The Rimfire Report: Weird Ammo - CCI 22LR OEM 40gr LRN

During a recent trip to Bi-Mart — a Pacific Northwest chain that stocks ammo among a smattering of other things— I spotted something unusual on the ammo shelf. Sitting between boxes of CCI Standard Velocity and Mini-Mags was a 100-round sleeve labeled “CCI .22LR OEM” with a 40-grain bullet. I’d never seen this offering before and was instantly overcome with curiosity. So and I grabbed a sleeve to put through my standard accuracy and velocity tests. Today on The Rmifire Report, we’ll get into what this mysterious “OEM” load might be, how it performs, and what you can expect if you come across this rare CCI .22LR variant. Hint: You probably won’t unless…

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

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If you’re like me, you probably already looked up the CCI-specific item number listed on the front of the box - #956TA. Most of you probably got a bunch of pages selling the very similar but different CCI #956, also known as CCI AR Tactical. Others, mainly those of you either in Idaho, Washington, or Oregon, probably got search results for your local Bi-Mart, which lists this stuff for a current price of $8.99 per 100 round sleeve, roughly $0.09 per round, and is currently also in stock in virtually every store that I’ve checked. What’s curious is that you won’t find this ammo listed on the official CCI website - just Bi-Mart and a couple of other small stores in the PNW that happen to stock it.

So What Is It?

CCI 22LR OEM 40gr LRN #956TA

Product Link: https://www.bimart.com/cci-22lr-oem-40gr-ammo/p/964400

Optimized for function and accuracy, 40 grain bullet, Clean-burning propellants keep actions cleaner Sure-fire CCI priming”

• Mfg Stock No: #956TA
• Manufacturer: CCI
• Brand: CCI
• Feature: 1200 fps; Optimized for function and accuracy, 40 grain bullet, Clean-burning propellants keep actions cleaner Sure-fire CCI priming
• Product Size: 40 GR
• Model: OEM
• Caliber or Gauge: 22 LR
• Form: ROUND NOSE
• Ingredient Material: BRASS

None of the usual velocity data appears on the top or sides of the plastic sleeve. The cartridges inside look nearly identical to CCI Tactical AR loads, except for the absence of copper plating and a distinctive “N” or “Z” (I can’t tell) roll mark on the case head. After doing some deeper digging — and ending up in the armpit of the internet (Reddit) — I found a thread on r/22LR where several users had also discovered this ammo at Bi-Mart. Collectively, they speculated that these “OEM” .22LR loads, much like CCI’s OEM primers, are produced under specific contracts to meet customer requirements. In this case, it may have been a run made for Bi-Mart and a few other Pacific Northwest retailers, or possibly an overrun or canceled contract that CCI is now selling through general channels. If anyone has seen these for sale outside of the Pacific Northwest, I have yet to hear of it. So how well does it work?

Overall, the 50 rounds tested netted a standard deviation of 15.0 FPS and an extreme spread of 78.4 FPS. It seems with this loading, the goal is to make 100% sure that out of a rifle, this stuff is supersonic. I did test about 30 rounds of the sleeve out of my SIG P322 pistol as well, and got an average velocity of 999 fps for what that’s worth. Almost 1,000 fps out of a pistol-length barrel is great if you’re looking for a flat-shooting pistol round or need the extra energy for pest control.

Final Thoughts

After putting the CCI .22LR OEM 40gr LRN through its paces in the B14R and giving my P322 a taste of it too, I’m left with the impression that this is 90% known quantity and maybe 10% mystery. On paper and on target, it performs just like CCI’s AR Tactical or Mini-Mag loads, minus the more premium copper plating. It’s fairly clean for a lubed lead bullet load, consistent, and plenty accurate for both rifles and pistols. The only real riddle here is why it exists and who it was originally for, since it doesn’t appear on CCI’s own website and seems confined to Bi-Mart or mom-and-pop shelves across the Pacific Northwest.

All that said, at roughly nine cents a round and with performance, it is dangerously close to “premium plinker” territory, but I think, given what I have seen so far, this is actually a very fair asking price - Bi-Mart has always been pretty good about that as a company. This stuff is a bargain worth snagging if you stumble upon it locally. Whether it’s an OEM contract run or just a batch that fell off the back of the CCI logistics truck, the end result is quality ammo at a fair price. If you’re a squirrel hunter, Steel Challenge shooter, or just a .22LR hoarder like me, you might want to grab a few sleeves before they vanish as quietly as they appeared. As always, thank you for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report, and we’ll see you again next week!