The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of
.22 caliber .22 caliber, or 5.6 mm caliber, refers to a common firearms bore diameter of 0.22 inch (5.6 mm).
Cartridges in this caliber include the very widely used .22 Long Rifle and .223 Remington / 5.56×45mm NATO.
.22 inch is also a popular ...
rimfire ammunition originating from the
United States. It is used in a wide range of
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s,
pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
s,
revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six ro ...
s,
smoothbore shotguns, and
submachine guns.
In terms of units sold it is by far the most common
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
in the world today. Common uses include
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
and
shooting sports. Ammunition produced in .22 Long Rifle is effective at short ranges, has little recoil, and is cheap to purchase, making it ideal for training.
History
American firearms manufacturer
J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company introduced the .22 Long Rifle cartridge in 1887.
The round owes its origin to the
.22 BB Cap of 1845 and the
.22 Short of 1857. It combined the case of the
.22 Long of 1871 with a bullet, giving it a longer overall length, a higher muzzle velocity and superior performance as a hunting and target round, rendering the .22 Extra Long cartridges obsolete. The .22 LR uses a
heeled bullet
A heeled bullet is a specific design of bullet where the internal diameter of the barrel is often, but not always, the same diameter as the cartridge case, and the bullet has a step at the rear to allow it to fit inside the case. Heeled bullets mo ...
, which means that the bullet is the same diameter as the case, and has a narrower "heel" portion that fits in the case. It is one of the few cartridges that are accepted by a large variety of rifles and handguns.
Popularity
The .22 LR cartridge is popular with both novice shooters and experts. Its minimal recoil and relatively low noise make it an ideal cartridge for recreational shooting, small-game hunting, and pest control. .22 LR
cadet rifle
file:Springfield1922.jpg, Springfield Model 1922 cadet rifle
file:Cz452 tangent sight.jpg, A tangent sight on a CZ 452 rifle, with calibrated markings for ranges out to 300 meters
file:Australian Air Force Cadets using the Trainer variant of the CZ ...
s are commonly used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training. It is used by the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
for the rifle shooting
merit badge.
The low recoil of the cartridge makes it ideal for introductory firearms courses. Novice shooters can be surprised or frightened by the noise and recoil of more powerful rounds. Beginners shooting firearms beyond their comfort level frequently develop a habit of flinching in an attempt to counter anticipated recoil. The resulting habit impedes correct posture and follow-through at the most critical phase of the shot and is difficult to correct. With high recoil eliminated, other errors in marksmanship technique are easier to identify and correct.
Available for this round are
AR-15
An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporati ...
upper receivers and
M1911
The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for ...
slide assemblies. Many handgun manufacturers have an upper pistol conversion kit to make it shoot .22 LR ammunition. These conversions allow shooters to practice inexpensively while retaining the handling characteristics of their chosen firearms (with reduced recoil and muzzle blast). Additionally, .22 LR cartridge conversion kits allow practice at indoor ranges which prohibit high-power firearms. Owners of guns that use gas systems, such as AR-15 sport style rifles, normally avoid firing non-jacketed .22 LR cartridge ammunition, as the use of unjacketed ammunition may cause lead-fouling of the gas-port inside the barrel and costly gunsmithing procedures. This can usually be mitigated by swapping the conversion kit for the standard bolt carrier group, and firing several full-powered rounds to clear the gas port and tube of any accumulated lead fouling. While not 100% effective, the extremely hot incandescent gasses produced by centerfire rifle ammunition will help to clear any lead fouling from the .22 LR ammunition.
A wide variety of .22 LR ammunition is available commercially, and the available ammunition varies widely both in price and performance. Bullet weights among commercially available ammunition range from , and velocities vary from . .22 LR is the least costly cartridge ammunition available. Promotional loads for
plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done for pleasure, typically at non-standard targets such as tin cans, logs, bottles, or any other homemade or naturally occurring target.
