.22 Short
Encyclopedia
.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimfire ammunition
. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith and Wesson revolver
, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge.
The original loading was a 29 grain (1.88 g) or 30 grain (1.94 g) bullet and 4 grains (260 mg) of black powder. The original .22 rimfire cartridge became designated the .22 Short with the introduction of the .22 Long
cartridge in 1871.
Developed for self defense, the modern .22 Short, though still used in a few pocket pistols and mini-revolvers, is mainly used as a quiet round for practice by the recreational shooter. The .22 Short was popularly used in shooting galleries at fairs and arcades; several rifle makers produced "gallery" models for .22 Short exclusively. Due to its low recoil and good inherent accuracy, the .22 Short was used for the Olympic
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
event until 2004, and they were allowed in the shooting part of modern pentathlon
competitions before it switched to air pistols.
Several makes of starting pistol
s use .22 Short blank cartridges.
Most .22 Short bullets are made of lead (usually coated with grease or wax, or copper-plated) in round nose or hollow point styles. Bullets for use at shooting gallerys were often made of compressed powdered metal that disintegrated on impact to avoid ricochets and over-penetration of backstops. The standard velocity .22 Short launches a 29 gr bullet at 1045 feet per second (318.5 m/s) with 70 ft·lbf (95 J) of energy from a 22 in (559 mm) rifle barrel and can penetrate 2 inches (50.8 mm) of soft pine.
As a hunting round, the high velocity hollow point Short is useful only for small game such as tree squirrels and rabbits. For small game hunting in general, the greater energy and wider ammunition selection of the .22 Long Rifle
make it a more popular choice. In the American South, the .22 Short hollow point is still very popular for use on raccoons, which are treed at night using dogs and shooting is at close range. In some states, the .22 Short is the only legal round to use for such hunting.
Although the .22 Long Rifle
has surpassed the .22 Short in the market place, many ammunition companies still produce .22 Shorts, and in a fairly wide variety. Most makers utilitilse the standard 29 gr solid round nose bullet and 27 gr hollow point bullet weights for the .22 short. CCI makes several types: a CB Short at 727 ft/s (221.6 m/s), Target Shorts at 830 ft/s (253 m/s), their standard Short round with plated round nose bullet at 1080 ft/s (329.2 m/s), and a high speed hunting load with plated hollow point bullet at 1105 ft/s (336.8 m/s). The .22 Short high-velocity exceeds the performance of the .22 Long
and the .22 Short has displaced the .22 Long as an alternate to the .22 Long Rifle for many .22 shooters. Fiocchi makes their Exacta Compensated Super Match SM200 with lead round nose at 650 ft/s (198.1 m/s). Remington produces a high velocity plated round nose at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s). Aguila makes both a match lead round nose at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s), and a "high speed" round with plated bullet also listed at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s). Also available is the fine RWS R25 match ammunition at 560 ft/s (170.7 m/s). Eley also makes their Rapid Fire Match cartridge at 750 ft/s (228.6 m/s).
Most of the target oriented and CB shorts are very quiet, due to being subsonic. When fired from a full-length rifle barrel, most .22 Short loadings are as quiet, if not quieter, than the average air rifle.
The Aguila SSS (SubSonic Sniper) round uses a .22 Short case with a 60 gr bullet (twice the weight of the .22 Short bullet and half again as heavy as the .22 Long Rifle bullet) giving an overall length of a .22 Long Rifle round, making categorizing the SSS problematic: while the SSS case size is .22 short, the firing chamber of the barrel must be .22 LR dimensions to accept the SSS cartridge.
and Marlin
lever action rifles. Many rifles in .22 Short were made between 1901–1940, mostly intended for gallery shooting and small game hunting. Remington and Winchester produced the most rifles in .22 Short. Remington has made their Model 24 and Model 241 "Speedmaster" semi-autos as well as their Model 12 and 121 "Fieldmaster" pump actions in .22 Short. Remington's Nylon 66GS Gallery Special (1962 to 1981) was one of the last .22 Short-only rifles made especially for shooting gallery use. Winchester produced a variety of different rifles in .22 Short caliber including the 1873 lever action, 1885 single shot (in both Low Wall and High Wall variations), Model 1890, 1906 and 62A pump actions, Model 74 semi-auto and the Model 61 pump action. Many of their bolt action rifles were available on a special order basis in .22 Short. Browning/FN also produced their dainty takedown semi-auto in .22 Short, on the same John Browning design upon which the Remington Model 24 is based.
