[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Interesting observation on the Federal 1600 round "Black Pack" 788BF 22LR ammo (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 11/24/2018 5:02:25 PM EDT
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While it IS 36gr HP 22LR, it is NOT the same ammo as the Federal 550 bulk walmart ammo, or 525 "Champion" branded stuff we are used to.
Note the pics: 
Black Pack on the left, Federal Bulk on the right: 
The packaging plastic holders are IDENTICAL to the bulk packed CCI mini-mags, from the "Just Choot em" flavor.... they are snapped in half and have the rough edge showing they were once part of the 100-length size: 
Now, let's compare to the CCI Mini-mags of the same 36gr varietal: CCI Mini-mag on the Left, Black Pack center, and Federal Bulk on the right: 
 CCI is owned by Vista, same company thats owns Federal. We have seen other offerings under the Federal brand that were actually produced by CCI, such as the aluminum cased 9mm that Federal sells to Walmart, which was made by CCI for years under the Blazer branding. CCI 36gr Mini-mag specs are 1260 fps: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031 Federal Black Pack specs for the 788BF are 1260 fps. So, I cannot say for sure these are actually CCI Mini-Mags, but these are damned sure CCI Mini-mag bullets, loaded to the same 1260 FPS velocity according to the manufacturer as CCI Mini-mags, and NOT the same projectile that comes with Federal bulk. It could be a combination of CCI projectiles, with Federal cases/priming, or it could be 100% CCI manufactured.... if the latter, that is a HUGE plus, IMHO. Edit 11/26 - Ammo tests I tested 5 different types of 22LR ammo today, in 5 different guns: Federal "Black Pack" 36gr CPHP CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP CCI Mini-Mag 40gr CPRN CCI STD Velocity 40gr Lead RN Winchester M22 40gr Lead RN (bulk 500 pack) Federal 36gr CPHP bulk (550 WalMart value pack) Ruger MarkII Target Ruger SR-22 Walther PP S&W M&P 15-22 AR rifle Nordic NC-22 AR rifle The MarkII was finicky as hell until I did a fluff and buff on it many years ago, now it is really reliable. The Ruger SR-22 is fairly reliable, sometimes slow ammo will cause it not to pick up a new round, but it is improving there as I shoot it The Walther PP is old, it was my father's pistol, and it is real finicky will different bulk ammo. The S&W AR-22 eats just about anything without much complaint. The Nordic NC-22 is my primary 22 rifle, I shoot the PISS outa this thing, and it is getting where it needs a new extractor, as evidenced by the testing. I ordered a Volquartsen extractor replacement that should be here soon to fix it. I shot 10 round strings of each ammo type, through each gun. I rotated different ammo each time, and then shot a second string, to ensure heat or dirtiness didn't have any impact or would be equalized. A total of 500 rounds were fired in the test, 20 rounds of each ammo type through each gun. (100 rounds of each ammo type fired in total) Total failures: 27 total failures out of 500 rounds. (5.4%) 0 - Federal "Black Pack" 36gr CPHP 2 - CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP 3 - CCI Mini-Mag 40gr CPRN 2 - CCI STD Velocity 40gr Lead RN 13 - Winchester M22 40gr Lead RN (bulk 500 pack) 7 - Federal 36gr CPHP bulk (550 WalMart value pack) Failures per gun (100 rounds fired): 3 - Ruger MarkII Target 10 - Ruger SR-22 11 - Walther PP 0 - S&W M&P 15-22 AR rifle 3 - Nordic NC-22 AR rifle I then shot 50 more rounds of the Federal Black pack in my MarkII Target, with zero malfunctions. Conclusions: 1. The Federal "Black Pack" was the most reliable ammo I tested across all 5 guns today with ZERO malfunctions out of 150 rounds fired. 2. Winchester 22LR ammo still sucks donkey balls. 3. The S&W M&P 15-22 is a damned reliable rifle that just eats anything. 4. Bulk packaged ammo is less reliable in general than non-bulk CCI ammo (shocker) Side notes: The failures in Federal Bulk pack were all light strikes, but ONLY in the SR22 and Walther PP, and a second pull of the trigger ignited them fine. No failures out of any other gun with this ammo. The surprising failures in 40gr mini-mags were 1 total dud (fired multiple times, rotated, etc), 1 light strike in the SR-22 that fired on a second pull, and 1 FTE from my Nordic (with a weak extractor). The CCI standard Velocity failures were in the Walther PP, which HATES soft shooting ammo, so I was not shocked. I am a super happy camper with this stuff. |
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I regret not buying these if they are CCI. Also not sure why vista would brand them as Federal when they could call them CCI and make more money. Probably had a huge overrun and are just trying to break even. |
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The mini mags use a 40-grain bullet at 1235 fps. These state a 36g bullet at 1260, so the specs do not align. But they could still be manufactured by, well, anyone. https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/products.aspx More specifically: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031 |
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Quoted: That's incorrect. https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/products.aspx More specifically: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031 |
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Your second cite is for the hollowpoint, which does weigh 36 grains. These are solids. Quoted:
Quoted: That's incorrect. https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/products.aspx More specifically: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031 |
| Mini Mags have always been overpriced. They're a premium product name, with a premium price, for a normal product. The current market is soft, and 6-8 cents for a Mini Mag probably isn't selling very well. Putting them in a different box with a bargain name on it, and selling it for what the market will bear without tainting the Mini Mag name by discounting, is a smart move. |
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Let’s get some testing done on some finicky guns that run on CCI only and see what happens. Mine eat everything. (I used my rebates on 9mm) |
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Mini Mags have always been overpriced. They're a premium product name, with a premium price, for a normal product. The current market is soft, and 6-8 cents for a Mini Mag probably isn't selling very well. Putting them in a different box with a bargain name on it, and selling it for what the market will bear without tainting the Mini Mag name by discounting, is a smart move. |
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Quoted:
Mini Mags have always been overpriced. They're a premium product name, with a premium price, for a normal product. The current market is soft, and 6-8 cents for a Mini Mag probably isn't selling very well. Putting them in a different box with a bargain name on it, and selling it for what the market will bear without tainting the Mini Mag name by discounting, is a smart move. But it provides savvy shoppers an opportunity to get mini mags at a reasonable price. I have been shooting for over 25 years and this is the cheapest I have ever seen CCI mini mags in my life. |