Practice
In contrast to shooting done at established targe ...
can be purchased in bulk for significantly less cost than precision target rounds. The low cost of ammunition has a substantial effect on the popularity of the .22 LR. For this reason, rimfire cartridges are commonly used for target practice.
.22 LR cartridges are commonly packaged in boxes of 50 or 100 rounds, and are often sold by the 'brick', a carton containing either 10 boxes of 50 rounds or loose cartridges totaling 500 rounds, or the 'case' containing 10 bricks totaling 5,000 rounds. Annual production is estimated by some at 2–2.5 billion rounds. The
NSSF estimates that a large percentage of the US production of 10 billion cartridges is composed of .22 LR. Despite the high production figures there have occasionally been shortages of .22 LR cartridge in the contiguous United States, most notably during the
U.S. ammunition shortage of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Performance
Two .22 LR rounds compared to a cartridge">.45 ACP cartridge
The .22 LR is effective to , though practical ranges tend to be less. After 150 yd, the
ballistics
Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...
of the round are such that it will be difficult to compensate for the large "drop". The relatively short effective range, low report, and light
recoil
Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force req ...
have made it a favorite for use as a target-practice cartridge. The accuracy of the cartridge is good, but not exceptional; various cartridges are capable of the same or better accuracy. A contributing factor in rifles is the transition of even a high-velocity cartridge projectile from
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
to subsonic within . As the bullet slows, the
shock wave caused by supersonic travel overtakes the bullet and can disrupt its flight path, causing minor but measurable inaccuracies.
When zeroed for , the arc-trajectory of the standard high-velocity .22 LR with a bullet has a rise at , and a drop at .
A .22 LR rifle needs to be zeroed for to avoid overshooting small animals like
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
s at intermediate distances.
As a hunting cartridge, rimfires are mainly used to kill small game up to the size of
coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche ...
s. Although proper shot placement can kill larger animals such as
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
or
hog, it is not recommended because its low power may not guarantee a humane kill. In 2013, an elephant was killed by multiple shots from a .22 LR rifle.
Because a .22 LR bullet is less powerful than larger cartridges, its danger to humans is often underestimated. In fact, a .22 LR bullet is easily capable of killing or injuring humans. Even after flying , a .22 bullet is still traveling at about . Ricochets are more common in .22 LR projectiles than for more powerful cartridges as the combination of
unjacketed lead and moderate velocities allows the projectile to deflectnot penetrate or disintegratewhen hitting hard objects at a glancing angle. A .22 LR bullet can ricochet off the surface of water at a low angle of aim. Severe injury may result to a person or object in the line of fire on the opposite shore, several hundred yards away. A .22 LR bullet is capable of traveling , which is more than .
Rimfire bullets are generally either plain lead with a wax coating (for standard-velocity loads) or plated with
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductility, ductile metal with very high thermal conductivity, thermal and electrical conductivity. A fre ...
or
gilding metal
Gilding metal is a form of brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) with a much higher copper content than zinc content. Exact figures range from 95% copper and 5% zinc to “8 parts copper to 1 of zinc” (11% zinc) in British Army Dress Regulations.
...
(for high-velocity or hyper-velocity loads). The thin copper layer on plated bullet functions as a lubricant reducing friction between the bullet and the barrel, thus reducing barrel wear. Plating also prevents oxidation of the lead bullet. Lead tends to oxidize if stored for long periods. On a plain lead bullet, oxide on the bullet's surface can increase its diameter enough to either prevent insertion of the cartridge into the chamber, or – with high velocity rounds – cause dangerously high pressures in the barrel, potentially rupturing the cartridge case and injuring the shooter; for that reason, standard and subsonic cartridges usually use a wax lubricant on lead bullets.
Variants
The variety of .22 LR loads are often divided into four distinct categories, based on nominal velocity:
*
Subsonic, which also includes "target" or "match" loads, at nominal speeds below .
