The .22 long is a variety of .22

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge ( ...

(5.6 mm)

rimfire ammunition Rimfire ammunition (also rim-fire) is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms where the primer is located within a hollow circumferential rim protruding from the base of its casing. When fired, the gun's firing pin strikes and crush ...

. The .22 long is the second-oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a bullet and of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

, 25% more than the .22 short on which it was based. It was designed for use in

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

s, but was soon chambered in

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

s as well, in which it gained a reputation as a small game cartridge. In 1887, the .22 long case was combined with the heavier bullet of the .22 extra long of 1880 to produce the .22 long rifle, giving a longer overall length and a higher

muzzle energy Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of a bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle (firearm), muzzle of a firearm. Without consideration of factors such as aerodynamics and gravity for the sake of comparison, muzzle energy is used as a rough indi ...

. Many firearms designed for the .22 long rifle will chamber and fire the shorter round, though the .22 long generally does not generate sufficient energy to operate semi-automatic guns. The one prominent survivor of the .22 long is the .22 CB long, a long-cased version of the .22 CB. The original .22 long loading used the same powder charge as the .22 long rifle, .22 long bullet was significantly lighter, but it did not result in higher velocities for the .22 long when fired from a rifle. The large barrel volume to chamber volume ratio of a .22 rimfire rifle means that the powder gasses have expanded as far as they can before the bullet reaches the muzzle of a normal-length rifle barrel, and the light .22 long bullet has less

inertia Inertia is the natural tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest, unless a force causes the velocity to change. It is one of the fundamental principles in classical physics, and described by Isaac Newto ...

than the .22 long rifle. The quieter report and lower penetration of the .22 long cartridge were often seen as desirable qualities. The .22 long rifle performs as well in a short

handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun, long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and br ...

barrel as the .22 long, and outperforms it in a long rifle barrel. Modern Hypervelocity loadings of the .22 long rifle use bullets as light as , and modern blends of powder to generate velocities higher than normal loads, and chamber pressures high enough to cycle semi-automatic firearms reliably. The most well known of these is the CCI Stinger, which goes so far as to stretch the case length slightly. The overall length is still within the max overall length for the .22 long rifle. The .22 long is still produced even after the change over to smokeless powders. CCI currently loads a high-velocity .22 long with a muzzle velocity of and a muzzle energy of

Specifications

* Length: ** Case: 0.613 in (15.6 mm) ** Overall: 0.888 in (22.6 mm) * Bullet weight: 29 gr (1.88 g) ** Twist: 1 in 20 for dedicated firearms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:22 Long 1871 introductions Pistol and rifle cartridges Rimfire cartridges

Specifications

See also

References