Note that many of these rifles are now collectors’ items, particularly the Winchesters, and demand a premium in price over the same rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
It should also be noted that many rifles marked ".22 Short, Long and Long Rifle" (or ".22 S, L, LR") will not shoot Short rounds with the same degree of accuracy as they will a Long Rifle nor as accurately as a rifle designed for .22 Short exclusively. This is due to the excess chamber length needed to allow chambering of .22 LR cartridges. This requires the bullet from a .22 Short to travel a short distance before it engages the rifling, which is detrimental to accuracy.
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith and Wesson revolver
Smith & Wesson Model 1
The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson, with production commencing in 1857. It was also the first commercially available revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder, musket ball, and percussion caps...
, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge.
The original loading was a 29 grain (1.88 g) or 30 grain (1.94 g) bullet and 4 grains (260 mg) of black powder. The original .22 rimfire cartridge became designated the .22 Short with the introduction of the .22 Long
.22 Long
.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. The .22 Long is the second oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a 29 grain bullet and 5 grains of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on...
cartridge in 1871.
Developed for self defense, the modern .22 Short, though still used in a few pocket pistols and mini-revolvers, is mainly used as a quiet round for practice by the recreational shooter. The .22 Short was popularly used in shooting galleries at fairs and arcades; several rifle makers produced "gallery" models for .22 Short exclusively. Due to its low recoil and good inherent accuracy, the .22 Short was used for the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
25 metre rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after which they were only slightly changed until the two major revisions of 1989 and 2005...
event until 2004, and they were allowed in the shooting part of modern pentathlon
Modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
competitions before it switched to air pistols.
Several makes of starting pistol
Starting pistol
A starting pistol or starter pistol is a handgun or electronic toy weapon that is fired to start track and field races, as well as competitive swimming races at some meets. The loud report of the gun going off is a signal to the athletes to begin the event. Usually a cloud of smoke can be seen...
s use .22 Short blank cartridges.
Overview
As a hunting round, the high velocity hollow point Short is useful only for small game such as tree squirrels and rabbits. For small game hunting in general, the greater energy and wider ammunition selection of the .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
make it a more popular choice. In the American South, the .22 Short hollow point is still very popular for use on raccoons, which are treed at night using dogs and shooting is at close range. In some states, the .22 Short is the only legal round to use for such hunting.
Although the .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
has surpassed the .22 Short in the market place, many ammunition companies still produce .22 Shorts, and in a fairly wide variety. Most makers utilitilse the standard 29 gr solid round nose bullet and 27 gr hollow point bullet weights for the .22 short. CCI makes several types: a CB Short at 727 ft/s (221.6 m/s), Target Shorts at 830 ft/s (253 m/s), their standard Short round with plated round nose bullet at 1080 ft/s (329.2 m/s), and a high speed hunting load with plated hollow point bullet at 1105 ft/s (336.8 m/s). The .22 Short high-velocity exceeds the performance of the .22 Long
.22 Long
.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. The .22 Long is the second oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a 29 grain bullet and 5 grains of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on...
and the .22 Short has displaced the .22 Long as an alternate to the .22 Long Rifle for many .22 shooters. Fiocchi makes their Exacta Compensated Super Match SM200 with lead round nose at 650 ft/s (198.1 m/s). Remington produces a high velocity plated round nose at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s). Aguila makes both a match lead round nose at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s), and a "high speed" round with plated bullet also listed at 1095 ft/s (333.8 m/s). Also available is the fine RWS R25 match ammunition at 560 ft/s (170.7 m/s). Eley also makes their Rapid Fire Match cartridge at 750 ft/s (228.6 m/s).
