When it comes to buying .22 ammo, the available choices can be overwhelming — if you don’t take time to understand them. When I was a kid, 50¢ bought a box of .22 Shorts. Those Shorts were great for plinkin’ with my High Standard Double Nine revolver or Remington 514 single-shot rifle. For something serious like squirrel hunting, I opted for .22 Long Rifle hollow points.
Sometimes, I shot .22 Longs simply because that was what was on the shelf at the hardware store. Some days, I bought .22 Shorts, because Longs or Long Rifles would have cost 10¢ or 15¢ more. Shorts are great for short-distance target practice, and they’re relatively quiet. We never used hearing protection in those days. Fifty cents for a box of ammo! Those days are long gone, but prices are coming down again.
Why Three Lengths?
Ever wonder why there are three different lengths? The .22 Short was developed in 1857 for the Smith and Wesson Model 1. The Model 1 was Smith and Wesson’s first revolver, and the .22 Short round was the first rimfire cartridge to replace the cap & ball in commercial revolvers. That first .22 cartridge had a 29-grain bullet pushed by four grains of black powder.
It wasn’t called Short until the .22 Long came along in 1871. I find it interesting in these days of “it has to be at least a 9mm to stop a bad guy” that the .22 Short was originally developed for self-defense. As stronger handgun cartridges became popular, the .22 Short was relegated to recreational shooting in shooting galleries at fairs and arcades.
When the .22 Long was developed, it also used the 29-grain bullet but with more powder than the .22 Short. It was still originally a black powder cartridge, and although it was designed with revolvers in mind, several rifles were developed to use this cartridge for hunting small game.
The J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company added a 40-grain bullet to the Long cartridge to produce the .22 Long Rifle, commonly called LR. The .22 LR cartridge was available beginning in 1888 and was used in Stevens Arms #1, #2, #9, and #10 break-top rifles. The superior hunting and target shooting characteristics of the LR round initially rendered the .22 Long obsolete, but mystery of mysteries, we still have them today.
Some of the popular pump and lever-action .22 rifles were historically chambered in either .22 Short, .22 Long, or .22 Long Rifle. Of course, most single-shot rifles would handle whichever you choose to shoot. As the rifle models matured, some of the tube-fed rifles began to handle all three, even mixed together.
Examples were the Winchester Model 1906, Marlin Model 20, Marlin Model 39A and Remington 572 Fieldmaster. Today, I have a Henry lever-action rifle that will handle Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles interchangeably. However, I’m perplexed as to why I would need that capability unless facing an end-of-ammo scenario and still needing dinner.
The .22 LR is by far the most popular today with bullet weights ranging from 20 to 60 grains and all kinds of styles: lead, copper plated, round nose, hollow points, and even shot pellets for dispatching rats or snakes. You can buy them in boxes of 50, 100, 333, 500, or tubs of 1400. There may be more options I’ve yet to discover.
Magnum, Too
Most discussions about .22 cartridges include the big brother of the lot, the .22 WMR or .22 Winchester Magnum, also called the .22 Magnum or .22 Mag. There is often confusion due to the different names, but there is no difference. They’re all the same; it’s just marketing/branding.
You can’t chamber a .22 Magnum in a .22 rifle, and you can only shoot them in a .22 revolver if you swap cylinders. While the bullet diameter is nearly the same, the cartridges are bigger. Bullet weights in the .22 Magnum range from 30 to 50 grains with velocities ranging from 1,500 to 2,200 feet per second.
The magnum cartridge hits harder over longer ranges, with more muzzle energy, making it a better choice for varmints (unless they’re very close). I love shooting .22 Magnum handguns with my grandkids because they are loud, have a lot of muzzle flash, but very little recoil. The .22 Magnum handguns I have are accurate, too.
So Much Variety
I have quite a stash of .22 cartridges, some of them going back years. When I lived at my parent’s home many years ago, I stored my ammo in some of dad’s old cigar boxes. I was away in Vietnam when my parents sold the old homestead and moved to the state capital because of my dad’s job. Because they had discarded so much of my stuff, I never thought to ask about my ammo.
I found it many years later in one of my dad’s closets. There were some old boxes of .22 Shorts made by Remington and Winchester and a box of Federal Hi-Power .22 Longs. The Federal cartridges boxes were used from 1967 to 1972. These cartridges are copper plated, wax lubricated and manufactured in Minneapolis.
I’ve since added many more brands and types. I have more .22 firearms in my collection than any other caliber several reasons. Some of that is because I really enjoy shooting with my grandchildren, plinkin’, the affordability of rimfire guns offer, and because I test and write about guns for a living. That means I gotta shoot ’em, and shooting .22s is both cheaper and easier on my high-mileage anatomy.
Things have changed a bunch since the days when I only needed to choose between Short, Long, or Long Rifle. My Shorts include CB primer-only Shorts and primer-only Longs by CCI. I also have a box of .22 Longs made by Aguila that are primer-only. Somewhere I picked up a box of Shorts by Vostok, a Russian company. These are branded as Super Match ammo.
