JS - thank you for mentioning Blazer Brass. I would like to thank the folks at Speer for plating the entire bullet, including the base, and protecting shooters from lead exposure. I'm amazed at the number of shooters who will choose another brand of 9mm or .40 ammo simply because it's 10 cents a box cheaper. I'm fairly certain that 99% of these shooters have no idea that the garbage they are choosing has exposed lead bullet bases...which are vaporized by hot gasses during the firing process, coating their firearms, hands, and most importantly, their lungs. For less intelligent shooters, it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. Intelligent shooters will generally choose Blazer Brass practice ammo.
@@thomasbednar7475 You realize you could handle lead on a bullet your entire life and it not affect you... JUST DON'T EAT IT. You almost certainly get higher lead exposure in the water supply. The reason lead was removed from schools and such is kids were EATING paint chips.... talk to a teacher sometime you will learn alot about the craziness kids will get up to.
I really appreciate what these guys do for me and the masses because this is my favorite ammunition brand. I wish CCI and Speer another 65+ years of great service.
Manufacturing always blows my mind. It's crazy to think that someone years ago came up with a bunch of one off machines to do a specific task. So cool!
You nailed it Slywright. The engineers who designed and built the machines that produce the parts required for lots of different items we use is truely magnificent. I went to the Centre of the West in Cody, WY in 2015 , on holiday from Australia, and the most interesting thing to me in the fiream wing was those machines that produced the early Winchester's .No computer assisted programs , just just smart humans building intricate inventions. Love to you and yours.Lawrie.
It's one of the great things about the show "How It's Made", the amount of technology, and step by step processes that are required to build something mass produced, cheap, disposable, and mundane as an off brand pen with a real estate company's name & logo, .22 bullets, flexible drinking straws, everyday items all around us, etc, is fascinating. Yet many people never notice or think about it
Brother, that's awesome that you got to go through the whole process. There's no one else on RUclips that deserved such a close look. You were probably like a kid in a candy store!!
Dang man too bad I did not know you were right in my home area plinkster, could have met up with ya and showed you around, and done some shooting with ya lol, let me know the next time you are in Lewiston, Idaho lol,
Last thing you want to hear in the ammunitions plant..."You're Fired". Sorry could not resist. Interesting tour. It always amazes me the engineering minds it took to build these machines.
ive had failures with all brands . surprisingly ........i have no issues with Remington thunderbolts , or CCI products . these all run almost 100 percent in my 10/22s , Marlin 60 and M&P 15/22 and pistols .
More .22LR cartridges are sold every year than all other cartridges combined. 60% of all ammo sold is .22, 40% is all other calibers. Being it's the most common ammo in the world, more people have died from .22LR than any other cartridges, including military/war cartridges like 5.56 and 7.62.
My grandpa used to work at the CCI plant back when it was just Speer. He made bullets at first and later moved on to primers. A few years ago I saw a video of the CCI plant so I showed it to him. A lot of the machinery he used there 50 years ago was still there. Our last time out to Lewiston we wanted to get a tour but unfortunately they were closed and we had to go home before they would be back in business.
WOW! What an operation! And I REALLY appreciate every bit of it, as I am one of the beneficiaries! Also a plug for one of my FAVORITE practical rounds where I live, CCI "Pest Control" made, I Believe in Idaho. My neighbor and I nearly worship the stuff. .22 LR #12 shot shells - about the consistency of sand. I have used it INSIDE of my barn with concrete floor to take out a snake at about 30 inches range. Obliterated the rattler's head with NO splatter back and NO damage of any kind to my truck that was barely 36 inches away. I have also taken obstinate birds inside of that same steel barn with the stuff with ZERO collateral damage. I can't even locate where the pellets hit the steel roof when I climb up and look carefully on a ladder. But one shot, from my Single Six and the bird dropped immediately. To any snowflakes that might bemoan my "cruelty": The birds will fly into the barn through the open door and I can chase them around and around with a length of plastic conduit long enough to touch the inside of the roof and they WILL NOT fly out through the fully open 10 ft X 11 ft door. I can chase them for 10 minutes or more - to the point I'm exhausted. They cannot be left in there, because when I close the door they have no way out and they crap all over every thing - including all of my wood working equipment. I do my best to keep the door closed as much as possible but they still occasionally get in. They usually can be chased out if I see them fly in and start chasing them right away. After they've been there for 5 or 10 minutes they will almost never leave.
Plinkster, I love your videos, but this one is special. The compliments about the employees at CCI were obviously heartfelt. Heck, you looked like a kid in a candy factory!
Well... the million rounds or so of 22 rimfire produced in a day, at 40grn per bullet would require only 5,714 pounds of lead (there being 7000grn to the pound), so some of that is going for other ammo.
fordrac1ng81 Not that I don't believe your figure of 4 million rounds of 22 rimfire per day from CCI, but do you remember where you got that figure? The last one I remember was from a magazine writer who had visited the plant and got the number of 1 million per day from the guy who gave him the tour of the CCI plant, but that was several years ago. I have more like 4 million for ALL domestic production of 22 rimfire from the various ammo makers here (Blazer, Remington, Winchester, et al) not just CCI. If it is 4 million from CCI alone that is encouraging but I would like to see the source.
JustSomeGuy www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/01/dean-weingarten/cci-federal-to-increase-22-production-by-20-in-2016/ controversialtimes.com/news/gun-owners-rejoice-22lr-production-is-going-up-this-year/ www.outdoorhub.com/news/2016/08/03/video-22-lr-made-tour-cci-speer-factory/ Let me know if you need any more
fordrac1ng81 Hi again fordrac1ng81. Thanks for the links, though two of them were from the same source, they are no less valuable. So if Federal and CCI produce a combined total of 12 million rounds per day, and we give them a 5 day week (though they are actually supposed to be on a 24/7/365 schedule now) and then we give them a 50 week year with 2 weeks vacation (again, they are supposedly on the 24/7/365 regimen) we get about 3 billion rounds per year just from those two manufacturers which would amount to about 3000 rounds per year for each of the one hundred million gun owners or so in this country (which is also a conservative figure). There are obviously a lot of shooters who are averaging much higher consumption... more like 1000rnds per week or so if you compete or just like to shoot. Like you and most other persons who have been following this, I think the increase in the number of gun owners and shooters in general has led to this increased demand rather than hoarders, though there are some of those too I imagine. So, although there are still some shortages in various places, at least we might be coming to a time in the near future where supply is starting to catch up to demand and that's a good thing. I look forward to a time when I can walk into a sporting goods store and buy a case of 5000 rounds again at a reasonable cost. During the first year of the Obama administration, that cost was $150 for a case. I hope we can approach that again someday. Again... thanks for the links and a sane discussion.
