.22 Long Rifle Center Fire

[northmn]

Like others I have stock piled a few 22LR's after the shortage. I survived the shortage using my 32-20 and 357 rifles. Wish I had a hornet as that would be the best alternative. About the only thing the "shortage" did was make it tougher to go out and shoot up a brick of ammo in an afternoon. As far as handloading a 22LR for accuracy, match ammunition is very accurate. Can you really beat it hand loading?

As mentioned before, the cost of getting into reloadable 22LR is such that it is cheaper to just buy a lot of ammunition. No one mentions the time spent in front of the reloading press, but for me that is an issue. I'd rather go fishing.

DEP

DEP

[Chev. William]

"Unto Each, their Own" to paraphrase an old saying.
In my case I do not Fish any Longer due to the recurring Costs here, but I do still "Putter" with hand reloading .25ACP and similar cartridges for my Occasional forays to my Local Commercial Outdoor Shooting range.
In this a Pound of Propellant and A Pound of Lead both go a Long way.

.22LR CF might just be another such cartridge.

As to reloading for Accuracy, I believe the Many Competition Shooters have already Proven that is Very Possible and Practical.

Just my Opinions,
Chev. William

[elysianfield]

but with a dozen or so in hand it would allow one to keep enough stuff available to keep a 22 lr chambered gun active in the event that factory 22 lr should not be available for what ever reason.

Don,
By my count, 22lr ammunition is STILL cheaper than buying a primer...which one may reasonably believe might become harder to obtain than the ammo.

Great hobby project, but not practical otherwise.

[uscra112]

^^^^^What he said^^^^^

[rbuck351]

My 22lr guns won't shoot CF ammo without modifying the bolt/firing pin. If you have any guns in CF 22cal you can cast and load to 22lr velocities and probably more accurate than most 22lr guns. The CF 22lr is a fine project for those that just want to shoot a CF 22lr and can do the work themselves including making the loading dies, modifying the gun, buying a special boolit mold. If you can do all that you might as well make the brass your self otherwise is going to get more expensive than just buying a hornet and downloading. I'm not against this as I have done a lot of projects that are very time consuming just to see if I could. I have spent a lot of time making 5.7x28 cases into 22mag CF. It can be done but it's not easy or fast. It would probably be smart to just buy some even at $4 each than make them but what fun would that be. I took an old 22mag barrel and turned it to fit in a 44mag Contender barrel as a slip in liner and then made some CF cases to fit it so I didn't have to cut up a gun to have something to shoot them. Certainly not very practical as I already have a Hornet liner for the Contender but it was kind of fun.

[Don McDowell]

It's all to simple, not interested in the 22cf,, then don't bother with it.. Not a hard thing to figure out.

[GhostHawk]

In my experience .223rem and a few grains of Red Dot under a 55 gr cast boolit also do a pretty good job of replacing the .22lr at need. And both rifles, and brass are readily available.

What it won't do is cycle an AR action at with that powder.
Depends on what you are looking for.

[gnoahhh]

Dies aren't needed with the heeled bullet of this project, just a means to de-re cap and measure the powder. Hundreds of cases aren't necessary- to do so is to cling to the mind set of "more is better". Ten or twelve cases is plenty for a day at the range or plinking in the backyard. Heck, one or two works. The "blaze away a brick at a time" crowd won't like this concept, but those who take a slower measured approach to their shooting may find it to their liking.

I'm in the process of converting a spare bolt for my M2 Springfield to centerfire. Why not play with something different? The added flexibility is nothing to scoff at either.

[rbuck351]

It actually is pretty simple. None of my 22lr guns,and I have a bunch, will fire 22lr CF and I'm not planning on cutting them up so they will. I also don't have any spare bolts laying around to convert.
So buying a few of these cases so you can continue to shoot your 22lr in the likely case of them becoming very hard to get again isn't possible because they won't shoot in a normal 22lr gun. The TC being an exception. It does make a nice project to play with but I have already done so with the 22mag. The only thing I don't like about this is the idea that some seem to think that these are a reloadable round that you can interchange with rimfire 22lr. They are NOT.

