CCI Stingers in semi-autos

[ADash]

I fired a couple of CCI Stingers in an Iver Johnson tiny semi-auto, which is similar in size and looks to the Walther TPH .22 LR. I saw smoke coming out of the bottom of the magazine well, and my right hand had black smudge and blood on it! The brass had split, and a tiny piece was embedded in my index finger.

It took weeks for that brass splinter to re-emerge to the surface of my finger for removal.
I had fired all kinds of other .22 ammo before and since, without any problems, including the high power variety. I sent samples of the empty cases and loaded ammo to CCI, but they couldn't figure it out.

I finally figured it out myself by measuring case length and chamber length. The Stinger brass is slightly longer than standard .22 LR, and some semi-autos have tight short chambers. So, the combination of these two causes a jamming, which leads to very high pressure. I later heard about this danger in other .22 LR semi-autos,especially the European pistols, such as Walthers.

This problem does not occur in my rifles, but it is possible in a Match Rifle with a Match chamber, which is tighter than a regular one.

By the way, the tight chamber of my Iver Johnson was probably the reason it was so accurate with standard .22 LR. I had amazingly small groups at 25 yards, better than my S&W 4-inch Kit Gun (Mod 34), but the sights are primitive. I only bought it for ease of concealment, because it was tiny. I think it has been out of production for years.

 

[ADash]

I fired a couple of CCI Stingers in an Iver Johnson tiny semi-auto, which is similar in size and looks to the Walther TPH .22 LR. I saw smoke coming out of the bottom of the magazine well, and my right hand had black smudge and blood on it! The brass had split, and a tiny piece was embedded in my index finger.

It took weeks for that brass splinter to re-emerge to the surface of my finger for removal.
I had fired all kinds of other .22 ammo before and since, without any problems, including the high power variety. I sent samples of the empty cases and loaded ammo to CCI, but they couldn't figure it out.

I finally figured it out myself by measuring case length and chamber length. The Stinger brass is slightly longer than standard .22 LR, and some semi-autos have tight short chambers. So, the combination of these two causes a jamming, which leads to very high pressure. I later heard about this danger in other .22 LR semi-autos,especially the European pistols, such as Walthers.

This problem does not occur in my rifles, but it is possible in a Match Rifle with a Match chamber, which is tighter than a regular one.

By the way, the tight chamber of my Iver Johnson was probably the reason it was so accurate with standard .22 LR. I had amazingly small groups at 25 yards, better than my S&W 4-inch Kit Gun (Mod 34), but the sights are primitive. I only bought it for ease of concealment, because it was tiny. I think it has been out of production for years.

 

[stiab]

The Stingers are longer, no doubt, that is why I shoot them only in revolvers. They will not function in many Ruger 10-22's.

 

[Andy Taylor]

They function better than anything else in my Beretta 21A.
I will be looking at the legnth when I get home though.

 

[Noah Zark]

Back in the day, I had a Llama XV .22, one of those "shrunken 1911" looking guns and made the mistake of firing Stingers in it. About the fifth shot the extractor launched itself, and it took about five months for Stoeger to send two new extractors and springs.

I sold that gun to a co-worker and admonished him NOT to fire Stingers in the gun. About six weeks after the transaction, here he comes with the Llama one day, saying the extractor blew out and could I install the one extractor and spring he still had? I asked him what he was firing in the Llama.

"CCI Stingers."



You can build the trough and fill it with water, but after that, you don't have any control . . .

Noah

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I shoot a lot of CCI Velocitor ammo, I like the 40gr bullet better than the 32gr bullet in the Stinger ammo. Does anyone know if the same problem can occur with the Velocitor rounds as did with the Stingers?

 

[steveno]

I use the CCI velocitors in my Manurhin PPK/s and they work real well. they chronograph at just a little bit over 1,000 fps out of the 3.25 inch barrel. the velocitor use a standard length long rifle case so I wouldn't expect them to be a problem in any gun.

 

[Swabby]

I agree on the longer case length being a problem with some autos. About 15 years ago, I had an S&W 422 with a 4 1/2" barrel. I carried it when fishing, hiking and backpacking. I carried CCI Stingers in it and it functioned fine. I did not shoot very many of them, however, using mostly less expensive ammo for plinking. I guess it's best to stay away from them with anything semi-auto. There's a lot of other choices on the market.

 

[BobsSmith]

I just stay away from Stingers. Never had shot well in any .22 I have had, rifle, revolver, or pistol. I just fire regular Long Rifle ammo.

Best

Bob

 

[ADash]

Just to clarify: CCI Stingers are NOT really loaded hotter than other high velocity .22 ammo. The reason for these problems in semi-autos is due to the longer length of the brass, so the rear end of the case is protruding in the back end, and is unsupported by the chamber when the primer is ignited. The brass splits in the back. Also, if the chamber is tight, that adds to the problem, raising pressure.

