.22 Shorts

[SSGOldfart]

What's the draw back to using 22 shorts vs 22 long rifle in a Ruger Single-six, my new model is marked 22 caliber and not 22LR. it came with a second cylinder marked 22 mag. but the Ranger officer says it's 22 LR only with the first cylinder I've always thought shorts could be used in a firearm that was marked 22LR,kinda the same ideal as 38's in a 357. Am I wrong/missing something?????:groner:[smilie=f:

[jdfoxinc]

Accuracy may suffer, but it is ok to shoot shorts or longs in the lr cylinder. The older pump and bolt action rifles used to have all 3 lengths engraved on the barrel.

[Barry54]

I’d shoot shorts in it indefinitely. I guess some people are worried about the extra cleaning causing difficulties chambering 22 LR if it isn’t cleaned.

Thanks for the reminder. I’m running low on shorts. Need to be on the lookout.

[challenger_i]

22 Short will not hurt anything, just be certain to keep the chamber clean. I have a couple of old Remingtons that had seen a LOT of shorts run through them... Took a bit to get the chambers cleaned up so as they would accept 22LR. Berriman's carb cleaner is your friend! :) Kind'a like cleaning the lug area on your M-16 after a long day at the Range! :)

[2TM101]

I still have my original .22 semiauto I got in 1977. It used all three, I could even mix them up. I fired a lot of .22 short because at the time it was cheaper. Now its sort of a novelty ammo and costs more than .22lr. The fact it is a heel based bullet probably keeps it from becoming a problem. I fired brick after brick of .22 short with no issues.

[schutzen-jager]

aside from fouling build up in LR chamber, barrels chambered exclusively for shorts have a different twist rate than the LR barrels , accuracy + sight settings will be different - shorts were popular with casual shooters when they sold for less than $.01 per round -now they are only popular for shooters requiring special needs -

[ShooterAZ]

I shoot a lot of 22 Shorts in my Old Model Single Six with zero problems. I have some CCI Target 22 Shorts that are quite accurate in it. It's 29 grains listed at 830 fps, though I doubt if it's going that fast out of a revolver. If I get some crud build up in the cylinder I will use a nylon brush with a little dab of JB Bore. It cleans it right up with very little effort. I like em'!

[FergusonTO35]

My old Single Six was really accurate with shorts. Need to try 'em in my Super Wrangler.

[schutzen-jager]

published industry twist optimal twist rates are
-
.22 short =1 in 24"
.22 long = 1 in 20"
.22 long rifle = 1 in 16"
special rifling for low velocity 60 grain heavy projectiles 1 in 9"

variation in accuracy protentional is less in pistols, but much more in any rifle length barrels - every high end .22 short match pistols are 1 in 24" that i am aware of - Walther, Hammerli, Unique, + etc.

[Texas by God]

.22 Short HP is my favorite Bullfrog and squirrel round in revolvers and bolt action rifles. I brush out the chambers occasionally.


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[brstevns]

Do they still make 22 longs, I use them as a kid for suirrel hunting. They were cheaper then Long Rifle's

[2TM101]

Do they still make 22 longs, I use them as a kid for suirrel hunting. They were cheaper then Long Rifle's

Yes, but they cost more now. Shorts and Longs are "specialty ammo" and cost more than LR as a result.

[Delkal]

Shorts are great in rifles since the longer barrel makes them much quieter than a standard .22 LR. You can even go to CB caps and with a long barrel .22 is extremely quiet and often the whack you hear when you hit the target is louder.

Pistols with shorts (especially revolvers) then not so much.....They are still loud and everyone knows you are shooting. And at 2x the cost I am not sure if it is worth the bother.

[BNE]

I suspect some of the younger crowd have no idea what a “short” is. I’ve had a lot of fun with them in the past. Maybe they are saving money by not engraving that on the cylinder?

[35 Rem]

I bought a Chipmunk single shot rifle for my daughter in about 2006 or 2007. We shot a lot of Shorts in it because of how quiet they were. Even at that time they were costing me $35 a brick compared to Long Rifles selling at well under $20. Sure make it fun to shoot a rimfire though when they sound more like a pellet gun. Especially for a small kid.

[Tripplebeards]

I need to get out and try my new super wrangler when I see this post! Like other posters said eventually you’ll get build up from shooting shorts so you definitely need to clean the chamber after so many rounds. I use the CB shorts for dispatching beaver last year quietly. They worked really good but the accuracy falls off after 25 yards severely. I think they were about an inch and a half in most of my rifles at 25 yards….nothing impressive versus other ammo that’ll shoot all in the same hole at 50 yards.

[SSGOldfart]

Well the shorts shot fine maybe a tad high at 25 or that could have been me with a new to me single-six, I didn't find a need to clean any chamber while shooting. these little CCI shorts are hard to handle in the hand slick little 29grain bullet, my big old hands and big fingers make it hard to find these in the grass,that could use a mowing to start with:( I'm going to keep using these shorts I have a couple more bricks to use up.
thanks for the info

[Jack Russel]

I don't think i've fired any 22 shorts since the 60's.

[NyFirefighter357]

Shorts are great in rifles since the longer barrel makes them much quieter than a standard .22 LR. You can even go to CB caps and with a long barrel .22 is extremely quiet and often the whack you hear when you hit the target is louder.

Pistols with shorts (especially revolvers) then not so much.....They are still loud and everyone knows you are shooting. And at 2x the cost I am not sure if it is worth the bother.

