Range Test of Colibri .22 LR Ammo

Matt VDW · September 29, 1999, 12:26 PM

I tried some of the Colibri .22 ammo last weekend. It's a round made by Aguila (in Mexico) with a 20 grain, cone-tipped bullet and no powder -- the bullet is propelled by the primer only.

As you might expect, this round was extremely quiet. It made my 5.5" pistol sound the way silenced pistols sound in the movies, with just a little "psssssht" noise. Recoil was similarly mild; the red dot in my UltraDot sight jiggled just a bit upon firing.

The bad news is that 25 yard accuracy was terrible. Five rounds made a group about a foot wide and 18" below the point of aim.

I'm hoping that shortening the range to about 20 feet will bring better results. At least the ammo is fairly cheap (about $2.50 a box of 50) so I can afford to experiment.

Hal · September 29, 1999, 04:24 PM

Matt,
I used to use the CCI CB caps in my Dan Wesson .22. They are pretty much the same, no(or very little) powder and very little sound. Great for short range practice, but anything much over 25 feet was stretching it. Shooting at 25 feet would allow hits close to point of aim, but the groups, if you could call them groups, were 6 to 8 inches. I used the rounds to introduce my wife and kids to shooting, used targets that did something when hit (old plastic plates and stuff that would fall over), with some success. Even though the rounds are very low powered they are still lethal at short ranges. I use them as a coup de gras in my derringer along with .22 shot ammo on snakes in the back yard. Thanks for the info on the Colibri brand. I see it from time to time, but haven't tried it. It may be worth a look because of the price.

------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net

George Hill · September 30, 1999, 08:01 AM

These rounds, while limited do have applications... Such as - oh, say... cats. Keep that in mind...

------------------
Not all Liberals are annoying... Some are Dead.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac

Nestor Rivera · October 1, 1999, 03:19 PM

I tried them in my Remmington 41 and found theat at 25 yds they are ok but 50 was WAY beyond the abality of the round. for my money it just makes your .22 into a quite air gun (my chi-com .177 is LOUDER)

I will probably try the .22 SSS (Sub Sonic Sniper) by agalia soon aslo.

Hal · October 2, 1999, 08:55 PM

I picked up a box of the Colibri today to see if it was like the CCI CB's. Not really. The Colibri at 25 yards was very anemic. There was a noticable lag between the sound of the shot, and the bullet bouncing, yes bouncing, off of the plywood target holder. At 25 yards the shots were all over the place, some on target, some high, some low. I could follow each shot as it went downrange through the scope on the Browning Lever .22 I was using. Later in the day I shot four rounds through my Ruger 22/45. As expected, there wasn't enough push to cycle the action, and the rounds were too short to feed from the magazine. It did strike at point of aim at 7 yards, and held a nice tight sub 1" group. For basement use, with a suitable backstop, there may be a limited use for the stuff. It sure is quiet to shoot. In the Ruger, it sounded about the same as a cap gun.

------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net

Long Path · October 5, 1999, 01:27 AM

George:

I had a couple of tabbies that were forever being raped by a couple of feral toms in my semi-rural neighborhood a few years back. Semi-rural though it was, there were neighbors on either side, and technically we had an ordinance about discharging... yada, yada...

Soooooo... when tom number one came skulking across the yard, a CCI CB cap was just the thing to put in his ear. Distance was 35 feet from the back porch, and the cat just went down dead. Next week, tried the same thing at about the same distance, and just missed the ear hole. Tom cat sat down quickly, but looked around for where the shot had come from. Second shot did the job through an eye orbit. Subsequent examination showed that the first shot didn't penetrate the cranium. You have to be PRECISE with these!

I had more fun shooting cans with CBs off a deck overlooking a valley 100yds below. Run up the sights or hold way over, and it goes: "Pop.....clink! Pop......clink!"

What fun!!!

------------------
Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap?

Matt

[This message has been edited by Long Path (edited October 05, 1999).]

DeBee · October 7, 1999, 01:20 PM

If your not getting the best accuracy with the Colibri ammo, then you might try the Remington long CBee 22s.

So quiet in my Winchester 52 that you can hear firing pin snap. Much louder in pistols though.

