22 shorts - can I shoot them out of a Revolver?

dreadpirate · May 20, 2017

I was given some old 22 ammo that includes a box or so of shorts. I have 4 22's, put 3 of these are semi-auto and I don't think shorts will work in them. I also have an old H&R 9 shot 22 revolver; would that handle shorts??

Alphabrew · May 20, 2017

I would not use .22 shorts unless the barrel is explicitly marked for .22 short.

ericoak · May 20, 2017

Alphabrew said:
I would not use .22 shorts unless the barrel is explicitly marked for .22 short.

I don't think there should be a problem in the revolver, but I have never done it. But should be similar to .38 through a .357.

dreadpirate · May 20, 2017

I'll just have to buy a bolt gun like a Ruger American

[EDIT actually - the 10/22 mags will not work with shorts]

dreadpirate · May 20, 2017

ericoak said:
I don't think there should be a problem in the revolver, but I have never done it. But should be similar to .38 through a .357.

That's what I was thinking. And back when that pistol was made, 22 shorts were common place.

dreadpirate · May 20, 2017

From field and stream dot com: http://www.fieldandstream.com/answe...n-i-fire-22-short-ammo-cci-cb-short-sub-son-0

"The 22 short is simply a physically shorter and less powerful cartridge than the standard 22 l.r. The only real problem from prolonged shooting of the shorter cartridge in the longer chamber is that it will eventually burn a small erosion ring that will hamper the extraction of the long rifle round. occasional shooting of the 22 short is certainly acceptable and a great deal of fun.I was a full time gunsmith for many years and can remember this particular situation coming up on a couple of occasions."

thomfantomas · May 20, 2017

i know somebody that was shooting 22lr out of a 22short revolver hahaha he literally filled down the jacket .

Doco Overboard · May 20, 2017

Just make sure they clear the barrel and dont spit to much lead at the cylinder gap. Long term use may start to corrode the chamber over time or build a carbon ring.

Cheesehead · May 20, 2017

If its really old ammo, maybe a collector would trade you a box of 22lr for it. Also I believe the really old 22 shorts had corrosive primers.

dreadpirate · May 20, 2017

Cheesehead said:
If its really old ammo, maybe a collector would trade you a box of 22lr for it. Also I believe the really old 22 shorts had corrosive primers.

ooh - ok - thanks for that bit of info.

Overboost44 · May 20, 2017

I have a semi-auto Nylon 66 and they work in that, so it isn't all semi-autos that they won't work in. I would trade you, but I don't know what I would use them for. They would likely work in a bolt action.

Doco Overboard · May 20, 2017

Shorts are nice because theyre quiet and you have increased capacity in a tube fed gun. Good for coon hunting.

chipd · May 20, 2017

this is a classic example of can vs should.
can you shoot them out of a 22lr revolver? yes, you can.
should you? no, you shouldn't.

I wish I never shot 22 short out of any of my 22lr guns.
I won't even shoot it if i get it for free now.
You will regret it. Your cylinder will require you to take a brass bore
brush, soak it in solvent, and put it on a drill motor to get the fouling
and ring out of your cylinder. until then, it might damage your gun just
trying to extract the spent 22lr cartridges.

Don't do it. 22LR ammo is cheap enough. Just buy more 22LR and forget all about the 22 shorts. it is NOT worth it.

DutchV · May 20, 2017

A box of .22 Shorts used to be cheaper than Long or Long Rifle. I don't know if Long even is manufactured any more. The Beretta 950 was made in 22 Short, and I guess there's others, but I wouldn't bother with it in anything else. Of course if it's just a box or two, it shouldn't be too hard to clean. (Those sound like "famous last words", and it's not my gun, so it's your call.)

From a safety perspective, it'd be fine. Just the cleaning might be a drag.

AlanInSilverSpring · May 20, 2017

Interesting topic. Brings to mind two questions.

1) If the only difference is case length why are there issues shooting shorts out of a 22lr chamber but not shooting 38's out of a 357 ?

2) All the problems have been regarding pistols. Would shooting shorts out of a tube fed be okay like Doco Overboard suggests ? And if so, why do rifles like the Marlin 60 say "22lr ONLY" stamped on the barrel ?

chipd · May 20, 2017

Alan,
for 1) case length differences between 22short and 22lr are extreme, 38 to 357 are not. Also, 22 ammo is especially dirty. nothing makes a mess as fast. also, the barrel circumference is proportional to the time it takes to make a ring that is problematic. 22s are the worst there, as well.

2) a tube fed gun will still develop the same fouling issues as a revolver. you won't notice them until you try to switch back to 22LR. NEVER shoot 22LR after 22 short without cleaning ALL of the fouling first. Semi auto 22s generally won't cycle under 22 shorts. that's why the marlin 60 says not to. the marlin 60 needs hot 22lr to cycle reliably when it is dirty or old any how. still, i love marlin 60s.

22 short is just a bad idea, unless you want a dedicated gun for it and like cleaning chambers with drill motors

AlanInSilverSpring · May 20, 2017

chipd said:
Alan,
for 1) case length differences between 22short and 22lr are extreme, 38 to 357 are not. Also, 22 ammo is especially dirty. nothing makes a mess as fast. also, the barrel circumference is proportional to the time it takes to make a ring that is problematic. 22s are the worst there, as well.

2) a tube fed gun will still develop the same fouling issues as a revolver. you won't notice them until you try to switch back to 22LR. NEVER shoot 22LR after 22 short without cleaning ALL of the fouling first. Semi auto 22s generally won't cycle under 22 shorts. that's why the marlin 60 says not to. the marlin 60 needs hot 22lr to cycle reliably when it is dirty or old any how. still, i love marlin 60s.

22 short is just a bad idea, unless you want a dedicated gun for it and like cleaning chambers with drill motors

Makes sense. Thanks. Guess I'll stick to just shooting 22 shorts out of DutchV's guns then

GuitarmanNick · May 20, 2017

If your H&R .22 is a model 999, I would be glue the rear sight in place!

I had one years ago and even after H&R replaced the rear sight under warranty, it again disappeared on the next trip to the range. They bought the gun back after the second time the rear sight disappeared. The tabs at the bottom were breaking for some unknown reason when the gun was fired. I will never own another H&R because of that experience!

To answer your question, you can use the .22 shorts in any revolver. Make plans to spend lots of time cleaning it!

Biggfoot44 · May 20, 2017

Yes you can.

At .22 short pressures, you're not going to errode, just a question of fouling. Just clean the chambers after each session, instead of waiting 5,000 rounds.

Most .22 rimfire auto loaders are calibrated for the power and oal of the .22lr. The Rem 552 is a noteable exception , expressly designed for shorts, longs, and long rifles.

Most bolt, pump and lever rifles with tubular mags will cycle with shorts.

Uncle Duke · May 20, 2017

Fire away OP. They've been shooting 22 shorts in revolvers for 160 years. Same considerations and same challenges with shooting 38 Special in .357, 44 Special in 44 Mag. Etc, and then going to the longer round. Just keep your revolver clean.

22 shorts - can I shoot them out of a Revolver?

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