While it IS 36gr HP 22LR, it is NOT the same ammo as the Federal 550 bulk walmart ammo, or 525 "Champion" branded stuff we are used to.

Note the pics:



Black Pack on the left, Federal Bulk on the right:



The packaging plastic holders are IDENTICAL to the bulk packed CCI mini-mags, from the "Just Choot em" flavor.... they are snapped in half and have the rough edge showing they were once part of the 100-length size:



Now, let's compare to the CCI Mini-mags of the same 36gr varietal:

CCI Mini-mag on the Left, Black Pack center, and Federal Bulk on the right:





CCI is owned by Vista, same company thats owns Federal.  We have seen other offerings under the Federal brand that were actually produced by CCI, such as the aluminum cased 9mm that Federal sells to Walmart, which was made by CCI for years under the Blazer branding.

CCI 36gr Mini-mag specs are 1260 fps:   https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031

Federal Black Pack specs for the 788BF are 1260 fps.

So, I cannot say for sure these are actually CCI Mini-Mags, but these are damned sure CCI Mini-mag bullets, loaded to the same 1260 FPS velocity according to the manufacturer as CCI Mini-mags, and NOT the same projectile that comes with Federal bulk.  It could be a combination of CCI projectiles, with Federal cases/priming, or it could be 100% CCI manufactured.... if the latter, that is a HUGE plus, IMHO.

Edit 11/26 - Ammo tests

I tested 5 different types of 22LR ammo today, in 5 different guns:

Federal "Black Pack" 36gr CPHP
CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP
CCI Mini-Mag 40gr CPRN
CCI STD Velocity 40gr Lead RN
Winchester M22 40gr Lead RN (bulk 500 pack)
Federal 36gr CPHP bulk (550 WalMart value pack)

Ruger MarkII Target
Ruger SR-22
Walther PP
S&W M&P 15-22 AR rifle
Nordic NC-22 AR rifle

The MarkII was finicky as hell until I did a fluff and buff on it many years ago, now it is really reliable.
The Ruger SR-22 is fairly reliable, sometimes slow ammo will cause it not to pick up a new round, but it is improving there as I shoot it
The Walther PP is old, it was my father's pistol, and it is real finicky will different bulk ammo.
The S&W AR-22 eats just about anything without much complaint.
The Nordic NC-22 is my primary 22 rifle, I shoot the PISS outa this thing, and it is getting where it needs a new extractor, as evidenced by the testing.  I ordered a Volquartsen extractor replacement that should be here soon to fix it.

I shot 10 round strings of each ammo type, through each gun.  I rotated different ammo each time, and then shot a second string, to ensure heat or dirtiness didn't have any impact or would be equalized.

A total of 500 rounds were fired in the test, 20 rounds of each ammo type through each gun.  (100 rounds of each ammo type fired in total)

Total failures:  

27 total failures out of 500 rounds.  (5.4%)

0  - Federal "Black Pack" 36gr CPHP
2  - CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP
3  - CCI Mini-Mag 40gr CPRN
2  - CCI STD Velocity 40gr Lead RN
13 - Winchester M22 40gr Lead RN (bulk 500 pack)
7 - Federal 36gr CPHP bulk (550 WalMart value pack)

Failures per gun (100 rounds fired):

3  - Ruger MarkII Target
10 - Ruger SR-22
11 - Walther PP
0  - S&W M&P 15-22 AR rifle
3 - Nordic NC-22 AR rifle

I then shot 50 more rounds of the Federal Black pack in my MarkII Target, with zero malfunctions.

Conclusions:

1.  The Federal "Black Pack" was the most reliable ammo I tested across all 5 guns today with ZERO malfunctions out of 150 rounds fired.

2.  Winchester 22LR ammo still sucks donkey balls.

3.  The S&W M&P 15-22 is a damned reliable rifle that just eats anything.

4.  Bulk packaged ammo is less reliable in general than non-bulk CCI ammo (shocker)

Side notes:

The failures in Federal Bulk pack were all light strikes, but ONLY in the SR22 and Walther PP, and a second pull of the trigger ignited them fine.  No failures out of any other gun with this ammo.
The surprising failures in 40gr mini-mags were 1 total dud (fired multiple times, rotated, etc), 1 light strike in the SR-22 that fired on a second pull, and 1 FTE from my Nordic (with a weak extractor).
The CCI standard Velocity failures were in the Walther PP, which HATES soft shooting ammo, so I was not shocked.

I am a super happy camper with this stuff.

