.22 Colibri

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eddiejoe333

New member
I understand this is just primer and projectile. Can this safely be chambered in a pistol made for .22LR? I have Smith and Wesson 22a.
 
As long as it is marked as .22 LR it should fit. The pressures would be way less than a regular .22 long rifle, but if the case dimensions are different it could be dangerous. Just curious, when you bought it did someone recommend it as an alternative for .22lr?

Those are my two cents, but I'd let some more experienced folks chime in before you go shooting it.
 
I have fired 22 Colibri made by Aguila is several 22 revolers. The case is the same as any 22 LR case, and they work just fine. They will not produce enough recoil to work the action of a semi-auto.
 
I haven't bought any yet, but a friend bought some mistakenly and used it anyway! He said the slide wouldn't cycle as well. Not sure I want to use it unless I run out of the real thing.
 
As noted, it won't cycle the slide on probably any semi-automatic pistol. Aside from essentially no powder charge, it also uses a very light projectile. It generates next to zero energy -- and next to zero noise.

It should be fine in any revolver. I have friends who shoot it in rifles, as well, but I have also read cautions that a Colibri may not have enough energy to make it out of a long barrel, so you have to pay attention and make certain the bore is clear for each shot.
 
I have shot hundred of round of Colibri rounds thru my Remington 552 rifle. All the rounds went down range, but not every round cycled the bolt.
 
The case is the same as a 22LR. .I've shot a couple of bricks of it and like it. My uses are shooting brown-headed cow birds (a local pest) because it's like using a pellet gun and won't go far and, for starting kids out with my Steven's Favorite. The nice thing about it is that it's silent out of a rifle and the kids aren't startled by noise. No need for hearing pro.
 
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Out of revolver, fine. Out of a semi, okay you just have cycle it by hand. I have one Winchester rifle that I guess has a tight barrel, the bullet won 't make it out.
 
I've been using the Super Colibri on varmits and it works great in my Trailside, but makes it a repeating gun instead of a semi-auto. I just rack the slide after each shot and it's good-to-go. IIRC, the Super Colibri is about 125 fps faster than the Colibri rounds.
 
It's loaded length is slightly shorter than that of the 22lr.
When loaded in the tubular magazine of my Taurus mod 62 pump rifle it refuses to feed.
I have to load rounds one at a time in this rifle.
 
I regularly shoot both Colibri and Super Colibri. In my autos, neither has ever cycled the bolt or slide and I have found both to feed so very poorly from the magazine that I only hand feed rounds. Both have always cleared the barrel of my Ruger 77/22 (19" barrel.) Both are foul smelling and leave a lot of visible crud in the barrel.
 
I've run the Colibri in both my Ruger MKII and my S&W 22a. While it won't cycle the action in either, it has always made it out of the barrel. Filthy stuff, too.
 
There have been several low powered .22 rounds, such as BB and CB caps. CCI CB caps have a light powder charge, but many are primer propelled only. BB caps look like .22 Xtra Short rounds, and some may not exit the muzzle, so some caution should be used until their power is verified.

Bob Wright
 
There are two different "Colibri" rounds...

One is the "Colibri" @~375FPS and is NOT recommended for use in any rifle...

The other is the "Super Colibri" @~500fps and can (usually) safely be used in rifles, but care is needed to be assured that the bullet has left the barrel...

Neither round in my experience will cycle any semi-auto, rifle or pistol...

I fully agree that both rounds are the dirtiest .22 ammo I have ever run...
 
Be careful with these and make sure they exit the barrel. I might use them in a revolver, but that is about it. I really don't need such a low powered round and when I want low power (or very quiet), I go air rifle.
 
I enjoy these and wish I could find some more. I never had a problem with the bullet not coming out of a rifle. Out of a rifle they are more quiet than a air rifle. You only here the firing pin hit. Sound more like a cap gun out of a handgun. I did some chrono work with these but did not write down the velocities. All I remember was the velocity was higher out of a rifle than a handgun to my surprise. And it was a decent amount. Somewhere around 100 fps if I remember correctly. snub nosed revolver was somewhere in the 200s fps range and rifle was upper 300fps.
 
It sounds like they're not worth the effort. I already have a bullet stuck in the barrel of another pistol, and there is the added cleaning for the dirty ammo. I think I'll pass. Thanks for all the feedback folks!
 
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