The Remingtons have a 30 grain bullet and a 34 ft/lb muzzle energy and the extra bullet weight may aid the modest killing power of these cartridges. These things have totally replaced my Sheridan .20 for my descreet urban varmint round...

Oh, I'm sure you do this anyway, but clean your rifle well after shooting these things.

Bruce from West Oz · October 8, 1999, 07:55 AM

Guys, this post is really interesting me ...

I have a farm I shoot on ... not that big, and the neighbours not that far away.

There's an orchard on the farm, with about 80 trees.

The fruit is just coming on (I'm in the southern hemisphere, remember) and the parrots will soon be there in droves.

We're using Chinwester

subsonics at present, but they're still pretty noisy. Range is 25-30 yards. Someone suggested "Z-Long" (????) (I think)

Anyone have any suggestions? I thought of BB caps, but think the range may be too long for accuracy. (We're using an Anschutz target rifle with 6-24x40 scope and an older Voere with 3-9x40 scope.) Single feeding is no problem in this situation.

B

Hal · October 8, 1999, 04:33 PM

Bruce,
I'll try to get ahold of some BB caps and see how they work at 25 yards. From what I remember though, the BB Caps did have a little more Oomph than the Colibri. It may take a week to get them though.

------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net

Bruce from West Oz · October 9, 1999, 09:46 AM

Thanks Hal

No hurry -- I won't be going back for 5 or 6 weeks.

Appreciate it.

B

Hal · October 23, 1999, 06:06 PM

Bruce,
I used some CCI CB's today (Saturday).
I fired from 25 yards at a piece of paper about 3 feet by 3 feet, based on the experience with the Colibri. The results were great. Unlike the Colibri , the CCI's have a lot more punch. They are also a bit noiser, about twice the volume.

Range-25 yards.
Gun-Winchester 9422 Trapper w/16" Barrel.
CCI CB's

I only had time for a 3 shot group, but 3 was all that was needed. All 3 shots went to point of aim. Dead nuts on target, and a nice tight sub 1" group. I could have done better if I had not been so cold and wet, it's hard to hold steady when you are shivering. All 3 shots penetrated through the 1/2 in plywood backstop, so I believe they still had plenty of punch for a few more yards. If you can get your hands on some of the CCI CB's down under, they should fill the bill for you.

------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net

Bruce from West Oz · October 28, 1999, 07:00 AM

Hal:

Wow! Sounds ideal! CBs are the "conical" ones, aren't they? ("Conical Ball"??)

Half an inch of ply at 25 yards is more than enough "oomph" for what we need. As is the accuracy.

Sorry you got cold and wet. The weather here has finally turned -- glorious sunny Spring days, temps in the low- to mid-80s. The shooting's just about to get good again! (hehehehe)

Thanks very much for taking the trouble to get back to me on this -- I do appreciate it.

Cheers, mate

B

George Hill · October 28, 1999, 07:46 AM

Well - as we are heading into winter here - the feral cats are getting closer to the warmer building and such. Precision is not a concern there Long Path... Just makes the hit much more satisfying.
Ear and Eye? Give me a week or two... I am aimiing for LEFT NOSTRIL.

Actually - I got a meter, I will see if I can measure a couple differnt CB loads for volume. Shooting will be done out of my trusty-rusty Remington 514. Havn't shot it more than 50 rounds since last winter!

Hal · October 29, 1999, 03:33 AM

Bruce,
No problem on the wet thing. It's to be expected here in the Great Lakes area. This weekend looks to be around 70's and sunny

.

The Conical Ball CCI's (yes, that is what CB stands for)do have a bit more oomph than the other brand. They also, if you reread my first post, seem to shoot poor or well depending on the gun. They did not cycle through the Winchester though. If I get a chance, I'll try some in my Browning lever action. The Browning feeds anything, but the Winchester is just a sweeter shooter.

