The relatively short effective range, low report, and light recoil has made it a favorite for use as a target practice cartridge. After 150 meters the ballistics of the round are such that the large 'drop' will be difficult to compensate. 22 LR is effective within 150 meters (495 ft), although practically this range will be much less. 22 kits allow practice at indoor ranges which often prohibit high-power rifles.Īnnual production is estimated at 2-2.5 billion rounds. These '.22 conversions' allow shooters inexpensive practice while retaining the handling characteristics of their chosen firearms (minus the recoil and muzzle blast). AR-15 upper receivers and 1911 slide assemblies are available for this round. 22LR with the use of special barrels and mechanism assemblies. 223 Remington (5.56 mm) can be converted to fire. Additionally, some firearms chambered for common calibers such as 9 mm Parabellum. Because errors in technique are not covered up by the increased recoil of a 'defense-caliber' handgun, they can be more easily identified and corrected before moving to more powerful handgun cartridges like 9 mm. 22 LR cartridge in pistols make it suitable for introductory firearms courses. They are also the ammunition used by Boy Scouts for the rifle shooting merit badge.

22 LR is commonly used by hunters for off-season target practice. 30-06 Springfield can approach and exceed US$1 per cartridge. For rifle shooting, the price difference is even more dramatic as powerful rifle cartridges like. It is common to shoot well over a hundred rounds on a single shooting range visit. For comparison, a box of 9x19 mm Parabellum, another popular and relatively inexpensive round for semi-automatic handguns, costs closer to US$8-35 per box of 50. As of March 2009, a standard box of 50 rounds goes for US$1-3. 'Promotional' loads for plinking can be found for under US$ 20.00 per brick ($0.04 per cartridge), while precision target rounds can cost US$80.00 to upwards of US$250.00 per brick. Bullet weights range from 20 to 60 grains (1.9 to 3.9 g), velocities from 575-1,750 feet per second (110-530 meters per second ). 22 LR ammunition is available in a very wide variety, and a very wide price range. Alternatively, some boxes contain 100 rounds. 22 LR is often sold by the brick, a carton containing either 10 boxes or loose cartridges totaling 500 rounds, or the case containing 10 bricks for 5,000 rounds. The round is popular among novice shooters and experts alike. 22 LR an ideal cartridge for recreational shooting, initial firearms training, and pest control, and it is often purchased in bulk. The low cost, minimal recoil, and low noise make the. 22 Extra Long ) use a heeled bullet, which means that the bullet is the same diameter as the case, and has a narrower 'heel' portion that fits in the case. Virtually every manufacturer of cartridge firearms makes at least one model chambering it, and this has been true for more than a century. It is one of the few cartridges that are accepted by a large variety of rifles, as well as pistols. For many decades, it has been a very popular cartridge around the world. Stevens Arms & Tool Company in 1887 by combining the casing of the. 22 Smith & Wesson cartridge of 1857, and was developed by the J.

The cartridge originated from the Flobert BB Cap of 1845 through the. It is occasionally referred to by its metric designation of 5.6x15mmR. 22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have been manufactured in this caliber. The cartridge is often referred to simply as. 22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. Standard Velocity (center), Hyper-Velocity 'Stinger' Hollow point (right). 22 Long Rifle - Sub Sonic Hollow point (left).

Muzzle velocity of a 22 long rifle