CCI?  Ya, first thing I thought when I saw the pics.  But I did not Fo- yet.

Interdasting

Nice write up.
Probably will buy.

Interesting. Thanks

Pull bullets and compare powders?

Where would one find these?

Wish they were 40gr hp though...

I regret not buying these if they are CCI.

Also not sure why vista would brand them as Federal when they could call them CCI and make more money.

Branding. People putting their name on other peoples' stuff.

Who knew?

Anyone still have good deals on these? Been working the last few days and haven't had a chance to look up any good deals.

Considering that they are effectively a penny a round, I don’t know how much they’re making here.

Probably had a huge overrun and are just trying to break even.

yeah. My picky 22s all love 40gr and are semi-useless on 36gr for some reason. If this was 40gr I'd be buying a few boxes.

I bought a couple of boxes. but I've really been hoarding CCI subs lately buying a few boxes every time I go into the local sporting good store.

I have 3200 of them and a 22 conversion inbound.

Yup...

Attached File

The mini mags use a 40-grain bullet at 1235 fps. These state a 36g bullet at 1260, so the specs do not align. But they could still be manufactured by, well, anyone. I bought some so I'll see how they shoot.

That's incorrect.

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/products.aspx

More specifically:

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0031

Glad I maxed out the rebate allowance on these.

Sure looks like it from the CCI site but, set me straight if I'm wrong.

well that will make me happier that I already was with 8,000 rounds inbound.

They've been saying this for a week on Reddit but I appreciate your talking the time to pay pictures and your observations here

Your second cite is for the hollowpoint, which does weigh 36 grains. These are solids.

Yes I notice the similarity when I saw them on Brownell's website.

I took a chance that the picture would match the actual product that I received and was pleasantly surprised when my 8000 Federal head stamp CCI mini mags arrived the other day.

No, they are not.

Oops. I sse the box now. Ida swore I ordered solids. My bad.

I just bought 8,000rds of it on BF for $164 shipped after rebate.

I’m feeling like a winner.

Let’s get some testing done on some finicky guns that run on CCI only and see what happens. Mine eat everything.

Mini Mags have always been overpriced.  They're a premium product name, with a premium price, for a normal product.  The current market is soft, and 6-8 cents for a Mini Mag probably isn't selling very well.  Putting them in a different box with a bargain name on it, and selling it for what the market will bear without tainting the Mini Mag name by discounting, is a smart move.

I'll find out 11/27/18 when my five black packs arrive.    MAGA

I regret not buying more of them now.

I have plenty of guns that choke on Federal.  If somebody wants to send me some at cost, I'll be happy to test it.

(I used my rebates on 9mm)

Exactly

Neat.

I'm glad I maxed out the rebate on them. With my second oldest getting her first rifle for Christmas this year we're gonna need all the .22 ammo we can get.

This is exactly!

But it provides savvy shoppers an opportunity to get mini mags at a reasonable price.

I have been shooting for over 25 years and this is the cheapest I have ever seen CCI mini mags in my life.

I found them at gander.   Forget the exact price, but it was a little more than the online deal.

Anyone still selling?

Latecomer

This

Check your local academy. I picked mine up off the shelf.

Now I wish I bought more. 2 cases arrived today and it does look like Mini Mags for roughly $10 per brick shipped after rebate.

I did not fo on these, because the Fed bulk packs never worked well in my guns.

Someone needs to do actual shooting tests on these.

Based on this new information, I may or may not have driven to the store and picked up 8000 more rounds tonight.

I bought them just to hoard.  My one .22 is a Beretta pocket pistol

I bought 5 packs last weekend on the Academy deal because I have a groundhog problem.

They arrived today and the lazy FexEx guy left them at the street, in the rain without a plastic bag.  

Fortunately we rescued them in time.

We don't have any stores within 250 miles or more from us, and they're out of stock every time I check. This stinks I could use these to train kids up on rifles, guess maybe next time.

You are in WA? Go to Bi Mart they have them.

I was out looking for some today with no luck.
Oh well

Cool, thank you I will try and find a Bi Mart. Haven't heard of them, but fingers crossed.

Just checked on the BiMart, the nearest one is 2.5 hours away. If I can make it over tomorrow that would be great.

Edit for retarded monkey spelling.

If these are rebranded MiniMags it'll be the second best deal l lucked into today.  I bought two cases at $59.99 ea with a $20 rebate on each case.

How can they offer free shipping? It would cost almost as much as the ammo just to ship it out. I just checked everyplace around us and it's a no go, thanks for the heads up everyone.