New for 2025: Federal Hammerdown .22 LR

Who doesn’t love a lever-action rimfire rifle? Apparently there aren’t too many folks who’d fall into that category, as the sales on Winchester 9422 are certainly impressive, and the Henry Rifle website lists no less than a dozen different models, with over a million sold. Those little lever guns, with their tubular magazines, are a ton of fun to shoot until you come across that brand of ammo that doesn’t like to feed well.

Federal Premium has offered centerfire lever guns their own series of ammunition, with the HammerDown line being designed to best function through that style of rifle. Until now, all the ammunition in that line has been centerfire, but that has all changed with the recent introduction of the .22 LR HammerDown ammunition.

The line uses the same nickel-plated cases (corrosion-free cartridges go a long way in feeding easiest from a tubular magazine) as does the centerfire stuff, and the 40-grain copper-plated lead hollowpoint will be a familiar sight to those who enjoy the effective terminal ballistics that bullet offers. Federal has optimized the powder charge for the best performance in common lever gun barrels, with initial adverts indicating the ammunition will produce 1,200 fps at the muzzle.

Federal Premium packages the 22 LR HammerDown in 325-round count boxes, and though it is designed for best use in lever-action rifles, it will perform just as fine in the autoloaders, bolt guns, and handguns alike. Squirrels and rabbits beware! MSRP for the 325-round box of HammerDown 22 LR is $39.99. Learn more at federalpremium.com.