The Rimfire Report: CCI Clean-22 Steel Challenge 40-grain - Part 1

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 cool guns, inexpensive ammo, and rich history. Getting back to our series of 22LR ammunition tests I’ve selected a more specialized offering from CCI in the form of their Clean-22 Steel Challenge 40-grain high-velocity ammo. Clean-22’s main claim to fame is that the round incorporates a red exterior polymer coating which is intended to decrease lead exposure and barrel fouling.

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: Why Aren't .17HMR & .22WMR More Popular?
• The Rimfire Report: Do .22LR Bullet Coatings Matter?
• The Rimfire Report: NAA Sentinel + Federal 22 WMR Punch Test

Along with the CCI Clean-22 technology, the cartridge also happens to be the official rimfire ammo of the Steel Challenge series. Not only was Steel Challenge my first type of firearms competition, but it’s also been a great place to test out a lot of the 22LR pistols and rifles I’ve reviewed over the years. Today we’ll go through our standard series of tests using the same  Bergara B14R I’ve been using to get accuracy and velocity data, but we’ll also redo this test with my Ruger MKIV competition pistol in a future article to remeasure the accuracy and velocities. Until then, let's see what kind of performance we can get out of it from our regular test platform.

"The partnership between USPSA and Federal with Syntech Action Pistol has been very successful. We are equally excited about extending that partnership with CCI and Steel Challenge,” said SCSA Director of Marketing, Media & Events Jake Martens. “Forty-six percent of Steel Challenge competition is done with rimfire ammunition. CCI's production of a competition-ready Clean-22 is a huge win for competitors."

The High Velocity load features a 40-grain round nose lead bullet with geometry that’s been optimized for accuracy. With dependable CCI priming and consistent propellant, Clean-22 Steel Challenge provides flawless cycling through all 22 LR firearms. CCI Clean-22 also cuts lead buildup in suppressors up to 60 percent.

Features & Benefits

• Official ammunition of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association
• Polymer bullet coating greatly reduces lead fouling in the barrel without leaving residue
• Cuts lead buildup in suppressors up to 60 percent
• 40-grain red lead round nose bullet
• Optimized bullet geometry for improved accuracy
• Reliable function in semi-automatic firearms
• High Velocity 22 LR 40-grain red-poly LRN
• 1235 fps
• 100-count
•  $13.99

CCI’s Clean-22 looks very similar to CCI’s very popular Mini-Mag high-velocity ammo which also happens to be my go-to ammo for Steel Challenge. Mini-Mags these days typically come with either a light copper wash coating on the bullets or sometimes no coating at all, CCI Clean-22 on the other hand uses a very thin layer of polymer to coat the lead in order to help prevent lead fouling. As you can see in some of these photos, the coating tends to chip or scrape off pretty easily so it's critical that CCI ships these in their more protective 100-round plastic sleeves.

Velocity Data

Out of the Bergara B14R’s relatively long barrel, it seems like the CCI Clean-22 is getting an extra boost in the velocity department by about 50 FPS from the advertised 1235 FPS. I was happy to see that while we had some velocities that went above 1300 fps, I never saw a single round drop below supersonic velocity. This combined with the fairly good standard deviation indicates to me that this ammo is powerful enough to cycle a semi-auto pistol or rifle more reliably than standard velocity ammunition.

Accuracy Data

I wasn’t expecting much in the accuracy department to begin with and I didn’t get much at 50-yards from CCI Clean-22. I had my suspicions that while this ammunition was advertised as very accurate, it probably meant that “accurate” is being read in the context of a Steel Challenge match. With Steel Challenge, things like sub-MOA accuracy are almost completely thrown out the window in favor of more reliable cycling and higher bullet velocities. That definitely seems to be the case - at least when fired through the B14R.

Clean-22 For 22 Suppressors?

You and I both know it - 22LR is dirty. However part of the aim of Clean-22 is to be a cleaner ammo by not just reducing lead fouling in the gun, but also in your suppressor. I disassembled my TiOn Inc Dragoon 450B after I got home from testing the CCI Clean-22 and found significantly less leading in the baffles than I normally do after a testing session. While it’s still not “clean” it’s clean enough that a simple wipe down with some CLP and a disposable rag is enough to bring the suppressor back to like-new condition.

But you can’t do that with a non-serviceable suppressor which is why my suppressor recommendation for this ammo would probably be the Dead Air Mask. If you’re looking for a suppressor that you can actually train with and get reasonably dirty then the Mask is second to none on the durability side of things. Made from 17-4 stainless and Titanium, the can is on the more expensive and heavier side of the spectrum but can handle a lot of rounds as well as the tough cleaning regimen that comes along with that. A great suppressor overall but it really gets a few extra points just for being more friendly to the high-volume shooting club.

Silencer Shop makes getting suppressors easy and you can buy the Dead Air Mask suppressor from the link below.

Final Thoughts

As a Steel Challenge competitor myself, I actually do like CCI Clean-22, but I don’t buy it. Cleaning my competition gun is pretty regular business and I’m going to do it one way or the other pretty much before every match. I typically shoot between 500-1000 rounds in a competition week and that round count itself approaches the threshold where my MKIV starts to have malfunctions due to lead fouling. Clean-22 might extend this servicing routine to much higher round counts, and I think that’s something worth paying for if you’re someone who religiously practices and competes multiple times per month. For me, the gap in cleanliness and performance (if any) between CCI’s Mini Mags and Clean-22 isn’t enough to spend the extra dollar on it. However, your mileage may vary and as always I’d like to hear your thoughts! Thanks as always for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report and we’ll see you again next week!