My CCI stash has CB Shorts and CB Longs. Some of the boxes are labeled high velocity and others low velocity. I found a box of Longs that were primer-only with a 20-grain bullet. These were made by the Aguila, a manufacturer in Mexico. Speaking of Aguila, I have several boxes of .22 LR branded as Colt with the Rampant Colt on the box. These were made by Aguila.
It’s interesting to me that a manufacturer, say Federal or CCI, will have the same basic cartridge packaged under two or more names. When you digest it all, .22 LR ammo consists of copper-plated hollow points or round nose bullets that are lead or copper plated. None of the packaging tells us how much powder is in the various cartridges, but some catchy marketing names help with understanding performance. Names such as Hyper Velocity, High Velocity, Champion, Match — many with a velocity number associated — differentiate the ammunition from Standard Velocity cartridges. Then we have Sub-Sonic, Quiet, and Suppressor rounds on the other end of the spectrum.
Range Time
When it comes to shooting .22s, choosing the right ammo can make the difference in whether you’re having fun or being frustrated. This is especially true of semi-automatic .22 handguns. Because of the need to self-cycle, many of the available .22 semi-automatics are known to be finicky.
I’ve learned to limit the failures to cycle by using high velocity .22 ammunition. Let me give you a rundown on the ammo I’ve learned works in practically all my semi-auto handguns. I’ll start with CCI because it has the most variety.
- Target Mini-Mag .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,235 fps
- Mini-Mag HP .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,260 fps
- Copper-22 .22 LR (they call this one MeatEater) – Muzzle velocity 1,850 fps
- AR Tactical .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,200 fps
- Mini-Mag Segmented HP .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,235 fps
- Blazer Rimfire .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,235 fps
CCI ammo that is more suited to revolvers and bolt-action rifles includes:
- Quiet-22 .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 7,10 fps
- Sub-Sonic HP .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,050 fps
- Standard Velocity .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 1,070 fps
- CCI Suppressor .22 LR – Muzzle velocity 970 fps
I know we’d love to have the Quiet and Suppressor ammo work in our semis, but with rare exception, it doesn’t. My one pistol that has a threaded barrel that will drive those ammo types okay is the full-size .22 M&P. Also, my HK416 with the suppressor handles them well.
Other brand/types of .22 ammo that I’ve found work well in semi-automatics are:
- Aquila Supermaximum – Muzzle velocity 1,700 fps
- Federal Lightning – Muzzle velocity 1,240 fps
- Norma ECO POWER 22 – Muzzle velocity 1,706 fps
- Remington Golden Bullet – Muzzle velocity 1,255 fps
You can tell by making these comparisons that the breakover point for successful operation in most of the .22 semi-autos is 1,200 fps. There is some added fun with some of these. CCI Stinger, for example, spits fire and makes a lot of noise. It’s like shooting a higher caliber without the recoil. CCI Suppressor on a M&P 22 is like those in the movies. It produces a spit sound rather than a bang. Three of my newest additions to the .22 arsenal: the Glock 44, Taurus TX-22, and SIG P322 all do well with suppressor ammo.
There’s lots of fun shooting .22 revolvers and rifles. Single-shot and bolt-action rifles will handle practically any brand of .22 LR while the semi-automatics may be a little picky. I’ve found the ones I have, a Ruger 10-22, Winchester Wildcat, and Remington Nylon 66, are all pretty forgiving. The revolvers will handle anything from .22 Short up.
If you’ve been dealing with finicky .22 semi-automatics, try some of the ammo types I mentioned. My go to is CCI Mini Mag or CCI Stinger when dealing with any gun that is picky about ammo.
If you’re not shooting .22s, I encourage you to jump in. There are decent .22s available for under $300, and this includes semi-automatics, revolvers, and rifles. They are good for fun and for keeping your skills updated.
You may have a different perspective or additional tips. If so, we would love to read them in the comment section.
There is such a variety of .22 ammo available. These are the brands and selections the author has on hand. CCI is one brand that produces .22 ammunition for almost any use. The names are very descriptive. The author sometimes shoots .22 shorts in revolvers such as this High Standard Double Nine. 
If you shoot a lot, bulk ammo packs can save you money. Shown here are the ones the author has used. There may be others. CCI produces some Christmas themed bulk ammo packs. Although CCI Suppressor ammo works well, the Taurus TX22 handles practically every brand of .22 Long Rifle reliably, with or without the Tactical Innovations TAC 65 suppressor. This Henry lever-action .22 is an example of a rifle that handles all three sizes of .22 interchangeably. The author shot all available types of .22 ammo, including .22 WMR through his Taurus 992 revolver and experienced results similar to these at 10 yards with each type of ammo. 