I did the same but now I just buy CCI Quiets 40gr 710FPS...Set your 22 to stealth mode with CCI® Quiet-22™. It is ideal for bolt-action and single-shot 22 LR rifles, and generates 75 percent less perceived noise than standard velocity 22 LR rounds. It is perfect for areas where noise may be a problem and is ideal for introducing youth to the shooting sports.

75 percent reduction in the perceived noise of standard velocity 22 Long Rifle loads
Excellent accuracy
Low velocity

[schutzen-jager]

Shorts are great in rifles since the longer barrel makes them much quieter than a standard .22 LR. You can even go to CB caps and with a long barrel .22 is extremely quiet and often the whack you hear when you hit the target is louder.

Pistols with shorts (especially revolvers) then not so much.....They are still loud and everyone knows you are shooting. And at 2x the cost I am not sure if it is worth the bother.

yes they are quieter, but be very careful with some foreign produced CB's + both colibri rounds, had several cases of them getting stuck + no exiting rifle barrels at my range -

[georgerkahn]

I "started" my sons handgun shooting with a Savage .22 Long Rifle Single Shot Blue, 4” Barrel “Revolver” (S/n 50xxx), giving them ONLY .22 short ammo. Typical me, the barrel periodically had a bore-snake pulled through it -- I always stressed the need to ensure unobstructed barrels ;) -- but, no more. Jump ahead a few years, I went on a fishing trip where I didn't wish to "hurt" or damage any handgun, but reckoned it would be astute to have one -- so I elected this Savage. Never giving it any thoughts, when we got to location I attempted to load in a plain-Jane .22 long rifle round -- and it would only chamber about 5/8th of the way!
It turned out that from the repeated .22 short firing my boys had done, a crusty ring was formed in the cylinder!
Back home, it took "forever and a day" before I had crud-ring reduced to enable long rifle rounds being chambered -- and there STILL is a very visible ring!
Hence -- in response to OP -- shoot away with shorts if you so wish -- BUT, I strongly suggest you pay attention to cylinder and,at the least, run a solvent-soaked brass bore brush through after each shooting session.
geo

[dagger dog]

I bought a project rifle, 1929 Rem model 12 A pump, mostly all brown, got it home and was cleaning it and felt a loose spot about 4" from the crown, ringed barrel, probably from a 22 short that didn't make it out of the barrel. Shoots 22 short, longs and long rifle. Would like to find some cb or bb caps, so I can kill all of the birds pooping on my cars in the open carport!

[SSGOldfart]

I "started" my sons handgun shooting with a Savage .22 Long Rifle Single Shot Blue, 4” Barrel “Revolver” (S/n 50xxx), giving them ONLY .22 short ammo. Typical me, the barrel periodically had a bore-snake pulled through it -- I always stressed the need to ensure unobstructed barrels ;) -- but, no more. Jump ahead a few years, I went on a fishing trip where I didn't wish to "hurt" or damage any handgun, but reckoned it would be astute to have one -- so I elected this Savage. Never giving it any thoughts, when we got to location I attempted to load in a plain-Jane .22 long rifle round -- and it would only chamber about 5/8th of the way!
It turned out that from the repeated .22 short firing my boys had done, a crusty ring was formed in the cylinder!
Back home, it took "forever and a day" before I had crud-ring reduced to enable long rifle rounds being chambered -- and there STILL is a very visible ring!
Hence -- in response to OP -- shoot away with shorts if you so wish -- BUT, I strongly suggest you pay attention to cylinder and,at the least, run a solvent-soaked brass bore brush through after each shooting session.
geo

geo I'm cleaning the Ruger after every time I shoot,always have and will always clean after using. thanks for the heads up

[Scrounge]

What's the draw back to using 22 shorts vs 22 long rifle in a Ruger Single-six, my new model is marked 22 caliber and not 22LR. it came with a second cylinder marked 22 mag. but the Ranger officer says it's 22 LR only with the first cylinder I've always thought shorts could be used in a firearm that was marked 22LR,kinda the same ideal as 38's in a 357. Am I wrong/missing something?????:groner:[smilie=f:

You can shoot shorts in an LR chamber, but it leaves a smoke ring at the end of the short case, and will eventually erode the chamber. I've got an 1884 model Stevens Favorite that shows signs of that. We ran quite a few .22 Shorts through it. Dad was born in 1937, and bought the Favorite when he was 13. It was broken, and he bubbaed it to get it shootable again. It started leaking and giving us problems about 20+ years ago, but recently I replaced the screws he brazed and filed to make fit again, and it locks up and shoots well now. Bit tricky getting the brass to extract. I have an extractor that needs to be fitted to it. Someday... Let's see... 1950 to say 2000... So fifty years of use just since my family has had it. And most of of my brothers and sisters learned to shoot a rifle with it. And most of another 50 years before he got it... I think a bunch of people got their money's worth out of it. :bigsmyl2:

[beemer]

When I was squirrel hunting I liked to use shorts but both rifles I had would shoot several shots accurately and then throw a shot. I assume because of the chamber jump. I looked high and low for a 22 short only rifle but couldn't find one. About that time I found some Winchester sub-sonic and never looked back. Bought 3-4 cartons and still have one left.

When my Dad was young, in the 30's he used shorts to squirrel hunt, more of a necessity than anything. Shorts were 15 cents, longs were 20 and LR was 25. He said 15 cents was a days pay work a boy working in the field, the dime made a difference.