.22 Question

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Good Ol' Boy

Good Ol' Boy

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Was at Walmart today looking at ammo and a guy grabs the guy working and asks where their .22 "pistol" ammo is. He said he saw the .22 "rifle" ammo but couldn't find the pistol ammo.

Now I know the difference between .22LR/L/S and know that every .22 pistol that I've ever seen shot either LR or Mag.

So was this guy ignorant or am I? Is there some .22LR that is designated or marketed for pistols?
 
I was under the impression that the competition pistol marketed loadings were loaded such that they would make their speed from the pistol barrels.
I think I read this from Aguila or an Ad for them but I cannot remember and I haven't compared any over my chronograph.

There is definitely pistol marketed packages! There are also loadings marketed for suppressor use that are subsonic. This always makes me smile. A standard velocity round is subsonic, why spend three times as much for a box that has a fancy buzzword on it with the same loads in it?

It does sound like a good reason to get out to shoot. To see if the rifle match rounds that are standard velocity are slower in a pistol than the pistol inspired load. I would expect the pistol rounds to gain less from the rifle length barrel.


The more I discover, the more I find I know little. Thank God for The High Road! And Thank God for our veterans, as I'm writing this in American!:)
 
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I bought some Win Super X High velocity 40 gr. RNCP, Win Hyper Speed 40 gr. HP, some Eley Force 42 gr.LRN, and some CCI Velocitor 40 gr. CPHP. Mainly for my Mossberg 42M (c). But I have shot these out of my G23 with the Advantage Arms 22 conversion kit. Both guns like these rounds!:thumbup:

Rifle or pistol, it sure doesn't seem to matter much!
 
sparkyv said:
Maybe he's confused by the word "rifle" in the "long rifle" designation.
Click to expand...
I think that's the best explanation of the fellow's question in the store. If he were knowledgeable enough to know about .22's designated for pistols, he wouldn't have asked the question at Walmart.

Good Ol' Boy, you should have butted in and told him he needs to use .22 Short rounds for his short barreled firearm. ;)
 
There are some manufacturers, using Eley for example which market .22LR Rifle Ammunition, .22LR Pistol Ammunition, .22LR Benchrest Rifle Ammunition and other loading of .22 LR ammunition. Anybody into .22 LR ammunition would know that so my best guess is the shopper was just confused by the .22 Long Rifle naming convention. Since it is called .22 Long Rifle one would think there should be .22 Pistol or .22 Handgun ammunition. I doubt they were shopping for Eley or Aguila. :)

Ron
 
FYI Hornady, Speer and Winchester all make 22 Magnum ammunition designed especially for use in short barrel handguns. It is disappointing how many clerks at gun shops do not know this. The associates work in the gun department at my local Cabelas are mostly clueless about guns and everything gun related. I foolishly though the clerks at smaller LGS and indoor shooting ranges, especially when they have 22 Magnum revolver in stock, would but tis not the situation.
 
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SK makes both Rifle Match and Pistol Match. Both are fairly excellent, the Rifle Match on a par with CCI Standard in most rifles. I don’t know the differences between the rifle and pistol SK ammo.

Prompted by this, a search shows that SK Rifle is loaded slightly hotter than SK Pistol but both are subsonic...SK Pistol is around 980fps. Both have lead 40 grain projectiles.
 
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Is it possible that Wal Mart has different record-keeping requirements for handgun and rifle ammo? And last time he bought .22 at Wap Mart he was asked if he was shooting it in a handgun or a rifle (which they've done to me), leading him to believe there is a difference in the ammo?
 
The firing pin strikes are lighter in 22LR pistols. CCI and some other manufacturers make the
pistol ammo, usually costs about double what you pay for "brick" ammo. Generally comes in a plastic box.
If you have a finicky 22LR pistol, it's a big help. If your 22LR pistol never has a dud with rifle ammo,
lucky you. That's a nice break.

"22LR" is a specific ammo size. 22LR "pistol" ammo is more of a quality designation.
The rimfire primer in 22LR pistol ammo is a little more sensitive to pistol firing pins.
(learned this the hard way, with my Hi-Standard 102)
 
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Good Ol' Boy said:
Was at Walmart today looking at ammo and a guy grabs the guy working and asks where their .22 "pistol" ammo is. He said he saw the .22 "rifle" ammo but couldn't find the pistol ammo.

Now I know the difference between .22LR/L/S and know that every .22 pistol that I've ever seen shot either LR or Mag.

So was this guy ignorant or am I? Is there some .22LR that is designated or marketed for pistols?
Click to expand...

There is, but you're unlikely to find it at Walmart. Some tries to help with ignition, some is target ammo supposedly tuned for pistol competition.

My .22 auto pistol likes mini-mags and CCI-AR exclusively - lower and higher velocity ammo won't cycle reliably and lead nose makes a mess. The revolver will eat anything imaginable with varying degrees of accuracy.
 
I remember when I was 12 or so. I first heard the term ".22LR." Not knowing I asked. "22 Long Rifle." But what do they shoot in pistols? Back then I didn't know much better. My guess is your encounter was long the same. Fast forward about 10 years later, I am buying an H&R 940 from my (at the time, soon to be ex) fiance's father. He threw in 1300 rounds of .22LR for $60. Buried in the back of the cabinet he had a box of Winchester Super-X shorts. It was there I learned .22 Short, .22 Long, and 22 Long rifle.
 
Good Ol' Boy said:
So was this guy ignorant or am I? Is there some .22LR that is designated or marketed for pistols?
Click to expand...

There is certainly .22 LR ammo that is optimized for handguns, such as CCI Pistol Match. Other loads better performers in rifles (CCI Stinger, for example). None are exclusive to the point that they can't be used in either a handgun or rifle.
 
I agree that he was likely confused by the "Long Rifle" moniker.

I've never seen .22LR in a container labeled as "pistol" or "handgun" ammunition, regardless of for which firearm type it was "optimized."
 
Many years ago I was in a store with my father and he wanted to purchase some .22LR. He was asked if it was for a pistol or rifle.

He asked what the difference was. He was told that he had to sign for it if it was for a pistol, but not if it was for a rifle. Of course, he said it was for a rifle.
 
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