Author Topic: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo  (Read 440 times)

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Offline Graybeard

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Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« on: July 07, 2023, 10:51:10 AM »
https://www.budsgunshop.com/blog.php/post/essential-guide-to-22-ammo

“Versatile” is a good way to describe the 22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. The 22 Long Rifle (also known as 22 LR) is the most common ammunition in use today. The round is available in a variety of bullet types for hunting and competitive shooting as well as high-volume plinking and personal defense. The 22 Long Rifle is inexpensive, which adds to the popularity of this ammunition. There are 22 Long Rifle loads for nearly all shooting situations.

Just What Is 22 Rimfire?

In a rimfire cartridge, the primer charge is placed around the rim of the cartridge case, as opposed to a centerfire cartridge, which uses a primer placed in the center of the cartridge case base. When the firing pin hits the rim of the cartridge on a rimfire cartridge, the primer ignites the powder in the case to send the bullet down the bore of the gun. A 22 rimfire offers less noise and recoil than a centerfire cartridge, which makes the 22 Long Rifle a good round for novice shooters. Experienced shooters like the 22 Long Rifle for the same reasons.

What’s the Difference Between a 22 Short, a 22 Long, and a 22 Long Rifle?
The 22 Long Rifle evolved from the 22 Long, which in turn was based on the 22 Short. The difference between the 22 Long Rifle, 22 Long, and 22 Short is case length. The 22 Long and 22 Short have a shorter case; hence, the velocity and energy are less when compared to a 22 Long Rifle. When most shooters refer to 22 rimfire ammo, they are referring to 22 Long Rifle ammo.

Are There Different Types of 22 Ammo?

A wide variety of 22 ammo is available with different bullet weights and different bullet types. The bullet weight of 22 ammo ranges from 20 to 60 grains, though the most common weight is between 36 and 42 grains. Bullet types are solid round nose, solid flat nose, and hollowpoint (versions of which are both round and flat-nosed). A 40-grain bullet could be considered a standard weight for solid-point bullets. Hollowpoints typically weigh less than 40 grains. These bullets are made of lead, and some may have a very thin copper coating. All 22 rimfire ammo uses a dry lubricant on the outside of the bullet.


Are There Grades of 22 Ammo?

Like soda pop, 22 ammo comes in a wide variety of grades, ranging from cheap off-brand stuff to high-end match-grade packages. Less-expensive 22 ammo can be bought in bulk—literally buckets of it. However, this cheaper product runs dirty, meaning you will have to clean your 22 rimfire rifle or pistol more often in order to prevent misfires and jams. Cheap ammo is best reserved for high-volume plinking and training. Inexpensive 22 ammo is also good to acclimate shooters to the feel of the firearm. As they gain experience, they can move up the 22 rimfire food chain with more specialized cartridges for competition, self-defense, and hunting.

Higher-quality 22 ammunition is referred to as match-grade ammo. Match-grade 22 ammo is used in competition and hunting when consistent performance is required. With 22 rimfire target ammunition, there are numerous choices for small-bore handgun and rifle shooters—in fact, almost too many choices. From weekend bull’s-eye shooters to Olympic athletes, 22 Long Rifle target match-grade ammo sets the standard in consistency and performance. Some competition 22 ammo uses a flat-nose projectile designed to cut through the air as it pulls the center of pressure forward to aerodynamically stabilize the projectile, thus increasing downrange accuracy.

There is a wide variety of 22 rimfire hunting rounds. Some 22 rimfire hunting cartridges use either a hollowpoint or segmented bullet that zips along at muzzle velocities in the range of 1,330 fps (feet per second) to 1,260 fps. Most 22 hunting ammo cartridges use a bullet weight in the range of 32 to 38 grains. Some of the lightweight bullets have a velocity close to 1,600 fps. These hunting rounds need more velocity because they often need to travel longer distances across an open field to dispatch a woodchuck or prairie dog.

Is the 22 Long Rifle Good for Self-Defense?

In my opinion, the 22 Long Rifle is not adequate for self-defense, but that doesn’t mean it is not used in self-defense situations. The main advantage of 22 Long Rifle for self-defense is the lack of recoil. Some shooters are afraid of recoil, and the 22 Long Rifle virtually eliminates felt recoil. There are two approaches to a 22 Long Rifle self-defense cartridge—a solid point or hollowpoint. You should look for a round that has a muzzle velocity of more than 1,000 fps out of a short-barrel pistol. Most factory velocity data are from an 18-inch rifle barrel, so be sure to read the fine print on the box. Ideally, you want penetration from the bullet. A solid point will penetrate. Some 22 Long Rifle bullets for self-defense are designed with a bullet that has petals that fold back upon on the base on impact with the target, aiding penetration. If you choose to use a 22 Long Rifle for self-defense, make sure you use ammo specifically designed for self-defense.

