Bulk CPHP ammo for M&P 22?

[Lancer X]

Hi all - new M&P owner here. (You can probably tell by all the posts...)

Any recommendations on bulk copper plated hollow point ammo that shoots well in this pistol?

I bought one 535-box of Winchester, but I'm getting a lot of failures to eject (at least one per magazine), some failures to feed, and some stovepipes. Usually about 2-3 failures per magazine.

CCI works very well, but it's a little more costly.

 

[formula11]

I just got a M&P22 also and ran a box of CCI AR tactical through it no feed or ejection problems just two dud's out of a box of 375 at $25-27 a box its not the cheapest but it works

 

[jsalas2]

jsalas2

I used the CCI bulk Blazer ammo in my M&P22 and it is more powerful than the other bulk ammo and should work fine to break in your gun. It is not copper plated, but can be used to break in the gun. What I didn't like about it is it left my gun dirtier than the other ammo, but no big deal, just a little more cleaning, which is why I didn't stick with it. but it worked great as far as no fte and ftf. I started with Federal bulk, then Blazer which was best for breaking in the gun and now use the Winchester 333 pack which works great and is the most economical of the bulk ammo. Walmart $9.97 bx. For me it took about 2000rds to break in the gun, others have used less and some more and some none, but it eventually will get broken in and you will find out what it likes. I've only had it since July and I'm going on over 7000rd and it just gets better and better. Cheap and fun.

 

[USMCGrunt]

I broke mine in with 200 rounds of mini-mags and ever since then it's been a problem free diet of Wal-Mart Remington Gold Bullet bulk packs.

 

[Laird]

I had similar experience with my M&P22. The failure rate on the Winchesters was too aggravating to try again. I went through 3 boxes of CCI Blazers with maybe 5 total FTFs (they all fired on second strike) and no FTL/FTE. I went through 2 boxes of Federal 745 (36gr cphp) with just 1 FTF and no FTL/FTE. After that I bought a case of the Federal... Aside from the occasional first-time FTF (less than 1 out of 100) it has been very reliable.

The feel of the CCI Blazer is a slower, more distributed burn. The Federal has a faster, snappy burn. Personally I find it easier to recover my aim with the Federal, but it's definitely a personal preference thing. My 22 rifle prefers the Blazers, so I'll probably be buying both for a long time.

 

[NineBear]

I have had good luck with several types of ammo, CCI, Federal and Win white box. I use a tip from another poster on this site.....
1 drop of gun oil on the first round in the magazine every 3 mags or so. Seems like I have to keep the ramp and feed internals well lubricated during range firing. This .22 ammo sure is dirty inside and out.

 

[Lancer X]

Cool, thanks guys. My pistol is very new (400-500 rds), so break-in may make it a little more ammo tolerant. I can tell you that the (well worn) rental at the local range/store was very reliable - boxes of Mini Mags through that thing with no issues, and the trigger was really nice.

Will try a box of Federal 745 and see how it does. Hopefully, my son's Savage bolt action likes this Winchester stuff...

Out of curiosity, I looked up the 100-yard manufacturer specs on the different ammo being discussed:

Winchester 555 - 975 fps and 76 ft lbs
CCI MiniMag HP - 1003 fps and 80 ft lbs
Federal 745 - 1003 fps and 80 ft lbs
Remington Golden Bullet - 1010 fps and 82 ft lbs
CCI Blazers - 1026 fps and 93 ft lbs​

(Note that all these specs are 36gr CPHP except the Blazers, which are 40gr round nose)

If the Winchester has a few percent less energy on average than the rest, that could account for our trouble.

Also, perhaps the Blazers seem to be more dirty simply because they are not jacketed and contain more powder?

 

[Linejudgemick]

I have an SR22P and with bulk ammo, have the best luck with the Remington Golden Bullet. Only two fail to fires in a couple thousand rounds. Federal is ok, but I have intermittent FTL, where the round fires, ejects, but the slide doesn't cycle far enough to pick up a new round. Winchester does it more often than the rest. CCI is good ammo, but not as inexpensive.

My brother has the Sig 22 and he was about ready to throw it in the river shooting Winchester. I showed him the RGB and it has been very consistent for him too.

 

[formula11]

Lancer X I think that muzzle specs. not 100-yard specs. should be used to compare rounds for cycling problems but I could be wrong

 

[jnmarshall]

I use the bulk Federal from wallymart, it's like $15 for 500+ rounds. Been thru two boxes in the past month and not a single failure.

 

[etxcav8]

My M&P22 really likes the Winchester M22 ammo in accuracy and reliability. I've bench rested it with different ammo and M22 performed the best.

 

[Lancer X]

Lancer X I think that muzzle specs. not 100-yard specs. should be used to compare rounds for cycling problems but I could be wrong

The muzzle numbers were all very similar, but I just happened to notice that the Win 100yd numbers were lower than the CCI. And then I looked at the rest, and they followed the same trend. I am not claiming that my conclusion is correct - but the data is compelling.

BTW, 300 rounds of CCI Mini Mag tonight - flawless.