.22 Long

.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. It has the same case length as the .22 Long Rifle, but differs in that the Long Rifle has a longer overall length (due to the length including the bullet), a significantly heavier bullet, and a generally higher muzzle velocity. The .22 Long is essentially obsolete; no new firearms are designed specifically to use it, and the largest 3 producers of .22 Long ammunition ceased production (although it continues to be made by CCI, Aguila, and others). Many .22 Long Rifle guns will chamber and fire the shorter round, though the .22 Long generally does not generate sufficient energy to operate semiautomatic guns. The one prominent survivor of the .22 Long is the .22 CB Long, a Long cased version of the .22 CB.

The biggest popular misconception about the .22 Long, as well as the probable reason the round held on for so long, is that because the .22 long is produced from a .22 Long Rifle case and a .22 Short bullet, the round has a higher muzzle velocity than the .22 Long Rifle. This is not true, as the .22 Long has a 15 feet per second lower muzzle velocity: the .22 Long uses less of a powder charge than a .22 Long Rifle.

Specifications

• Length:
  • Case: .595 in
  • Overall: .880 in
• Bullet weight: 29 gr

See also

• List of rifle cartridges
• .22 BB
• .22 CB
• .22 Short
• .22 Long Rifle