I'm 77 years old and I have been a Glock Guy and 9mm user my entire shooting life! In all that time, I have Never shot a .22LR hand gun until a few months ago. I decided to Purchase a .22 hand gun because of the very high price of 9mm ammo and I shoot at my LGR every week and I could not afford to keep using 9mm ammo. After doing much research on RUclips and my Gun Forums, I decided on a Kel-Tec P17 which comes with three 3 round magazines. I have over 1000 rounds with this gun and I like it so much that I purchased another P17, in addition to A Beretta Bob Cat and a Rossi RS22 Rifle! I'm now shooting more, having more fun and saving a bunch of money! The CCI Mini Mags have worked without a Flaw in all of my .22LR Guns!
And here I thought that the Bill of Rights and the entire U.S. Constitution guaranteed our freedom, not to mention the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps. Silly me.
I had never once had a problem with CCI, until recently I got a Phoenix arms .22lr, and like 1 in 50 of the rounds are duds. I figure it has to do with the gun because I've never had a problem, but I can't see why the gun would cause duds.
Might have a firing pin that's slightly out of spec (short) or a weak spring but it's more likely just a bad batch of ammo, try a box with a different lot # and see if you have better luck.
Worked as a cop on both sides of the Snake River for 6 years and saw this plant everyday. Used .38+P ammo in .38 revolvers on the Lewiston side and I used my own S&W model 686 .357 revolver in Asotin County. Great video as I never got to tour the plant.
Man, CCI must love you! I worked many years for a distributor of their's and other makers of ammo and have been given tours of several ammunition makers plants.......but never ever would they take us into where they made .22lr.................was always told it was like a state secret or something! Are there things you learned that you can't tell us or else you'd have to kill us? LOL
+22plinkster I have no doubts that it took some effort to make this a reality. Rimfire ammo is noted for its complicated manufacturing processes so it is undoubtedly not something any company wants to protect. That said, this was quite an experience to watch.
@@louwilson0906 well a shotgun is easier you need a shotgun certificate which you need to get a government approved gun safe fill out a application then interview a police officer and then your certificate gets shipped the rifle/firearms certificate is a bit harder as its may issue not shall issue though and you need to provide 2 references instead of one and once you done with that you can buy a rifle
They make more then just 22 ammo there, and they get government contracts from what I've heard.. They treat their employee's well, and its actually one of the better places to work in that town.
@@rsdna9698 per round manufacturing cost for .22 is less than one cent on that scale. I know a few guys that reload in sufficient quantities that they get their price per round of .223 down to below 10 cents, and even that (one has an automated reloading table thats about 10 feet long and can make something like 12000 rounds a day) is amatuer hour compared to this. the reason ammo prices are so high comparatively is because of the amount of middlemen involved from factory to bullet shelf.
CCI, Speer, Federal, etc are all in Lewiston, ID. Much of the equipment used to make the bullets, primers, and cartridges is also made in Lewiston by various other companies.
Awesome video. A lot more hand work than I imagined. After seeing all the care and quality, I don't mind paying a little more for their ammo. Thanks CCI and 22Plinkster for making this video.
He said that they were going to use all that lead in one day??? Holy shit, that's mind blowing considering that they are making .22s. Very cool video. Thanks guys.
Dalton v uhm yes it is dumbfuck, rimfire 22lr is mad so the firing pin in the gun doesnt have to hit thw center, pluss if you drop a 22 hard enough itll go off , and if it surrounded and one exploded either the heat or the bullet would cause a chain reaction , ive seen it happen right before my own fuckin eyes dont tell me thats not how it works jackass
Its probably pretty ho hum... you cross em you get shot. You'd be supprised how much lead goes through the regular UPS and Fedex systems... no real security there, its just a bullet after all. It would be kind of cool if they had American 180 rifles LOL, break in you get the BRRRRRRRRTTTT.
CCI Stingers are my personal favorite 22LR ammo. Cycle great in everything and with the higher velocity they don't have as much drop at 100 yard targets
i love the quiets rounds, they are sometimes a little inconsistant, but their so quiet i can take rabbits on my dads small property without annoying the neighbours too much. they are not really any louder than the air rifle but obviously a hell of a lot more grunt, have taken many rabbits at 80+ yards. (our little aussie rabbits (european rabbit) are really a lot smaller than the big old hares your get in the states, we have the same hares as you also, but not very common, but we have thousands of little european rabbits.)
Have used CCI for years, in fact of my 3 Remington Nylon 66's, not a one has fired anything but the CCI 22LR. I recall years ago I finally had a round that did not fire. Being curious got the head off the bullet and found powder but nothing to ignite the charge. I was told back then it had to be a 1 in a quad trillion chance. Here I am now 74 and still use CCI ammo and never had another misfire or dry fire event. For those my age, you might recall mini-mag rimfires, thanks to CCI. as was Stingers the FIRST hyper-velocity 22 LR. A great company with a proud tradition and it looks like employees still proud of their work.
thank you for the great video and CCI for allowing you video access. I shared this educational video with our Facebook group Canadian Rimfires Classic. thanks for all you do in the industry 22plinkster.
i paid mine, too. lots of people thinks it's really cool how this stuff is made, but if they were to have to do it for a day, the thrill would quickly be gone....
