Читать книгу The Gun Digest Book of .22 Rimfire. Rifles·Pistols·Ammunition онлайн

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The 22 WRF (right) is a shorter cartridge than the 22 WMR (left) but has almost identical case dimensions except for length.

The 22 WRF case is larger in diameter than that of the 22 LR. As a result, a bullet of 0.224” diameter fits inside the case mouth without having a section of smaller diameter at the base. This is also the situation with the 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) which has almost identical dimensions as the 22 WRF except for length. Therefore, the 22 WRF cartridges can be fired in rifles chambered for the 22 WMR, and they provide a lower-powered (if not lower priced) alternative to the magnum round. In my bolt-action Ruger 77/22M, the CCI 22 WRF ammunition delivers excellent accuracy as will be described in Chapter 15.

Other Early Rimfire Cartridges

Although current rimfire cartridges are all 22 or 17 caliber, many of the rimfire cartridges of historical significance were of larger caliber. One of the most important rimfire developments was the 44 Henry cartridge developed by B. Tyler Henry. It has the distinction of being the chambering for the first successful lever-action rifle. Imagine the effect of a few Union soldiers firing Henry lever-action rifles, which had tubular magazines that held 15 cartridges, on the Confederate soldiers who were using singleshot muzzle-loading rifles! Ballistics of the 44 Henry were not impressive by today’s standards (a 210-grain lead bullet propelled by a charge of 28 grains of black powder to give a velocity of 1,150 ft/sec), but the importance of rapid, sustained fire in military operations is obvious. The 44 Henry cartridge was in production from 1860 to 1934. Another large caliber rimfire cartridge used in the Civil War was the 56 Spencer. Incidentally, the Henry lever-action was produced from 1860-1866 and was no doubt a driving force which led to the development of the Winchester 73 which used the center fire 44-40 cartridge.