Fear & Loading: Darn You, CCI

by
posted on December 6, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
holiday-ccis.jpg

That trusted name in rimfire, CCI, quietly rolled out holiday packs of .22 LR in November—making no sound, not even that of a mouse. It’s sold out in my favorite outlets, and the shortage threatens my Christmas spirit with a watery douse.

Seriously. There was no press release. I asked. There seems to be a few of the 300-packs in scattered authorized outlets, but I’m sure by the time I drive cross country, they’ll be in shopping carts and trailed enviously by other shooters hoping the early bird’s card is declined.

Apparently in November—I can’t tell you precisely when, because, well, it’s a secret—CCI produced .22 LR ammunition in holiday packs, and the cartridges within wore bullets coated in a festive green and red polymer. MSRP was somewhere around $20 and it had stocking stuffer written all over it, assuming the holiday footwear is affixed to the mantle by lag bolts and the fireplace isn’t burning.

CCI needs to crank out another batch before Dec. 24 for those of us who consider it sacrilege to shop for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Turkeys hadn’t even thawed when this hit the retailers and it’s got my giblets in a bunch.

Just in case management has forgotten or, more likely, forced an unsuspecting intern to eat the formula to maintain secrecy, the loads were 40-gr. .22 LR with a muzzle velocity of 1,235 f.p.s. They came with festive red and green polymer coated bullets and the SKU was 921XMAS17.

If you ditch the Santa hat on the box’s bunny, I can almost guarantee any excess inventory will disappear at about the same time the Easter Bunny arrives. In other words: Turn those presses at “warp speed, Scotty.”

I’d blame the Russians, because it’s fashionable and would make me seem intelligent right now, but CCI and its owner, Vista Outdoor, are about as red, white and blue as apple pie, baseball and mom on the Fourth of July. That leaves me no choice but to point my finger at the real culprits—enthusiasts who scored a box or two before the holiday shopping crush. Santa knows who you are, by the way, so there.

Latest

Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto
Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Review: Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Following the success of its .45 ACP-chambered LC Carbine, Ruger realized that this platform would go a long way toward making the 10 mm Auto more controllable and fun to shoot, and a new 10 mm version was released in 2024.

The Armed Citizen® July 14, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Favorite Firearms: A Little Stevens From Chicago

"Over the next five or six years, and before I went off to college, I fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds of .22 BB Caps, CB Caps, Shorts and Longs through this rifle."

Preview: Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle

The T-Bone from Strike Industries is an ideal fit for suppressed applications, as it can be configured by the user to redirect gas blowback entirely to either side ...

New For 2025: Weatherby Model 307 Range XP 2.0 & Alpine ST Rifles

Weatherby's Model 307 bolt-action rifle opens up a world of aftermarket components to consumers, thanks to its Model 700 receiver footprint, and the company now has two new models for hunters and sport shooters.

Preview: Thunderbolt To The Rebels | The United States Sharpshooters In The Civil War

Author Darin Wipperman provides a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Berdan’s sharpshooters during the American Civil War.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.