Aguila SuperMax .22 LR Ammo and Buck Mark

[BBWIN]

Just bought a Buck Mark Camper to get the wife comfortable with shooting and use inexpensive Federal ammo for target practice. Wanted to get a good hollow point for self defense until she is ready to move up...

Saw videos and reviews on web about the Aguila .22 LR Super Max Hyper Velocity 30 Grain Hollow Point being very impressive. Did not see where anyone was shooting with a Buck Mark. I read one negative comment on a customer review that said after about 600-800 rounds their barrel was useless. Could not group shots with any accuracy. Had to replace barrel. They said they called manufacturer and learned that round is made for barrel with 1 in 18" turn.

I just looked through some of my paperwork and learned the Buck Mark has turns of 1 in 16".

Anyone out there have any experience with this ammo and the Buck Mark?

Thanks!

BBWIN

 

[carguychris]

I wouldn't recommend a lightweight frangible round such as the SuperMax or CCI Stinger in your Buckmark. These rounds will not deliver anywhere near the advertised velocities out of a pistol barrel because they're loaded to take advantage of a long rifle barrel. FWIW .22LR rounds are pretty much categorically subsonic from pistols, regardless of load.

If the SuperMax bullets expand- which they probably won't- they'll generally break apart and reduce penetration to the point of uselessness on a larger critter. These bullets are generally intended to take down varmints up to possum or raccoon size, and not much larger. However, in my personal .22LR water jugs tests, NONE of the HP bullets expanded, including the SuperMax (test barrel was 4").

Accuracy will generally be poor because, as noted in your post, the rifling twist of most .22LR firearms is optimized for a standard 36gr to 40gr bullet. I've shot SuperMaxes from my S&W M18, which is an absolute tack driver, and they would not group worth a darn. Using almost any half-decent non-plated standard-velocity target round, this gun will generally put 6 shots inside 1" offhand ~15yds without working hard; SuperMax groups were around 2".

Bottom line? IMHO you should stick to a 40gr solid such as the Aguila SuperExtra or CCI Velocitor.

BTW I dispute the customer comment that his/her barrel was "useless" after 600-800rds. This isn't .223Rem here, folks; it's improbable that you'll "shoot out" a .22LR in your lifetime, or even your child's lifetime after you hand the gun down. Really soft lead projectiles + low velocities = VERY little stress on a barrel. IMHO the poor accuracy was probably caused by the incorrect rifling twist combined with a dirty barrel. Aguila ammo does typically shoot dirty.

 

[10-96]

I too would advise against those rounds in a Buck Mark. You might have to order them, but CCI makes a lead hollow point Small Game round in .22lr. I've shot some and found it quite accurate, non-fouling, and 100% reliable.

 

[seeker_two]

Sounds more like the guy's barrel needed a good cleaning. If he didn't have a Lewis Lead Remover or something similar, his local gunsmith probably does.

If the guy sold his Buckmark to someone knowledgeable, someone probably got a great deal on a "shot out" barrel....

 

[idek]

Like carguychris, I've done some testing with ammo into water jugs. Recommended penetration (according to some FBI study) is 12" or more, and I've been told that penetrating 4 gallons jugs of water roughly equates to penetrating 12 inches of flesh, so I set up 4 jugs at a time (I would have liked to use more, but a guy can only drink so much milk)

I used a Ruger 10/22 with a standard 18.5" barrel and a Buckmark with a 4" barrel at a distance of 4-5 yards. I took note of how many jugs the bullets would penetrate, and, if I could recover them, how much the bullets expanded.

To stay on topic, I'll only address the Buckmark results. Keep in mind, I only did one or two shots with each type of ammo. (Again, because I didn't have a lot of jugs)

The Aguila Super Max actually mushroomed nicely to a diameter of about .38". However, it only penetrated into the second jug, which equates to only 6" or less of penetration in flesh.

CCI stingers did not expand. They penetrated into the third jug, which might mean 9" or less into flesh.

CCI mini-mag solid passed through all four jugs, which may amount to 12+" into flesh. I did not recover the bullets, but I'd assume they pretty much kept their form. Judging by the bullet holes, the bullets seemed to veer off course as they passed though the water.

CCI Velocitors also passed through all four jugs and followed a pretty straight line. I did not recover any bullets and cannot say if there was any expansion.

These little informal tests don't necessarily prove anything, but it seems to me that Velocitors gave the best combination of velocity and mass, and appeared to be the best (of the ammo I compared) at penetrating deep and straight. Also, I don't think I've ever had any misfires or cycling problems with Velocitors or other premium CCI stuff. I've had a few hiccups with Aguila Ammo before.