* Standard-velocity:
* High-velocity:
* Hyper-velocity, or Ultra-velocity: over
Subsonic
![22 caliber Aguila Sniper Sub-Sonic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/22_caliber_Aguila_Sniper_Sub-Sonic.jpg)
Subsonic rounds have a
muzzle velocity of less than the
speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At , the speed of sound in air is about , or one kilometre in or one mile in . It depends strongly on temperature as we ...
(about ). These rounds are sometimes equipped with extra-heavy bullets of to improve the
terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics (also known as wound ballistics) is a sub-field of ballistics concerned with the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits and transfers its energy to a target.
Bullet design (as well as the velocity of impact) larg ...
of the slower projectile. Conversely, these rounds may contain little more than a primer and an extra-light bullet.
Subsonic rounds are favored by some shooters due to slightly superior accuracy and reduction in noise. Supersonic rounds produce a
loud crack which can scare away animals when hunting. Accuracy is reportedly improved with subsonic rounds because a supersonic bullet (or projectile) that slows from supersonic to subsonic speed undergoes drastic aerodynamic changes in this
transonic zone that might adversely affect the stability and accuracy of the bullet.
Because the speed of sound in air at is about , the subsonic round's muzzle velocity is slightly below the speed of sound under many hunting conditions. However, under cold air conditions at , the speed of sound drops to , approximately muzzle velocity. Hence, a "subsonic" round used below this temperature may be supersonic, and during the transition from supersonic to subsonic velocity, it may become unstable, reducing accuracy. To counteract this, some cartridge manufacturers have lowered the speed of their subsonic ammunition to or less.
Various combinations of subsonic rounds and semiautomatic .22 LR firearms result in unreliable cycling of the firearms' actions, as the result of insufficient recoil energy. Some subsonic rounds use heavier bullets (achieving lower velocities) to ensure, as a result of increased bullet mass, that enough energy is produced to cycle common blow-back actions. As an example, the Aguila .22 LR SSS "Sniper SubSonic" round, has a bullet on a .22 short case, providing the cartridge the same overall dimensions as a .22 long rifle round. However, other problems may be encountered: the heavier and longer bullet of the Aguila cartridge requires a faster
barrel twist (by the
Greenhill formula) to ensure the bullet remains stable in flight.
Two performance classes of .22 rimfire subsonic rounds exist. Some subsonic rounds, such as various .22 short and .22 long "CB" rounds, give about velocity with a bullet providing relatively low impact energy (41 J at muzzle). These may not use any, or only small amounts of gunpowder, and have the characteristics of rounds intended only for indoor training or target practice rather than hunting. Where these are in .22 LR form, it is only to aid feeding in firearms designed for the cartridge, rather than older
.22 CB shooting gallery rifles. The Aguila SSS gives about velocity with a 60-gr bullet offering energy (163 Joules) equivalent to many high velocity .22 long rifle rounds using standard 40-gr bullets. Other heavy-bullet subsonic rounds give similar performance, and are intended for hunting of small game, or control of dangerous animals, while avoiding excessive noise.
Standard velocity
The velocity of standard-velocity .22 LR rounds varies between manufacturers. Some standard velocity ammo may be slightly supersonic-around , other ammo such as CCI Standard Velocity .22 LR ammunition is rated at . Most standard velocity ammo has a bullet weight of . Standard-velocity cartridges generate near or slightly supersonic velocities. These rounds generally do not develop these velocities in
handgun
A handgun is a short- barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also braced ...
s because their short
barrels do not take full advantage of the slower burning powder.
High velocity
The .22 long rifle round was originally loaded with black powder. The first smokeless powder loads were intended to match the standard velocity of the original black-powder rounds. Smokeless powder is more efficient than black powder, and the cartridge cases could hold more powder. Smokeless powder loads, called "high speed" or "high velocity", were offered by the major ammunition makers, giving a typical velocity increase of 8% ( to ) while still using the standard solid or hollow-point lead bullet.