------------------
CCW for Ohio action site.
http://www.ofcc.net

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September 29, 1999, 12:26 PM	#1
Matt VDW Senior Member Join Date: July 27, 1999 Posts: 1,315	I tried some of the Colibri .22 ammo last weekend. It's a round made by Aguila (in Mexico) with a 20 grain, cone-tipped bullet and no powder -- the bullet is propelled by the primer only. As you might expect, this round was extremely quiet. It made my 5.5" pistol sound the way silenced pistols sound in the movies, with just a little "psssssht" noise. Recoil was similarly mild; the red dot in my UltraDot sight jiggled just a bit upon firing. The bad news is that 25 yard accuracy was terrible. Five rounds made a group about a foot wide and 18" below the point of aim. I'm hoping that shortening the range to about 20 feet will bring better results. At least the ammo is fairly cheap (about $2.50 a box of 50) so I can afford to experiment.

September 29, 1999, 04:24 PM	#2
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Matt, I used to use the CCI CB caps in my Dan Wesson .22. They are pretty much the same, no(or very little) powder and very little sound. Great for short range practice, but anything much over 25 feet was stretching it. Shooting at 25 feet would allow hits close to point of aim, but the groups, if you could call them groups, were 6 to 8 inches. I used the rounds to introduce my wife and kids to shooting, used targets that did something when hit (old plastic plates and stuff that would fall over), with some success. Even though the rounds are very low powered they are still lethal at short ranges. I use them as a coup de gras in my derringer along with .22 shot ammo on snakes in the back yard. Thanks for the info on the Colibri brand. I see it from time to time, but haven't tried it. It may be worth a look because of the price. ------------------ CCW for Ohio action site. http://www.ofcc.net

September 30, 1999, 08:01 AM	#3
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,546	These rounds, while limited do have applications... Such as - oh, say... cats. Keep that in mind... ------------------ Not all Liberals are annoying... Some are Dead. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE The Critic formerly known as Kodiac

October 1, 1999, 03:19 PM	#4
Nestor Rivera Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA Posts: 446	I tried them in my Remmington 41 and found theat at 25 yds they are ok but 50 was WAY beyond the abality of the round. for my money it just makes your .22 into a quite air gun (my chi-com .177 is LOUDER) I will probably try the .22 SSS (Sub Sonic Sniper) by agalia soon aslo.

October 2, 1999, 08:55 PM	#5
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	I picked up a box of the Colibri today to see if it was like the CCI CB's. Not really. The Colibri at 25 yards was very anemic. There was a noticable lag between the sound of the shot, and the bullet bouncing, yes bouncing, off of the plywood target holder. At 25 yards the shots were all over the place, some on target, some high, some low. I could follow each shot as it went downrange through the scope on the Browning Lever .22 I was using. Later in the day I shot four rounds through my Ruger 22/45. As expected, there wasn't enough push to cycle the action, and the rounds were too short to feed from the magazine. It did strike at point of aim at 7 yards, and held a nice tight sub 1" group. For basement use, with a suitable backstop, there may be a limited use for the stuff. It sure is quiet to shoot. In the Ruger, it sounded about the same as a cap gun. ------------------ CCW for Ohio action site. http://www.ofcc.net

October 5, 1999, 01:27 AM	#6
Long Path Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: N. Texas Posts: 5,899	George: I had a couple of tabbies that were forever being raped by a couple of feral toms in my semi-rural neighborhood a few years back. Semi-rural though it was, there were neighbors on either side, and technically we had an ordinance about discharging... yada, yada... Soooooo... when tom number one came skulking across the yard, a CCI CB cap was just the thing to put in his ear. Distance was 35 feet from the back porch, and the cat just went down dead. Next week, tried the same thing at about the same distance, and just missed the ear hole. Tom cat sat down quickly, but looked around for where the shot had come from. Second shot did the job through an eye orbit. Subsequent examination showed that the first shot didn't penetrate the cranium. You have to be PRECISE with these! I had more fun shooting cans with CBs off a deck overlooking a valley 100yds below. Run up the sights or hold way over, and it goes: "Pop.....clink! Pop......clink!" What fun!!! ------------------ Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap? Matt [This message has been edited by Long Path (edited October 05, 1999).]

