22 lr with bp

[nekshot]

I needed a sub sonic 22 load so after the local shops said no way can they get shorts I decided to try something. I drilled a hole in a piece of metal that the 22 bullet fit in snug and gently bent the case and turned until it seperated from the bullet. I dumped out the powder and filled the case almost to top with 3f and pushed the bullet back into case. The bullet would not seat into case all the way but was in enough to let me insert the cartridge into chamber and then force everything home with some thumb grunting. At 80 yards they dropped 3 inches over 22lr. Was kinda strange seeing a spurt of orange then a puff of white smoke and rather loud. Still wasn't what I wanted so went out and bought a economy air rifle. If not for the flame and smoke you would not know it was differant than a 22lr, very quick ignition.

[tja6435]

You could watch Gandermountain.com for Remington Subsonic .22lr. I managed to score a few boxes of 100rd a couple weeks ago, can have it shipped to the store for free if you have one local to you. I also was able to get a couple bricks of CCI Queit (710fps) off Midway a few weeks ago, but the ground shipping sure adds to the cost, so pick up if nearby would be ideal also.

[Tackleberry41]

I was just at the LGS near me, shelves full of a selection of 22lr, I buy the standard velocity CCI stuff, but anything match is generally subsonic.

[kokomokid]

Remington subsonic 22 long rifle shoots dirty in my 45-70 x crossno insert. CCI standard velocity at 1070fps are very accurate while 22 shorts in the match chamber are a waste of time.

[bedbugbilly]

Well, the 22 originally started out as a BP cartridge so it sounds like it has gone "full circle" at your house!

As a side note - on evil bay the other day, I ran across a 22 rimfire "reloading kit" - came with a mold and all tools needed to reload 22s - evidently recycling spent casings. It was pretty pricey - around $150 or a little less if I remember correctly. I really wasn't interested so just sort of skimmed over it - don't know what they were doing for priming compound, etc. All I could think of was #1, I'm not that desperate to shoot 22s (especially since the shortage and gouging) and #2, I can't imagine how much "fumbling" I would be doing with my old hands in handling the components! LOL

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I haven't seen that on eBay, but I would be very wary of improvised priming compounds, especially if matchheads come into it. There is no telling what they put in those things, but quite possibly ground glass comes into it.

Not only was the .22LR originally loaded with black powder when introduced by Stevens, but the bullet wasn't crimped in place. It seemed to work in single shot rifles, and you don't need the bullet pull to produce correct combustion characteristics with black powder. A lot of .22s nowadays aren't designed for being flushed out with water either. There is nothing like eBay for tapping the getting your head examined end of the market.

[bedbugbilly]

Ballistics - I agree with you 100%. While I liked shooting 22s 50+ years ago as a kid and started in shooting them again a few years back until the "shortage" happened . . . I personally would have NO interest in trying or fooling with reloading a rimfire cartridge . . . especially 22s! :-) I have shot BP for 50+ years and have no problem with BP, flint locks and percussion . . . I draw the line at "do it yourself" priming/primers/caps. I don't like the price increases in either primers or percussion caps but like everything else, the price goes up and it's still cheaper than buying ammo to reload - at least for me. Plus, at my age, I don't think I could handle the frustration of fumbling around with the size of 22 components. :-)

Shortages cause "ingenuity" and I suppose it's like the old phrase . . "build it and they will come". I don't know anything about the 22 reloading kits I saw other than they were "pricey" - but maybe a huge portion of that is the maker's liability insurance coverage . . . if they have any . . . .
and once in the hands of the end user, I can see a potential for some very big problems in "re-priming" a 22 casing . . . . yea, I know . . there are those out there who I'm sure are very capable of performing those chores . . . but there are also a lot who should never be around such things due to a lack of good old "common sense". LOL