.22 Short and .22 Long cartridges are still available, and each has its purpose — especially the shorts. A selection of .22 ammo that the author has found works well in most .22 semi-automatics. Look for muzzle velocity exceeding 1,200 for best results.
Thank you for a well written article. Accurate and easy to read (& comprehend). I’m 86 yrs young & been shooting since end of WW2 (licensed for concealed carry since 1960). Naturally, because of cost, I started off with 22 rimfire. My first rifle was a single shot 22 (imported from ?) and the 22 short was maximum it could handle. It was chambered for .22 CB. I still have a box of “Eley CB caps (about 40 rounds) marked at 59¢ for box of 50. Manufactured by “ICI” Imperial Chemical Industries in Birmingham England. Unknown where I bought it but was definitely here in USA. What’s interesting is that the round is about 1½mm shorter than my 22 shorts. Box indicates ‘Reduced Velocity’, which is probably true as it is quieter than 22shorts. As it’s my last box, I fire off 1 round a year and this past July 4th the round still fired and hit the black on a 50ft target at 50 ft. As an aside, as a teen I lived near stone quarries that were home to copperhead snakes. Many of these were dispatched with 22 LR shot shells from my Winchester 62A pump. Initially the rounds were an elongated brass case crimped at the end. However after firing they would occasionally jam as the crimps expanded into the rifling. Later manufacture changed the rounds to normal 22LR with a plastic cup housing the shot. Reason for the choice of 22 shot-shell was the extremely low rate of ricochet off the quarry rocks that these critters like to take the sun upon. Reason I became a ‘Snake Murderer’ is that the snakes were unable to co-exist with the live-stock. Bye 4 now!
I still haven’t heard anything of why I don’t see anything about Maxi mag 22 rounds
You guys are educating me. I left out the WRF because until reading these comments I’d never heard of it and never encountered it.
Why did you leave out the 22 wrf ( 22 Winchester Rim Fire) ? It is not a 22lr and not a 22 mag. You really can not cover 22 types without including this ammo. Thanks
I’m with ya Stu! Great memories and explains why I own .22’s from Walther, Winchester, Chiappa, NNA, Ruger, Colt, H&R, and Remington…practical and fun.. the prize is Grampa Drew’s Winchester model 69 the first firearm Dad Drew taught me to shoot.
Think I better pick up a Henry to round out the collection now that I think about it…
Why no talk of Maxi mag hollow points??
First and foremost, “Welcome home and Thank you!” Your piece has brought back so many memories about the .22 cal. My brother bought a Marlin .22 bolt action with a cloth case, scope and magazine, from a Dept. Store, for about $20 in 1964. When he left for Basic Training in 1965, that rifle was mine to use and keep. Our Dad bought a Mark IV Ruger a few years later, and I managed to use up almost an entire case of .22 cartridges in a few summers.
The Marlin was returned to my brother just a few years ago and he brought it out to NV, where his son was stationed, and gave it to him. That darn rifle was just as accurate as the day we first shot it in 1964 and still looked like new. (Dad insisted on keeping ALL our firearms cleaned & oiled.)
I have 2 sons that are career military and Sr. NCO’s. I hope to have them take my .22s (and all the other guns) when my time comes.
Thanks for a great article.
You might want to be careful recommending mini mags and stingers. Some pistol manuals do not recommend the “hyper velocity” ammunition. A lot of forums have hashed this over many times. Even though the pistol may shoot the mini mags, it will contribute to shortening the life of the pistol. Mini mags are targeted for the bolt action rifle.
I can’t believe how I look forward to these cheaperthandirt ads .Because your writing and articles are informative and well written I enjoy reading about topics that don’t even interest me. Thank You Mr. Freeman.
I shoot CCI subsonic and suppressor ammo out of my Ruger Mark IV Tactical and they both cycle great. Since there’s no slide moving to cycle the bolt the added weight of my Pilot II suppressor makes no difference. It’s very quiet and a lot of fun.
I had a Winchester youth model 67 single shot bolt action rifle that is labeled for short, long and long rifle. It was my grandfather’s, then my uncle’s, then mine, and now belongs to my cousin’s son. I shot all three types of ammo out of it and they are all fun to shoot but I would say that I shot .22 long the least amount. It’s a great gun for young children to be able to start small with the shorts and work their way up to long rifle as they progress in age.
I also have a Winchester model 1890 pump-action rifle in .22 short that was my great-grandfather’s. It’s incedibly well designed and fun to shoot but I rarely do because it’s over 120 years old and in great condition so I get nervous that I’m going to damage it. It’s a great plinker though and I feel lucky to have that connection to my family going back to the 19th century.
You missed one. My Dad handed me down the only rifle he ever owned. Owned since he was a kid. It was an 1890 Winchester pump chambered in .22 WRF. I Believe those were .224″ diameter but shorter than a mag. The rifle would shoot 22LR but I swear you could hear the bullet rattling down the barrel. As kids, we were often assigned woodchuck duty in the garden plot behind the house.