 rounds and self extract with blowback...

If you are having cycling issues, has the firearm been deeply cleaned? Load and eject a few rounds... are the bullets marred? If yes- whats causing the issue.

I have not purchased bulk 22 in a very long time... the rugers runs everything.. some other hand guns require a copper clad projectile

I have a few guns that need powerful HV to cycle. Some HV don't work, even the stuff that's advertised to run semi autos.

So far, I have found that Winchester M22 (actually all Winchester), Aguila Super Extra, Remington Golden Bullet, CCI Blazer, all have problems cycling some of my semi-auto pistols. All these ammo were from 2017, before the ammo shipping restriction came into effect.

The failure to cycle usually consists of stovepiping, case caught between the slide and the chamber edge (like stovepiping, but length wise rather than vertical), incomplete feeding (empty case ejected, but slide never picked up a new round). I have deep cleaned the gun. Any more and I will have to knock out all the pins and disassemble them down to the frame.

Armscor work surprisingly well in these pistols. CCM MiniMag works in everything.

The problem is I have noticed 40gr MiniMag is all but gone until the next run. I hope CCI will make more. Armscor is running low. Aguila Super Extra is all but gone (I heard new production is much better than the stuff from 9 years ago). I gotta locate another source to feed my habit 😆

bigbossman here said Federal Automatch is good, and I've read the same on internet. So I will give that a try. Another one to try is Remington Thunderbolt. I have had mixed results in the past with Remington, but saw some good reviews on youtube on the new production.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

I have a few guns that need powerful HV to cycle. Some HV don't work, even the stuff that's advertised to run semi autos.

So far, I have found that Winchester M22 (actually all Winchester), Aguila Super Extra, Remington Golden Bullet, CCI Blazer, all have problems cycling some of my semi-auto pistols. All these ammo were from 2017, before the ammo shipping restriction came into effect.

The failure to cycle usually consists of stovepiping, case caught between the slide and the chamber edge (like stovepiping, but length wise rather than vertical), incomplete feeding (empty case ejected, but slide never picked up a new round). I have deep cleaned the gun. Any more and I will have to knock out all the pins and disassemble them down to the frame.

Armscor work surprisingly well in these pistols. CCM MiniMag works in everything.

The problem is I have noticed 40gr MiniMag is all but gone until the next run. I hope CCI will make more. Armscor is running low. Aguila Super Extra is all but gone (I heard new production is much better than the stuff from 9 years ago). I gotta locate another source to feed my habit 😆

bigbossman here said Federal Automatch is good, and I've read the same on internet. So I will give that a try. Another one to try is Remington Thunderbolt. I have had mixed results in the past with Remington, but saw some good reviews on youtube on the new production.

You just touched on the nub of it.

When it comes to rimfire ammo, it's about what works in YOUR gun, not necessarily what is considered 'good' generally. That even applies when two firearms are taken off the assembly line right next to each other, where one will work well enough with a specific brand/batch of ammo and the other won't. I've even had semi-auto firearms where MiniMags wouldn't cycle the action.

Unfortunately, that means trying it in your firearm, then stocking up if it's available in bulk.

[bigbossman]

Do you get lead fouling problems in the barrel or chamber? Will bare lead bullets cause more fouling in revolvers than plated bullets?

If I do, it's not so I'd notice it. I clean the gun twice a year, whether it needs it or not.

The breech face and bolt face do get sooted/carboned up, and require an occasional quick pass with a bronze brush. but I generally don't punch the bore during a 5 week league stretch, to include a couple weeks practice before hand. That is literally hundreds of rounds with no perceptible drop in accuracy or function.

If you're worried about leading, you can try CCI Standard Velocity ammo - it is lubed, and also very accurate. Around here, it is $40 a brick.