What Is The Difference?

Fellas,

I shoot CCI SV 40 gr. LRN #0032 exclusively, for practice, matches, and just shooting for groups, through my Bullseye pistol.  

I visited CCI's website this evening and found that they have three different brands/loads of .22 LR that are all 40 gr. LRN with the same velocity.  The Standard Velocity, the Green Tag, and the Pistol Match.  Are the Green Tag loads and Pistol Match loads just manufactured to higher tolerances (rim thickness, powder charge), or are there other substantial differences?

I have fired over 1000 rounds of SV over the last 3 months and EVERY round is consistent.  No failures to feed, extract, eject, or fire.  No stovepipes, jams, nose dives, etc.  The report and recoil on the SV ammo (read seem to all be loaded uniformly) is 100% consistent as well, and I can shoot groups <1.5" at 25 yards from the bench.  I can't see how they can really improve much on the SV load.  Any input?


CCI Standard Velocity #0032

CCI Green Tag #0033

CCI Pistol Match #0051

Thanks!

I have shot my best scores with the "cheaper" paper box CCI Std vel with my S&W model 41.  I am generally a high 280 to low 290 shooter with that gun and ammo.

Personally, I cannot tell the difference in the ammo by my scores so I don't bother with the higher priced stuff.  

I will say there is one problem I run into that I have not paid much attention to and that is the wax buildup inside my magazines. It builds up where the nose of the bullet would be in the magazine.  We all know CCI uses a lot of wax on the bullets and that is obviously where it comes from.  However, I only noticed that problem within the last year or so of shooting the paper box ammo.

Chris

This has been discussed many times, here is the short version. CCI builds 2 kinds of SV 40 gr. 22 LR. The first is their premium, it is held to a higher standard, with several kinds of testing, function, accuracy and consistency from lot to lot. After testing the premium ammo is separated into 3 groups, best lots are sold as pistol match, second is sold as green tag third is sold as plastic box. The 2nd and cheapest, blue paper box stuff is built with the same bullet and case but loaded with what is called bulk powder, its powder that they get at a discount from the manufacturer. There is also only one test for paper box which is function. All of it shoots good, but the better stuff will have better overall accuracy and consistency shot to shot. Now that's not to say you cant get a good lot of paper box, many have good results with it. Rather than question this, simply break open a paperbox round and any of the other and you can see very easily the powder is different.

Thanks guys!

Talk about ironic.  I go out today to practice and found an entire CCI SV 50 round box of under charged ammo.  Had to manually cycle the gun and the hits were ending up everywhere.

50 rounds tells me it's the paper box ammo.  The quality control for this ammo is poor at best
I was burned once, never again.

Dave C.

Dave,  Yes, it was a paper box.  Out of at least 1000 rounds of this stuff, this is the first issue I've had with it.  Went out today and shot another two boxes with no issues at all.

Over the past several years I have shot a case and a half (7,500 rounds) of blue, paper box (50 rounds/box) CCI SV ammo in my S&W M41 and have never, I say again, never, had the first malfunction of any type.  Zero, zip, nada.

CCI paper box was designed to be cheap to compete with other brands at big box stores like Dicks and walmart, it is only lot tested for function, if it goes bang it gets boxed. To me the time and money i invest in my hobby has no place for things that are inferior just to save a buck or two on a box of 22.you  dont have to shoot tennex but find the cheapest brand that delivers accuracy, function and consistency. I found that with cheap eley sport or aguila sv, both work for me and are about the same cost as paper box cci.