.22 Rimfire: Matching Loads To Game

To understand how to match .22 rimfire ammo to game, one must first know something about the characteristics of .22 rimfire ammunition.

There are four different cartridges in the .22 rimfire group: .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle and .22 WMR. These four basic cartridges may be broken down into velocity categories such as CB, subsonic, standard velocity, high velocity and hyper velocity. The bullets can be round nose lead, hollow point lead, segmented lead, polymer coated lead, shot, copper or, in the case of the .22 Magnum, full metal jacket, hollow point, round nose, GamePoint or V-Max, to name a few.

The .22 Short may be loaded with a 27-grain bullet in the CB, 29-grain bullet in standard and high velocity ammo and a 27-grain bullet in the high velocity hollow point ammo. The .22 Short has a muzzle velocity ranging from about 710 feet per second to 1,120 fps. Most hunters agree that even under the best of conditions, the .22 Short is only a 25-yard cartridge due to low velocity.

The .22 Short is adequate for small game such as squirrels, rabbits, crows and small farm pests as long as the range is not stretched beyond the accuracy capability of the rifle or handgun being used. Some trappers also use .22 Shorts in their handguns for harvesting trapped furbearers. It has become a favorite with those who have armadillo problems in their lawn, as the report from the Short is not loud.

The .22 Long, difficult to find, is an improvement over the Short but still considered by most to be a short-range, 25- to 30-yard cartridge suitable for game no larger than rabbits. Average muzzle velocity is around 965 fps, and energy averages around 100-foot-pounds at the muzzle and 53-foot-pounds at 100 yards. While the Long did bring about some ballistic improvements over the Short, it falls short of the most popular .22 cartridge, the Long Rifle.

The .22 Long Rifle cartridge is by far the most popular of all .22 rimfire cartridges, and with good reason. Its down-range accuracy, relative lower cost, wide selection of loads and versatility have all done much to make this one of the nation’s most-shot cartridges.

Long Rifle ammo comes in a wide variety of loads, including 40-grain standard velocity, 40-grain high velocity, 38-grain high velocity hollow point, 21- to 33-grain hyper velocity, shot cartridge with No. 12 shot, and match loads in a variety of weights, just to name a few. Since solid point ammo expands less than hollow point, it is good for taking furbearers, armadillos, rabbits, prairie dogs, crows and others. The hollow point does an excellent job on squirrels, raccoons, opossums, woodchucks, marmots and other species of larger small game. The segmented load, which breaks into three parts on impact, is used for large pests or small game where head shots are expected.

In deciding between standard-velocity and high-velocity Long Rifle cartridges, hunters usually concentrate on high velocity and reserve the standard velocity for plinking or target shooting. This is not to say there is not a lot of game taken with the standard-velocity rounds, because there are. But when given a choice, the high velocity is best, as it provides more energy to the target. The muzzle energy of the CCI standard velocity Long Rifle is 95-foot-pounds at the muzzle, and 53-foot-pounds at 100 yards. The CCI high-velocity round has muzzle energy of 127-footpounds, and 80-foot-pounds at 100 yards. The difference is significant when you are shooting at woodchucks or tough grey squirrels perched high in the top of a hickory tree.

Hyper-velocity Long Rifle ammo, the newest addition to the .22 rimfire family, was developed for greater energy and flatter trajectory. While some people are pleased with these rounds that have muzzle velocities of well over 1,400 fps, it has been accused of not shooting consistently tight groups. Only range testing with the gun to be used will verify.

The longest-cased .22 rimfire is the .22 WMR, or .22 Magnum, as most call it. This round was developed to extend the effective .22 rimfire range to 100 yards or more, when matched with an accurate rifle.

The Magnum bullets weigh 30 to 40 grains and come in a wide variety of bullet types. This cartridge is most popular for fox, coyote, bobcat and woodchuck.

Selecting a .22 rimfire round for your particular hunting needs is a matter of studying the wide variety of ammo available today. If you don’t plan on taking game any larger or tougher to kill than a rabbit at ranges not to exceed 25 yards, the .22 Short high velocity or .22 Long high velocity may be adequate. If you want an all-around cartridge for most small game hunting, then consider the .22 Long Rifle, firing high velocity ammo. Use solid lead bullets on rabbits, crows, armadillos, opossums, and head shots on grouse or ptarmigan. The solid lead bullet does not do a lot of damage to the meat. For tougher animals such as squirrels, raccoons, woodchucks, marmots or jack rabbits, the hollow point would be the best bullet choice.

For larger varmints such as fox, bobcat or coyote, the .22 Magnum, with bullets such as the Hornady V-Max or the CCI GamePoint, does an excellent job. This is also a good round for woodchuck.

When selecting .22 rimfire ammo for your hunting, you must give a lot of consideration to what your firearm likes to shoot. It is a well-known fact that .22 rimfire guns are very choosy about which brand and bullettype ammo they will digest with consistent accuracy. Also, the velocity can vary from gun to gun, even with identical guns. Be sure to take the time to test a variety of .22 rimfire ammunition brands to see which your gun shoots most accurately at your intended hunting range.