Wheelgun Wednesday: Cartridge Spotlight – .22 Caliber Revolvers

Thanks for joining us on TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday, where we explore all things relating to revolvers. This week, we’re moving forward on our Revolver Cartridge Spotlight series with .22 Caliber Revolvers. We’ll take a look at the seven .22 caliber cartridges, their specifications, and some notable examples of revolvers chambered for them. In the .17 Caliber Revolver edition, I essentially covered all of the revolvers ever chambered for them, but as you can imagine, that won’t be happening for this .22 Caliber Revolvers spotlight. Let’s dig in.

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REVOLVER CARTRIDGE SPOTLIGHT – .22 CALIBER REVOLVERS

Just like any other caliber, the .22 calibers were built with a purpose in mind, however, that purpose reportedly started out with self-defense in mind, starting with the .22 Short of all things. Naturally, guys decided “what this thing needs is more gun powder” which spawned the whole .22 caliber genre we know today. For our purposes here, we’ll stick with the ones that have been chambered in revolvers- .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum, .22 Hornet, .22 Winchester Rimfire, and .22 Jet. Since we won’t be listing every .22 caliber revolver ever made, make sure to share your favorite one in the comment section whether it’s listed here or not.

Notes: Ammo specs are mostly from the Cartridges of the World book, by Frank C. Barnes, published by Gun Digest Books. Provided bullet grain weights were obtained from AmmoSeek.com.

.22 SHORT revolvers

The .22 Short cartridge is the longest-lived self-contained cartridge, having been commercially produced for 166 years and counting! It’s been purposed as everything from self-defense, Olympic and gallery shooting, to service in the American Civil War, plinking and pest control. For our purposes here on Wheelgun Wednesday, I’m happy to report that the .22 Short cartridge was first chambered for a revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 1, specifically marketed for pocket carry for self-defense. An upside to the .22 Short cartridge is that it can be fired from revolvers marked for .22 L and .22 LR, whereas the same is not true for semi-auto pistols.

• Year Developed: 1857
• Designed By: Smith & Wesson
• Parent Case: Original
• Case Type: Rimmed
• Bullet Diameter: .223
• Neck Diameter: .224
• Shoulder Diameter: N/A
• Base Diameter: .225
• Rim Diameter: .273
• Rim Thickness: .04
• Case Length: .423
• Cartridge Length: .686
• Primer: Rimfire
• Grain Weights: 27, 29
• Velocity From Revolver: 900* fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

SINGLE ACTION .22 SHORT REVOLVERS

DOUBLE ACTION .22 SHORT REVOLVERS

.22 LONG

The .22 Long cartridge hit general store shelves 14 years after the introduction of the .22 Short, and 16 years before the ubiquitous .22 Long Rifle cartridge was developed. Taking after the Short, the Long was also made for revolvers, but had a bit more power, and snake shot cartridges were also made available. Although the .22 Long cartridge is still made commercially, it seems to have been relegated to the back seat when compared to the newer .22 LR. The good news is that the .22 Long can be fired from revolvers chambered for .22 LR. If you use the Long cartridge regularly or even sporadically, let us know how you like it in the comment section.

• Year Developed: 1871
• Designed By:
• Parent Case: .22 Short
• Case Type: Rimmed
• Bullet Diameter: .223
• Neck Diameter: .224
• Shoulder Diameter: N/A
• Base Diameter: .225
• Rim Diameter: .275
• Rim Thickness: .04
• Case Length: .595
• Cartridge Length: 88
• Primer: Rimfire
• Grain Weights: 29, 38, 40
• Velocity From Revolver:

SINGLE ACTION .22 LONG REVOLVERS

DOUBLE ACTION .22 LONG REVOLVERS

.22 LONG RIFLE REVOLVERS

You may have guessed that of all the .22 caliber revolvers, the .22 Long Rifle carries tops the popularity contest. Despite not being the first, or second .22 metallic cartridge, it’s the one that stuck and hasn’t lost any traction, in wheelguns or otherwise, for the last 136 years. The .22 LR has been purposed for everything from self-defense, hunting, pest control, plinking, teaching new shooters, and more recently, Precision Rifle Shooting matches with high-end rifles and optics. Revolvers chambered for .22 Long Rifle can also accept and fire .22 Long, and .22 Short, however, they should not be fired from a gun chambered for .22 WMR / .22 Magnum as the magnum’s case diameter is larger than that of the .22 LR. However, many companies, still offer combination or convertible options that include a separate .22 WMR cylinder.

