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Super Colibri in a semi auto Rifle

9K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  Bigdog57 
#1 ·
I am flat out DESPERATE for ammunition. I found Aguila Super Colibri's in stock at a good price for a brick of 500. However it says not for use in Semi-Auto rifles. These things have a 20 grain bullet that fires at 500 fps with just the primer, no powder. I understand they don't produce the recoil to push the bolt back and cycle another round, but for the "no rifle" part, supposedly some long barrels have enough friction to slow the bullet down to stop it completely, and when the next round is fired, it will be catastrophic. Anyone confirm this?
 
#2 · (Edited)
The Super Calibri does not cycle in my Remington Speedmaster 552. This rifle will shoot LRs. longs, shorts and even cycle with CCI quiet rounds. However, since the 552 does not lock open when the tube magazine is empty, I use Super Calibris as my last round loaded. By the sound and recoil, I know the magazine is empty and won't do a dry fire. Yes, I'm too lazy to count rounds.

The good news is I have never has a squib using the the Super Calibri.
 
#6 ·
the CB's in 2 of my rifles with 24" barrels have had several stick, but never with bolt actions,,normally only use them in revovlers or a couple 16" barrel rifles seem to be ok in,, they will NOT cycle any semi-auto rifle or pistol..
Ok that's good enough for me. I figure a 19" Marlin "micro groove" barrel might put a lot of friction on the bullet compared to barrels with different rifling.
 
#8 ·
Great stuff those Super Colibri!! Need to get some more! Have a brick or two left and use them all the time!

I live in a rural area on 10 acres in the hills, but virtually next door is a sub division of "flat landers" on postage stamp sized lots, that call the cops whenever there's any gunfire. Most are transplants from San Francisco or other urban anti-gun regions. Rather than creating a stir, I use a lot of Colibri rounds. From recreationally plinking pine cones off the fir trees, ventilating aluminum cans, to scaring off the local pillaging deer population. (they eat everything my wife plants! They're vermin on stilts around here! ...and not gun shy at all, but the smack of the bullet hitting a tree near them spooks/shoos them away)

I've used Collibri's to dispatch skunks, rats, a few raccoons and ground squirrels. All one-shot, relatively close range (30'-50') kills with head shots. (By the way: dont believe the story that "...if you shoot a skunk in the back of the head where their two white back stripes merge into their one white head stripe, they wont spray..." It's not true!! Proved it wrong twice!)

They are super quiet... much more quiet than even my .177 or .22 Benjamin pellet guns! Sometimes you can see the bullet streaking (arcing/lobbing) out to the target. The point of impact is vertically different so you have to re-sight it in for Collibris vs your regular full bore .22's. I compensate point of impact simply by holding the sight's point of aim lower to compensate. It's sighted in for the Colibris, so it's a different 'hold' for those rarer "real" .22 shots.

I usually shoot them in my Winchester Model 90 pump .22 gallery gun without any issues except for fouling the chamber because the Colibri bullet is a shorter truncated cone shape and the regular .22 has a longer ogive. After shooting Colibri's, if I decide to use regular .22's I have to brush out the chamber or it has a tendency not to want to seat regular 22s easily and causes tight extraction issues. (like after shooting a bunch of .22 shorts) A quick brushing solves that.

I've shot them out of pretty much all my 22's at one time or another. Handguns are much louder. Of course none will cycle a semiauto action. I hesitate to shoot it out of my 26" and 24" barreled rifles as I dont want to chance getting a "ballistic wedgie" in the barrel. The Model 90 and my model '06 are short barreled pumps, and there has never been issues. Shoots ok in a Ruger 10/22 as a "semi-single-shot", and in my Iver Johnson lever action single shot .22 kid's gun.

Wish I can find more locally... but dont want to spend $8 a box at the local "sporting goods" retailer in town (sorry! no more "by-the-brick" ammo price breaks anymore!) and no one else carries them here. Found mine at gun shows back in the good old days when ammo was more reasonably priced. Picked up bunches then and am down to a brick or two. Ought to look online.

I use them more sparingly now and save my more serious plinking to less populated areas, or formal rifle ranges, where I can use regular, full power .22's

Have fun with them and if you find a reasonably priced stash of them, give me a holler!
 
#10 ·
I live in a rural area on 10 acres in the hills, but virtually next door is a sub division of "flat landers" on postage stamp sized lots, that call the cops whenever there's any gunfire. Most are transplants from San Francisco or other urban anti-gun regions. Rather than creating a stir, I use a lot of Colibri rounds.
Welcome to The Firearms Forum, PowderApe!

