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22Long and 22Short in 22LR Revolver

8K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  NONAME762 
#1 ·
I read that both 22Long and 22Short are shorter cartridges than 22LR and will function in a 22LR revolver. I know that they would cause problems in semi-autos.

I'm not looking for a debate about the merits of each cartridge. Just checking to make sure that I won't be harming my SP101 22LR. If I'm correct it will be kind of like firing 38SPL in a 357Mag and I will have to be diligent in cleaning up the extra carbon from the shorter cartridges and accuracy may be affected.

I ask because in this 22LR drought I bought some CCI 22Short and 22Long on a whim from Cabelas just to have something to send downrange.

So, will I be ok shooting those rounds through my SP101?
 
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#2 ·
It'll be fine & dandy. Just make sure to give the chambers a good solvent brushing & cleaning afterward. The ONLY potential downside of shooting shorts is leaving a lead and powder-residue "ring" in the chamber(s). That can interfere with the later ease of chambering & ejecting longer .22 LR cases.
 
#3 ·
Read your post and was about to respond, but Ghost Tracker beat me to it.

What he said! :hand10:
 
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#4 ·
thanks guys. I was pretty sure about it but am glad I have a place to double check internet info with some reputable sources.
 
#5 ·
Have fired loads of .22 Shorts and .22 Longs a Smith & Wesson Model 17 K-22 over the years with no harm done. The revolver is always cleaned after each use anyway so there would be no issues arising from the practice.

For some few years I had a source of cheap cartons of Winchester Western .22 Longs so I shot cartons of .22 Longs like mad.

This is much the same as shooting .38 Special ammunition in a .357 Magnum chamber.
 
#17 ·
There used to be a time when almost all .22 rifles were chambered for -short,long and long rifle. Only the rich kids shot LR, the rest of us shot shorts or CB caps if we were shooting inside the city limits.
I have a 22 revolver. I bought some CB shorts on purpose for their quiet shooting properties. So quiet I disturbed no one 100 feet away. Probably would work fine in a city where typically shooting a firearm is frowned upon.

Without my attorney present that's all I'm gonna say.
 
#7 ·
My first .22 rifle was a Remington bolt action, that shot all 3 sizes of .22. Many, if not most rifles made back then would shoot all 3 sizes, and its just like coffeecup said.

.22 shorts were the cheapest to shoot, then longs, and long rifle were almost for special occasions, lol. Today, .22 shorts (the ones I have found, and bought), cost more than most .22 LR, and I have not seen .22 longs on the shelf in many a year.

When I was a boy, I shot in NRA/Jr Comp programs where we used exclusively .22 longs. From the CMP, if I recall correctly. We had to "buy" them, but it was at something like 1 cent a round.

Other than the cost, in todays market, for use in revolvers, I like shooting .22 shorts. Less noise, and I can save the .22 lr for guns that only shoot that.

Btw, I have a new S&W airweight .22 snubby, and I wouldnt hesitate to shoot shorts out of it.
 
#9 ·
Only if it is a convertible with a second cylinder. My Ruger Single-Six can shoot .22 short, .22 long, and .22 long rifle. With a cylinder change, it shoots .22 magnum. The standard .22s are all .223 inch diameter while the .22 magnums are .224 inch diameter.
 
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#12 ·
I've shot thousands of .38s in .357 chambers, and the same with .22 shorts in LR chambers. Clean your dang gun afterwards and quit worrying about a carbon ring. Geeeze.
 
#13 ·
I've shot quite a few .22 shorts in my Ruger Super Single Six (w/LR cylinder) with no ill effects. I'm sure that your SP-101 will be fine, they are VERY robust!
 
#14 ·
Agree on the stoutness of the SP101. I've never (ever) HEARD an internet rumor of anyone shooting so much hot .357 mag ammo that it even broke a sweat in an SP. At rimfire pressures, the gun has the half-life of...plutonium.
 
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