.22LR ammo, a good survival caliber?

[DandL]

I've heard .22 makes a good round for survival uses. Does anyone have  recommendations of a good 40 grain round with high enough velocity so that it cycles good in a semiautomatic and where to get it? I want to buy in bullk but here in California its hard to find

[Nemo]

I like the Federal.  CCI stingers are also excellent.

As to getting ammo, best thing to do is leave Kommifornia.

Nemo

[thatGuy]

I've not shot a .22 that wasn't good enough to shoot a man with..

[JohnyMac]

DandL,
.22's are becoming readily available here in NE PA. however there still is shortages in many parts of the country. So if you are in one of these ".22 deserts" buy what ever you can find - When you find them. If you don't use them for there intended purpose, they will make good barter currency.

I learned this little tip from my brother: When you buy a bulk box of .22's, vacuum seal the whole box. This keeps them fresh as, believe it or not, .22's do have a shelf life when not protected. When using my .22 conversion bolt in my AR, if rounds are not cycling properly, I open a vacuum sealed box and voila! I am back in business. I save the old ones for my other .22 weapons.

PS: To answer your question...I use CCI Stinger .22's for hunting bushy tails to turkeys. My friends uncle (in the day) use to poach deer with a .22 round. 
 

[Grudgie]

Online might be your best bet for availability. Gunbot.net is a good site to track the availability of ammo.

[CJS06]

To cycle well in Semi Autos or a .22 Conversion like JohnyMac mentioned just make sure that you use ammo that is rated as High Velocity.  CCI makes a number of good options: Stinger, Velocitor and Mini Mag are all great as well as the bulk packs that are marked as AR Tactical.  A general rule is that it should have velocity over 1200fps.  I have had good luck with Winchester, Federal and Aguila as well.

[JohnyMac]

Grudgie,
I don't think you can get ammo delivered to CA. anymore. I could be wrong and if so Kentactic will set me straight.

If I lived in a state where you couldn't receive ammo and other firearm related "stuff" I would set up a drop box in another state, e.g. Live in NJ or NY have a drop box in PA. Live in CT or MA, have a drop box in VT, NH or RI.

Many moons ago I lived in LA (Marina del Rey) when there wasn't the restrictions on ammo or firearms that there is today. Anyhow, NV. was about a 4 hour drive away. Today I would gather up my friends and probably have a drop box in NV. Then once a month someone from the group could go to pick up the order (s) waiting for pick up. The secret here, to make it cost effective, you need a couple of people to go in on this together. 

[brat]

I like most all CCI rounds, with Stingers getting the "nod" for my fav. Had good luck with Winchester, haven't tried Aguila, but know some that have, no bad reports. Like CJ said, high velocity.

And setting up a drop box (good idea there JMac) and then have "friends" from the area visiting regularly is the way to go it seems.   

Sorta like you'd have to do with getting supplies from friends if you were caught in a disaster area....... oh wait 


So, plan B

best thing to do is leave Kommifornia

[DMCakhunter]

CCI Velocitor or Stinger are very good. Aguila Interceptor or Maximum are good too, just have more acrid odor to them.
As was stated before, high velocity is best and copper coated are better than plain lead. Remington Viper is the only 22 LR that is not coated with wax (keeps buildup out of the drum magazines).
As JM mentioned about freshness, .22 short, long & LR ammo do not have much of a case to bullet seal (some are down right loose) and can degrade over time / moisture. .22 magnum does not have that problem with jacketed bullets.

Not being from California but reading about lead restrictions, are you required to go lead free? If yes, you are limited to CCI or Winchester lead free .22 ammo.