CCI Mini-Mag vs CCI Stinger: Is Hyper-Velocity Worth It?

The Stinger leaves the muzzle 400 fps faster. By 100 yards, CCI's own numbers say the slower Mini-Mag is carrying more energy. Here is what that means for squirrels, steel and semi-autos.

The number that surprises people

Read CCI's spec sheets for these two loads and one line jumps out. The Stinger leaves the muzzle at 1,640 fps with 191 ft-lbs of energy. The 40-grain Mini-Mag leaves at 1,235 fps with 135 ft-lbs. That's a big head start, and it's why Stinger has been the "hot" .22 on gun-counter talk since the 1970s.

Then look at the 100-yard column. CCI lists the Stinger at 81 ft-lbs and the Mini-Mag at 88. The slower, heavier bullet has caught up and passed it.

That isn't a misprint. It's what happens when a light bullet with a low ballistic coefficient fights the air. The 32-grain Stinger has a listed BC of .084. The 40-grain Mini-Mag round nose is listed at .130. A higher BC means the bullet keeps its speed better, and over 100 yards that difference adds up to more than the Stinger's head start.

So "is hyper-velocity worth it?" doesn't have a yes-or-no answer. It depends on where your target is standing, what it is, and what your gun is willing to feed.

Two loads, two eras

Mini-Mag is where CCI's rimfire story begins. The company introduced it in 1962, and CCI's product page still calls it "our original offering." It's a high-velocity load, not a hyper-velocity one: a full 40-grain bullet pushed to the top of the normal .22 LR speed range. CCI also makes a 36-grain Mini-Mag hollow point for hunters who want expansion without giving up much weight.

Stinger came in 1975 and changed what people expected from a .22 LR. To get a light bullet moving that fast, CCI used a slightly longer case. American Hunter's CCI history gives the Stinger case as .702 inch against .613 inch for a standard case. CCI's spec page carries a short warning that matters more than the velocity figure: use it only in firearms with standard ANSI sporting barrel and chamber dimensions.

Hyper-velocity .22s don't run at crazy pressures. CCI's Stinger page says it is "loaded within industry standard pressures." The speed comes from a lighter bullet and more powder room, not from running the case harder.

Side by side on CCI's numbers

Everything below comes from CCI's published product pages, with a 100-yard zero and sights 1.5 inches over the bore. Your barrel length will move these figures, so treat them as a fair comparison, not a prediction for your rifle.

	Mini-Mag 40 gr CPRN	Stinger 32 gr CPHP
CCI part number	30	50
Bullet	40 gr copper-plated round nose	32 gr copper-plated hollow point
Muzzle velocity	1,235 fps	1,640 fps
Velocity at 50 yd	1,092 fps	1,292 fps
Velocity at 100 yd	998 fps	1,066 fps
Muzzle energy	135 ft-lbs	191 ft-lbs
Energy at 100 yd	88 ft-lbs	81 ft-lbs
Ballistic coefficient	.130	.084
Path at 50 yd (100 yd zero)	2.9 in high	1.9 in high
CCI's intended use	Target shooting	Varmint

Two things stand out. First, the Stinger is still moving faster at 100 yards, even though it has less energy. Speed and energy aren't the same, and a 32-grain bullet needs a lot more speed to match a 40-grain one. Second, the Stinger really is flatter. With a 100-yard zero it peaks about an inch lower than the Mini-Mag at 50 yards. If you shoot at odd distances and don't want to think about holdover, that matters.

Where Stinger earns its keep

The Stinger is built for a job: small varmints at short-to-middle distances, where its speed and hollow point make the bullet open up fast. A ground squirrel at 40 yards is a Stinger target. So is a pest rat near the barn, if you have a safe backstop.

There's a second, less glamorous job. Some semi-auto pistols and rifles with heavy recoil springs, especially when new or dirty, run better on hot ammo. Stinger is often the load people reach for when a gun short-strokes on standard stuff. That's a fair use, as long as the gun groups it well enough for what you're doing. If it's a plinking pistol, it probably will.

Where Stinger is a poor pick:

Match and tight-chambered rifles. That longer case is the issue. CCI tells you to stick to standard sporting chambers. If your rifle has a match chamber or you're not sure, check with the maker first.
Longer shots. Past about 75 yards the light bullet's low BC starts to show. It drifts more in wind and its energy falls faster.
Eating game. A fast, light hollow point can do more meat damage on a rabbit or squirrel than a round nose placed in the head. Many hunters who eat what they shoot prefer a 40-grain solid.

