The Rimfire Report: CCI 22 Shot Shell In Clear Ballistics Gel
Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and all of its great guns, history, shooting sports, and, of course, ammunition! A few people asked me last week to test out the CCI 22 Shot Shell in some ballistic gelatin, and it just so happens that I’ve had a Clear Ballistics Gummy Bear target sitting around in my shop for a while, not exactly sure what to shoot it with. Today, we’ll be testing out the CCI 22 Shot Shell in the ballistics gel to hopefully demonstrate to you the terminal effectiveness of this unique cartridge..
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The Rimfire Report: CCI 22 Shot Shell In Clear Ballistics Gel
Rimfire Shotshell, 22 LR, 12 Shot
Product Link: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/rimfire-shotshell/6-39.html
Product Overview
Use your favorite rimfire rifle or pistol like a shotgun to exterminate close-range pests. The payload of fine pellets in our rimfire shotshell offerings is pushed by consistent propellant and reliable CCI® priming for patterns you can count on every time.
- Rimfire shotshells
- Consistent patterns
- Easier hits on close-range pests
Specs
- Caliber: 22 LR
- Shot Size: #12
- Muzzle Velocity: 1000
- Grain Weight: 31
- Bullet Style: Shotshell
- Package Quantity: 20
- Usage: Varmint
- Price on CCI: $11.99 per box = $0.60 per round
The Results
The setup here is fairly simple. I used the same Henry Smoothbore Garden Gun that we tested this ammo out with last week to give it the best performance in the gel target. I estimated that I had enough room for about four distinct shot groups at 7 yards, and I used small 1-inch stickers to serve as points of aim.
The ammo is pretty consistent with its penetration (or lack thereof), with about 3” or less. The Ballistics Gelatin Gummy Bear is between 5-6” at its thickest points (arms, nose, and legs), but none of the tiny little bits of #12 shot made it anywhere close to overpenetrating the bear at any point. This just goes to show that even out of a rifle-length barrel, these tiny projectiles just don’t have the mass or the velocity to do much damage to anything but a very small target.
Any overpenetration you get from shooting small snakes, rats, or mice will likely not have enough energy to even penetrate any interior walls or floors, and the risk of ricochet with these rounds is also practically zero in all but the most specific circumstances. I’ve seen these rounds being used for dispatching wasps and other flying pests and insects - quite an expensive option in my opinion, but here I am shooting the ammo into clear ballistic gel.
I’ve shot other targets at much closer range, and you typically start to see diminishing returns in the safety department, and also the risk of burning and damaging interior surfaces and equipment increases the shorter your distance to your target.
Why not Standard/22 Short?
It should be pretty self-evident as to why you shouldn’t use regular 22LR ammunition or even 22 Shorts for indoor pest control. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but the risk of overpenetration with a standard velocity 22LR 40 grain projectile or even a lighter, slower 22 Short is enough to go through several layers of drywall - sometimes up to six depending on the circumstances. To demonstrate this, I took a couple of extra precautions and shot the Gummy Bear Target with a 22 Short out of the Henry Golden Boy, and the results speak for themselves - zero expansion, 100% penetration.
The tiny 22 Short 29-grain projectile technically has better terminal performance, but also comes with the risk of overpenetration, and with that overpenetration comes extra energy along with it. The bullet still had enough energy to strike the ⅜-inch thick steel plate behind it and flatten completely out.
Takeaways
If anything, this short, little reader-requested ballistics gel test demonstrates what I think is the 22 Shot Shell’s strong suit - Safety. Even the most anemic of 22 Shorts or even CBs have enough energy to overpenetrate small critters and still have the potential to ricochet and cause damage to people, livestock, pets, property, or equipment. The humble, weird, and often unloved 22 Shot Shel is incapable of these same pitfalls unless used improperly. It’s still lethal, but it does give you a little bit more wiggle room in terms of engagement environment.
CCI Rimfire Shotshell 22LR Ammunition
What did you guys think of this test? Did the results turn out like you thought they would? Would you guys like to see other shot shell tests? Share your thoughts below, and thanks for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report. We’ll see you again next week!
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Reloader SCSA Competitor Certified Pilot Currently able to pass himself off as the second cousin twice removed of Joe Flanigan. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballisticaviation/
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I removed the barrel from an old cheap beater imported single action 22 RF pistol. The cylinder's throat is adequate to fire a pattern by cracking open the shot capsule, and has dissuaded agressive water moccasins by the bank and hanging from a tree limb, on 3 occasions. I don't have to worry where the bullet goes after shooting into the tree branches.
I need to get a piece of sheet aluminum the same thickness as the John boat hull, to see if it's safe to take care of snakes dropping in, without sinking myself? (Or having to shoot more holes in the boat to let the water out 🤣)
I've used the 22wmr version with excellent results on both chipmunks and pesky wood siding destroying woodpeckers with no collateral (siding) damage!