If it were me, I would get the loudest gun I own and shoot it as often as I could. If you are on your own land and there is no noise restrictions, shoot away!!

As I mentioned earlier, I like to shoot them through the mini revolver. I can actually see them leave the barrel and follow them to the target. I don't know if I am shooting the same ones as you are, cause the accuracy of the ones I have shot are pretty bad. If you are shooting at 15 yards you have to aim a foot or so high.
 
#11 ·
I use them for practice in my Smith Model 17. IMO they're not good for anything else.

I do like some of Aguila's other 22 ammo however. It's as good as any in my Volquartsen and better than some.
 
#12 ·
I'm thinking Moody might be using Colibri. In the greenish box. Not Super Colibri, in the red box.

They came out with Colibri and were having complaints about them sticking in rifle barrels. So they doubled the priming charge - Super Colibri.

I shoot Super Colibri out of a Rossi 62 pump, with a 20 inch barrel, a Remington 572 pump with a 22 inch barrel and a Marlin 39 lever, also with a 22 inch barrel. Never had one stick. Never been able to see them go through the air. At 30 feet it sometimes takes two to kill a squirrel, but they sure are quiet.
 
#14 · (Edited)
So you just have to chamber each round? Just pull the charging handle back and "cycle" the semi-auto like a bolt action? That sounds kinda fun. Getting desperate for 22LR... im gonna order some super colibri's.

Another thing, will sights and scopes still be on at 25 - 50 yards with this ammo?
 
#15 ·
You might have trouble with your magazine, because of the shortness of the bullet nose.

Tube magazine - no problem.

Ruger Mark II pistol ten-round box magazine - if I load more than five it causes magazine jams.

10/22 - never used it, but logic says it should work fine.

One of those Marlins with the 7-round box - that will probably have feeding troubles.

You might wanna just buy one box, to try, before buying a brick (or more) that might not like your gun.
 
#17 ·
'ere you go. Several years back this one place had a sale, for 6 bucks a brick. I bought 6 cases. :D

Wasn't at all worried. Knew that if it did not work through my rifle magazines, it would dang sure work in my revolvers.
 
#18 ·
So you just have to chamber each round? Just pull the charging handle back and "cycle" the semi-auto like a bolt action? That sounds kinda fun. Getting desperate for 22LR... im gonna order some super colibri's.

Another thing, will sights and scopes still be on at 25 - 50 yards with this ammo?
Maybe I'm a worry wart but the experience I've personally had with these makes me nervous in a semi auto rifle.
If that's your plan, I would add; look down the barrel to be sure that round has made it all the way out. It's just the primer pushing, some of the "ooomph" is lost pushing the bolt back. Not an issue in pumps/bolts.
Yes, your sights are likely to be off somewhat.
 
#19 ·
When we first started shooting them, we found out of a long barrel rifle they suddenly started hitting all over, and making a funny muffled sound. Sure enough, a ramrod brought out 2 or 3 jammed rounds. Just keep your ears open and if they start bouncing everywhere it means one or two are jammed and you are impact driving out the end one which will fly all over.
Really fun round to shoot, don't underestimate them, Squirrels die from them.
 
#21 ·
According to here
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/85...in-lead-solid-point-box-of-500-10-boxes-of-50
muzzle velocity is 500 fps.

Wonder what they measured it in? 2" North American mini revolver? 4" S&W kit gun? 22" Marlin 39? :confused: :D

I see they come in a grey box, now. And, lieber gott, 35 dollars a brick?

This is what I have.


The original stuff, that gets stuck in rifle barrels.


Cool. My picture is on google images. :D I was googling "super colibri" and damn, there's my picture. This critter was walking across my kitchen floor one morning, and I popped him. Tossed him in the trash can, and posted the story of the great rat hunt. Realized that hunting stories were useless without pictures, so went out and took one of him, laying at the bottom of the garbage can.
 
#22 ·
I feel for you guys who live in areas where you need ammo with no actual powder. You guys really should just move to the countryside to a nice conservative area. I can go shott my .45 on my front lawn all day long and nobody cares.
 
#26 ·
Decided to do a little research to see if the CCI Quiet rounds would shoot in the Remington Speed Master. My search led me right back to TFF, where I found the answer to my question! Amazing!
 
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