.22 LR Ammo

What is .22 LR?

.22 Long Rifle — universally called “.22 LR” — is the most produced cartridge in the world. Approximately 2–2.5 billion rounds are manufactured annually, and it has been in continuous production since 1887. The NSSF estimates .22 LR accounts for a significant fraction of the roughly 10 billion rounds produced annually in the U.S. No other cartridge comes close.

The design emerged from a lineage of smaller rimfire rounds: .22 Short (1857), .22 Long (1871), and finally .22 Long Rifle (1887, J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company) — which combined the longer case of the .22 Long with the heavier 40-grain bullet of the .22 Extra Long. The result was a more powerful round that transitioned seamlessly from black powder to smokeless propellants. That same cartridge, dimensionally unchanged, fires in firearms today.

Why every shooter needs a .22

The math is simple. Bulk .22 LR runs $0.05–0.07/round right now — near all-time lows. A 500-round range session costs $25–35. The same session in 9mm runs $100–200. A .22 training gun pays for itself in ammo savings inside a year for anyone who shoots regularly.

The recoil is essentially absent, which matters more than most people admit. No flinch reflex means you’re actually building trigger discipline instead of managing it. Competitive shooters across every discipline run .22 for high-rep fundamentals work. A shooter who dry-fires 500 times and live-fires 500 rounds of .22 will outshoot someone who fires 50 rounds of centerfire. That’s not opinion — it’s why the top IPSC shooters own .22 conversion kits.

The same cartridge wins Olympic medals, kills squirrels, and trains first-time shooters. Nothing else covers that range. And because .22 has been chambered in more firearm designs than any other cartridge, the supply-demand loop is self-reinforcing: more guns means more demand means more production means lower prices.

Rimfire vs centerfire: why .22 LR behaves differently

.22 LR is a rimfire cartridge. The priming compound is centrifuged into the hollow rim of the case during manufacturing — there’s no separate primer pocket. When the firing pin crushes the rim, the compound ignites. Two consequences:

The case cannot be reloaded. The rim is deformed on firing and there’s no primer pocket to reprime. Every .22 LR is single-use.

Reliability is inherently lower than centerfire. The centrifuging process must distribute priming compound evenly around the entire rim. If it’s uneven — compound too thin in one spot, microscopic voids — the firing pin can strike a dead zone. Even premium .22 LR will occasionally fail to fire. Budget bulk ammo has measurably higher failure-to-fire rates.

The practical implications:

• For self-defense: the reliability limitation is a real concern — any misfire is a problem when you need the gun to fire
• For competition: test multiple lots to find what your specific gun likes; lot-to-lot variation affects accuracy meaningfully
• For training/plinking: occasional duds are acceptable and easy to manage (re-cock, re-try, rotate the cartridge)

Velocity categories: what the numbers mean for your gun

The velocity rating on a .22 LR box is measured from a 24-inch test barrel. A 4-inch pistol produces 200–400 fps less than that number. Always evaluate ammo performance against your actual barrel length.

Subsonic (under ~1,050 fps): Stays below the speed of sound. With a suppressor, subsonic .22 LR drops to approximately 112–120 dB — near pellet-gun levels. Most purpose-built subsonic loads (CCI Quiet-22 at 710 fps) will NOT cycle a semi-automatic action — they’re designed for bolt guns and single-shots. Purpose-built semi-auto subsonic loads (CCI Suppressor 45gr, American Eagle Suppressor 45gr) use heavier 45-grain bullets to generate enough bolt energy to cycle reliably while staying subsonic.

Standard velocity (1,050–1,150 fps): The accuracy sweet spot. Staying subsonic through and after the muzzle reduces velocity variation shot-to-shot, which is why match ammo is loaded here. CCI Standard Velocity (40gr, 1,070 fps from a rifle) is the most recommended load for bolt-action accuracy and fundamentals training. Feeds and cycles reliably in most well-tuned semi-autos.

High velocity (1,200–1,400 fps): The majority of mainstream commercial .22 LR. CCI Mini-Mag (40gr, 1,235 fps from a rifle) is the community reliability reference. More energy for reliable hollow point expansion and more reliable semi-auto cycling. Crosses the sound barrier, producing a supersonic crack that no suppressor can eliminate.

Hypervelocity (1,400+ fps): Achieved with lighter bullets (32–36gr). CCI Stinger (32gr, 1,640 fps, 191 ft-lbs — the most energy of any .22 LR load). Best for pest control and maximum close-range terminal effect. Trade-off: lighter bullets are more wind-sensitive and accuracy degrades as the bullet transitions through transonic on the way to the target.

The ammo sensitivity problem every .22 shooter hits

Every experienced .22 LR shooter knows this: every gun has preferences, and those preferences are non-negotiable.

Why it happens: dirty propellant (lots of wax lube and carbon), priming compound variation from the centrifuging process, and semi-auto action geometry all interact with specific ammunition characteristics. A round that feeds and fires perfectly in a Ruger 10/22 may induce feed failures in a Ruger Mark IV.

The community reliability ranking (most to least reliable in semi-autos):

1. CCI Mini-Mag — The universal reference. If your semi-auto won’t run Mini-Mags, the gun needs service.
2. CCI Standard Velocity — Match-grade reliability in well-tuned semi-autos and bolt guns.
3. Federal Auto Match — Generally reliable; occasional lot-to-lot variation.
4. Remington Golden Bullet — Inconsistent across production runs; not trusted for competition or defense.

