Dumb question alert

[RoyalScam]

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I can't find the answer using the Search feature, and I haven't figured it out yet.

Why do most, if not all, .22 semi-autos (P22, Mosquito, Ruger Mk III, etc...) have a magazine capacity of only 10? My 9mm has a 15-round magazine, so why wouldn't manufacturers make a larger capacity for their .22s? Please educate me if I'm wrong about this. Obviously physical space isn't the issue....

 

[Quoheleth]

Most autos shoot rimless rounds. You can stack them easier - even in "double stack" mags.

.22 is a rimmed round, and when you start to double-stack them you can develop feeding issues. A 10 round .22 mag fits nicely in the grip of the average .22 autoloader.

Q

 

[earlthegoat2]

I think it was a combination of being a carryover from the AWB days and the fact that the magazines have to be at an extreme angle in relation to the chamber and barrel that making them larger would prove too difficult to be worth it.