There is no doubt that the most popular pistol and rifle cartridge in this country is the .22 rimfire cartridge. Annual ammunition sales also show that it is the most fired ammunition in America and is extremely versatile for use in everything from target shooting and simple plinking, to small game hunting and even home and personal defense.
The fact that it is not overly strong with its report and lacks noticeable recoil makes the .22 rimfire the perfect round to introduce new and young beginners to the shooting hobby. Having shot the .22 rimfire in competitive shooting, I can also state that it is an inherently accurate round.
The fact that the .22 rimfire is still inexpensive doesn’t hurt its casing either. I shoot enough .22 rounds on a regular basis that I usually buy the ammo by the “brick” (500 rounds). I learned a long time ago that continued practice with my .22 rifles and pistols keeps me in tune with using the larger caliber and centerfire versions, and at a much lower cost. Many of my “twenty-twos” (both rifles and pistols) feature similar actions, sights, and handling characteristics to my larger caliber firearms to maintain absolute familiarity.
The .22 rimfire cartridge has a long and rather colorful history. Its earliest roots began in Europe in the mid-19th century.the century, and this self-contained cartridge was called a “BB” cap and used a round ball projectile that worked only with the priming compound in the rolled rim. Their primary function was for indoor target shooting on what were described as “parlor pistols” (most likely a favorite of the wealthy and elite at parties).
The BB cap would be followed by the “CB” cap (CB stands for Tapered Bullet), which contains a very small amount of powder for a bit more power. In fact, I still shoot .22 CB rounds today, as they are so quiet in plinking rifles, and when fired in my short barreled mini revolvers, they just make a similar shot to toy guns. This, however, does not mean they are harmless, because I have used .22 CB rounds (in both pistols and rifles) to eliminate barn rats that want to establish themselves near my barn and kennels.
Despite its soft nature, the .22 CB round is quite lethal for pest control with minimal noise. This is the round my granddaughter McKenna used to catch her first fox squirrel, and her furry tail never knew what hit her.
The .22 Short is the oldest self-contained cartridge in the United States still in use today, having been created by Smith and Wesson in 1856 for use in their new “pocket” revolver. (I recently got to handle one of these historic S&W revolvers that was an heirloom from a friend.)
The .22 Short would become the father of a long line of large-caliber rimfire rounds to come, most notably the .44-caliber lever-action Henry rifle that was used during the Civil War.
Although centerfire rounds would begin to rapidly displace rimfires in this country beginning in the 1870s, .22 rimfire rounds maintained a strong following that still endures today. In 1887, Stevens Arms created the much more powerful (and even more popular) .22 Long Rifle cartridge. During this era of black powder cartridges, FFFFg black powder was used for its fast burn rate in the small .22 case.
With the advent of smokeless powder, a very fast burning version was developed specifically for the .22 rimfire, and this is a very “hot” propellant to say the least, as a very small amount is needed to achieve the desired result. In fact, you don’t need a very long rifle barrel to fully utilize these small charges of hot powder.
Black powder .22 rimfire rounds were notorious for fouling the bores after only a few shots. Smokeless powder changed that, but firearms still had to be cleaned after firing due to the corrosive primer compound used. Remington fixed this when it released its “Kleanbore” primer in 1927, and other ammunition manufacturers followed suit.
The high velocity .22 rimfire ammunition we are familiar with today was made possible when brass was used instead of copper for the projectile casing. The brass allowed for higher pressures and just a little (not much) more powder. The lubricated bullets also allowed for fairly clean perforations, shot after shot, which meant a lot less fuss with cleaning a “twenty-two” after each use.
Throughout its long history, the .22 rimfire has taken on nearly every game in North America, including large bears. I can remember the late legendary gun writer Jack O’Connor writing about a Native American woman who killed a record-breaking grizzly bear with a single .22 rimfire shot. No doubt this was a very close range incident brought on by sheer necessity, as a well-placed .22 round beat the alternative.
The youngest .22 rimfire cartridge is the .22 Winchester Rimfire (WRF) Magnum round which was developed shortly after World War II. Therefore, it is the only member of this ancient family that was not originally used with black powder. The first chambered rifle was a Stevens combination over/under pistol, which featured the rifle barrel stacked on top of a .20 or .410 gauge shotgun barrel. Soon, other firearms manufacturers began producing rifles for this small rimfire round, which could be found in single-shot, bolt-action, lever, pump, or semi-automatic versions.
The development of the .22 WRF Magnum was made possible due to progress in metallurgy, because if the brass casing was too soft, the casing would burst on the rim, and if the casing was too hard, it would fail. The end result was a very versatile .22 rimfire bullet that had more range and a bit more punch.
In my experience, the typical .22 long rifle rimfire round is efficient for point-of-aim work out to about 75 yards (although I’ve had success out to 100 yards and a little beyond). The .22 WRF Magnum, on the other hand, is double that (150 yards), with a bit more oomph when you get there. In fact, it’s my go-to cartridge for the local woodchucks, foxes, and coyotes, because it gets the job done with a little less noise and expense than a centerfire .22. While I consider it a bare minimum for handling tough coyotes, when placed correctly with the correct bullet (I prefer jacketed hollow points), it will anchor them with ultimate authority.
Winter predator hunting is one of my passions, and my favorite call times involve half an hour before and half an hour after typical daytime shooting hours. This time frame is the cup of tea for my scoped .22 WRF Magnum rifle.
Although many of the .22 rimfire rifles in my collection feature typical iron or peep sights, my .22 WRF Magnum rifles beg to have a scope installed for optimal performance (actually, good optics up the ante in the performance levels for all .22). My favorite .22 WRF Magnum rifle is an old Ithaca lever-action, 10-shot repeater (smooth as butter) that I’ve topped off with a Weaver 1.5 – 5 X scope, which can keep its rounds chambered within an inch at 100 yards works for me.
I also have a couple of revolvers that feature interchangeable barrels that allow you to use either the typical .22 rimfire forage or the more powerful .22 WRF Magnum rounds, making these very versatile pistols.
The .22 rimfire round has had a notable presence in shooting in this country in its various guises for over 165 years, and there is no doubt that it will be around for quite some time. While other rimfire rounds have fallen by the wayside, the reliable and versatile “Double Deuce” continues to faithfully advance at its own pace and cover a wide range of shooting applications for generations of satisfied shooters, plinking and small game hunters. .
It certainly works for me!
Email freelance outdoor writer Tom Lounsbury at [email protected]