• Year Developed: 1887
• Designed By: J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.
• Parent Case: .22 Long
• Case Type: Rimmed
• Bullet Diameter: .223
• Neck Diameter: .224
• Shoulder Diameter: N/A
• Base Diameter: .225
• Rim Diameter: .275
• Rim Thickness: .04
• Case Length: .595
• Cartridge Length: .975
• Primer: Rimfire
• Grain Weights: 21, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 42, 45, 60, 62
• Velocity From Revolver: 700-1150* fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

SINGLE ACTION .22 LONG RIFLE REVOLVERS

DOUBLE ACTION .22 LONG RIFLE REVOLVERS

• Colt Officer’s Model Target
• Colt Official Police (Post-War)
• Colt Officer’s Model Match
• Colt Cobra
• Colt Diamondback
• Colt Trooper
• Colt King Cobra, 10 shot
• Ruger GP100, 10 shot
• Ruger LCR, 8 shot
• Ruger SP101, 8 shot
• S&W .22/32 Hand Ejector / Bekeart, 6 shot
• S&W 17, 6 shot
• S&W 317 Kit Gun, 8 shot
• S&W 617, 10 shot
• S&W 43 C, 8 shot
• S&W 63, 8 shot
• Standard Manufacturing S333, 8 shot
• Standard Manufacturing Switch Gun, 5 shot
• Taurus Tracker 992, 9 shot
• Taurus 942, 9 shot
• Taurus 96 Target Scout, 6 shot
• Taurus 970, 7 shot

.22 WRF REVOLVERS

The .22 Winchester Rimfire cartridge was the first step in encasing the whole .22 bullet’s diameter inside the case mouth, which is a departure from the previous entries where the bullet’s diameter is essentially the same as the case mouth. That development is why many sources will not recommend shooting .22 LR from WRF or WMR chambers, due to the thinner LR fitting too loosely to be safe. Remington also made their own version called the .22 Remington Special. Winchester and CCI still make batches of .22 WRF ammunition, although CCI’s box states “not for use in revolvers” which they explain that WRF revolvers have undersized bores. .22 WRF will fit and fire from revolvers chambered in .22 WMR. TFB’s Luke C wrote a detailed .22 WRF article on the Rimfire Report, which I recommend giving a read for more history and present-day usage information.

• Year Developed: 1890
• Designed By: Winchester
• Parent Case: Proprietary
• Case Type: Rimmed
• Bullet Diameter: .224
• Neck Diameter: .242
• Shoulder Diameter: N/A
• Base Diameter: .243
• Rim Diameter: .295
• Rim Thickness: .046
• Case Length: .96
• Cartridge Length: 1.17
• Primer: Rimfire
• Grain Weights: 40, 45 grains
• Velocity From Revolver: * fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

.22 WRF SINGLE ACTION REVOLVERS

Heritage Rough Rider

.22 WRF DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS

.22 WINCHESTER MAGNUM RIMFIRE REVOLVERS

The .22 WMR, or .22 Magnum seems to have settled nicely into the second-most popular spot when it comes to rimfire cartridges, as evidenced by the second longest revolver list here. The .22 Magnum cartridge offers a significant bump in velocities over the .22 LR, and like its parent casing, utilizes a non-heeled projectile. The .22 WMR is currently marketed for hunting, pest control, and self-defense. One thing to consider when looking at .22 caliber revolvers is that the “convertible” models that offer separate cylinders for .22 Magnum and .22 Long Rifle would allow you to shoot five of the seven cartridges on our list. The .22 WRF can be fired from the .22 WMR cylinder, and the .22 S, L, and LR can be fired from the .22 LR cylinder, which brings the most versatility of all the .22 caliber revolvers.

