Earlier this year, we attended Range Ready’s “Plinkapalooza,” a celebration of all things rimfire. There were various competitions, difficult challenges and straight-up feats of marksmanship on display, with most firearms chambered in .22 LR, but also some .17 HMR and .22 Mag. represented. Firearms, both handgun and rifle, as well as various ammunition offerings, sound suppressors and even a few brand-new products were unveiled.
Much of the rimfire ammunition was provided by CCI Ammunition, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026. One of the themes evident at Plinkapalooza, and on display in the variety of ammunition types from CCI, is how varied the .22 LR offerings are. There are snakeshot rounds, match-grade pistol and rifle fodder, Stingers, Quiet-22 rounds for suppressed operation; we lost count of the different options somewhere in the 30s. Most of what we ran at the event was standard-velocity, Quiet-22 and pistol-match ammunition, with some of the other specialty rimfire (.17 HMR and .22 Mag.) on certain stages.
JJ Reich joins us in the Range Ready studio to talk about the various CCI rimfire ammunition offerings and the company’s anniversary. The length and breadth of the CCI line, between bullet weight differences, construction and even the significant spread in velocity across the line are all part of the discussion, as well as the ammunition’s performance out on the shooting line. There’s even a defensive-oriented option, Uppercut, designed for controlled expansion and penetration.
As with all rimfire firearms, some experimentation is needed to find the combination that works best in your particular firearm, but that’s a significant strength for CCI given the wide variety of options. From bulk standard-velocity .22 LR to .17 HMR for long-range work, there’s something from CCI to fit your rimfire needs. The one thing you won’t have to worry about, though, is performance on the shooting line.
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