Hyper-velocity
Many .22 LR cartridges use bullets lighter than the standard , fired at even higher velocities. Hyper-velocity bullets usually weigh around and can have a muzzle velocity of . This higher velocity is partially due to the use of lighter bullets.
The CCI Stinger was the first hyper-velocity .22 LR cartridge, and provided a significant increase in velocity and energy over standard rimfire rounds. The Stinger case is longer than that of the long rifle; about ''versus'' for the long rifle, but the
plated hollow point bullet is lighter and shorter at , giving the same overall length as the long rifle cartridge. This longer case can cause ejection problems in some guns. A powder with a slower burning rate is used to make the most use of the length of a rifle barrel. Most .22 long rifle powders increase velocity up to about of barrel. The powder used in the Stinger increases velocity up to the longest .22 barrel length tested by the NRA, .
Later hyper-velocity rounds were introduced by other makers, based on the long rifle case with lighter bullets in the 30-gr weight range and slow-burning rifle powder loadings. The overall length of many of these cartridges was less than the overall length of the standard 40-gr bullet long rifle cartridge. One example is the Remington Viper; another is the Federal Spitfire.
The CCI Velocitor hyper-velocity round uses the standard long rifle case size and a standard weight bullet of proprietary hollow-point design to augment expansion and trauma. This cartridge has a muzzle velocity of and matches the overall length of the standard long rifle cartridge.
Shot cartridges
Special .22 LR caliber shot cartridges, usually loaded with
No. 12 shot, have also been made. These are often called "
snake shot," "bird shot" and "rat-shot" due to their use in very short range
pest control
Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...
. Such rounds have either a longer brass case that is crimped closed, or a translucent plastic "bullet" that contains the shot and shatters upon firing. In specially made .22-bore
shotguns, the shot shells can be used for short-range
skeet shooting and
trap shooting at special, scaled-down, clay targets.
Full metal jacket
During World War II, a
full metal jacket bullet
A full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet is a small-arms projectile consisting of a soft core (often lead) encased in an outer shell ("jacket") of harder metal, such as gilding metal, cupronickel, or, less commonly, a steel alloy. A bullet jacket usua ...
version of the .22 LR was developed as the T-42 for the suppressed
High Standard HDM pistol.
The US Army Air Corps procured the
Savage Model 24 .22 LR/.410 combination gun as an air crew survival weapon included in the E series of survival and sustenance kits, primarily to forage for game for food. The .22 LR full metal jacket bullet ammunition was issued with these firearms for military use to comply with treaty restrictions on expanding bullets.
The 1961 Army/Air Force Technical Manual/Order on ammunition lists three types of rimfire CARTRIDGE, CALIBER .22: Ball, Long Rifle:
*Long Rifle (Lead Bullet), propellant: 1.7 gr smokeless, bullet: 40 gr, overall length: .
*Long Rifle (Commercial), propellant: 2.1 gr smokeless, bullet: 40 gr, overall length: about .
*Long Rifle, M24 (Jacketed Bullet), propellant: 2.5 gr smokeless, bullet: 40.5 gr, overall length: .
The first type specifies standard or target velocity .22 LR while the second is common high velocity commercial ammo. While these soft lead round nose bullet types were suitable for training or target practice, they are not legal for use in a war zone. Since .22 LR air crew survival weapons would probably be used in a war zone and could be used for defense, the M24 round is loaded with a hard lead-antimony alloy core bullet with a gilding metal jacket.
Tracer
Tracer ammunition is also available in rimfire.
