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Aguila Ammo’s Most Intriguing Cartridge and Shell Offerings
Aguila Ammunition is, without question, one of the largest rimfire ammunition manufacturers in the world. As such, the company produces a wide assortment of rimfire ammo, offering standard, match and special lines with a host of different projectiles available. However, Aguila produces more than just rimfire cartridges, and it has a large array of centerfire pistol, centerfire rifle and shotgun options for shooters.
Many of these offerings, whether they are rimfire or centerfire cartridges or shotgun shells, are quite unique compared to what other ammo manufacturers produce. Here we’ve rounded up some of the most intriguing loads that Aguila produces.
Being that Aguila is one of the largest rimfire ammo manufacturers, it makes sense to start with one of its most interesting .22 LR cartridge offerings. The .22 Colibri (and Super Colibri) features a 20-grain projectile and incorporates no powder. That’s right, the primer is the only force behind the .22 Colibri and Super Colibri. The result is an incredibly quiet shooting experience that’s perfect for pest and vermin control in areas where a loud shot might upset or disturb neighbors. There’s also very little recoil, making it a great option for new or youth shooters. Because of the lack of powder, the Colibri and Super Colibri are best suited for revolvers and bolt-action rifles. Muzzle velocity is 420 fps on the Colibri, and a slightly higher 590 fps on the Super Colibri.
On an entirely different end of Aguila’s .22 LR spectrum (speed-wise) there is the .22 Supermaximum. Stated by Aguila to be the fastest .22 LR rimfire on the market, the .22 Supermaximum clocks in at a brisk 1,700 fps. It also provides 193 ft.-lbs. of force at the muzzle. While both those figures are eclipsed by other rimfire cartridges, such as the .22 Magnum and some of the .17-caliber cartridges, it’s still impressive for a .22 LR. The .22 Supermaximum is available with a standard hollow point or solid point projectile or a copper-plated hollow point or solid point projectile. In all cases, it’s fitted with a 30-grain bullet.
Designed by famed firearms and ammunition designer John M. Browning back in 1905, the .25 Auto, or .25 ACP, was built for some of the early blowback pistols in production. A semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire cartridge, the .25 Auto was often used in some of the early pocket pistols of the 20th century. That said, the cartridge is not overly powerful, and this is especially true at longer distances. In more recent times, the .25 Auto has largely been pushed aside in favor of the .380 Auto, the 9mm, and other, more powerful defensive cartridges. However, Aguila still lists a .25 Auto load with a 50-grain lead core copper full metal jacket that offers a velocity of 755 fps and 63 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle.
As many shooters are aware, the .30 Carbine (7.62x33mm) is the cartridge used in the classic M1 Carbine, which saw use during WWII, the Korean War and to an extent in the Vietnam War. The M1 Carbine, both in its original form and in newly produced reproductions, has remained quite popular among civilian shooters. While it’s true that a number of ammo manufacturers currently produce the .30 Carbine, it’s also nowhere near as commonly produced as more recent cartridges. Aguila’s .30 Carbine load features a 110-grain FMJ projectile moving along at 1,990 fps and producing 967 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle. Earlier this year, Inland Manufacturing, a noted producer of M1 Carbine reproduction rifles, named Aguila’s .30 Carbine load the ammo of choice for its rifles.
The Minishell truly has to be one of Aguila’s most unique offerings. This intriguing product cuts the standard 2¾-inch 12-gauge shell down an inch to a length of 1¾ inch. The appropriately named Minishell has a 5/8-ounce shot charge and is available with standard 7½ shot, 00 Buckshot or a slug. The result of all this trimming is a shotshell that provides significantly less recoil and a quieter report, which helps new or youth shooters and others who may be sensitive to the recoil of standard 12-gauge loads. Velocity on the Minishell loads are 1,175 fps for the 7½ shot load, 1,200 fps for the shells using buckshot and 1,250 fps for the slugs.
This interesting .22 LR from Aguila has the same overall dimensions and energy as a standard .22 LR round, but instead of a standard 40-grain bullet, the .22 Sniper Subsonic utilizes a heavier 60-grain lead bullet. The projectile is also paired with a shorter case, which makes for a somewhat strange appearance. The .22 Sniper Subsonic is designed to be shot from barrels longer than 20 inches for maximum accuracy, and as its name suggests, the load is subsonic with a velocity right around 950 fps.
In terms of factory production, the 5mm RRM is a very rare cartridge. First designed by Remington in 1969, the 5mm RRM (Remington Rimfire Magnum) uses a similar 5mm (.204-caliber) bullet as the more recently developed centerfire .204 Ruger. The cartridge remained in production until 1982, when Remington ceased making it. The 5mm RRM remained out of factory production until 2008, when Aguila collaborated with Centurion Ordnance to start producing it again. The cartridge is capable of higher velocities than the .22 Magnum and more energy than either the .22 Magnum or the later .17 HMR. For these reasons, the 5mm RRM is a very serviceable cartridge for small game and varmints. According to its website, Aguila is slated to introduce three 5mm RRM loads in 2016: one with a 40-grain jacketed hollow point, one with a 45-grain hollow point, and the other with a full metal jacketed projectile on which full specs haven’t yet been released.
The straight-walled, rimmed .32 S&W Long was first introduced back in 1896. It was based on the earlier .32 S&W and was initially loaded with black powder. However, not long after the turn of the century, it began to be loaded with smokeless powder to about the same pressure. With the assortment of revolvers on the market chambered in .38 Special, which offers increased velocity and energy figures, the .32 S&W is much less frequent in recent times. However, it’s still a very popular cartridge for ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) 25m centerfire pistol competitions. Because it shares all case dimensions, aside from length, with the longer and more recently introduced .327 Federal Magnum, the .32 S&W Long can also be fired from newer revolvers chambered in .327 Federal Magnum. Aguila’s load features a 98-grain lead bullet with a velocity of 705 fps and 108 ft.-lbs. of force at the muzzle.
Much like the previously discussed .25 Auto, the .32 Auto was developed by John M. Browning around the turn of the century for some of the early blowback pistols. The .32 Auto was actually Browning’s first pistol cartridge, preceding the .25 Auto by about 6 years, with its introduction in 1899. The .32 Auto was also far more successful, remaining quite popular, especially in Europe, for many years. The .32 Auto load from Aguila uses a 71-grain FMJ bullet. It has a muzzle velocity of around 905 fps, and energy at the muzzle is listed at 129 ft.-lbs.
The .17 Aguila (also known as the .17 PMC or .17 High Standard) is an intriguing little rimfire cartridge created by necking down the standard .22 LR case to accept a .172-inch diameter projectile. Developed by Aguila in cooperation with the firearms manufacturer High Standard in 2003, the .17 Aguila had to compete with some of the other .17-caliber rimfires introduced around the same time, such as the .17 HMR and .17 HM2. The .17 Aguila is well suited for varmints and small game, particularly in instances where hunters want to preserve the meat without excessive damage. Aguila’s website states that a new .17 Aguila load should be coming in 2016. However, there is no specific information on that particular offering at this time.
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