Alright so this process leads to the next process. Alright so now it's ready for the next process. Alright so this process is finishing what the last process started
Yeah, it really surprises me how much it has gone up (you might be lucky to find t for $.07/round). Though, you have to remember that our government has forced closed (via EPA rules) the last main lead smelter in the US (in Missouri around 12 months ago or so)...meaning most of it is shipped from China/India/etc. Luckily, I bought around 20k rounds at the cheaper price and just hoping the price will come back down.
*Danni*....... I've got 58 acres, if you ever come across .22 "seeds" (or ANY caliber for that matter) that will sprout Anything in kind... please, Please - get in touch with me here, right away!
This is a great video, Thank You so much ! When I was a kid we pretty much had 2 choices Remington, or Winchester, then CCI came on the scene. My grandma bought some of these .22 shells for me for my birthday and I thought I wouldn't like them. Wow was I wrong, I have been buying them every sense then, in fact that is the only brand I will buy.
If I had one wish for a cartrage to be made it would be a reloadable centerfire .22 LR with easily replaceable primers. I honestly am suprised it hasen't been done with the popularity and age of .22 lr. Imagine a consistant .22 lr that could be easily reloaded to exact bullet weight/size and powder weight with consistant primers giving one ragged hole accuracy. Even if it cost a bit more I would do it.
I truly love to see and understand how the products I use, are made! Well done! I worked at a soda/beer can plant for 8 years and always so interesting to go to work and make sure it was done right! 1.1 million cans per 12 hour shift, 4 days on 4 days off. So Very Cool!
@Common Logic Go to a real gun store, not Wal-mart. Wal-Mart restricts the purchase amount of every caliber except .22, so all the shitheads trying to make a quick buck show up at 6am the day inventory restocks and then buy it all up in one fell swoop--and then they resell it at gun shows at 5000% markup. Assholes. Pretty sad when .223 was cheaper than .22lr for a while, at least in my area.
I wonder if they would check my pockets before I went home after working a shift there? Here we are in late Sept. 2020, and I noticed 1.2K thumbs down? Strange. Do they hate hard working people? Maybe, they hate shiny stuff like those beautiful cases. Or they are mad because they can’t get Joe to finish a sentence, without a voice over! I know, they flew to the moon and forgot their helmet and phone charger! I love the last frame, covered with brass. Gives me goose bumps. ;) I applauded CCI Speer. Keep up the great work and high quality control. Thanks to all guys and gals who work there. Great job!
I came here to try to calculate how long it will take before the shortage stops. By hopefully getting how much 22 this factory makes averaging that by how many there are in the us. Then taking about 100million people times 1000 bullets each then taking the number of bullets produced to find how long it will take for there to be some on shelves more than a day. I’ve checked everyday and nothing except my local gun shop who is trying to sell a 50p of 22lr for $25. I just want my Winchester 555 pack for $27.99 back
EVERYONE: “Can’t find .22 ammo anywhere. “ CCI: “Shucks, we have all ten of our employees working working a single 1960’s assembly line 5 days a week?”
Federal has the same type of plant they make the same amount of ammo all day everyday. You would be surprised or impressed , but it wouldnt fit the narrative of the ammo shortage err hoarding thats going on.
today feb 4 2021 i hit the motherload of CCI MINIMAG and standard velocity at my wal mart . after months of getting skunked i walked in to the gun counter and found 6 full sleeves of minimags and 90 boxes of standard velocity . i asked the guy if there was a limit .....he said no .....i said i want ALL OF IT .....yes im that guy . i wont re sell it , but ill damn sure shoot it and stash some .
I just watched my past I worked all those punchpresss when I was in my 20s and 30s and 1/2 way to my 40s Definitely brought back some memories for sure Great video
Crazy awesome. A factory tour always impresses me. I look at all the machines and wonder how much this factory is worth and how many rounds have to be made just to break even.
I used to work at a simulator machine shop/plant. It is amazing how many different machines can be altered for different products. Love CCI stingers. Cool video
Very cool! Hey! Did they check your pockets when you left the building? Looks like you might have gained a few pounds! ;) That was a treat for all of us...Thanks! and thanks to CCI / Speer!
The best ammo video I've seen, really enjoyed it! Thanks to all the fine folks at CCI for making a superior product, and thanks to you, 22plinkster, for sharing this... Semper Fi!
More automated today, then when these companies were making a profit selling rim fires for .01 and .02 cents per round, and that was back when material cost were just as high or higher then today's cost, go figure.
theyre pumping them out like that.....yet i still cant find them in my local stores....havnt shot(or even hat a chance to for less than $75 a box) a lr in ~8 years
That's so awesome seeing all the work that goes into making 22. Ammo kind of makes me appreciate it for a change I believe CCI makes the best remfire ammo by far
I want some of the brass left over after the punch that makes the first cuts in the cupping process. Should be cool looking speaker grills. I can imagine an inlay or top lay with overcoat that 2 would look fascinating under stage light. Peace Out.
The looked like a very small 22lr production line. They should make 100 pallets of 22lr a day not 1 or 2. The PROBLEM was found! demand has gone WAY up and production is still the same. Who wants to go into the ammo business?
Not exactly a "How It's Made" episode. We see stuff go in and stuff come out, but no actual forming/swaging/sizing, etc. I think there are enough manufacturers of .22 around that it is no longer a "State secret". It was kinda fun, though.
I was a bit amazed at how much low-tech handwork was going on for a high volume product. I suspect there are manufacturers out there who have automated more of the steps.
Please tell those fine people at CCI that there are a lot of people who appreciate them making fine 22 and Blazer Brass
WOW! I had no idea. I will not complain on cost.🤠
JS - thank you for mentioning Blazer Brass. I would like to thank the folks at Speer for plating the entire bullet, including the base, and protecting shooters from lead exposure. I'm amazed at the number of shooters who will choose another brand of 9mm or .40 ammo simply because it's 10 cents a box cheaper. I'm fairly certain that 99% of these shooters have no idea that the garbage they are choosing has exposed lead bullet bases...which are vaporized by hot gasses during the firing process, coating their firearms, hands, and most importantly, their lungs. For less intelligent shooters, it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. Intelligent shooters will generally choose Blazer Brass practice ammo.
