I love rimfire rifles of all shapes and sizes, and I also enjoy the majority of rimfire cartridges available. The current market has a wide array of choices for the shooter and hunter, ranging from the .22 Long Rifle up through the modern developments like the .17 Winchester Super Magnum to the new 21 Sharp. I've been tasked with compiling a list of my ten favorite loads across the spectrum, and this won’t be easy because there is some great stuff out there. So without further ado, let’s dive into my own Top Ten, in no particular order.
1. The CCI Stinger
Here is a high velocity classic; using a slightly elongated .22 LR case, and a lighter bullet, the CCI Stinger certainly turned heads when it was released a half-century ago. It sees a 32-grain copper plated bullet leaving the muzzle at 1,640 fps, giving a flatter trajectory than most of the common .22 LR loads. With a 100-yard zero, the Stinger will show a mid-trajectory rise of about 1.9 inches at 50 yards, and that bullet will still be cruising at over 1,000 fps at 100 yards. My dad used Stingers in his bicentennial Ruger 10/22 for years when he was serious about running raccoons with hounds, and I can still see those nickel-plated cases in the 10-shot rotary magazine. If you’re interested in bumping up the speed of the classic .22 Long Rifle, the Stinger is still a perfect choice.
2. The Hornady .17 HMR V-Max
The year 2002 saw the release of the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire—a .22 WMR case necked down to hold a .172-inch-diameter bullet, weighing a mere 17 grains. That little bullet leaves the muzzle at 2,550 fps, giving a significant velocity increase over all other rimfires, including the .22 Mag. This results in a virtually flat trajectory out to 100 yards, dropping only 2.7 inches at 150 yards. To say it caught on quickly is an understatement, and it remains highly popular to this day. Hornady’s V-Max bullet is a wicked choice for small game up to the size of foxes; while it certainly has been used for coyotes, I’ve seen more than a few hunters with long faces after having the light bullet fail to hold an eastern coyote. Nonetheless, it is a favorite among prairie dog hunters, woodchuck slayers and squirrel snipers alike.
3. CCI MaxiMag .22 WMR
The good old .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire came to the market in 1960, chambered in the Winchester Model 61 and the advantage it gave over the .22 Long Rifle did not go unnoticed. The .22 Mag is a true 100-yard cartridge, and hits much harder than the classic .22 LR. CCI’s MaxiMag is one of my favorite loads for the .22 Mag, as the 40-grain jacketed hollowpoint is a tough bullet, and at 1,875 fps it’ll handle all the small game, including coyotes. Woodchucks don’t stand a chance, and while it might be a bit much squirrels at common distances, it works just fine for head shots. I’ve found this load to be one of the most accurate among the .22 Mag ammo I've spent time with.
4. Remington Thunderbolt .22 LR
Cheap, effective, plentiful, and fun (some have thrown ‘dirty’ in the mix) are all adjectives used to describe the Remington Thunderbolt .22LR ammo. The premise is simple: a 40-grain wax-coated lead bullet at 1,255 fps, giving a bit of a velocity boost over the standard .22 LR load, and Thunderbolt has given fantastic accuracy in my Ruger 77/22 rifle for decades. It makes a great choice for small game like cottontail rabbits and gray squirrels, handles pests like red squirrels and woodchucks just fine, and I’ve used it for both foxes and coyotes at short ranges. It can make a bit of a mess in the autoloaders like my Ruger 10/22, but I've never had a problem with it feeding properly in rifles or handguns. Thunderbolt isn’t flashy, but it’s been a companion for nearly 40 years for me.
5. Winchester Varmint HE .17 WSM
If speed is your thing, and you like the rimfire cartridges, Winchester has the cartridge for you. The .17 Winchester Super Magnum in the fastest rimfire on the market, and it is great for the long range shots on varmints—I've taken prairie dogs out to 300 yards with it. Winchester’s Varmint HE load sees a 25-grain polymer tipped flat based bullet leaving the muzzle at 2,600 fps, and with a 100-yard zero, it’ll drop just 5.6 inches at 200 yards, where that little bullet still carries 200 ft.-lbs. of energy. The big case is based on a .27-caliber nail gun blank, necked down to hold the .172-inch-diameter bullets, and it is the bane of woodchucks and prairie dogs alike. It isn’t the most popular rimfire cartridge, but it sure is effective.