Where Mini-Mag earns its keep

Mini-Mag is the load you can hand someone without knowing much about their gun. It's a normal-length case, a normal-weight bullet, and a speed most .22 LR actions are built around. CCI's page points to clean-burning powder and reliable feeding, which is what you want from a load you'll buy in bulk.

The 40-grain round nose suits small game where head shots are the norm, general plinking, and steel. The 36-grain hollow point suits hunters who want a bit more expansion on body shots at moderate range.

The trade-off is a more curved path. With a 100-yard zero, the 40-grain Mini-Mag is nearly 3 inches high at 50 yards on CCI's chart. Most squirrel hunters solve that by zeroing closer. A 50-yard zero is common. Our guide to zeroing a rimfire shows how the choice of distance moves your holds around.

The accuracy question nobody can answer for you

This is where honest comparisons get frustrating. There's no published rule saying one of these loads is more accurate than the other. A .22 LR barrel is fussy, and two rifles of the same model can like different ammo. Some guns group Stinger well. Others spray it.

The only way to know is to shoot both from a rest, at the distance you care about, using several groups. A box of each costs far less than a case of the wrong one. If you hunt, test at your real hunting distance, not at 25 yards.

If you're sorting loads for a semi-auto, write down whether every round ejected and fed, not just where it hit. A load that groups well but stalls once every 50 rounds is a bad hunting load.

Pistols and short barrels

Both loads give up speed in a short pistol barrel, and the Stinger's advantage shrinks. Its powder charge is sized to burn in a rifle barrel, so in a short pistol barrel more of that powder burns past the muzzle as flash and noise. That doesn't make it useless in a handgun. If a .22 pistol is fussy about cycling, Stinger is a reasonable thing to try. For more on that, see ammo that cycles in .22 pistols.

Safety notes worth repeating

Fast .22 bullets travel a long way. A Stinger fired upward with no backstop can carry well past your property line. Pick an earth backstop, avoid shooting at water or flat rock (both cause ricochets), and know what's beyond your target. Unload and store rifles so children and anyone not allowed to handle them can't get to them, with ammo kept separately where you can.

Decision: which one to buy

Go with what the numbers and the guns actually say, not the box art.

If you mostly…	Lean toward
Hunt squirrels and rabbits you plan to eat	Mini-Mag 40 gr RN
Shoot ground squirrels and small pests inside 75 yd	Stinger
Shoot a match or tight-chambered rifle	Mini-Mag (Stinger not recommended by CCI there)
Plink and shoot steel with a stiff semi-auto	Try both, buy the one it runs on
Shoot past 75 yd or in wind	Mini-Mag 40 gr
Want one load for everything	Mini-Mag 40 gr

You can compare both lines and the rest of CCI's range on Ammunition Depot's 22 LR ammo page. Check current price before you commit to a case.

Pick the Mini-Mag 40-grain if you want one .22 LR load for small game, steel and general shooting. It keeps more energy at 100 yards and works in almost any gun. Pick Stinger if you shoot small varmints at short-to-middle range, want a flatter path, and your gun has a standard sporting chamber and groups it well.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Frequently asked questions

Is CCI Stinger more powerful than Mini-Mag?

At the muzzle, yes: CCI lists 191 ft-lbs for Stinger and 135 ft-lbs for the 40-grain Mini-Mag. By 100 yards CCI's tables show 81 ft-lbs for Stinger and 88 ft-lbs for Mini-Mag, because the lighter Stinger bullet sheds speed faster.

Why is the Stinger case longer?

Stinger was designed with a slightly longer case than a standard .22 LR to make room for more powder behind its 32-grain bullet. CCI says to use it only in guns with standard ANSI sporting chamber dimensions, which rules out some tight match chambers.

Is Mini-Mag good for squirrels?

The 40-grain Mini-Mag round nose and the 36-grain Mini-Mag hollow point are both long-standing small-game choices. Pick whichever your rifle groups best at your hunting distance, and keep shots within the range you can place them precisely.

Will Stinger cycle my semi-auto .22 better?

Hotter loads often help a stiff semi-auto run, but there is no universal answer. Some pistols and rifles cycle Stinger well and some group it poorly. Try a box in your own gun before buying in quantity.

Sources and further reading

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