The .22 Rimfire · Volume 12
Cheatsheet
Laminate-ready synthesis. Every figure here is sourced in the volume named beside it; nothing new is introduced.
12.1 Cartridge Specs — .22 LR
Table 1 — 12.1 Cartridge Specs — .22 LR
| Introduced | 1887, J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. |
| Case length | 0.613 in |
| Overall length | 1.000 in |
| Bullet diameter | 0.223–0.2255 in (heeled) |
| Rim diameter / thickness | 0.278 in / 0.043 in |
| Max pressure | 24,000 psi SAAMI / 170 MPa C.I.P. |
| Standard twist | 1:16 in, six grooves |
| BC (40 gr LRN, G1) | ~0.125 (CCI publishes 0.123) |
| Effective range | ~150 yd (practically less) |
| Maximum range | ~2,000 yd — safety number |
Volumes 2, 5
12.2 The Family, and What Fits Where
Table 2 — 12.2 The Family, and What Fits Where
| Cartridge | Year | Case | Bullet | Typical MV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .22 BB Cap | 1845 | 0.284 in | 18 gr | ~780 fps |
| .22 CB Cap | 1888 | 0.284 in | 18 gr | ~953 fps |
| .22 Short | 1857 | 0.423 in | 29 gr | ~900 fps |
| .22 Long | 1871 | 0.613 in | 29 gr | ~1,060 fps |
| .22 LR | 1887 | 0.613 in | 40 gr | 1,070–1,650 fps |
| .22 WRF | 1890 | 0.965 in | 45 gr | ~1,450 fps |
| .22 WMR | 1959 | 1.055 in | 30–50 gr | 1,530–2,300 fps |
| .17 HM2 | 2004 | LR “Stinger” necked | 17 gr | ~2,100 fps |
| .17 HMR | 2002 | WMR necked | 17–20 gr | ~2,550 fps |
SAFE: Short / Long / LR / modern CB in a .22 LR chamber (semi-autos won’t cycle the short ones; clean the carbon ring before switching back). .22 WRF in a .22 WMR chamber.
NEVER: .22 LR in a .22 WMR chamber. .22 LR in a .22 WRF chamber. .22 WMR in a .22 LR chamber.
NEVER IN A RIFLE, AND NEVER THROUGH A CAN: Colibri / Super Colibri (primer-only — bullets lodge in the bore).
Volume 2
12.3 Velocity Classes
Table 3 — 12.3 Velocity Classes
| Class | Weight | MV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet / CB | 20–40 gr | 500–780 fps | Won’t cycle a semi-auto |
| Standard / subsonic | 40 gr | 1,040–1,080 fps | Below the sound barrier |
| High velocity | 36–40 gr | 1,200–1,280 fps | Bulk default |
| Hyper velocity | 30–33 gr | 1,400–1,650+ fps | Weight traded for speed |
Speed of sound ≈ 1,125 fps; industry subsonic label ≈ 1,080 fps.
Volume 5
12.4 Trajectory — 50 yd Zero
Table 4 — 12.4 Trajectory — 50 yd Zero
| HV 40 gr | SV 40 gr | |
|---|---|---|
| Muzzle | 1,235 fps / 135 ft·lbf | 1,070 fps / 102 ft·lbf |
| 50 yd | 1,095 fps / 107 ft·lbf | 980 fps / 85 ft·lbf |
| 100 yd | 1,000 fps / 89 ft·lbf, −5.5 in | 910 fps / 74 ft·lbf, −7.5 in |
| 200 yd (36 gr @1,260) | −44.1 in | — |
Wind, 10 mph full value: ~3.5–5.5 in at 100 yd across sources; ~18.9 in at 200; ~39.2 in at 300.
Drop accelerates. Nearly four feet in the second hundred yards. Do not extrapolate a card — shoot it.
Volume 5
12.5 Barrel Length
Velocity peaks at ≈16 in ± 2 in and then falls. Worked example: 1,149 fps @14 in → 1,157 fps @16 in → 1,138 fps @20 in.
- A long target barrel is a sight-radius/harmonics decision, not a velocity decision.
- 16.12 in and 18.5 in are both inside the peak window — no meaningful velocity difference.
- Pistols: 938–1,060 fps from 4 in with ordinary ammunition. Most .22 is already subsonic from a handgun.
- Advertised velocities come from longer test barrels than yours.
Volume 4
12.6 Chambers
Table 5 — 12.6 Chambers
| Chamber | Length | Mouth | Throat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting | 0.7751 in | 0.2307 in | 0.2270 in |
| Bentz | 0.6900 in | 0.2270 in | 0.2255 in |
| Match | 0.6876 in | 0.2267 in | 0.2248 in |
CCI Stinger case = 0.702 in (vs. 0.613 standard). Verify it in any match or Bentz chamber before committing. KIDD barrels are not Bentz — a proprietary reamer, slightly tighter.
Volume 4
12.7 Ammunition by Job
Table 6 — 12.7 Ammunition by Job
| Job | Buy |
|---|---|
| Competition | Lapua Center-X / Midas+ / X-Act · Eley Match / Tenex · RWS R50 |
| Serious practice | SK Standard Plus · SK Rifle Match · Federal Gold Medal · Norma |
| Squirrel, head shots | 40 gr solid — CCI SV, Mini-Mag 40 gr CPRN, Super-X solid |
| Squirrel/rabbit, body | CCI Mini-Mag 36 gr CPHP · Super-X Power Point · CCI Segmented HP |
| Bigger small game | CCI Velocitor (hyper-velocity, 40 gr) — or use a .22 WMR |
| Lead-free | CCI Copper-22, inside 50 yd |
| Plinking | Federal bulk · Winchester M22 / Wildcat · Aguila Super Extra · Blazer |
| Semi-auto bulk | Federal AutoMatch · Winchester M22 |
| Suppressed, semi-auto | CCI Standard Velocity 1,070 fps · CCI Clean-22 Sub-Sonic |
| Suppressed, quietest | CCI Suppressor 45 gr · Federal AE Suppressor · CCI Quiet-22 (bolt only) |
| Suppressor, least fouling | CCI Clean-22 / Clean-22 Suppressor (polymer, up to −60% lead) |
| Defence | Federal Punch 29 gr (13.75 in gel, clears FBI 12 in) |
The rule that beats the table: buy the lot, not the grade.