Cartridge construction
The traditional .22 rimfire cartridges (BB, CB, short, long, extra long, and long rifle) differ in construction from more modern cartridges in the way the bullet is constructed and held in the case. Bullets for traditional .22 rimfires are the same outside diameter as the case but are constructed with a narrower cupped "
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
" on the base of the bullet which is inserted into the case. The case mouth is then crimped around the heel, leaving exposed the majority of the bullet bearing surface that contacts the barrel of the gun. The bearing surface of .22 rimfire bullets is often lubricated and the surface is exposed to contamination. This was a common design in the early black powder cartridge era.
In later cartridges including the
.22 WRF and
.22 WMR rimfires and modern centerfires, the bullet body is a uniform diameter and the bearing surface is inserted completely within the neck of the cartridge case, held in place by tension from the case neck around the bullet bearing surface (in some cartridges the case mouth may also be crimped into a
cannelure
A cannelure is a groove or channel around ammunition, either bullets or cartridge cases. The cannelure may be pressed into or cast with the bullet or case.
Function
In the Minié ball
The Minié ball or Minie ball, is a type of hollow-base ...
(groove) in the bullet). The heeled bullet cartridge is considered weaker than the uniform diameter bullet cartridge which encloses the bearing surface of the bullet within the cartridge neck. Overall reliability of heeled bullet rimfire ammunition is high, but it is lower than the reliability of most centerfire ammunition.
Cartridge length
![22 short 22 long rifle 22 magnum 22 hornet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/22_short_22_long_rifle_22_magnum_22_hornet.JPG)
The .22 LR uses a straight-walled case. Depending upon the type and the feed mechanism employed, a firearm that is chambered for .22 LR may also be able to safely chamber and fire the following shorter rimfire cartridges:
*
.22 BB, in cap, short, and long lengths
*
.22 CB, in cap, short, long, and long rifle lengths
*
.22 Short
*
.22 Long
The .22 Long Rifle may also be used in firearms chambered for the obsolete
.22 Extra Long.
Usage
Today, rimfire rounds are mainly used for hunting small
pests
PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority ...
, for
sports shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms such ...
, for
plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done for pleasure, typically at non-standard targets such as tin cans, logs, bottles, or any other homemade or naturally occurring target.
Practice
In contrast to shooting done at established targe ...
, and for inexpensive training. The .22 LR is the choice for several shooting events:
biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...
,
bullseye, plus divisions of
benchrest shooting
Benchrest shooting is a shooting sport discipline in which high-precision rifles are rested on a table or bench — rather than being carried in the shooter's hands — while shooting at paper or steel targets, hence the name "benchrest". Bot ...
,
metallic silhouette and
pin shooting, most high school, collegiate,
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
,
Project Appleseed
Project Appleseed is a marksmanship program that focuses on teaching traditional rifle marksmanship from standing, sitting/kneeling, and prone positions over a two-day weekend shooting clinic called an "Appleseed". It is the primary focus of The Re ...
,
4H shooting events, and many others. It is also used in the precision Rifle and Pistol shooting events at the Olympic Games. Good quality rimfire ammunition can be quite accurate. The main advantages are low cost, low recoil, low noise and high accuracy-to-cost ratio. The main disadvantage is its low power; it is better suited for use on small game and other small animals.
As a
defensive cartridge, it is considered inadequate by many, though the small size allows very lightweight, easily concealable handguns which can be carried in circumstances where anything larger would be impractical. Despite their limitations, people can use .22 LR pistols and rifles for defense, and are common simply because they are prevalent, inexpensive, and widely available.
Most semi-automatic rifles firing .22 LR cartridges will often only work properly when firing standard or high velocity rimfire ammunition, as the low recoil of subsonic rounds is insufficient to cycle the weapon's action. Rifles with manual actions do not have this problem. Due to the low
bolt thrust of the .22 LR cartridge, most self-loading firearms chambered for the cartridge use the direct
blowback operation system.