@@thomasbednar7475 You realize you could handle lead on a bullet your entire life and it not affect you... JUST DON'T EAT IT. You almost certainly get higher lead exposure in the water supply. The reason lead was removed from schools and such is kids were EATING paint chips.... talk to a teacher sometime you will learn alot about the craziness kids will get up to.
Uuuioplulkkkmm
Mkn n. B
Mc
Yes me toooooooo
I really appreciate what these guys do for me and the masses because this is my favorite ammunition brand. I wish CCI and Speer another 65+ years of great service.
I would love to have that pallet at the end of this vid.
Challenge: You can have it with a caviot, you must move the entire pallet by hand out the door.
split it with you
Manufacturing always blows my mind. It's crazy to think that someone years ago came up with a bunch of one off machines to do a specific task. So cool!
You nailed it Slywright. The engineers who designed and built the machines that produce the parts required for lots of different items we use is truely magnificent. I went to the Centre of the West in Cody, WY in 2015 , on holiday from Australia, and the most interesting thing to me in the fiream wing was those machines that produced the early Winchester's .No computer assisted programs , just just smart humans building intricate inventions. Love to you and yours.Lawrie.
It's one of the great things about the show "How It's Made", the amount of technology, and step by step processes that are required to build something mass produced, cheap, disposable, and mundane as an off brand pen with a real estate company's name & logo, .22 bullets, flexible drinking straws, everyday items all around us, etc, is fascinating. Yet many people never notice or think about it
How many bullets do you folks think that they make in a day?
Industrialization ruined society. Ask uncle Ted, he'll tell you all about it.
. Ccc"m........ /..............
?............. .
Brother, that's awesome that you got to go through the whole process. There's no one else on RUclips that deserved such a close look. You were probably like a kid in a candy store!!
Yes, I was!!!!
Спасибо тебе большое ! Это было очень интересно увидеть, давно об это мечтал !!!
Dang man too bad I did not know you were right in my home area plinkster, could have met up with ya and showed you around, and done some shooting with ya lol, let me know the next time you are in Lewiston, Idaho lol,
What is the weight of one of those lead blocks at 7:01?
JackedLobster
Last thing you want to hear in the ammunitions plant..."You're Fired". Sorry could not resist. Interesting tour. It always amazes me the engineering minds it took to build these machines.
22plinkster's version of "How It's Made" - I really enjoyed learning how .22 is made at CCI. Thanks for producing and sharing!
Kind of unbelievable their so cheap.
It is more work than I thought.
I dont think there cheap but it is a lot of work
tanner martin it depends on your budget but compared to other rounds I’m pretty sure .22 is the cheapest.
There's a lot less material involved than is involved with most centerfire cartridges, that's why it's cheaper.
they're = they are
there = over there
their = belonging to them
(Not trying to be a dick, just saying)
@@pissywilly it's youtube their all idiots
CCI is the only 22LR ammo I have shot that has never had a single failure. CCI Mini Mag is my favorite & it works great!
ive had failures with all brands . surprisingly ........i have no issues with Remington thunderbolts , or CCI products . these all run almost 100 percent in my 10/22s , Marlin 60 and M&P 15/22 and pistols .
Love me my CCI Stingers 🐝
The quiet segment hollow point jams every round in my gun.
The .22 one of greatest calibers ever made. Love me my plinkers.
More .22LR cartridges are sold every year than all other cartridges combined. 60% of all ammo sold is .22, 40% is all other calibers. Being it's the most common ammo in the world, more people have died from .22LR than any other cartridges, including military/war cartridges like 5.56 and 7.62.
My grandpa used to work at the CCI plant back when it was just Speer. He made bullets at first and later moved on to primers. A few years ago I saw a video of the CCI plant so I showed it to him. A lot of the machinery he used there 50 years ago was still there. Our last time out to Lewiston we wanted to get a tour but unfortunately they were closed and we had to go home before they would be back in business.
WOW! What an operation! And I REALLY appreciate every bit of it, as I am one of the beneficiaries! Also a plug for one of my FAVORITE practical rounds where I live, CCI "Pest Control" made, I Believe in Idaho. My neighbor and I nearly worship the stuff. .22 LR #12 shot shells - about the consistency of sand. I have used it INSIDE of my barn with concrete floor to take out a snake at about 30 inches range. Obliterated the rattler's head with NO splatter back and NO damage of any kind to my truck that was barely 36 inches away. I have also taken obstinate birds inside of that same steel barn with the stuff with ZERO collateral damage. I can't even locate where the pellets hit the steel roof when I climb up and look carefully on a ladder. But one shot, from my Single Six and the bird dropped immediately. To any snowflakes that might bemoan my "cruelty": The birds will fly into the barn through the open door and I can chase them around and around with a length of plastic conduit long enough to touch the inside of the roof and they WILL NOT fly out through the fully open 10 ft X 11 ft door. I can chase them for 10 minutes or more - to the point I'm exhausted. They cannot be left in there, because when I close the door they have no way out and they crap all over every thing - including all of my wood working equipment. I do my best to keep the door closed as much as possible but they still occasionally get in. They usually can be chased out if I see them fly in and start chasing them right away. After they've been there for 5 or 10 minutes they will almost never leave.
Plinkster, I love your videos, but this one is special. The compliments about the employees at CCI were obviously heartfelt. Heck, you looked like a kid in a candy factory!
But don't eat the candy, kids!
@@TheSkammander poppin candy
The amount of lead for ONE DAY blew my mind.
Well... the million rounds or so of 22 rimfire produced in a day, at 40grn per bullet would require only 5,714 pounds of lead (there being 7000grn to the pound), so some of that is going for other ammo.
try 4 million rounds per day
fordrac1ng81 Not that I don't believe your figure of 4 million rounds of 22 rimfire per day from CCI, but do you remember where you got that figure? The last one I remember was from a magazine writer who had visited the plant and got the number of 1 million per day from the guy who gave him the tour of the CCI plant, but that was several years ago. I have more like 4 million for ALL domestic production of 22 rimfire from the various ammo makers here (Blazer, Remington, Winchester, et al) not just CCI. If it is 4 million from CCI alone that is encouraging but I would like to see the source.