Volumes 6, 7, 8, 9
12.8 Manufacturers at a Glance
Table 7 — 12.8 Manufacturers at a Glance
| Maker | Where | Best at | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCI | Lewiston, ID | Reliability + the widest set of purpose-built loads | Not a top-tier match house |
| Federal | Anoka, MN | Widest ladder, bulk → real match | Bulk end is ordinary |
| Winchester | Oxford, MS | Solid all-round, independent | No serious match or suppressor line |
| Remington | (Kinetic/CSG) | Cheap by the brick | Reported dud rates span 1%–10% |
| Aguila | Cuernavaca, MX | Best specialty catalogue | Most compatibility homework |
| Lapua / SK | Nammo Schönebeck, DE | The match benchmark + lot testing | Price; lot matters more than grade |
| Eley | England | Match benchmark, most transparent process | Price |
| RWS / Norma / Geco | Fürth, DE (Beretta) | R50 / R100 cold-weather engineering | Availability |
| Hornady | — | .17 HMR / .17 HM2 / .22 WMR | Makes no .22 LR |
CCI, Federal, Remington, Speer, Blazer and HEVI-Shot share one owner (The Kinetic Group → Czechoslovak Group, closed Nov 2024). They are product lines, not competitors.
Volumes 7, 8
12.9 Suppressor Quick Reference
- Subsonic or the can is wasted. Baffles kill muzzle blast; nothing kills the sonic crack.
- Unsuppressed: ~139–141 dB rifle, ~155–161 dB pistol. Suppressed subsonic: ~110–128 dB (−20 to −30 dB).
- dB figures are only comparable within one test. Never compare across sources.
- Benchmark: suppressed 40 gr subsonic ≈ the sound of cycling the action, ~120 dB.
- Clean every 300–500 rounds. Rimfire is the dirtiest host there is: bare lead + wax lube + heavy priming residue.
- Rimfire cans must be user-serviceable. Sealed designs are reported to die at 3,000–5,000 rounds.
- First-round pop is worse on pistols/short barrels. A permitted ablative cuts it.
- Never through a can: keyholing ammunition (Aguila 60 gr SSS needs 1:12 or faster), primer-only loads.
- Zero shifts when the can goes on or off. Record the offset in clicks, per host.
Legal, 2026: NFA transfer tax is $0 for forms submitted on or after 1 Jan 2026 (OBBBA, signed 4 Jul 2025). Everything else is unchanged — Form 4/Form 1, background check, ATF approval, still registered. Michigan: suppressed hunting legal since 11 Feb 2016; check the current DNR digest.
Volume 10
12.10 This Battery
Table 8 — 12.10 This Battery
| Gun | Feed it | Never |
|---|---|---|
| S&W Model 41 5.5 in | Standard velocity only — SK Standard Plus, Center-X, Eley, R50, Federal GM; CCI SV to practise | Hyper-velocity — Stinger, Velocitor |
| Ruger Precision Rimfire 18 in | The lot-test candidate. SK / Lapua / Eley / RWS, then buy the winning lot in bulk | — |
| 10/22 DSP (blued, 18.5 in) | CCI SV suppressed · Mini-Mag hunting · bulk plinking | Match-ammo money — sporting chamber |
| 10/22 Takedown (SS, 18.5 in) | Same. Clean-22 if you want the can to stay clean | Same |
| Mark III / Mark IV | Anything; already subsonic from a 5 in barrel | — |
Shared Lima: fits all of the above on 1/2×28. Track round count on the can, not per gun. Record a can-on/can-off zero offset for each host.
BDC150 reticles (both 10/22s): calibrated for ~1,600 fps at 50 yd zero, circles at 75/100/125/150. Your loads are slower, so at 7× every circle reads short. The scope is second focal plane — dial magnification down to increase the MOA each circle covers. Estimated starting points: ≈3× suppressed subsonic, ≈4× unsuppressed high velocity. Verify on paper, then witness-mark the power ring. Nikon’s Spot On tool is discontinued.
Simplification worth taking: run one load in both configurations and only the zero offset changes.
Takedown lockup: back the knob off → join → run knob and spacer forward to the barrel shoulder → separate → advance 2–3 clicks → reassemble to slight resistance, no play → leave it alone. Then shoot the five-reassembly test and write down your own POI shift.
Volumes 9, 11
12.11 What This Series Refuses to Assert
Carry these as known unknowns rather than gaps:
- Who owns Eley. Not established.
- That Aguila is made by, primed by, or affiliated with Eley. Folklore; contradicted by its own sources.
- A single dud rate for any bulk brand. Reports span an order of magnitude.
- A specific MOA figure for 10/22 Takedown POI shift on reassembly. Nobody publishes one. Measure yours.
- That transonic instability explains high-velocity .22 LR’s poorer 100 yd accuracy. Contested, and confounded with ammunition quality.
- Any cross-lab dB comparison, including the 41 dB figure recorded for the Lima.
- Current pricing for anything.
Volumes 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11
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