The tiny case of the .22 LR and the subsonic velocities (when using subsonic ammunition) make it well suited for use with a
firearm suppressor (also known as silencers or sound moderators). The low volume of powder gases means that .22 LR suppressors are often no larger than a bull barrel; the
Ruger 10/22 and
Ruger MK II
The Ruger Standard Model is a rimfire semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1949 as the first product manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., and was the founding member of a product line of .22 Long Rifle cartridge handguns, including its later ite ...
are common choices, because of their reliability and low cost, and the resulting product is often nearly indistinguishable from a bull barrel model (although weighing far less). Where firearm suppressors are only minimally restricted, a .22 LR firearm with a suppressor is often favored for
plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done for pleasure, typically at non-standard targets such as tin cans, logs, bottles, or any other homemade or naturally occurring target.
Practice
In contrast to shooting done at established targe ...
, as it does not require hearing protection or disturb the neighbors. Local government agencies sometimes use suppressed rimfire weapons for animal control, since dangerous animals or pests can be dispatched in populated areas without causing undue alarm.
The .22 LR has also seen limited usage by police and military snipers. Its main advantage in this role is its low noise, but it is usually limited to urban operations because of its short range.
The Israeli military used a suppressed .22 LR rifle in the 1990s for
riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irrati ...
and to "eliminate disturbing dogs prior to operations", though it is now used less often as it has been shown to be more lethal than previously suspected.
Some other examples include the use of suppressed
High Standard HDM pistols by the American
OSS
OSS or Oss may refer to:
Places
* Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands
* Osh Airport, IATA code OSS
People with the name
* Oss (surname), a surname
Arts and entertainment
* ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
, which was the predecessor organization of the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
.
Francis Gary Powers
Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977) was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Lockheed U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 i ...
was issued a suppressed High Standard for the flight in which he was shot down. Suppressed
Ruger MK II
The Ruger Standard Model is a rimfire semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1949 as the first product manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co., and was the founding member of a product line of .22 Long Rifle cartridge handguns, including its later ite ...
pistols were used by the
US Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting ...
in the 1990s.
Cartridge dimensions
.22 long rifle maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimetres (mm).
The common
rifling
In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the ...
twist rate for this cartridge is 406 mm (1:16 in), six grooves, land width = 2.16 mm, Ø lands = 5.38 mm, Ø grooves = 5.58 mm.
According to the official
C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) rulings the .22 long rifle can handle up to P
max piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
Because the .22 long rifle round commonly uses a heeled lead or lightly plated bullet, the nominal bullet diameter is larger than the nominal bore diameter to prevent excessive lead fouling that can occur when shooting lead bullets that are the same or slightly smaller than the groove diameter. SAAMI specifies a nominal bullet diameter of 0.2255 with a tolerance of -0.004, while the specified bore diameter is 0.222.
In practice, 0.224 or slightly larger bullets are common, with barrel groove diameters commonly around 0.223.
Muzzle velocity (nominal)
* lead: .22 LR subsonic
* copper plated lead: .22 LR high velocity
* copper plated lead: .22 LR hyper-velocity CCI Stinger
Note: actual velocities are dependent on many factors, such as barrel length of a given firearm and manufacturer of a given batch of ammunition, and will vary widely in practice. The above velocities are typical.
See also
*
.22 BB
*
.22 CB
*
.22 Short
*
.22 Long
*
.22 Extra Long
*
.22 Magnum
*
.22 Hornet
*
.25 ACP
*
.220 Rook
*
5 mm caliber
*
.17 HM2
*
Cadet rifle
file:Springfield1922.jpg, Springfield Model 1922 cadet rifle
file:Cz452 tangent sight.jpg, A tangent sight on a CZ 452 rifle, with calibrated markings for ranges out to 300 meters
file:Australian Air Force Cadets using the Trainer variant of the CZ ...
*
List of rimfire cartridges
*
Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
References
External links
22LR Ballistics Chart for 27 different cartridges
{{DEFAULTSORT:22 Long Rifle
Pistol and rifle cartridges
Rimfire cartridges
Articles containing video clips
Stevens Arms