Specialized Ammo

Specialized 22 ammo is used for specific situations. For example, 22 shot cartridges are loaded with #12 shot, which creates a pattern the size of a paper plate at 8 feet. These rounds are good for killing venomous snakes as well as rats and other small pests. In essence, this round acts like a mini shotgun. Subsonic 22 Long Rifle ammo offers reduced noise levels when shooting with a suppressor. Most 22 Long Rifle subsonic ammo uses a 40- to 45-grain round-nose bullet with a muzzle velocity from 970 to 1,000 fps. Keep in mind that rimfire firearms will like one brand of 22 ammo over another. The nice thing about 22 LR ammo: It doesn’t cost a lot to determine the best load for your gun. Purchase different loads from different manufacturers and test the accuracy of each in your firearm. That’s the thing with 22 LR ammo—there are so many different cartridges from which to choose. That’s why many consider it to be the most versatile ammo of all.

Conclusion

Ammo configured in 22 rimfire is very popular with shooters of all stripes, as it comes in a variety of forms for use in competition, hunting, and general plinking. But you do need to match the ammo you buy to your use.



FAQs

Q: What is the range on a 22 Long Rifle?

A: A 22 Long Rifle has an effective range to 150 yards, though practical ranges are much less.

Q: Is there really a difference between a 22 Long and a 22 Long Rifle?

A: The 22 Long is available in both standard- and high-velocity versions, but it is still 15 fps slower than the 22 Long Rifle high-velocity bullet. The 22 Long has a muzzle velocity of about 1,038 fps. The 22 Long Rifle has a muzzle velocity that ranges from 1,080 to 1,640 fps.

Q: How many rounds are in a brick of 22 Long Rifle?

A: There are 500 rounds—50 rounds in 10 boxes. The boxes are packaged in a larger box about the size of a standard construction brick.

Q: What is a 22 CB Short?

A: The 22 CB Short is a 22 rimfire cartridge loaded with the 29-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity is 710 fps. It has a noise report like a .177 pellet rifle and is very accurate at short distances.

Q: The report of a 22 doesn’t appear to be as loud as that of a centerfire rifle. Do I still need to wear hearing protection when plinking with a 22?

A: Absolutely. Always wear eye and hearing protection when shooting any type of firearm. Though the report of a 22 is significantly quieter than, say, a rifle chambered in 270 Winchester, it is still far louder than normal conversation. Shooting with unprotected ears is simply a recipe for eventual deafness.



Bill aka the Graybeard
President, Graybeard Outdoor Enterprises
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I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life!

Offline nw_hunter

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2023, 04:17:01 PM »
Back in my youth........eons ago in SE Arkansas, I hunted mostly with the 22 rifle. Most was done with Longs and shorts. Squirrels, Rabbit, and Cottonmouths were my go to critters. Today, I occasionally Grouse hunt here in Oregon with a 22 rifle. It's legal here because they are pretty much ground birds, and hard to get a shot on the wing here in the deep, tall Fir forests. I still enjoy plinking once in a while with my 1022 and handguns in 22 lr
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Offline gene_225

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2023, 06:45:33 PM »
I mostly shoot .22 LR anymore because its is cheaper than center fire and doesn't hurt as much. Took my .308 Survivor out last week and got beat up some shooting off the bench. The Survivor got a 100 yd 5 shot group of about 7" (the barrel was damaged by rust after I sold it to my neighbor and before I bought it back. With a .22 LR on the same bench I can get a 5" group with a red dot on a 10-22 Ruger.

Offline Dee

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2023, 01:08:36 AM »
My 1959 Marlin Golden 39A has been languishing in the safe for almost 3 years now. At my other house it stood in the corner by the back door, and was deployed almost daily on pecan stealing squirrels. Here in West Texas its a little light in the britches for anything deserving to be shot.
My little Browning Buckmark doesn't get as much use either, as the coyotes get most of the stray cats.
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Offline TrumpWon

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2023, 06:12:49 AM »
My favorite caliber! We shoot every week during the summer. Silhouettes, bench rest, scoped, open sights, rifles and pistols. Don’t be the last one on the line because verbal harassment while a guy is shooting is allowed :)
My favorites: Annie MPR for bench, Marlin 39a for silhouette open sight, S&W 41 for pistols, still trying to settle on a favorite for scoped rifle silhouette.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2023, 10:45:22 PM »
i dont shoot much 22 these days. it got to the point i can shoot cast 9s just as cheap. costs me a primer and 4 grains of powder. even shooting 40s or 45s or even cast rifle loadsare comparable to the cost of 22s. ive got a good stash of 22s put up and will probably die with a bunch left even if i dont buy another brick. that is if i can keep my son in law and grandkids from eating through them.
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Offline Graybeard

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2023, 11:45:31 AM »
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.


