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.22 ammo question

jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
edited October 2007 in Ask the Experts
Dunno if this has an answer or not.

Why are all .22 long rifle bullets round nosed lead affairs? I've seen different weights, hollow points, etc., but all are basically round nosed lead. Is there some inherent ballistic reason I'm missing here? Why do .22 mags have FMJ bullets but not LR? Why no spitzers?

I think a mini wadcutter would be a real hoot in .22 revolvers.

Comments

  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Hello Forum,
    I've been given a few .22 rounds that are very quiet. They appear to be a short-brass set up, but are no louder than a pellet gun. You can actaully see the round going down range. There is an imprint of a humming bird on the aft end of the brass. There was no box or name with these; the guy who gave them to me has not been around the range since.
    Do any of you know the name of this super quiet .22 round? I gotta have more!
    Thanks.
    John[8D]
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Closest your going to get off the shelf to a wadcutter is the Remington Yellow Jacket. It's a blunt nosed h-p with a .115 flat on the end.

    As far as true .22 wadcutters for shooting in a revolver are concerned, you can either make your own by cutting off the nose of the 60 grain Mexican Aguila with a very sharp pruning shear, or buy the Haned tool.
  • JohnStimsonJohnStimson Member Posts: 448
    edited November -1
    Hello Jonk,

    There were jacketed .22 LR rounds developed during WWII because lead bullets were prohibited in war and the .22 LR silenced High Standard were being used in the war.

    There was a semi-wadcutter .22 LR target round in the 1920's or 1930's. I don't recall just when they were offered.

    There may well be other variations in the past that I am not aware of. There have been some variation is teh past 30 years as well - one of the hyper velocity rounds as I recall
  • FatstratFatstrat Member Posts: 9,147
    edited November -1
    Check out the Hyper Velocity bullets. (CCI Stingers etc.)
    They are cone shaped.
    And I think most modern .22 bullets are jacketed now days. Even the Federal Bulk.
  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Well I have seen copper coated .22s but never a jacketed one. At least not of mass modern production.
  • MG1890MG1890 Member Posts: 4,460 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jonk -
    I think that the answer to the question is that a round nose profile is the only shape that you can cram 40 grains of lead into without adversely affecting the overall length of the cartridge. Those truncated shapes are actually lighter than 40. A spitzer of 40 grains would be way too long to function in most repeating firearms. Also, I do not believe a wadcutter shape would function in most repeaters. The low sales volume of a wadcutter would necessitate correspondingly large prices. The lack of a true copper jacket (as compared to the commonly seen copper plating) is due to low velocity of 22LR versus 22WMR. No concern about controlling expansion.
    Hope I helped,
    Respectfully, Greg
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    the 22 LONG rifle is a HEELED BULLET design this does not lend it'self to a jacketed bullet also at the velocity of a 22 long rifle ballistic coefficient is not that much of a factor.
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My guess would be that the round nose design is the most reliable for feeding in semi-auto's.

    The makers want their ammo to function reliably in the customers guns, or we wont buy their ammo.
  • iwannausernameiwannausername Member Posts: 7,131
    edited November -1
    A few of the hypervelocity rounds have/had truncated cone hps, google turned up a tc solid, which sorta looks like a swc.

    70369066.jpg
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,584 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    As Perry said- the HEEL seated bullet places some limits on design. There ARE wadcutter 22 LRs- made for single shot target work- and there ARE Spitzers- have a 12 pack of them- accuracy not impressive. Have some 20 gr Aguila that have very short pointy bullets (almost a truncated cone) and some 60 gr round nosed. The 22 Magnum is a jacketed bullet. There have even been plastic 22 (non lead) bullets. And there have been IRON 22 bullets- made of sintered iron (iron powder pressed together) non-spattering shooting gallery loads. And I do have a box of German 22 BB caps that shoot a round ball- not well, but very quiet.
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