Lindcott Armory Rimfire · SAAMI
.22 Short
The first commercially successful metallic cartridge.
- Caliber
- 0.2224″ · 5.65 mm
- Introduced
- 1857
- Case
- Rimfire
- Parent
- .22 BB Cap
- Primary use
- Pest Control, Gallery Shooting, Olympic Pistol
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 1857
- Type
- Rimfire
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Smith & Wesson
- Manufacturer
- Smith & Wesson / Various
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Common
- Case capacity
- 1.3 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:16
- Primer
- Rimfire
- Case type
- Rimfire
- Max pressure
- 21,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 50 yd
- Max range
- 200 yd
- Recoil
- 0.2–0.5 ft·lb
- Subsonic
- Capable
Ballistics
- By real loads
- 500–1,105 fps · 34 loads
- Parent case
- .22 BB Cap
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Performance
Buy links open .22 Short ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
SAAMI · approximate| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.65 | 0.222 | ~ |
| Neck ⌀ | 5.74 | 0.226 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Shoulder angle | n/a | ||
| Base ⌀ | 5.74 | 0.226 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 7.06 | 0.278 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.09 | 0.043 | ✓ |
| Neck length | n/a | ||
| Case length | 10.69 | 0.421 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 17.65 | 0.695 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .22 Short is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 34 active loads across 13 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 45 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCI | Mini-Mag | 27 | HP | 1,105 | 73 | — |
| CCI | Short HP | 27 | CPHP | 1,105 | 73 | — |
| CCI | Standard HP | 27 | HP | 1,105 | 73 | — |
| Winchester | Super-X HP | 27 | HP | 1,105 | 73 | — |
| Aguila | Super Extra HP | 29 | CPHP | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Sellier & Bellot | LRN | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Remington | Thunderbolt | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| GECO | LRN | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Winchester | Super-X HP | 29 | CPHP | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Remington | High Speed HP | 29 | JHP | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Aguila | Super Extra LRN | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Remington | Target LRN | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Fiocchi | LRN | 29 | LRN | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Remington | Golden Bullet | 29 | JHP | 1,095 | 77 | — |
| Lapua | Standard | 29 | LRN | 1,080 | 75 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Firearms chambered in .22 Short
12 models in the database chamber .22 Short. Browse all →
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1857 for the Model 1 revolver — the first commercially successful metallic cartridge revolver. The genesis of the rimfire cartridge concept. Still used in Olympic 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .22 Short use?
- .22 Short typically uses a 1:16 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .22 Short?
- .22 Short uses a 0.2224″ (5.65 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .22 Short still in production?
- .22 Short is active; typical availability is common.
- What is .22 Short used for?
- .22 Short is primarily used for pest control, gallery shooting, olympic pistol.
- What is .22 Short based on?
- .22 Short is derived from the .22 BB Cap case.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — SAAMI cartridge & chamber drawing — .22 Shortarchived
- StandardSAAMI — ANSI/SAAMI Z299 — Cartridge & Chamber Drawingsarchived
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 34 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →