In 1975, Cascade Cartridge Inc. (CCI) developed the first high-performance, hyper-velocity .22 caliber Long Rifle (LR) rimfire ammunition — the CCI Stinger.
The .22 rimfire LR has been around for a while. It got its start way back in 1845, which makes it the oldest reliable round still manufactured today.
Safe to say, the .22 LR rimfire is a cartridge Americans love to shoot — and the production numbers back up this claim.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that the .22 Long Rifle takes up a large percentage of more than 10 billion cartridges produced in the U.S. annually.
With such high production numbers, there is a wide selection of firearms chambered for it, as well as a variety of cartridges.
Today we’ll take a closer look at the CCI Stinger — one of our .22 favorites.
Why Is the CCI Stinger .22 Long Rifle 32 Grain Round Special?
The .22 LR cartridges are easily categorized by muzzle velocity.
So, in that sense, we have four different types of .22 rounds velocities:
- Subsonic: Below 1,100 ft/s (feet per second)
- Standard-velocity: 1,120–1,165 ft/s
- High-velocity: 1,200–1,310 ft/s
- Hyper-velocity: Over 1,400 ft/s
Coming in at 1,640 ft/s with a 32-grain copper-plated bullet, the CCI Stingers are well in the hyper-velocity (a.k.a. ultra-velocity) category. This makes them significantly faster and more powerful than standard long rifle 32-grain rimfire rounds.
The high-performance of this round was achieved by elongating the standard .22 rimfire case (first on the right, as pictured above). This gave it more powder capacity by using a shorter 32-grain copper-plated bullet-style, so it would remain one inch in its overall length.
The copper gilding of the bullet serves as a lubricant, reducing the friction of the projectile and the barrel — adding to the muzzle velocity and reducing barrel wear. It also serves as a protection from the oxidation of the lead bullet.
This achievement served as an example for others in the ammo industry to follow.
Before we go on to the nitty-gritty of the CCI Stinger .22 specifications, we’ll first take a slight detour to address the differences between centerfire and rimfire ammo.
Centerfire vs Rimfire Ammo
The main difference between centerfire and rimfire ammo has to do with the placement of the primer in the cartridge.
Rimfire ammo has the primer source located in the outer rim of the cartridge, placed there during the process of producing the case.
On the other hand, the centerfire round has the primer material placed in a separate cup that is then placed into the cartridge pocket as a part of the manufacturing process.
This means that the firing process also differs:
- With the rimfire round, the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge, crimping it and igniting the primer that then lights the gunpowder and propels the bullet.
- The centerfire round is struck with the firing pin at the very center of the cartridge, igniting the charge in the primer cup. The same reaction as with the rimfire follows.
To learn the nuanced differences between the two, watch the video below.
It never hurts to go over the basics, and now, with that defined, let’s see what the more technical specifications are for this long rifle 32 grain round.
The 32 Grain Copper Plated Hollow Point Round Specs
This hyper-velocity leader — thanks to CCI priming, plus a brass and copper plated hollow point — proves itself as a reliable falt shooting round that will drop varmints in a beat.
And it does it at the incredible 1,640 ft/s muzzle velocity flying out of a cartridge that is loaded within industry-standard pressures.
How about the numbers? Let’s see a quick breakdown of the specs and ballistics:
| Ammo caliber | .22 Long Rifle |
| Bullet type | Copper Plated Hollow Point (CPHP) |
| Bullet weight | 32 Grain |
| Bullet diameter | 0.223” |
| Caste type | Rimmed, straight |
| Casing | Brass |
| Case length | .613” |
| Overall Length | 1.000” |
| Land diameter | 0.212” |
| Neck diameter | .226” |
| Base diameter | .226” |
| Rim diameter | .278” |
| Rim thickness | .043” |
| CCI priming | Rimfire |
| Velocity | 1,640 ft/s |
| Energy | 141 ft-lb |
As we can see, the Stinger does make some sacrifices for its speed. The lower 32-grain bullet weight (and its elongated case) doesn’t work in some 22 LR chambers — but more on that later.
But this sacrifice in weight pays off. You’ll find that this round has low recoil, is incredibly accurate, and is the fastest round for your rifle.
Except for match-grade chambered rifles, and here’s why.
Which Gun to Pick for Stinger .22 LR Ammunition
If you’re wondering what gun to pick, we suggest just go to town.
CCI Stingers can be safely fired from most modern .22 LR weapons, not including rifles that have a tighter, match-grade chamber.
Match rifle chambers are cut shorter and tighter than standard rifle chambers, and, as we mentioned, CCI elongated the case of the Stingers.
The case can end up being pressed into the rifling and cause extraction issues or damage to the rifling.
Our selection: A Ruger 10/22 works like a charm for most of our shooting needs.
Plinking, Backyard Varmint Control, and Self-Defense
For CCI .22 Stinger being used for self-defense, we’ll say this — sure, if it’s the only thing you have available. Otherwise, something with more stopping power would be better.
Sure, it’ll get the job done, providing you put enough rounds in the target. But otherwise, this is primarily a strong varmint control and plinking round.
You can also use it for hunting small game — just be sure to have some distance between you and your game, as this round will obliterate it at closer distances, which is what you want with pest and varmint control.
Time to Stock Up
The CCI Stinger copper-plated hollow point premium .22 long rifle rimfire round is our go-to choice — for efficient varmint hunting and for similar tasks where high velocity and precision are necessary.
Be sure to stock up, as these are volatile times we live in and ammunition is in high demand.
Get your case of CCI Stinger bricks today — 5000 rounds of premium hyper-velocity 32-grain copper-plated hollow point load, for all of your varmint hunting needs and then some.
We at BulkMunitions appreciate your business and want you to know that, by placing your trust with us, you also join us in our mission to support Christian-based, 2A-supporting non-profits.
We pride ourselves of tithing 10% of our profits every quarter for what we believe in.
If you aim to become a repeat customer — and we hope you do — consider signing up for our BulkMunitions Loyalty Rewards Club to get your ammunition with free shipping.
We sell in bulk and ship your orders fast, within 48 hours, and with most of them being delivered in 1–4 days.
Ammo is flying off our virtual shelves fast, so be sure to get your supply of .22 Long Rifle CCI Stinger today.
Featured Image: wikimedia.org
