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Rimfire Ammo

.22 LR Ammo

In stock from $0.071 / round · 23 of 46 products available now

The cheapest way there is to shoot, and the fussiest to buy well: rifles have strong preferences between brands, and bulk packs will not always cycle a semi-auto.

In stock today

Cost per round
$0.071 to $0.54
5 Brands
CCI, Eley, Federal, Piney Mountain, SuperNova
Bullet weights
31, 32, 38, 40, 42 grain
Pack sizes
20, 50, 100, 200, 300, 325, 500, 3,000, 3,250, 5,000 rounds
Learn more about .22 LR

At a glance

Also known as
.22 Long Rifle, 5.6x15mmR
Common bullet weights
30, 36 and 40 grain
Typical use
Learning, plinking, small game, rimfire competition
Before you buy
Bulk high-velocity packs do not always cycle a semi-automatic. Buy one box before you buy a brick
Age to purchase
21+ (the federal licensed-dealer minimum for ammunition suitable for a handgun, applied as TAS policy)

.22 Long Rifle is the round almost everyone learns on, and it stays useful long after that: it costs a fraction of anything centerfire, it recoils barely at all, and a good .22 rifle is genuinely accurate. It is also the fussiest common cartridge to buy well. Rimfire ammunition is manufactured to much looser tolerances than centerfire, individual rifles have strong and unpredictable preferences between brands, and the cheapest bulk packs will not always run a semi-automatic. Understanding why is the difference between a frustrating afternoon and a cheap, excellent one.

What to know before buyingCommon questions

Before you buy

What to know about .22 LR

What people buy it for

  • Teaching new shooters, at almost no cost per shot
  • High-volume plinking and steel practice
  • Small game and pest control
  • Rimfire benchrest and precision rimfire series
  • Suppressed shooting with subsonic ammunition
  • Cheap trigger time on .22 conversion kits and trainers

Why bulk .22 sometimes will not cycle a semi-auto

Most .22 semi-automatics (rifles and pistols alike) are simple blowback designs whose springs were tuned around high-velocity ammunition. Standard-velocity and subsonic loads, and some inconsistent bulk packs, do not generate enough energy to work the action fully, so you get failures to eject and failures to feed. It is not a broken gun. If a semi-automatic is your platform, buy 36 to 40 grain high-velocity ammunition; save standard-velocity and subsonic for bolt actions, single shots and suppressed use.

Rimfire rifles are individuals

Two rifles off the same production line can prefer different brands, and the same rifle can shoot one lot of a brand noticeably better than the next. This is normal for rimfire and it is why serious .22 shooters buy a few boxes, test them, and then buy a case of whatever won. It is also why a friend's recommendation is a starting point rather than an answer.

High velocity, standard velocity, subsonic and match

High velocity is the bulk-pack default and is supersonic, so it cracks downrange and cannot be quietened by a suppressor alone. Standard velocity sits just under the sound barrier and is what most accuracy ammunition uses. Purpose-made subsonic loads are heavier and slower still: the choice for suppressed shooting. Match ammunition is standard velocity manufactured and lot-tested to a completely different standard, and it costs many times more per round for a reason.

It is dirty, and that is by design

.22 LR bullets are lubricated lead, and the residue builds up faster than centerfire fouling: in the chamber, the action and, in semi-autos, everywhere. Plated and coated bullets help. Expect to clean a high-volume .22 more often than you would a rifle you shoot fifty rounds through, and expect the occasional dud round: rimfire priming is spread by centrifugal force rather than seated as a component, and it is never perfect.

Questions

Common questions

Why won't my 10/22 or .22 pistol cycle bulk ammunition?

Almost always because the load is too mild. Blowback .22 actions rely on the cartridge's energy to cycle, and they are tuned around high-velocity ammunition. Standard-velocity, subsonic and some inconsistent bulk packs simply do not produce enough. Switch to 36 to 40 grain high-velocity ammunition and the problem usually disappears. A dirty chamber and worn magazine lips are the next two things to check.

Is .22 LR subsonic?

It depends entirely on the load. High-velocity bulk ammunition is supersonic and cracks downrange, which no suppressor can fix. Standard-velocity ammunition sits close to the sound barrier and purpose-built subsonic loads stay comfortably below it. For suppressed shooting, buy ammunition explicitly labelled subsonic, and expect that it may not cycle a semi-automatic.

Can I shoot .22 Short or .22 Long in a .22 LR rifle?

Most .22 LR chambers will accept .22 Short and .22 Long, and many bolt actions and revolvers will fire them without complaint. Semi-automatics generally will not cycle them, and firing a lot of short cases in a .22 LR chamber leaves a fouling ring that can make LR cases hard to seat. .22 WMR is a different, larger cartridge and does not belong in a .22 LR chamber under any circumstances.

Why does match .22 cost so much more than bulk?

Because it is a different manufacturing process. Match ammunition is made to far tighter dimensional and weight tolerances, uses consistent lot-controlled components, and is often test-fired for group size before it is sold. For plinking that precision is invisible. For a rimfire benchrest match or a small-game shot at a hundred yards, it is the whole difference.

How much does .22 LR cost per round?

.22 LR runs from $0.071 to $0.54 per round in stock right now. Every price on the page carries its cost per round beside it, so the comparison is one glance rather than arithmetic.

Is it cheaper to buy .22 LR by the case?

Usually, yes. We stock .22 LR from 20 rounds up to 5,000, and the cost per round beside each price is what shows whether a particular case actually beats the box. It is not automatic: a discounted box sometimes wins.

Which brands of .22 LR do you stock?

CCI, Eley, Federal, Piney Mountain and SuperNova are in stock in .22 LR today. Stock changes as the feed runs, so the list on the page is the current one.

What bullet weights does .22 LR come in?

The .22 LR in stock runs 31, 32, 38, 40, 42 grain. Weight changes how the round feels and where it prints more than most shooters expect, so it is worth matching what you already shoot.

Is .22 LR in stock?

23 of the 46 .22 LR products we list are in stock right now. Out of stock items stay on the page rather than disappearing, so a link you saved still works and you can see what normally sits here.

Related calibers

Further reading