The Gun Digest Book of .22 Rimfire. James E. House

most shooters would rather load several rounds at one time and then fire them without any further handling of ammunition, the “repeating rifle” was designed. In rimfire calibers, there are two common ways in which the cartridges are held. The first type of reservoir, located in front of the trigger, is a box in which the rounds are stacked vertically. When the bolt is drawn back, a cartridge moves upward so that when the bolt is pushed forward it takes the top round out of the magazine and moves it into the chamber. A variation of this type of magazine is one in which the cartridges are held in a box that allows them to stack around a spindle. The rotary magazines employed by many of the popular Ruger rimfire rifles are of this type. The second type of reservoir for cartridges is a long tube that is located under the barrel or less commonly inside the stock. Inside the tube is a spring-loaded follower that pushes the cartridges to the rear so that as the bolt is opened, a cartridge is moved into a position that allows the bolt carry it into the chamber as it is closed. Both of these types of magazines have been popular for many years.

      Rather closely related to the bolt-action with a tubular magazine is the slide or pump-action. In this type of action, moving a handle located below and in front of the action backward causes the action to open and the empty case to be ejected then moving the handle forward pushes cartridge into the chamber. Because the magazine tube lies below the barrel, the cartridge must be moved upward by a carrier as the pump handle nears its rearmost position. Pump-action rifles having both external and internal hammers have been produced for many years.

      Not too far removed from the pump-action is the lever-action in which the cartridges are also usually held in a tubular magazine. In this case, the cartridges are moved from the magazine to the chamber by operating a lever located behind the trigger. Pulling the lever down opens and cocks the action as the empty case is ejected. Pulling the lever back up pushes a cartridge into the chamber as the action is closed. The vast majority of lever-action rifles have external hammers.

      In terms of the number of units sold, the most popular type of action for rimfire rifles is that known as the semiautomatic, self-loading, or auto-loading type. The bolt is held in the forward position by a strong spring known as the recoil spring. When the rifle is fired, the impulse transferred from the cartridge head to the bolt forces the bolt to the rear, which cocks the action. As the bolt is pushed forward by the recoil spring, it takes with it a cartridge from the magazine, which can be of either the vertical box, rotary, or tubular type. A rifle that operates this way is often called an “automatic”, but this term strictly applies to a rifle type that fires the next shot simply by holding the trigger back. With the self-loading or semiautomatic rifle, loading is automatically accomplished after each shot, but the trigger must be released and pulled for each shot.

      Each type of action has some advantages and disadvantages. The bolt-action is the slowest to operate because the shooter’s hand must be removed from the grip, the handle grasped, the bolt turned and pulled back, then pushed forward and closed. With the pump and lever-actions, only a back and forth motion is required. With the autoloader, the trigger must be released and then pulled for the next shot. However, bolt-action rifles are generally more accurate, and as a result most accurate sporting and target rifles have that type action. Some target rifles are extremely accurate autoloaders. Today, the boltaction and semiautomatic rifles are by far the most popular rimfires and there is an extensive selection of rifles of each type. Before making a selection, handle rifles having different types of actions and evaluate them in terms of your anticipated use. You may be surprised to find how far down the list of criteria that rate of fire ranks in terms of importance. If you want a rifle that is a real tack driver, you will probably select a bolt-action or one of the target autoloaders that are becoming more popular.

      Except for length, the dimensions of the 22 WRF and the 22 WMR are almost identical.

Calibers

      Although there were once rimfire rifles available in several calibers, they are currently all either 17s or 22s. The 17 HMR, the 17 Mach 2, 17 Aguila and as this is written, perhaps even other 17 rimfires are becoming popular. However, the 22 Long Rifle (LR) is by far the most popular rimfire caliber. Both 22 LR firearms and ammunition are less expensive than those in any other caliber. Of course, the choice of caliber should be made based on the use to which the firearm is to be put.

      Chapter 9 deals with using rimfire firearms for hunting and pest shooting. In that chapter, several factors regarding the suitability of the various rimfire calibers for specific purposes are briefly discussed. If you plan to do a lot of shooting or want to enjoy shooting for the lowest possible cost, there is no doubt that the 22 LR is the caliber of choice because of the lower cost involved. Also, the 22 LR generally gives better accuracy than the 22 Short except when the latter is fired in special target arms chambered specifically for that round. At one time, rifles chambered for the 22 Short were popular, but the choice of arms chambered specifically for the 22 Short is very limited now. Moreover, the cost of 22 Short ammunition now exceeds that of most 22 LR loads because of the difference in sales volume, and the 22 Short is not available in every corner store that sells only a few of the most popular types.

      For many years, the 22 LR has been the choice of squirrel hunters when they are hunting in a location that allows a rifle to be used safely. Most rimfire rifles are capable of fine accuracy when the appropriate ammunition is used. It may take some testing with several types of ammunition to determine which types perform best in your rifle, but it pays dividends when you take a shot at a very small target that you wish to harvest cleanly. In my experience, shots at small game are usually no longer than 50 yards, and the 22 LR has plenty of power to harvest squirrels at that range. Generally, head shots are made in order to minimize meat damage so the target area is not much larger than an inch in diameter. Accuracy of the rifle/ammunition combination and shooting skill are the most important factors.

      Rimfire rifles are currently available in several calibers. Shown here (left to right) are the 17 Aguila, 17 Mach 2, 17 Hornady Rimfire Magnum, 22 Long Rifle, and the 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire.

      Anschutz sporting rifles have long been known for their accuracy. This model fitted with a Cabela’s 6-20X scope is a real tack driver.

      The Remington 504 is a highly regarded entry in the field of rimfire sporters.

      Frequently, someone writing either in an advertisement or an article mentions using the 22 WMR or 17 HMR for hunting small game. Either will certainly dispatch small game species, but head shots better be made if you want much left to eat. These high velocity rounds are explosive to small targets, especially at the ranges at which squirrels and rabbits are normally taken. The primary use of these magnum calibers is in taking larger species or taking small species at long range where their higher power and flatter trajectory are advantageous. Rabbits, squirrels, and treed raccoons do not require the use of a magnum rimfire. There is one advantage of the 22 WMR over the 17 HMR for small game hunting. Although the overall case length is shorter, the old cartridge known as the 22 Winchester Rim Fire (WRF) has almost identical head size and body taper as does the 22 WMR. Therefore, it is perfectly safe to fire 22 WRF ammunition in a rifle chambered for the 22 WMR. Because it is a specialty item having low sales volume, the cost of 22 WRF ammunition is about the same as it is for some of the lower cost (not premium) 22 WMR ammunition. The advantage of using the 22 WRF cartridges is that they feature a 45-grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of around 1,300 ft/sec so they are similar in power to a 22 LR high velocity round. This can be important when using a rifle chambered for the 22 WMR on edible game. The only factor to consider is whether the slightly shorter 22 WRF round is sufficiently accurate in your 22 WMR to justify its use. In my bolt-action Ruger 77/22M, the CCI 22 WRF gives outstanding accuracy. Five-shot groups average just over 0.6 inches at 50 yards so this gives me the flexibility to use ammunition of lower