JustSomeGuy
www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2016/01/dean-weingarten/cci-federal-to-increase-22-production-by-20-in-2016/
controversialtimes.com/news/gun-owners-rejoice-22lr-production-is-going-up-this-year/
www.outdoorhub.com/news/2016/08/03/video-22-lr-made-tour-cci-speer-factory/
Let me know if you need any more
fordrac1ng81 Hi again fordrac1ng81. Thanks for the links, though two of them were from the same source, they are no less valuable. So if Federal and CCI produce a combined total of 12 million rounds per day, and we give them a 5 day week (though they are actually supposed to be on a 24/7/365 schedule now) and then we give them a 50 week year with 2 weeks vacation (again, they are supposedly on the 24/7/365 regimen) we get about 3 billion rounds per year just from those two manufacturers which would amount to about 3000 rounds per year for each of the one hundred million gun owners or so in this country (which is also a conservative figure). There are obviously a lot of shooters who are averaging much higher consumption... more like 1000rnds per week or so if you compete or just like to shoot. Like you and most other persons who have been following this, I think the increase in the number of gun owners and shooters in general has led to this increased demand rather than hoarders, though there are some of those too I imagine. So, although there are still some shortages in various places, at least we might be coming to a time in the near future where supply is starting to catch up to demand and that's a good thing. I look forward to a time when I can walk into a sporting goods store and buy a case of 5000 rounds again at a reasonable cost. During the first year of the Obama administration, that cost was $150 for a case. I hope we can approach that again someday. Again... thanks for the links and a sane discussion.
I'm 77 years old and I have been a Glock Guy and 9mm user my entire shooting life! In all that time, I have Never shot a .22LR hand gun until a few months ago. I decided to Purchase a .22 hand gun because of the very high price of 9mm ammo and I shoot at my LGR every week and I could not afford to keep using 9mm ammo. After doing much research on RUclips and my Gun Forums, I decided on a Kel-Tec P17 which comes with three 3 round magazines. I have over 1000 rounds with this gun and I like it so much that I purchased another P17, in addition to A Beretta Bob Cat and a Rossi RS22 Rifle! I'm now shooting more, having more fun and saving a bunch of money! The CCI Mini Mags have worked without a Flaw in all of my .22LR Guns!
All I see is FREEDOM being produced!!
Freedom Seeds 👍
And here I thought that the Bill of Rights and the entire U.S. Constitution guaranteed our freedom, not to mention the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps. Silly me.
Ron LHeureux what are you going on about? They are freedom makers too.
@@ronlheureux7623 "...guaranteed our freedom..."
Uh, have you NOT been listening to the liberals???
🤦🏽♂️
"Greatest employees in the industry!" That's high praise Bill!
I really like the cci stingers. They are the most accurate 22 ammo I have ever shot.
How far out do you usually shoot? I was wondering about their accuracy when they drop out of supersonic.
then you havent shot accurate 22LR. Try Tenex or something if you want actual accuracy
Stingers are made for their explosive power/speed. They are not target rounds.
LOL the guy's thinking at 4:50 "dont say explosion, dont say explosion, dont say explosion"
Yeah, I caught that, too.
*if you say explosion, you get stanger'd*
In my industry we use the term "rapid expansion of gasses". :-)
What's that? The baked bean & cabbage industry?
LOL!
I've had one problem with CCI after shooting close to 100,000 rounds I had one which the c was upside-down.
Yeah, their quality control has problems, over the years I've seen a dozen or so with the upside down c.
A mix up in the sorting dept. Those rounds were meant for export to the Australian market.
I imagine you're probably joking, but that's possible if whoever made the header tooling got the view backwards.
I had never once had a problem with CCI, until recently I got a Phoenix arms .22lr, and like 1 in 50 of the rounds are duds. I figure it has to do with the gun because I've never had a problem, but I can't see why the gun would cause duds.
Might have a firing pin that's slightly out of spec (short) or a weak spring but it's more likely just a bad batch of ammo, try a box with a different lot # and see if you have better luck.
Worked as a cop on both sides of the Snake River for 6 years and saw this plant everyday. Used .38+P ammo in .38 revolvers on the Lewiston side and I used my own S&W model 686 .357 revolver in Asotin County. Great video as I never got to tour the plant.
Man, CCI must love you! I worked many years for a distributor of their's and other makers of ammo and have been given tours of several ammunition makers plants.......but never ever would they take us into where they made .22lr.................was always told it was like a state secret or something! Are there things you learned that you can't tell us or else you'd have to kill us? LOL
Maybe..... :) It took an act of Congress to get me in there. lol
22plinkster you should have suggested they change stingers to stangers
It was just another secret Hillary sold to China, so CCI said, "at this point, what difference does it make..."
+22plinkster I have no doubts that it took some effort to make this a reality. Rimfire ammo is noted for its complicated manufacturing processes so it is undoubtedly not something any company wants to protect. That said, this was quite an experience to watch.
+spasmonaut10 ...err, something a company WOULD want to protect
CCI Tour round factory absolutely fantastic, i am a farmer Central UK and have used this ammunition for years. H
how hard is it in the UK to own a 22 rifle and/or shotgun?
@@louwilson0906 well a shotgun is easier you need a shotgun certificate which you need to get a government approved gun safe fill out a application then interview a police officer and then your certificate gets shipped the rifle/firearms certificate is a bit harder as its may issue not shall issue though and you need to provide 2 references instead of one and once you done with that you can buy a rifle
CCI is the only 22LR ammo that I use been a fan of Mini Mags and Stangers for as long as they’ve been making them!
I’ve never appreciated How Its Made now more after watching this.
It's amazing that they can sell the finished product at a price that can cover their costs. American know-how.
Craig Ross the factory price is relatively cheap, we as in the rest of the buyers are at the mercy of the middle man.
Do they have an outlet store at the factory?
