High Velocity .22lr ammo safe for Pistols? What is the best for target?

JimV said:
The copper-washed bullets are generally a little cleaner (especially to handle.) But I think the lead residue has more to do with the shape of the bullet, it's fit into the case, the lubrication, the contour of the gun's loading ramp, the angle the magazine feeds, etc.

Dirty bullets, I think, are caused more by the powder and primer. I've found Remington Target and Winchester Wildcat to be far dirtier than anything else I've tried.

You will always get some lead residue in the chamber area. It's no big deal. Use a toothpick or brush to clean it off. The main thing is to use a cartridge that functions well in the gun. Some rimfires are pretty picky about this.
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Ok that's what I thought. Makes sense.
 
I wonder why should someone use HV .22lr in a pistol! A pistol is for target shooting only in Canada...and SV .22lr gives more precision.

I use CCI SV in a pistol; it is precise and does not leave too much residue to clean up.
 
I've tried using bare lead ammo in my CZ-Kadet. It gets so much lead in the barrel, the rifling is no longer able to function. The bullets actually hit the target sideways, and leave a keyhole shaped entry.

I looked inside with a penlight, and the entire inside of the barrel was coating with a thick layer of lead. Shortly thereafter, the gun could not even function anymore because a round could not fit in the chamber. I actually had to pry the last round out, because it was stuck half-way into the chamber.

It took me hours to get all the lead out of the barrel.

I will never buy bare lead ammo ever again. Why would you when copper-jacketed ammo is the same price anyway?
 
jack_GN said:
I wonder why should someone use HV .22lr in a pistol! A pistol is for target shooting only in Canada...and SV .22lr gives more precision.

I use CCI SV in a pistol; it is precise and does not leave too much residue to clean up.
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Because HV ammo is cheaper and good enough for most people's use unless they are competing formally in bullseye or ISSF type shooting. When you shoot a lot, the price difference really adds up.
 
Dexter Morgan said:
I've tried using bare lead ammo in my CZ-Kadet. It gets so much lead in the barrel, the rifling is no longer able to function. The bullets actually hit the target sideways, and leave a keyhole shaped entry.

I looked inside with a penlight, and the entire inside of the barrel was coating with a thick layer of lead. Shortly thereafter, the gun could not even function anymore because a round could not fit in the chamber. I actually had to pry the last round out, because it was stuck half-way into the chamber.

It took me hours to get all the lead out of the barrel.

I will never buy bare lead ammo ever again. Why would you when copper-jacketed ammo is the same price anyway?
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Were you using Remington Thunderbolts? If so, that is your problem. Remington plain lead .22 ammo is the only stuff I've encountered that leads that badly.
 
"Were you using Remington Thunderbolts? If so, that is your problem. Remington plain lead .22 ammo is the only stuff I've encountered that leads that badly."

Remington Thunderbolts are indeed bad.

But Winchester Wildcat was much worse.

Both are bare lead. Anything copper-jacketed works great for me though.
 
I guess it goes to show that every .22 is a law unto itself. I have found the Wildcats to work OK in my guns, though they were a little dirtier than plated ammo. Thunderbolts will lead my S&W K-22 to the point where it keyholes. I also prefer to use plated ammo given comparable pricing.

I think the reason that some guns have leading problems with some types of inexpensive unplated ammo is the quality of the lube. If you look at the higher quality target grade ammo, it usually has a thicker, waxier lube compared with the cheap bulk ammo. The bullets aren't plated and it won't lead, but it is also pricey.
 
i shoot a 1911 in .22 and sv, hv and stingers have all functioned well. In my gun CB's dont generate enough recoil energy to #### the hammer, and therefore do not eject. Strangely enough, although the CB's don't tend to load well in most semi's, my kimber .22 strips them off the mag every time. They are not terrible to shoot because you can #### the slide manually to eject and cycle rounds.
 
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