.22 Short Advice Needed

[loeman]

A couple of weeks ago I found some .22 shorts at my local Walmart and that's all the .22s they had. I bought 300 rounds (CCI) because.....well, just because. Now I'm not sure how to best use them. I have all manner of .22 guns from a vintage Mossberg rifle and and several S&W J and K frame 22s as well as some semis that aren't designed for shorts. Can I, should I shoot the shorts in any of these revolvers? Or are there reasons they should be avoided? The only one that is labeled for 22 short is the Mossberg rifle.

I guess my question stems from my avoidance of .38s in my .357s. I prefer to shoot .38 in my .38 guns and .357 in my magnum guns to avoid the ring build up. Thanks for any replies and comments you may have. I appreciate the knowledgeable folks here on the forum for sharing their experience and knowledge.

 

[Comrad]

I say the work in any revolver or single shot rifle. They aren't going to feed in a magazine fed firearm unless it was specifically designed for shorts.

 

[loeman]

Thanks Comrad. Yes I did know that shorts won't work in the semi autos due to mags not designed for them. I should have limited my post to revolvers only. I will edit my op. Thanks again.

 

[DocB]

They will work in any 22. They just won't cycle an auto. You will have to do that by hand. I do it all the time. Make sure to clean out the chamber(s) good since they are shorter and will leave a deposit that will make it hard to chamber a long rifle later. I keep a lot of CCI shorts around. They are a bit hard to find. The little Beretta auto from the 1954 period and up is chambered for shorts only. Also the Smith Number One I have pictured as my avatar only takes shorts.

 

[CScott]

They are good for knocking a squirrel out of the tree when a 22LR would go right through.

 

[kraynky]

I found some of those last week myself and bought a 100, and I'm not sure why either, but they were so, "cute". I don't expect them to have enough energy to fully operate the slide in any of my semi-autos, so I will likely shoot them in my vintage Mossberg or my Single Six. I don't think they will leave any more deposits in my chamber/cylinder than I can easily remove with a brass brush and my regular cleaning methods.

The ones I found were HP's by the way, I don't remember ever seeing them before. I haven't fired any yet, but I expect they will be pretty quiet, probably not much more noise than what my air rifle makes.

 

[hoc9sw]

If a semi-auto is not intended for .22 short or .22 long specifically, they will not fit / feed properly with the .22LR mags.

I've passed on all the shorts lately, as I already have enough junk AE & Federal LR that only work in my revolvers to keep me on the range for days. Gave a bunch of AE away just to get it out of storage.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I like .22 shorts. Use them in my 1885 Winchester Low Wall, Winchester 62A, and .22 revolvers (when I can get them anyway). Perfectly adequate for small game at modest ranges and as accurate as anything I have found.

Chamber ring issues (.22, .38/.357, .44Spl/Mag) are highly overstated in my opinion and experience. A bronze bore brush in good condition and used dry as the first step in cleaning always takes care of everything for me. Bore brushes do not last forever. I buy them by the half-dozen, use one until it starts to show some wear (usually after several dozen cleanings), then replace it. Bronze is much, much softer than any steel alloys used for barrels or cylinders and cannot possibly damage the gun.

 

[gwpercle]

If you are frightened by the " ring build up " story then you should only shoot them in guns chambered for 22 short.
Although the Mossberg is designed to shoot , shorts, longs and long rifles , the chamber is cut for the longer 22 long rifle.
I you choose to not believe this often repeated story about "ring build up", cleaning you gun will take care of any build up. Then feel free to shoot them in all your revolvers and the Mossberg. Semi-auto's usually do not feed and/or eject them, but will fire them if single loaded.
Ive been shooting 38's in 357's and 22 shorts, longs and long rifles in guns for decades...a bore brush removes all.
Gary

 

[ISCS Yoda]

No More Rings!

The last time I worried about ring build up was when I married my third wife. No, when I divorced her!

I'm done with ring build up like that!

I think.

On guns it doesn't even cross my mind. If I get it I can clean it off. No big deal. It's not nearly as costly as the other kind of ring problem.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Do to the short brass case............

they usually are not quit as accurate as the Long or Long Rifle
which have the bullet closer to the rifling..........

but in some pumps and single shot rifles, I received very good accuracy with the regular or CB short ammo.

The light noise is what the little short and CB ammo is all about.
The High Vel. ammo may need ear protection but most short ammo may not need ear plugs if fired in the longer barrels.

Enjoy.

 

[Steve C]

Most of the .22 rifles that are pumps, bolt action or lever action are marked for S, L and LR so the shorts should feed and function fine. They have too low a velocity to operate most semi auto's unless specifically chambered for them but they can be fired from a semi if you manual feed them. They will work fine in revolvers chambered for LR.

The .22 short was used for a long time in semi auto target pistols for international competition until a few years ago when the rules where changed to .22 LR. Because of less recoil they make shooting rapid fire easier.