They make more then just 22 ammo there, and they get government contracts from what I've heard.. They treat their employee's well, and its actually one of the better places to work in that town.
Per bullet, those .22LR probly cost about 2 cents to make, so they're doing ok lol.
@@rsdna9698 per round manufacturing cost for .22 is less than one cent on that scale. I know a few guys that reload in sufficient quantities that they get their price per round of .223 down to below 10 cents, and even that (one has an automated reloading table thats about 10 feet long and can make something like 12000 rounds a day) is amatuer hour compared to this. the reason ammo prices are so high comparatively is because of the amount of middlemen involved from factory to bullet shelf.
I've wanted to watch a video like this for over 50 years! Thank you!
Where can I purchase this reloading kit?
At wallmart
CCI, Speer, Federal, etc are all in Lewiston, ID. Much of the equipment used to make the bullets, primers, and cartridges is also made in Lewiston by various other companies.
your better off casting your brass into something else
Best buy
Make your own.
Awesome video. A lot more hand work than I imagined. After seeing all the care and quality, I don't mind paying a little more for their ammo. Thanks CCI and 22Plinkster for making this video.
Big thank you to the guys at CCI from Australia.👍
He said that they were going to use all that lead in one day??? Holy shit, that's mind blowing considering that they are making .22s. Very cool video. Thanks guys.
Yea, that was quite a stack of lead. It surprised me too.
I love CCI 22LR. My only wish is for them to sell it in loose bulk boxes.
Oh yeah! Even Federal does that!
Why rimfire loose in a box what happens when the box is accidentally dropped and a round goes off? All of them would probably go of if one did
smokey the human that's not how they work...
Dalton v uhm yes it is dumbfuck, rimfire 22lr is mad so the firing pin in the gun doesnt have to hit thw center, pluss if you drop a 22 hard enough itll go off , and if it surrounded and one exploded either the heat or the bullet would cause a chain reaction , ive seen it happen right before my own fuckin eyes dont tell me thats not how it works jackass
smokey the human youre supposed to be gentle with them, not throw them down the side of a mountain.
from now on I'm buying on CCI ammo. Worked in aeronautical manufacturing nearly all my life, and I can appreciate what I saw.
One of the best How It’s Made episodes
Could imagine the security on a place like that. Awesome process.
Its probably pretty ho hum... you cross em you get shot. You'd be supprised how much lead goes through the regular UPS and Fedex systems... no real security there, its just a bullet after all. It would be kind of cool if they had American 180 rifles LOL, break in you get the BRRRRRRRRTTTT.
THAT was one of the nearest and most enjoyable RUclips videos I have watched in a LOOOOONG time.
Thank you 22 Pinkster 👍
PErfect, who would have thought that just a simple 22lr carries that amount of work impresive cheers
CCI Stingers are my personal favorite 22LR ammo. Cycle great in everything and with the higher velocity they don't have as much drop at 100 yard targets
i love the quiets rounds, they are sometimes a little inconsistant, but their so quiet i can take rabbits on my dads small property without annoying the neighbours too much. they are not really any louder than the air rifle but obviously a hell of a lot more grunt, have taken many rabbits at 80+ yards. (our little aussie rabbits (european rabbit) are really a lot smaller than the big old hares your get in the states, we have the same hares as you also, but not very common, but we have thousands of little european rabbits.)
@@christhorney that, is a cool story.
Have used CCI for years, in fact of my 3 Remington Nylon 66's, not a one has fired anything but the CCI 22LR. I recall years ago I finally had a round that did not fire. Being curious got the head off the bullet and found powder but nothing to ignite the charge. I was told back then it had to be a 1 in a quad trillion chance. Here I am now 74 and still use CCI ammo and never had another misfire or dry fire event. For those my age, you might recall mini-mag rimfires, thanks to CCI. as was Stingers the FIRST hyper-velocity 22 LR. A great company with a proud tradition and it looks like employees still proud of their work.
thank you for the great video and CCI for allowing you video access. I shared this educational video with our Facebook group Canadian Rimfires Classic. thanks for all you do in the industry 22plinkster.
sorry that's Classic Rimfires Canada
Thank you!
I’m watching this like a kid watching how candy is made. I just want to scoop it all up 🤤
Awsome. I've never had an idea about how my favorite 22 lr cartridges were made. Thank you MONSIEUR 22 plinkster. Merci beaucoup.
Cheers from France.
Incredible process! Thanks for the tour!! Been a huge CCI fan since Mini Mags came out many years ago!
I work in a factory that makes road signs but I’d quit to work in an ammunition factory in a heartbeat
What qualifications do you need?
@@royjaber571 lol
Your job is more important PERIOD.
@@larryreigel2402 definitely not. and how is anyone going to take you seriously when you end the sentence with “PERIOD”
Factory work; someone's got to do it! Thanks so much, guys! (I paid my dues in the factories back in the day!)
i paid mine, too. lots of people thinks it's really cool how this stuff is made, but if they were to have to do it for a day, the thrill would quickly be gone....
THIS IS THE PROCESS PROCESS WHERE WE PROCESS OUR PROCESS SO YOU CAN PROCESS THE PROCESS
I wish I could like your comment every time he says process! 🤣👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
That's a tongue twister.
Your process for this process has a lot of processes.
Jeff Smith Your process is funny thanks.
Alright so this process leads to the next process. Alright so now it's ready for the next process. Alright so this process is finishing what the last process started
no wonder ammo is so expensive. that's a lot more work than I expected
Lmao it's like .10¢ per round.
More like $0.06
Plus shipping
"Back in my day" it was like $.03/rd. My day was like...2009
Yeah, it really surprises me how much it has gone up (you might be lucky to find t for $.07/round). Though, you have to remember that our government has forced closed (via EPA rules) the last main lead smelter in the US (in Missouri around 12 months ago or so)...meaning most of it is shipped from China/India/etc. Luckily, I bought around 20k rounds at the cheaper price and just hoping the price will come back down.
CCI 22LR copper clad was the first bullet I ever used in my Marlin rifle 30 years ago and is still my preferred ammo.