Bill aka the Graybeard
President, Graybeard Outdoor Enterprises
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I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life!

Offline Dee

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2023, 12:28:36 PM »
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.

Yep! It's always been fun to run through a couple of boxes of 22s. I need to get my little Browning out.
You may all go to hell, I will go to Texas. Davy Crockett

Offline Casull

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2023, 12:45:22 PM »
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.



Plus no reloading involved.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2023, 01:28:33 AM »
i agree on primers but have enough of them added to the ammo i have loaded to last till they plant me. to each hie own but i enjot shooting 9s much more then 22s. they feel like a real gun. if you put earplugs and a blindfold on id bet you couldnt tell the difference in a 9mm ar15 then one in 556. i also believe in spending most of my time shooting what i carry. 22s have one place they shine. thats not having to bend over and pick up brass. but if id quit being anal about it between the the ammo i have loaded and the THOUSANDS of empty 9s that ive never loaded, i could quit picking up brass too. but old habit's! 22s to me are boring. i have probably 50 swinging a steel silhouette targets at my range and 22s dont move then and with hearing protection and my ears after 50 yards i cant even hear them hit. a 9mm though will show and hear hitts out to a 100 yards and longer. i havent shot a 22 hand gun in years.

grandkids love them though. especially my smith ar-22 with the binary trigger. even i have to admit seeing how many hits on a silhouette target at 25 yards is a blast. i sure wouldnt want to be on the wrong end of that thing even at 50 yards. 9in a matter of seconds i can put all 25 rounds in the chest at 25 yards and on a bad day at least half that at 50. dont know how many rounds that gun has shot but if i bring it to camp it isnt put down till all the ammo is gone. ive seen many 3 brick days. Ive seen it put smiles on the faces of many old curmudgeons who claimed it must be a waste of ammo or it wouldnt be for them. ive seen exactly 0 people who shot it that didnt want to do it again. even my tight wad dad loved it as long as it was my ammo and hed tell you if you had a deer rifle shotgun and 22 youd be just pissing away money buying more guns.   
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #10 on: July 16, 2023, 01:39:21 AM »
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.



Plus no reloading involved.

thats a big point for some but i spent many winters building a stockpile of ammo i probably in the shape im in couldnt shoot it all before i died if i tried. other then working up loads for new bolt guns its been probably 5 years since ive loaded any quantity. ive got thousands of cast bullets ready to go that i will never touch. if it keeps going health wise like it has this year i probably wont even have to open another ammo can of 9s
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Offline Casull

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2023, 08:14:34 AM »
But Lloyd when your current stock of primers is exhausted it now costs around a dime a piece just for primers. That makes 22LR even as expensive as it is now half the cost of your loaded ammo.

Plus to some, me included, it's a lot more fun to shoot .22LR than 9mm.



Plus no reloading involved.

thats a big point for some but i spent many winters building a stockpile of ammo i probably in the shape im in couldnt shoot it all before i died if i tried. other then working up loads for new bolt guns its been probably 5 years since ive loaded any quantity. ive got thousands of cast bullets ready to go that i will never touch. if it keeps going health wise like it has this year i probably wont even have to open another ammo can of 9s


Lloyd, I can see that for you fellows in the great frozen north.  Something to do in the winter.  Down here we just keep hunting, fishing, etc.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2023, 11:34:32 PM »
yup ive thought hard in my old age doing something different in the winter. i could afford a place in warmer areas but after taxes utilitys ect it would about eat up all my spending money. use to actually enjoy winter. i was really into snowmobiles and racing them but the wore out body got me to a place that only slow trail rides could be tolerated and i cant tolerate slow. down hill skiing was fun too but snowmobile racing and work ate up all my time. so now i cast and reload and like i said anymore i dont even do it out of necessity. ive probably got more ammo then i could ever shoot but a guy cant sit in the reciner all winter
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Offline Casull

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Re: Essential Guide to 22 Ammo
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2023, 08:37:26 AM »
yup ive thought hard in my old age doing something different in the winter. i could afford a place in warmer areas but after taxes utilitys ect it would about eat up all my spending money. use to actually enjoy winter. i was really into snowmobiles and racing them but the wore out body got me to a place that only slow trail rides could be tolerated and i cant tolerate slow. down hill skiing was fun too but snowmobile racing and work ate up all my time. so now i cast and reload and like i said anymore i dont even do it out of necessity. ive probably got more ammo then i could ever shoot but a guy cant sit in the reciner all winter



Well, I was born in the south, raised in the north, and spent most of my life in the north.  I also used to love ice fishing, snowmobiling, etc.  Nowadays, if it gets below 40 I start shivering.  That's why first chance I got, I moved south.  Never did like shoveling snow though.   ;)
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