Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 shorts

How many of you jokers have .22s chambered for shorts only?

Not anymore. But I got a serious hankering for one of those little discontinued Browning Autoloaders in .22 short only. 🤠

Guilty

And I get ribbed for it too.

I like the 41s

Nope. Just a 581 that'll shoot 'em.

Used to shoot a bunch of them back when they were $.59 a box and LRs about a buck.

Somebody gave me two old boxes of Remingtons (green and red box) years ago. Need to put them out on display someplace.

I want one of them NAA Minis in short deuce deuce.

The model 24 took 5 spruce chickens this morning👍🏽

Does a Hämmerli target pistol qualify?

I do have a Rem 581 that has a carbon ring in a Long Rifle chamber.

M24 Remington, early one, too. The first half of the bore is pretty much non-existent, but it doesn't matter when you shoot coons at contact distance.

I have a Win 74. Kinda heavy and clunky for what it is, but it shoots all day long with a full mag of shorts. Put CBs in it and she is pretty quiet too.

I have a win 1890 chambered for shorts only.

I have this old thing. It's a great shooter with CCI target loads.

I have a High Standard Model C (semi-auto handgun) that's chambered for shorts.

Praise be unto the heavens, I am not alone!

Don't know when things went weird in the world of gun makers, perhaps when the marketing "experts" got involved? Life for our generation, the younger life, was replete with shooting galleries at the fairs and amusement parks. I recall a lot of Winchester pump rifles at those venues and from time to time I actually won something! Can't imagine a better training vehicle for a youngster than a short shooter.

My brother passed a Rem 572 to me many moons ago that digested all .22 RF ammo and I got to say it whacked many pests with CB shorts. It was the only "I'll eat any ammo." repeater that I ever used that shot the shorts well. His son holds it these days but I imagine it is collecting dust for the most part. I tried a used Browning auto back in the '80s but it did not function properly and it went back to the seller soon after. Disappointed I was.

Anyway, some time passed and I got my Loony Diploma and purchased a Contender back in '98 with the specific intent of shooting squill with shorts. I could not have imagined where that would lead in time, but I've learned more about shooting/hunting with that gun than all the rest combined. I know you all have seen my target pictures so I won't bother posting those again. Paper, pigs, squill or other bothersome pests, there doesn't seem to be a problem it can't fix. It also gives the grandkids the giggles every time they visit. Production guns that fired the short ammo seem to have vanished around the time the 10/22 showed up. I recall there was a conversion available to make the 10/22 a short shooter, but why'n hell didn't they make a factory production model? Hey Bill, I'm talking to YOU!

Wake up Remington! Winchester! And all the rest of you dummies! The .22 short....first production metallic cartridge gun in America....our history and foundation. There ain't no better tool for young shooters and savvy small game hunters. And ya, they can be absurdly accurate when shot from a proper chamber.

Any of you ever try any of the European short match ammo?

Hey Tmitch, help a retard out....what is that old classic you got there? Are you worthy?

I have one of those old classics, but it's a .22 WRF shooter. Still going strong a century later.

I have a Hi-Standard "Flite King" w/4 1/2" barrel. Fun to shoot!

Had a Colt "Lightning" .22 pump. Until I found out what a Colt collector would pay for it....

It looks to be a Low Wall Winchester musket, but I might be wrong.

I've got a NAA mini revolver in 22 short.

I bought it for a small backup.

This is the smallest one NAA makes

Have owned 'em in 22LR and 22 mag. but like this little one the best.

I've been known to pack it in a T shirt pocket. It's my "get the F*** off me" gun.

Virgil B.

Had one of those for a while when they first came out

I'm not Tmitch, but I know a Low Wall Winder Musket when I see one! Sweet rifles! Envious here!

Ed

I'm thinking we need to band together send a message to the gun makers. Something like "Hey, what are you, stupid?" We get repetitious presentations of largely equivalent cartridges these days, SAUM/RUM/DUMB etc., each seeking to up the ante a few FPS, maybe with a BC that's .004 better than yesterday. Bletch! How about trying to remember, it weren't broke and it supported future generations for over 100 years. It needs no tweaking and it likely more useful than a Barrett .50 to the average person..... Little Johnny needs a gun.