6. CCI Quiet-22 Semi-Auto .22LR
With the popularity of suppressors increasing each year, quiet is all the rage. However, those handy sound moderators aren’t available to all shooters across the country, and for those of us who need to be quiet, CCI has a wonderful solution: the Quiet-22 Semi-Auto. Now a subsonic load isn’t exactly new, but traditionally those lower-powered loads didn’t generate enough energy to cycle the autoloaders. Those days are over, as Quiet-22 Semi-Auto will cycle in the semi-automatics, yet still stay below the sound barrier. The 45-grain lead round-nose projectile leaves the barrel of a rifle at 835 fps, staying subsonic from the word go. My 10/22 loves this load, but the red squirrels who continually try to nest in my shed do not. If you want a subsonic load that is wonderfully compatible with a semi-auto, this is for you.
7. Federal Varmint & Predator 17-grain Speer TNT 17HMR
Speer is a sister company in the group which includes Federal Premium, so it makes perfect sense that they should load their projectiles. Federal’s Varmint & Predator line includes the 17-grain Speer TNT load for the .17 HMR; it is a jacketed hollowpoint which gives immediate energy transfer, yet will hold together than some other varmint bullets. That TNT leaves the muzzle at 2,530 fps, and my Dad’s Savage Rifle absolutely loves this load. Those woodchucks in his vegetable garden did not enjoy the Speer TNT. It gives a dead hold out to 150 yards, and has the accuracy needed for tiny targets.
8. Lapua Super Long Range .22 LR
I've always appreciated Lapua’s rimfire ammunition for its accuracy, and the new Super Long Range stuff surely delivers. The 40-grain round nose bullet has a muzzle velocity of 1,100 fps (from a 26-inch test barrel, so you may see a lower velocity figure), and like most things Lapua, this ammunition is extremely consistent. With the popularity of rimfire ELR shooting on the rise, this should definitely be a candidate for your chosen setup. When taking the .22 LR out to seemingly impossible distances you need a very consistent product, and this Lapua load surely fits the bill.
9. Federal Gold Medal HV Match .22 LR
I’ve enjoyed Federal’s Match .22 LR ammo for a long time; it is made to high tolerances and gives wonderfully consistent results. The Gold Medal HV Match ammo uses a match-grade 40-grain lead bullet, but at a muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps to offer a bit flatter trajectory and better wind deflection values. My rifles have loved this ammo, and when I’m testing a rimfire scope, or evaluating the potential of a .22 LR rifle, I grab this load quite often. Though Federal indicates this is target ammunition, I can testify that it works just fine on game animals as well; in fact the improved accuracy makes it a sound choice for head shots on bushytails way up in the hickories and oaks.
10. Hornady Varmint Express 30-grain V-Max .22 WMR.
Hornady’s V-Max bullet has garnered an excellent reputation—to the point that even Federal loads that bullet in their ammo—and it makes the .22 WMR an even better cartridge. Hornady uses the 30-grain V-Max in this .22 WMR load, presumably in an effort to achieve a higher muzzle velocity, and this load pushes that bullet at 2,200 fps. With a 100-yard zero, this Hornady load will drop about 16 inches at 200 yards, with a mid rise of 0.7 inches at 75 yards. At 125 yards, you’ll see a drop of 1.8 inches, and at 150 yards it’ll drop 4.8 inches, so a handy rifleman or woman can make the .22 Magnum work out to 150 yards without too much trouble. The polymer-tipped spitzer will give rapid expansion, and I’ve seen more than a few V-Max bullet create the red mist on varmints. If you’re a fan of the .22 WMR, this Hornady load should make you a happy hunter.
Honorable mentions—The 21 Sharp is new from Winchester and uses a 22 LR case holding non-heeled .210-inch-diameter bullets, and some have been quick to label it “the answer to a question no one asked.” However, it does offer the rimfire shooter a lead-free option, so those areas which have prohibited the use of lead projectiles have at least that viable option. Will it last? Time will tell, but it’s never easy to challenge the venerable .22 Long Rifle. Hornady’s 15.5-grain NTX load for the 17 HMR gives that cartridge a lead-free option as well, so while there isn’t a ton of SKUs for lead-free rimfire ammo, there are at least a couple choices.
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