[northmn]

At one time I remember we had a primer shortage. After they were able to get the prices up a bit, I have not seen another shortage. Same kind of happened with the 22's. Where once they were 1.50 a box now the cheap ones are about 3.00 a box. We may or may not have another "shortage" in the near future. Sometime just for kicks look on Midway USA at all the 22 offerings. They have gotten pretty ingenious in their marketing and now offer a very wide variety of specialty LR loads. Many at a high price but still not worth reloading for me.

DEP

[roadie]

The only thing I don't like about this is the idea that some seem to think that these are a reloadable round that you can interchange with rimfire 22lr. They are NOT.

Anyone who thinks most rimfire guns can handle center fire ammo without changes, well, they probably shouldn't be playin with guns in the first place.

I have no idea why members just have to jump all over this thread, practically condemning the very idea of a .22 CF, I just don't get it. Us "outa the box" fellas don't badmouth all them clubby milsurps that others like, we don't pooh pooh anyone havin them there evil black guns......we just do our thing and have fun along the way with out of the ordinary stuff.

I'm gonna get some of these cases, convert a bolt to center fire and get or build another bolt for rimfire.......and I'm gonna be happy as a lil piggy in you know what.

I hope that's okay with everyone.

p.s. no offence intended to those who like them clubby milsurps and evil black guns.

[oldred]

I'm gonna get some of these cases, convert a bolt to center fire and get or build another bolt for rimfire.......and I'm gonna be happy as a lil piggy in you know what.

Me too, I like the idea and I would sure like to see the same thing in 22 mag! A year or two ago I started an ill-fated venture into making 22 mag CF, spent a bunch of time and more than just a small amount of cash attempting to do this but wound up with just a few so-so cases that cost waaaay too much in both time and money. These look like just the ticket for tinkering around with the 22 LR but what would REALLY make me happy as that little piggy would be the 22 mag CF cases!


Why would one NEED to "tinker around" with the 22 LR when so much variety and accuracy is already there in the vast range of factory ammo avaliable? Well that's the part some don't understand but the answer might be that, like lots of other things we do, "need" has nothing to do with it.

[Earlwb]

Why would one NEED to "tinker around" with the 22 LR when so much variety and accuracy is already there in the vast range of factory ammo avaliable? Well that's the part some don't understand but the answer might be that, like lots of other things we do, "need" has nothing to do with it.

Becuase we can tinker around with it all. Look at all the infinite variety of wildcat and proprietary cartridges that have been created over the years.
Besides it is a hobby too.

I just remembered, didn't someone used to make a convertible 22 and 410 single shot gun? Maybe that is the way to go for a quick gun to convert to 22 LR center fire.

[oldred]

I just remembered, didn't someone used to make a convertible 22 and 410 single shot gun? Maybe that is the way to go for a quick gun to convert to 22 LR center fire.

I have a scaled down mini-highwall rifle that I built in 22 WMR and during the RF ammo scarcity I came up with the notion of the 22 mag centerfire and set about trying to make the cases (guess it's been a bit longer than the year or two I mentioned earlier). I made a second interchangeable breech block with a centerfire firing pin and since the blocks are so simple to change I could have easily used either case, CF or RF, but the centerfire cases just became too much of a hassle. I did manage to make a few cases which did work out fairly well and I still have them stored away until they might be needed but unless I can find some ready made cases I suppose these will be all I ever have, that's why I would be so happy to find an outfit like the one making those 22 LR cases that also offered 22 mag in centerfire.

[Chev. William]

I have a scaled down mini-highwall rifle that I built in 22 WMR and during the RF ammo scarcity I came up with the notion of the 22 mag centerfire and set about trying to make the cases (guess it's been a bit longer than the year or two I mentioned earlier). I made a second interchangeable breech block with a centerfire firing pin and since the blocks are so simple to change I could have easily used either case, CF or RF, but the centerfire cases just became too much of a hassle. I did manage to make a few cases which did work out fairly well and I still have them stored away until they might be needed but unless I can find some ready made cases I suppose these will be all I ever have, that's why I would be so happy to find an outfit like the one making those 22 LR cases that also offered 22 mag in centerfire.