October 7, 1999, 01:20 PM	#7
DeBee Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 1999 Posts: 408	If your not getting the best accuracy with the Colibri ammo, then you might try the Remington long CBee 22s. So quiet in my Winchester 52 that you can hear firing pin snap. Much louder in pistols though. The Remingtons have a 30 grain bullet and a 34 ft/lb muzzle energy and the extra bullet weight may aid the modest killing power of these cartridges. These things have totally replaced my Sheridan .20 for my descreet urban varmint round... Oh, I'm sure you do this anyway, but clean your rifle well after shooting these things.

October 8, 1999, 07:55 AM	#8
Bruce from West Oz Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 1999 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 274	Guys, this post is really interesting me ... I have a farm I shoot on ... not that big, and the neighbours not that far away. There's an orchard on the farm, with about 80 trees. The fruit is just coming on (I'm in the southern hemisphere, remember) and the parrots will soon be there in droves. We're using Chinwester subsonics at present, but they're still pretty noisy. Range is 25-30 yards. Someone suggested "Z-Long" (????) (I think) Anyone have any suggestions? I thought of BB caps, but think the range may be too long for accuracy. (We're using an Anschutz target rifle with 6-24x40 scope and an older Voere with 3-9x40 scope.) Single feeding is no problem in this situation. B

October 8, 1999, 04:33 PM	#9
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Bruce, I'll try to get ahold of some BB caps and see how they work at 25 yards. From what I remember though, the BB Caps did have a little more Oomph than the Colibri. It may take a week to get them though. ------------------ CCW for Ohio action site. http://www.ofcc.net

October 9, 1999, 09:46 AM	#10
Bruce from West Oz Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 1999 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 274	Thanks Hal No hurry -- I won't be going back for 5 or 6 weeks. Appreciate it. B

October 23, 1999, 06:06 PM	#11
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Bruce, I used some CCI CB's today (Saturday). I fired from 25 yards at a piece of paper about 3 feet by 3 feet, based on the experience with the Colibri. The results were great. Unlike the Colibri , the CCI's have a lot more punch. They are also a bit noiser, about twice the volume. Range-25 yards. Gun-Winchester 9422 Trapper w/16" Barrel. CCI CB's I only had time for a 3 shot group, but 3 was all that was needed. All 3 shots went to point of aim. Dead nuts on target, and a nice tight sub 1" group. I could have done better if I had not been so cold and wet, it's hard to hold steady when you are shivering. All 3 shots penetrated through the 1/2 in plywood backstop, so I believe they still had plenty of punch for a few more yards. If you can get your hands on some of the CCI CB's down under, they should fill the bill for you. ------------------ CCW for Ohio action site. http://www.ofcc.net

October 28, 1999, 07:00 AM	#12
Bruce from West Oz Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 1999 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 274	Hal: Wow! Sounds ideal! CBs are the "conical" ones, aren't they? ("Conical Ball"??) Half an inch of ply at 25 yards is more than enough "oomph" for what we need. As is the accuracy. Sorry you got cold and wet. The weather here has finally turned -- glorious sunny Spring days, temps in the low- to mid-80s. The shooting's just about to get good again! (hehehehe) Thanks very much for taking the trouble to get back to me on this -- I do appreciate it. Cheers, mate B

October 28, 1999, 07:46 AM	#13
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,546	Well - as we are heading into winter here - the feral cats are getting closer to the warmer building and such. Precision is not a concern there Long Path... Just makes the hit much more satisfying. Ear and Eye? Give me a week or two... I am aimiing for LEFT NOSTRIL. Actually - I got a meter, I will see if I can measure a couple differnt CB loads for volume. Shooting will be done out of my trusty-rusty Remington 514. Havn't shot it more than 50 rounds since last winter!

October 29, 1999, 03:33 AM	#14
Hal Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 1998 Location: Ohio USA Posts: 8,563	Bruce, No problem on the wet thing. It's to be expected here in the Great Lakes area. This weekend looks to be around 70's and sunny . The Conical Ball CCI's (yes, that is what CB stands for)do have a bit more oomph than the other brand. They also, if you reread my first post, seem to shoot poor or well depending on the gun. They did not cycle through the Winchester though. If I get a chance, I'll try some in my Browning lever action. The Browning feeds anything, but the Winchester is just a sweeter shooter. ------------------ CCW for Ohio action site. http://www.ofcc.net