Cutting Edge .22LR bullets

[MoondogIndustries]

https://youtu.be/8jdB5QVE7Zo

I saw photos of these pointy spitzer-style bullets last year and they looked pretty wicked, but I wondered if these were some gimmick or just experimental? Regardless, I'm sure many of us thought, I'd give it a try if could get my hands on some?

These bullet were first shown off at Shot Show 2020 but due to the pandemic shutting down the show in 2021, I hadn’t seen or heard about them until I saw Josh of Pursuit of Accuracy posted a video about them. His initial tests seemed positive but he wasn’t convinced that their performance were worth the cost.

I got a chance to visit the Cutting Edge booth and learn a bit more. They only bullets and not as boxed cartridge ammo so strictly for Loaders/Reloaders. And given the unusual nature and barrel requirements, probably strictly for competition .22LR loaders.

Still I'm curious if anybody has bought this kit or have had a chance to load and fire them? So far it's been second-hand word-of-mouth about their performance. They recommend a 1:10 or faster twist for the 42gr and 50gr bullets. Which leads to my next question, who makes a 1:10 or 1:7 twist after-market RPR or CZ 457 barrel?

::Originally published on my blog www.moondogindustries.com::

[acourvil]

I have developed loads for the 32gn CE bullets in a traditional 1:16 barrel with decent results. They are an order of magnitude better than the commercially available copper .22LR ammo.

I plan to do some work on the 42 and 50gn bullets, but it took a long time to get the fast twist barrels and I am just at the point of starting to work with the heavier bullets.

You can get fast twist 22LR barrels from Lilja and Bartlein (although there is a long lead time for anything from Bartlein). I think Lilja might even do the chambering for the CZ (not sure about that). I have a Lilja 1:9 and a Bartlein 1:6 barrel. So far, I have only shot traditional .22LR match ammo out of the Lilja barrel. I hope to build a rifle with the Bartlein barrel to test the CE 50gn bullets in the next week or so.

[MoondogIndustries]

acourvil, are you testing at 100yrds or at longer ranges?

[acourvil]

For the 32gn, I tested mainly 50 and 100. I am about 1MOA at 50 and 1-1/2 MOA at 100. I have shot some poppers out a bot further, but for the 32gn bullets. I think 100yds is about right, I expect the heavier bullets to do well further out, but have not started that yet.

[shooterx10]

I got the pillbox of the 32 grain 22lr. I loaded them with 2.20 grains of WSF. This is below the max load. I then shot them through rifles with a 1:16 twist. One was a semi auto, the other was a bolt action. The groups were not great at 50 yards.

These Cutting Edge bullets were not as good as factory CCI 40grain mini mags through both guns. If the bullets were 40 grains, I wonder if that would have made a difference.

Kind of disappointing. I might have to try a different powder. Or regulate these for steel or rimfire challenge only.

[acourvil]

Try a different powder. I settled on a load with Longshot; also had o.k. results with VV 3N37. I’ve heard good things about VV N350, but haven’t tried t with the 32gn pills. Do you think you have consistent neck tension? That can make a difference. There are a lot of variables, but i think you should be able to develop a load that at least gets you to the same ballpark as mini mags.

Copper is lighter than lead, so making a 40gn copper bullet makes it too long for a standard 22LR magazine and chamber (or at least too long for a match chamber).