Have you looked at the .22CCM cases now available again?

Chev. William

[17nut]

A perfect solution for an problem that never was?

[shutinlead]

I like the idea of centerfire 22 LR! I barely have enough discretionary time for my regular reloading and gun building and sight building and shooting and... but if something catches my interest, toss all these other things aside and focus on the task at hand... like shooting store bought 60 grain rf ammo in a 1:9 twist barrel to distances that will change the opinions of non-believers.
Another one of my peers is retired and has a little more time for meddling in ideas such as this and he's added another step, breech seating the bullets - for those that miss what this is, google it. I recently picked up a Stevens 44 and Stevens 44-1/2 along with centerfire and rimfire breech blocks for each, takes less than 3 minutes to change the blocks and the barrels if one chooses to. In my operations I have a couple of CNC's to choose from so next free moment I have, I'll write a program and start making some brass to try. Made an adjustable mold for casting 22's the other evening. It'll be a new twist to shooting this little fella to unspeakable distances...
So you folks that bash these ideas, tell us what you do with your spare time? Sit in front of the tube, dent your favorite chair with your sorry behind and suck down a few suds then tell us we are pissing up a rope? Sorry for the rant, but I hear from a few in my circle about how I "waste" my time doing this and then they ask if I caught the latest reality show or what's going on in some sitcom??? really??? to each their own way of "wasting" time...
Greg

[oldred]

but I hear from a few in my circle about how I "waste" my time doing this and then they ask if I caught the latest reality show or what's going on in some sitcom??? really??? to each their own way of "wasting" time...Greg

You NAILED it!!! LOL, that very thing happened to me recently when an acquaintance asked me if I had seen something on one of those (absurd to me !) reality shows and I had never even heard of the show, he was astounded that I didn't even know what he was talking about! This was from someone who a few days before had pointed out that I could have probably bought a new truck with what I had spent on guns and ammo just the last few years, he's probably right but so what????? Nothing is a bigger waste than the time spent sitting in front of a tv watching almost anything but especially those ridiculously stupid "reality" shows or moronic "comedy" nonsense that is supposed to be funny! To each his own but I spend my free time tinkering in the shop with my hobbies of which guns and ammo for them is top of the list.

I spend my evenings making/building things instead of watching tv like the guy who couldn't believe I had never even heard of that dumb show, he needs to take a look at the guns, a homebuilt tractor and a bunch of other shooting and farm related items I built while he was watching tv and then tell me who has the most to show for that time!

[oldred]

A perfect solution for an problem that never was?

And yet another one who misses the point, no one is suggesting it is a "solution" to anything and certainly not a solution or replacement for a 22 RF during a shortage, it isn't even a RF cartridge! The idea here is no different than hundreds of other one-off or wildcat cartridges, it is not meant to solve a problem but rather to just offer another alternative to what is already out there. Do we NEED another alternative? Obviously no we do not but then we don't NEED half of the other cartridges out there either, it has nothing to do with "need" or being a solution to a problem. It is just something else to tinker with for those of us that enjoy doing such things, if all we had was what we "needed" or just something that solves a problem it would be a dull life! Don summed it up perfectly as he pointed out in his reply,

"It's all to simple, not interested in the 22cf,, then don't bother with it.. Not a hard thing to figure out. "

I Don't know how to explain it any better than that.

[BigEyeBob]

I have a rifle thats a 22 center fire ,Its chambered in 297/230 Morris long .
224" x 40grn projectile ,similar to 22lr ballistics .My rifle is a Francotte Martini single shot cadet rifle , I make the casings from 22 hornet brass .Rifle was made circa 1890. Holland and Holland made commercial rook rifles chambered in 230-250 which is a lengthened version of the Morris .