How to find what your gun likes: Buy 50–100 rounds each of 6–8 brands. Run a 20-round fouling group first. Shoot 3–5 groups of 5 at 25–50 yards per brand. Note both group size and any feeding failures. Once you find a preferred load, buy from the same production lot in quantity — lot-to-lot variation in .22 LR (especially match grade) is real.

Competition ammo: where consistency actually matters

The difference between bulk plinking ammo and Olympic-grade match ammo is not incremental — it’s categorical.

What makes match ammo accurate:

• Velocity standard deviation (SD): Bulk ammo SD: 40–80 fps. SK Standard Plus: ~15–20 fps. Lapua Center-X: single-digit SD. At 100 yards, every 10 fps of SD produces measurable vertical stringing.
• Bullet concentricity: Match bullets are inspected to tighter runout tolerances — any eccentricity causes predictable accuracy degradation.
• Lot testing: Premium manufacturers fire sample groups per production lot and sell lots by accuracy grade.

The tiers:

Entry competition ($0.15–0.20/round): SK Standard Plus, Lapua Midas+, Federal Gold Medal Target. The SK Standard Plus is the starting point for serious rimfire competitors.

Mid-tier ($0.25–0.35/round): Lapua Center-X (40gr, ~1,066 fps, single-digit SD), SK Rifle Match, Eley Match. Center-X is the benchmark for club-level through national competition in the U.S.

Olympic-grade ($0.40–0.75/round): Eley Tenex, Lapua X-ACT, RWS R50. Eley Tenex won 14 of 18 Olympic medals in shooting events at a recent Games. Competitive shooters buy multiple lots and test each in their specific rifle — even within Tenex, different lots perform differently in different guns.

Bullet types by use case

Lead Round Nose (LRN): Standard plinking and training bullet. Dirtier than copper-plated but cheaper. Good for bulk practice.

Copper-Plated Round Nose (CPRN): Cleaner than LRN. Less lead fouling in the bore and action. CCI Mini-Mag CPRN is the standard.

Hollow Point (HP): Expands on impact for hunting and pest control. At standard velocity (1,050–1,200 fps), most .22 HP designs expand reasonably well. At pistol velocities (900–1,050 fps from a short barrel), expansion is less consistent — the slower bullet may not generate enough hydraulic pressure to open the cavity reliably.

Copper-Plated Hollow Point (CPHP): Same expansion principle, cleaner copper plating. CCI Mini-Mag CPHP 36gr is the standard small-game hollow point.

Subsonic: Designed to stay below 1,125 fps (speed of sound) for suppressed use. The suppressor can eliminate muzzle blast but not a supersonic bullet crack. True subsonic .22 LR is “hearing safe” through a good suppressor.

Self-defense: the honest answer

.22 LR isn’t the right defensive round if you have better options. The limitations are real: borderline gel penetration (10–14 inches from a rifle, less from a pistol), inconsistent hollow point expansion at pistol velocities, and the rimfire reliability issue.

One-shot stop rates from historical shooting data show .22 rimfire at approximately 31% — compared to 72–80% for 9mm. Those numbers reflect real-world defensive shootings, not gel testing.

That said, for people with physical limitations (arthritis, low grip strength) who need the lowest possible recoil, a .22 LR can be a practical carry option when loaded with purpose-built defensive ammo. Federal Punch .22 LR (29gr) penetrated 13.75 inches in FBI gel from a short barrel — exceeding .25 ACP FMJ. If you carry .22 for defense, use modern defensive loads (Federal Punch, Hornady Critical Defense 45gr FTX) and test thoroughly.

Price guide (2025–2026)

Current pricing is near all-time lows — 44% below the long-term historical average. The 2013–2014 shortage pushed prices to $0.12–0.15/round at retail, $0.25–0.50 at gun shows. That’s over. Buy in bulk.

Top brands

CCI — Industry reliability standard. Mini-Mag is the go-to for semi-autos. Standard Velocity for accuracy training and bolt guns. Velocitor for maximum energy. Suppressor 45gr for canned use. Made in Lewiston, Idaho.

Federal — American Eagle 40gr for bulk training. Federal Gold Medal Target for competition entry. Federal Punch for defense.

SK / Lapua / Eley — The match-ammo tier. SK Standard Plus is the competition entry point. Lapua Center-X is the national-competition benchmark. Eley Tenex is Olympic-grade.

Aguila — Mexican manufacturer, competitive pricing, generally reliable. Super Extra 40gr is a solid budget alternative to CCI Mini-Mag.

Winchester — M-22 specifically designed for high-round-count semi-autos. More consistent than Golden Bullet.

Remington Golden Bullet — Cheapest, most widely distributed, most inconsistent. Fine for bolt guns; unreliable in most semi-autos. Not recommended for competition or defense.

Popular .22 LR firearms

Rifles:

• Ruger 10/22 — the most-sold .22 semi-auto in history
• Marlin Model 60 — America’s best-selling .22 before Ruger
• CZ 457 — precision bolt-action, accuracy platform
• Tikka T1x — bolt-action, accuracy competition platform
• Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 — AR-pattern, .22 LR

Pistols:

• Ruger Mark IV — classic target pistol
• Browning Buck Mark — competition standard
• Smith & Wesson Victory
• Sig Sauer P322
• Walther P22

Revolvers:

• Ruger Single-Six
• Smith & Wesson Model 617