One of my favorite brands. I have always enjoyed seeing how things are made.
Huh. So planting .22 seeds doesnt make .22 trees?
None of mine have grown, but let me know if you have any luck.
*Danni*....... I've got 58 acres, if you ever come across .22 "seeds" (or ANY caliber for that matter) that will sprout Anything in kind... please, Please - get in touch with me here, right away!
You ever hear of 29 palms? Hmm...
@@Romans--bo7br
They do!!!!! Hahahahaha
www.military.com/kitup/2017/01/military-wants-biodegradable-ammo-shoots-seeds.html
I wish lol
I really enjoyed seeing the factory! Working my way through 5K of CCI clean subsonic ATM. Cheers pinkster!
WOW, i never knew how much went into a 22 untill now,,, amazing !!!
That's awesome. No if we could only find it in the stores!!!!!
Online is the best. Plenty of bulk deals when buying a brick worth.
This is a great video, Thank You so much ! When I was a kid we pretty much had 2 choices Remington, or Winchester, then CCI came on the scene. My grandma bought some of these .22 shells for me for my birthday and I thought I wouldn't like them. Wow was I wrong, I have been buying them every sense then, in fact that is the only brand I will buy.
7:10 When he said all of that lead would be consumed that day, I genuinely looked like the meme of the surprised white guy blinking.
Justin same
Fantastic video! I'd like to have seen a bit more closeup on the punching/drawing machines, particularly how they expand the bottom rim.
I had to be careful what I filmed. They haven't let anyone film in there for 9 years.
+22plinkster 9 yrs?! what an honor. congratulations man, I can't imagine how exciting that must of been
Agreed. That's the most mysterious part to me.
If I had one wish for a cartrage to be made it would be a reloadable centerfire .22 LR with easily replaceable primers.
I honestly am suprised it hasen't been done with the popularity and age of .22 lr.
Imagine a consistant .22 lr that could be easily reloaded to exact bullet weight/size and powder weight with consistant primers giving one ragged hole accuracy.
Even if it cost a bit more I would do it.
+harry guy I believe there is a kit on the market to reload .22lr now
I truly love to see and understand how the products I use, are made! Well done!
I worked at a soda/beer can plant for 8 years and always so interesting to go to work and make sure it was done right!
1.1 million cans per 12 hour shift, 4 days on 4 days off. So Very Cool!
The best 22 ammo out there hands down 💯
CCI makes 2 MILIONS 22LR bullets PER DAY :=)
You can buy them in the Netherlands in packs of 50-1.000 or even 10.000 at pretty much every gun shop if you have a permit.
@Common Logic Go to a real gun store, not Wal-mart. Wal-Mart restricts the purchase amount of every caliber except .22, so all the shitheads trying to make a quick buck show up at 6am the day inventory restocks and then buy it all up in one fell swoop--and then they resell it at gun shows at 5000% markup. Assholes.
Pretty sad when .223 was cheaper than .22lr for a while, at least in my area.
So sell them in the u.s since Obama finding them in a store is like finding gold.
@Common Logic walmart ammo prices and policies have been terrible for a number of years. Zqi is about all that's worth buying there.
.22lr can be found anywhere. It's not 2013 anymore....
I wonder if they would check my pockets before I went home after working a shift there?
Here we are in late Sept. 2020, and I noticed 1.2K thumbs down? Strange. Do they hate hard working people? Maybe, they hate shiny stuff like those beautiful cases. Or they are mad because they can’t get Joe to finish a sentence, without a voice over! I know, they flew to the moon and forgot their helmet and phone charger!
I love the last frame, covered with brass. Gives me goose bumps. ;) I applauded CCI Speer. Keep up the great work and high quality control. Thanks to all guys and gals who work there. Great job!
2020: We have ammo shortage all over the country
CCI employees: not us.. we have first dibs...
I came here to try to calculate how long it will take before the shortage stops. By hopefully getting how much 22 this factory makes averaging that by how many there are in the us. Then taking about 100million people times 1000 bullets each then taking the number of bullets produced to find how long it will take for there to be some on shelves more than a day. I’ve checked everyday and nothing except my local gun shop who is trying to sell a 50p of 22lr for $25. I just want my Winchester 555 pack for $27.99 back
@@unknownfuturewaiting5392 by March 2021 i hope
@@Interpolation1911 I’m thinking March 2023
@@unknownfuturewaiting5392 don't you remember when they were under 10 bucks a brick?
@@dhat1755 never bought a brick before but I remember going to Walmart and they had the shelves full and 500 rounds for $23
EVERYONE: “Can’t find .22 ammo anywhere. “
CCI: “Shucks, we have all ten of our employees working working a single 1960’s assembly line 5 days a week?”
Federal has the same type of plant they make the same amount of ammo all day everyday.
You would be surprised or impressed , but it wouldnt fit the narrative of the ammo shortage err hoarding thats going on.
That's ONLY one, line producing .22 ammo at CCI..... There are many more, and they didnt show you their mag lines...
today feb 4 2021 i hit the motherload of CCI MINIMAG and standard velocity at my wal mart . after months of getting skunked i walked in to the gun counter and found 6 full sleeves of minimags and 90 boxes of standard velocity . i asked the guy if there was a limit .....he said no .....i said i want ALL OF IT .....yes im that guy . i wont re sell it , but ill damn sure shoot it and stash some .
I just watched my past
I worked all those punchpresss when I was in my 20s and 30s and 1/2 way to my 40s
Definitely brought back some memories for sure
Great video
take a shot every time he says the word "process"
mark maron yes
“Alright”
Alcohol poisoning.
mark maron and take a shot of water every time he says "uhh"
Mark maron I was going to make a comment about how many times they say "uhh". glad im not the only one who noticed.
Crazy awesome. A factory tour always impresses me. I look at all the machines and wonder how much this factory is worth and how many rounds have to be made just to break even.
well, a Czechoslovakian company just bought all the factories for 1.9 billion dollars
@@Maleekus dang!