• Year Developed: 1959
• Designed By: Winchester
• Parent Case: .22 WRF
• Case Type: Rimmed
• Bullet Diameter: .224
• Neck Diameter: .24
• Shoulder Diameter: N/A
• Base Diameter: .241
• Rim Diameter: .291
• Rim Thickness: .046
• Case Length: 1.052
• Cartridge Length: 1.35
• Primer: Rimfire
• Grain Weights: 25, 28, 30, 33, 36, 40, 45, 50 grains
• Velocity From Revolver: 1,100 to 1500* fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

SINGLE ACTION .22 MAGNUM REVOLVERS

DOUBLE ACTION .22 MAGNUM REVOLVERS

.22 HORNET REVOLVERS

Unlike our next entry, the .22 Hornet wasn’t designed for revolvers at all, but given that the Hornet has a gentle shoulder and short overall length, it’s not surprising that wheelgunners had to try it. Prior to the first revolver chambered for it, the .22 Hornet was only available in bolt action rifles and single-shot pistols. Thus, having an eight-round repeater makes sense for quick follow-up shots, even though it sacrifices velocity. Speaking of velocity, the .22 Hornet is the fastest of the .22 caliber revolvers, with one reloader boasting of achieving 2263 fps from his Taurus Raging Hornet (see link below).

• Year Developed: Late 1920’s
• Designed By: Townsend Whelen, GL Wotkyns
• Parent Case: .22 WCF
• Case Type: Rimmed, Bottleneck
• Bullet Diameter: .223
• Neck Diameter: .242
• Shoulder Diameter: .274
• Base Diameter: .294
• Rim Diameter: .345
• Rim Thickness: .06
• Case Length: 1.4
• Cartridge Length: 1.72
• Primer: Small Rifle
• Grain Weights: 35, 45
• Velocity From Revolver: 2100 to 2260* fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

SINGLE ACTION .22 HORNET REVOLVERS

DOUBLE ACTION .22 HORNET REVOLVERS

.22 JET REVOLVERS

As far as .22 caliber revolvers go, the last development was in the form of the .22 Remington Jet. As I mentioned before, there’s quite a progression of people chasing after power, from the first .22 Short cartridge producing roughly 900 feet per second, and on up to the muzzle velocity of 2000 fps through the Smith & Wesson model 53. The .22 Jet, also referred to as the .22 Centerfire Magnum, describes the designers’ usage of centerfire primers compared to the rest of the list using rimfire primers. Another unique feature of the S&W 53 is that it came supplied with cartridge inserts that allowed the shooter to fire .22 LR cartridges. TFB’s Rusty S’ wrote a more detailed article on the .22 Jet that I recommend checking out.

• Year Developed: 1959
• Designed By: Remington and S&W
• Parent Case: .357 Magnum
• Case Type: Rimmed, Bottleneck
• Bullet Diameter: .223
• Neck Diameter: .247
• Shoulder Diameter: .350
• Base Diameter: .376
• Rim Diameter: .440
• Rim Thickness: .055
• Case Length: 1.28
• Cartridge Length: 1.58
• Primer: Small Pistol
• Grain Weights: 40, 45 grains
• Velocity From Revolver: 2000* fps

(*depending on load and barrel length, see links for example)

.22 JET REVOLVER

CONCLUSION

Between all of the .22 caliber revolvers we’ve just looked at, there’s a wide variety to cover most needs you may have. The only thing that revolvers lack is the ability to suppress the report, however, I believe that .22 caliber revolvers make up for that shortcoming with reliability, ammo compatibility, and the number of commercial load offerings. The lesser-known .22 WRF, .22 Hornet, and .22 Jet revolvers are chambered in more niche cartridges, but can still be fed and enjoyed.

What do you think about .22 caliber revolvers? Which models and loadings are your favorite? If you have yet to buy a .22 revolver, which one interests you the most?

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