22 L,S or LR?

[Texgun]

In the days of my youth most kids started off with a single shot 22 rifle. Some were marked “short, long or long rifle”. Back then we figured that if the gun was marked as simply “long rifle” then it would handle the two smaller rounds.
I now have a S&W Model 17 revolver that is stamped “22 Long Rifle”. I have asked and received various opinions of whether or not the shorts or subsonic ammo could be used in this hand gun.
Can anyone here clear up this issue?

 

[mtgianni]

You were correct as a youth.

 

[desi2358]

You can shoot shorts, longs or subsonic LR in any firearm chambered for Long Rifle. Accuracy may not be as good (though subsonics sometime are very accurate) as the rifling twist is different in guns chambered for short or long only. It's still usually good enough for casual target shooting or just plinking.
Tube and box fed repeaters may not feed the shorter rounds and semi autos will not cycle but can usually be single fed. Your revolver of course will work just fine. Just remember to give the chambers a good cleaning when done as shorts will build up residue at the case mouth that can interefer with seating LR rounds.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

My experience has been that you almost have to special order longs and shorts are more expensive than long rifle.
I find all the variety I need within the long rifle chambering. Except CB caps. I love CB caps . Shoot them all the time in my 63.
and to those who would chime in.....NO it was not CB caps that I shot the possum with it was reg'lar long rifle

 

[Texgun]

Hey,
Thank y'all a bunch!

 

[tripledipper]

Just picked up a Glenfield Model 25 rifle which worked single shot with Aguila primer-only and CCI 22long subsonic. Regularly use the Aguila in my .22lr revolvers.

 

[feralmerril]

My dad bought this wincester model 61 in the late 1930s. It has the octogon barrel and is stamped ,22 LR. We shot countless shorts flawlessly in it. Dad once won a turkey shoot with it against guys that used a bolt action with scopes! I have actualy seen dad shoot a flying black bird with it! Dad was a fantastic shot with rifle, shotguns and handguns and worked with me a lot as a boy. Dad was about 6ft 5"s so he put pads or wood blocks on all his long guns.

 

[Iggy]

I can remember buying .22 shorts for $.25 and LR for $.35 Guess which I used.

Then I got into the shootin' jack rabbits for mink food business and had to go to LRs. About the same time the price of LRs went to $.50 a box.

Now I was gittin' $.50 a rabbit and that cut into my profits considerable.

 

[Texgun]

Remember walking into the neighborhood store and buying ammo. You still can in rual areas.
I shot some cb caps in a rifle once and got a bullet stuck in the barrel. That's why I was thinking about using the rest of them in a real short barrel.

 

[gregintenn]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a box of 22 Longs. Anybody got a picture of some handy?

 

[gregintenn]

100 Rounds of Discount 29gr LRN .22 Long Ammo For Sale by CCI
Found some. Iggy wouldn't want to miss a rabbit with this stuff!

 

[walnutred]

I have actualy seen dad shoot a flying black bird with it! Dad was a fantastic shot with rifle, shotguns and handguns and worked with me a lot as a boy.

My Dad and most of my Uncles were amazing wing shots. They grew up in Arkansas in the 20's and 30's and the story was that my Grandfather would not let them hunt with a shotgun until they had dropped a quail on the wing with the Family 22 caliber Stevens Favorite. Times were tight and my grandfather was not going to waste money on shotgun shells for missed shots.

At first I was skeptical but when they would get together for the annual reunion it was not unusual for them to discuss that special shot which earned them a shotgun. I soon came to accept that they were not pulling a kids leg about wing shooting quail with a Stevens Favorite.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

Hey Merril; Good pic of your dad in front of that '37 Ford. Brought back memories 'cause my dad had one when I was a kid growing up. Mom taught me to drive on her '35 Plymouth coupe. Dad let me drive the Ford to get the paper down to the end of the road [half mile] a few times. I thought the Ford was the greatest thing on 4 wheels. Nice buck also.

 

[feralmerril]

Dad also competed in field trials with his dog "pete" etc. He`s on the far right. He didnt have as many guns as I do, but he had all the basic working guns for everything he wanted to do. Dad had 5 brothers and every one of them were avid hunters and fishermen. Only one uncle is left, he is 92 years old and still fishs a lot.

 

[P&R Fan]

I mistakenly bought a few boxes of .22 Longs at the local Scheels last year. I thought it was kind of cool when I noticed it. I had never seen any before, I'll probably shoot them in my old single-shot bolt action or a K-22. I suspect the store didn't know what they were when they ordered them. A few years ago they had a big bunch of .38 S&W ammo. I think it was marked .38 Spl.

 

[dickttx]

When I got my Stevens single shot .22, there was a swap shop in town that would let you buy single bullets for $.02 each, which was about twice the cost for a box. But, that was the only way I could buy ammo (5 for a dime) and go to the show too.
I have a Henry lever action that I use CB's in to shoot turtles on my ponds. No problem with them feeding. They are slow enough that they will go into the water, rather than glance off and go zooming thru my metal barn. Haven't bought any in about 3 years, but they were $5.50 per hundred. You could by the 500 round bulk LR for less than $8.00 then.

 

[Iggy]

I bought a .22 Outdoorsman this spring and shot up a box of LR HP's that had a price tag of $.79 testing the gun out.

 

[2152hq]

I was given a quantity of 22 action proving rounds (dummy rounds) a year ago or so. Came from a gunsmith's estate.
They are all 22 Long .

Back when people actually bought 22Longs, they were usefull for checking function in that length.

Haven't had a person around in a while complaining that their rifle won't feed Longs correctly. Though I am surprised more people don't use the CB Longs in some repeaters chambered for S/L/LR.
Reports of the bullet sticking in the bore of a rifle with some of the CB loads probably as something to do with it..

 

[skeezix]

.22 short

I still have a full box of Nimrod .22 Short ammo from the late '50s.



'Nimrod' was the store brand for Whites Auto back then. As I recall, the price was 49 cents.