Browning BPR 400 vs Aguila Super Extra 500: Bulk .22 Compared

Two plated high-velocity bulk loads that look alike on a spec sheet, with a hollow point on one side and a solid point on the other. The difference shows up in the details.

The two packs side by side

Bulk .22 LR comes down to two decisions that people tend to treat as one: what load, and how many. These two listings frame the choice neatly. One is Browning's Performance Rimfire 36-grain copper-plated hollow point in a 400-round pack. The other is Aguila's Super Extra 40-grain high-velocity solid point in a 500-round pack.

Everything in that table comes from the listing and manufacturer descriptions. We have not run either load, so what follows is reasoning from bullet design, not a report from the firing line. Where the listing leaves a detail open, we say so.

Bullet shape: the real difference

The 36-grain and 40-grain figures matter less than the noses.

A solid point has a smooth, rounded profile. It slides up the feed ramp and into the chamber with little to catch on. A hollow point has a cavity in the nose and a blunter, sometimes sharper-edged front end. In a well-designed feed path it does fine. In a marginal one, it is the more likely of the two to nose-dive or hang up.

Hollow points earn their place by expanding on impact, which makes them the logical choice for squirrels and rabbits, and by being slightly lighter, which can make them a hair faster. The cost is a feed shape that is a touch less forgiving.

What that means:

• If your gun is a proven, forgiving semi-auto, the Browning hollow point should feed fine, and you get the expansion.
• If your gun is picky, or you simply want the lowest-risk first test, the Aguila solid point is the safer bet.
• If you hunt, the hollow point is the one designed for it. Check your local regulations and see the small-game hunting guide.

Reliability in semi-autos

Both loads are high-velocity and copper-plated, and that combination is what most blowback .22s are designed around. Plating reduces the lead smeared onto your action, and high velocity supplies the energy to cycle it.

That makes this a closer fight than the brand names suggest. The distinction is not "reliable vs unreliable", it is "which does your gun prefer". Guns differ more than ammunition does. A rifle that digests one without trouble may stumble on the other because of a feed ramp angle, a magazine lip or a nose profile.

If you have problems with either, the troubleshooting order is in our semi-auto jam guide, and the magazine fixes are in the magazines and loaders roundup.

Accuracy

Neither of these is a precision load. Both are bulk plated ammunition, built for volume at an economical per-round cost, and both will print groups that a good rifle can improve on with better ammunition.

A few sober points:

• Barrels favor certain loads for reasons that cannot be predicted from the label. A group from one rifle does not carry over to another.
• A lighter, faster bullet like the 36-grain can be a little less consistent than a 40-grain, as a general principle, but the effect is small at plinking distances.
• If groups matter, test both from a rest at one distance and let the target decide. Our rim thickness sorting article explains why bulk ammunition varies inside a single box, and why that is expected.

Packaging and volume

The listings give you 400 rounds on one side and 500 on the other. A hundred rounds is a few magazines of difference, not a strategic one. What matters more is what you do with the size:

• 400 rounds is a sensible test quantity for a new rifle. It is enough for several sessions, not so many that a bad fit is a headache.
• 500 rounds is the better fit once you know the load runs. Fewer reorders, and a single lot behaves consistently across the stack.

Both invite the same discipline: confirm before committing. Our bulk .22 buying guide lays out what bulk does and does not give you. If you want to compare what else is available at larger quantities, browse the bulk .22 LR category.

Cleaning and handling after a big session

Plated bullets are cleaner to handle than bare lead, but neither load is clean in the gun. Both leave wax and carbon in the chamber, on the bolt face and around the extractor. After a long session with a large pack, clean those three spots before the next outing, because fouling is a common cause of the stoppages people blame on ammunition. Our cleaning kit roundup covers the tools, and everyone should wash their hands after handling any ammunition that contains lead.

A fair way to run your own head-to-head

You can settle this in one range trip and for far less than a brick of either.

1. Buy the smallest pack of each that your retailer offers.
2. Clean your gun, number your magazines, and write down which load goes into which.
3. Shoot a full magazine of each, alternating, from a bench.
4. Note every stoppage, how dirty the action looks, and which one groups better in a few five-shot strings.
5. Buy the winner in the larger pack.

The side that wins in your rifle may lose in a friend's. That is the entire point.

Pick one

Pick the Browning 36gr hollow point if: you hunt small game, your semi-auto feeds hollow points happily, and you appreciate a pack size suited to a first serious test. The Browning BPR guide goes deeper on it.

Pick the Aguila 40gr solid point if: you want the most forgiving bullet shape, you shoot a lot of volume, or you suspect your gun is fussy.

Pick neither if: you shoot a bolt-action for groups, you need lead-free ammunition, or you want quiet. Those are different loads, and our CCI Copper-22 guide covers lead-free, and the subsonic comparison covers quiet.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.