Most of the target oriented and CB shorts are very quiet, due to being subsonic. When fired from a full-length rifle barrel, most .22 Short loadings are as quiet, if not quieter, than the average air rifle.
The Aguila SSS (SubSonic Sniper) round uses a .22 Short case with a 60 gr bullet (twice the weight of the .22 Short bullet and half again as heavy as the .22 Long Rifle bullet) giving an overall length of a .22 Long Rifle round, making categorizing the SSS problematic: while the SSS case size is .22 short, the firing chamber of the barrel must be .22 LR dimensions to accept the SSS cartridge.
.22 Short caliber rifles
There have been many rifles chambered for the .22 Short over the years, but only several lever action rifles are currently chambered for this round, notably the HenryHenry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is a firearms manufacturing company, one of the top ten long gun manufacturers in the United States and the leading lever action manufacturer. Henry Repeating Arms takes its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, the inventor who patented the first repeating rifle in 1860. The company...
and Marlin
Marlin Model Golden 39A
The Marlin Golden 39A represents the oldest and longest continuously produced shoulder firearm in the world. The lever-action .22 Caliber Golden 39A is produced by the Marlin Firearms Co. of North Haven, Connecticut...
lever action rifles. Many rifles in .22 Short were made between 1901–1940, mostly intended for gallery shooting and small game hunting. Remington and Winchester produced the most rifles in .22 Short. Remington has made their Model 24 and Model 241 "Speedmaster" semi-autos as well as their Model 12 and 121 "Fieldmaster" pump actions in .22 Short. Remington's Nylon 66GS Gallery Special (1962 to 1981) was one of the last .22 Short-only rifles made especially for shooting gallery use. Winchester produced a variety of different rifles in .22 Short caliber including the 1873 lever action, 1885 single shot (in both Low Wall and High Wall variations), Model 1890, 1906 and 62A pump actions, Model 74 semi-auto and the Model 61 pump action. Many of their bolt action rifles were available on a special order basis in .22 Short. Browning/FN also produced their dainty takedown semi-auto in .22 Short, on the same John Browning design upon which the Remington Model 24 is based.
Note that many of these rifles are now collectors’ items, particularly the Winchesters, and demand a premium in price over the same rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
It should also be noted that many rifles marked ".22 Short, Long and Long Rifle" (or ".22 S, L, LR") will not shoot Short rounds with the same degree of accuracy as they will a Long Rifle nor as accurately as a rifle designed for .22 Short exclusively. This is due to the excess chamber length needed to allow chambering of .22 LR cartridges. This requires the bullet from a .22 Short to travel a short distance before it engages the rifling, which is detrimental to accuracy.
See also
- .22 BB.22 BB.22 BB Cap is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. .22 BB cap and .22 CB refer to cartridges that are low velocity and project reduced noise. These rimfires closely resemble a .22 caliber air rifle in power and are often used for indoor shooting and close range pest control...
- .22 CB.22 CB.22 CB Cap is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition which has a very small propellant charge , resulting in a low muzzle velocity of between 350 and 700 ft/s...
- .22 Long.22 Long.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. The .22 Long is the second oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a 29 grain bullet and 5 grains of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on...
- .22 Extra Long.22 Extra LongThe .22 Extra Long is a .22 in American rimfire rifle and handgun cartridge.Introduced around 1880, the .22 Extra Long was used in Remington, Ballard, Wesson, Stevens, and later models of Winchester's M1903 and M1904 single shot bolt action rifles, as well as in Smith & Wesson revolvers.Using the...
- .22 Long Rifle.22 Long RifleThe .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
- .22 Magnum
- List of rifle cartridges
- List of rimfire cartridges
- 5 mm caliber5 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Rimfire cartridges:...
—Other cartridges of similar size.