I used to work at a simulator machine shop/plant. It is amazing how many different machines can be altered for different products. Love CCI stingers. Cool video
The amount of times ‘process’ was said blew my mind. 😂
That was great waiting for my new Glock 44 Pre purchased to arrive already bought some CCI AMMO
Talented folks at work. Thanks for taking the time to make this video, and thanks to CCI for the virtual tour!
What a great video ! Always wondered how it was made. Keep up the great work, love your channel !
Can't imagine the machinery factories had to use during WW1.
Did we use rimfire during the Big One?
We didn't use it but it was around then... ^..^~~
It wasnt all that different then what they are using here
A lot of the equipment is still being used today. I work for the largest.
I don't know about us, but I do know that the British did use large calibre rimfire.
All of the plants that make CCI were just sold to a Czechoslovakian company, thanks for the stab in the back Vista Outdoor
Czechoslovakia hasn't existed since 1992.
Wake up, you've been asleep for over 30 years.
Or you're just a moron, I can't tell.
All that ammo made in one day and it’s still not enough for everyone to build a supply wtf !
hey...... i'm guilty
Instablaster.
"Under every blade of grass".....GOD BLESS USA
Amen
I need more CCI QUIET rds. I love shooting them with my can on my buckmark. No sound whatsoever ❤❤.
You guys hands down have the best 22lr ammo.
Very cool! Hey! Did they check your pockets when you left the building? Looks like you might have gained a few pounds! ;) That was a treat for all of us...Thanks! and thanks to CCI / Speer!
LOL... Fortunately for plinkster, CCI is his sponsor. He hasn't paid for bullets in a few years.
woodstoney CCI and federal sponsor him. He says they take good care of him.
at todays prices , you were buried in about 23 billion dollars worth of rimfire
The best ammo video I've seen, really enjoyed it! Thanks to all the fine folks at CCI for making a superior product, and thanks to you, 22plinkster, for sharing this... Semper Fi!
Buried in 22!! That was a perfect end to this video. Well done sir.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.
Economy in volume.
Gunpowder and lead!
I know who said that originally!
I was on the fence about getting CCI .22lr but after this video I think I've found my new favorite .22lr.
thats a metric shit ton of lead for one day! nice vid
it would only be a metric shit ton if it would be for 5.56 LR ammo :)
Ease up Phil. But you are right.
5.56 LR??
+Homer Simpson II Sure, that works too
Caleb M. It would if it were an actual thing.
There is CCI here in Brazil is CBC a good factory too. Hugs CCI.
I got a tour in Lewiston, Wa. in the 1980's. AWESOME. Saw 20mm casings. Guy's get paid to shoot .22lr for consistancy. What a job.
Wow more labor intensive than I thought, explains the shortage
they need to build more factories to keep up with the demand!
are you being sarcastic?
With a decent shortage, it is good for business because they will ALWAYS be busy and can bump up the price a bit.
it's better to have steady flow of product, people will hold out till the price comes back down if it gets to be what the consumer sees as too much.
More automated today, then when these companies were making a profit selling rim fires for .01 and .02 cents per round, and that was back when material cost were just as high or higher then today's cost, go figure.
theyre pumping them out like that.....yet i still cant find them in my local stores....havnt shot(or even hat a chance to for less than $75 a box) a lr in ~8 years
There have been millions and millions of new shooters the past 8 years; mostly women and children. Guess which caliber they like to shoot the most?
In England they are £7.50 a box (100 rounds)
+Carpet remnent they are mini mags though not stingers
no...last i saw one was a 555 brick....not even the cci brand just the cheap ones. and they wanted $75 for it...
22plinkster
i understand....its just the reason why i put my 22lrs down...
This video brought joy to my Henry 22LR and my Ruger Wrangler!!!
Used to buy a brick for 550 for 5 bucks many years ago.....
Haven't bought .22 LR in 30 yrs..!!!
And my 18 shot Marlin would eat them up in minutes.
That's a cool place to work I'd bet. Maybe they get Chrismas bonus paid in 22 ammo?
That's so awesome seeing all the work that goes into making 22. Ammo kind of makes me appreciate it for a change I believe CCI makes the best remfire ammo by far
I want some of the brass left over after the punch that makes the first cuts in the cupping process. Should be cool looking speaker grills. I can imagine an inlay or top lay with overcoat that 2 would look fascinating under stage light.
Peace Out.
Hard to believe there could ever be a shortage of 22's with as many as they make at a time.
Great video. CCI has always been my favorite and it's American made.
I would like to see the Remington 22lr process. Specifically the golden bullet.
Did you get a truck bed full of ammo?
One of the few times I'm Glad to be fed an old video.
Great vid! You didn't say "stanger" though. ;)
I kept listening for it in the video.
I wish they'd have discussed how much they produce a week or month.
Leo Key Thank you Sir! That's a pretty good jag. I do my best to keep demand up! :-)
I've been told it's somewhere around 3-4 million per day depending on what they're making on the schedule that day
The looked like a very small 22lr production line. They should make 100 pallets of 22lr a day not 1 or 2. The PROBLEM was found! demand has gone WAY up and production is still the same. Who wants to go into the ammo business?
DR Dan
Aguila and the lower priced Eley are from Mexico.
fordrac1ng81 Eley is made in England. Not sure about Aguila
Ok! great video BUT
Where do they make Stangers?
Right beside the Stingers!
On the southern side of the plant
+22plinkster shoot fishing string in half
Same building from the start of the video. Just in the next bay over
Not exactly a "How It's Made" episode. We see stuff go in and stuff come out, but no actual forming/swaging/sizing, etc. I think there are enough manufacturers of .22 around that it is no longer a "State secret". It was kinda fun, though.
What's so secret?
Fortwith- My thoughts exactly, except for the fun part. waste a time.
I was a bit amazed at how much low-tech handwork was going on for a high volume product. I suspect there are manufacturers out there who have automated more of the steps.
+Forthwith Tx Yeah squeegee-ing the primer charge was pretty third-world tech, like watching rifles being made in a south Asian blacksmith's shop.
I get that. I was only a bit surprised by it. I'm sure those steps are automated by some of their competitors and less so by others.