In revolvers, the cylinder holes are probably long enough to easily accommodate the extra length of the case, so no problem.

DON'T USE STINGERS IN SEMI-AUTOS!

 

[Milanfire2]

Wow never had a problem with cci stingers in my walther p22 only about 500 rds so far.Always used them,in fact on walther forum most say they are best for cycling of slide and best to use.All my other 22s also work great with cci.

 

[conn ak]

Wow, an Iver Johnson TP 22. The first gun I ever purchased new. What a great little gun with excellent safety features for the time...1983, I think. The magazine was always a problem beyond 5 rounds, but it was very accurate and never malfunctioned with 5 rounds in the magazine. I think that gun is the one I miss the most.

 

[Guest]

I've fired several thousand rounds of Stingers in one or more of my Model 41s but then it isn't a cheapo .22RF. All of the ones I've measured do have very tight "Target Grade" chambers. I've also put several hundred if not close to 1K of these through my Walther PPK/s that is also not a cheapo .22RF. I've also known a number of LEOs who purchased the Walther TPH guns when they were only available to LE and I never heard a single one complain about using the Stingers in their guns. I have know a number of people who have had "Issues" with the Iver Johnson guns and not just with Stingers. So, I'm not surprised.

 

[Jerry in SC]

I did own one early US manufactured TPH that wouldn't function reliably with anything but Stingers. My latest TPH functions perfectly with virtually any decent ammo.

IIRC, the Stinger case is about .1" longer than a standard LR case. As info, the CCI .22 LR shotshells utilize the same case as the Stinger.

 

[336A]

I can't really comment about the use of Stingers in the above mentioned guns as I know very little about them. However I do know that for most if not all semi automatic .22 firearms, CCI Stingers and any Hyper (not high velocity) velocity ammunition is a big no no. The reason has to do with the bolt, and recoil springs that are used in semi autmatics. .22 rimfire semi automatics are recoil operated. The only thing that keeps the bolt of the rifle/pistol closed until the bullet leaves the muzzle is the weight of the bolt. In order to ensure reliability across the board semi automatic .22's are set up to cycle with standard and high velocity ammo. I'm sure that a box or two of Stingers or Velociters may not hurt your gun but after time the gun will beat itself loose due to increased bolt speed. In the owners manual for my Ruger MKII it states not to use any Hyper velocity ammo, so does the owners manuals for Marlin semi auto .22's. A lot more can be found on this subject here as well.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/...F_Clip_22LRMACH2.pdf

 

[Guest]

I shoot a number of .22RF Automatics and have found that installing the "Buffers" that are offered for several of the higher quality guns certainly hasn't caused me any problems. I also shot Stingers, Vipers etc. for several Years before the Buffers came out and never had any troubles related to the Stingers or any other ammo. But, I have known a number of my "Customers" to have problems using these Hyper Velocity rounds in the cheaper and/or poorly designed/built guns.

 

[Springfield Bob]

I have rhe same LLama XV that you had.I had the same think happen to me with the stinger case
rupturing sending back pieces of powder on to my face. Turns out the problem was that the Llama is like a miniaturized .45 1911ai. It took all of the pressure to operate the slide and then some. The barrels were slightly under sized to allow for a higher pressure. The stinger round being a lighter faster bullet produces a higher pressure which caused my problem and yours. This happened over 30 years ago. I sent the pistol back to Stoger and they reamed out the barrel so as it can fire stingers with out the very high pressure. As they told me,my gun is STINGERIZED. By the way,I
paid $21.95 for my first Llama XV back in 1963.

Originally posted by Noah Zark:
Back in the day, I had a Llama XV .22, one of those "shrunken 1911" looking guns and made the mistake of firing Stingers in it. About the fifth shot the extractor launched itself, and it took about five months for Stoeger to send two new extractors and springs.

I sold that gun to a co-worker and admonished him NOT to fire Stingers in the gun. About six weeks after the transaction, here he comes with the Llama one day, saying the extractor blew out and could I install the one extractor and spring he still had? I asked him what he was firing in the Llama.

"CCI Stingers."



You can build the trough and fill it with water, but after that, you don't have any control . . .

Noah

 

[jungleman]

I can not fire stingers in my LLama xv or my Ruger 77/22. If I remember right the Llama will not chamber them properly. The Ruger will only chamber them if you force the bolt running the projectile into the lands.

 

[palmetto99]

I have a well used Ruger MKII that does not like ANY CCI ammunition. The bolt will not go into battery. There is usually about a 1/16 gap. All other brands are fine.

 

[38-44HD45]

I've shot lots of Stingers in my Ruger 22/45, a few 10-22s, my old Colt Challenger, and a couple of High Standards. Never had a problem that I recall. Have shot a few through my Beretta 21A, and a few through my Model 41. No problems. However, this is not the first time I've heard of a problem in tight-chambered or short-chambered guns. I do not use them in my match-barreled 10-22.