I'm thinking drum fed Ruger 10/22 chambered for .22 short. Could clean up all the rats at the city dump in half an hour.

Yep. Buzzards and crows think it's a grand idea!

Had a flashback re Rem 572. Dang thing held half a box of shorts, maybe a few more. Doesn't even need a detachable mag.

Liberals are having migraines.

im kinda partial to the standard velocity .22 lr myself ... (boo! hiss!)

Yep, Winder Musket is correct. Made as a training rifle of sorts for the Army. No, I probably am not worthy.

From Wikipedia:
"The Winder musket was the brainchild of Colonel C. B. Winder, who advocated marksmanship training with a rifle of similar size and weight to a service rifle but chambered in .22 rimfire, which was both economical and suitable for indoor ranges. The Winder musket was based on the Winchester Model 1885 single-shot rifle.

Although it was never officially referred to as the Winder musket, the weapon was informally named in honor of Colonel C. B. Winder and has since generally been referred to as the Winder musket.

Winder muskets were used for target and training purposes well into the early twentieth century. Many were purchased by the United States Ordnance, and many were issued to American N.R.A. affiliated rifle clubs. The Winder musket was superseded by the 1922 Model bolt-action training rifle, and remaining Winder muskets were sold."

Mine has the U.S. Ordinance "flaming bomb" stamp.


Hell on squirrels too.

Don't be hard on yourself Boo HIss, the LR has a place in our universe too. What you been shootin' with the LR that you haven't with the short? (That's a loaded question BTW)

Thanks Mitch, that's a nice squill you got there. Haven't seen any of the red fox version for a long time.

Yep, he was a bigun but no match for a .22 short to the noggin

I use it mainly to practice for Buff huntin'. (still need practice)

I have one of those & found you get powder burns on your trigger finger because it's so close the the front of the cylinder. I still like the proportions of the 22 Short version over all the others.

I've been looking for 22 Short only guns for years but am mainly interested in vintage repeaters, and pumps more than others. I have had a Winchester Model 1890 for years, still haven't go a Winchester 1873, early Model 1906 or Model 61 in 22 Short - not as affordable as the 1890.

Here's a list of my 22 Short chambered guns -

Atlas single shot - '22 SHORT BLACKPOWDER ONLY' (not a very robust deign!)
Bayard Model 1912 - single shot semi-auto, it automatically ejects and the bolt holds open, you put in the next round and press a button to chamber it.
Febiger No 1 semi-auto, these never functioned well
Batavia Automatic Rifle semi-auto, made using modified Febiger parts, functioned better
Nitro-Hunter (house brand version of the Batavia)
unmarked pump only version of the Batavia semi-auto, again using modified parts from the Febiger's
Hamilton Model 39 pump
Marlin Model 25 - 22 Short & C B Caps
Marlin Model 25-S - 22 Short & C B Caps
Remington Model 12B (with optional full length magazine tube, 25 round)
Remington Model 24
Savage 1903
Savage 1911, only available in 22 Short
Savage 1914
Savage 1919 NRA first version
Savage 1919 NRA 1923 version
Savage Model 602 (22 Short version of the Model 6 semi-auto)
Stevens Gallery 80
Stevens Model 70½ Visible Loader
Winchester 1890

Thanks Gene. I am humbled.

Do you have a license to have that much fun ?

That’s a very cool and rare little rifle. Color me envious 🤠

I had the same experience with mine. I’ve got long fingers and want to keep em that way. So mine went down the road. 🤠

A slight problem is that many of these early guns should be shot with standard velocity 22 short or lighter. The Winchester 1890 certainly can handle any 22 Short load and probably the Remington's and Savages'. The semi-auto's are a problem, some didn't function reliably to begin with, CB's seldom cycle and standard velocity 22 Shorts are getting hard to find, I just got a brick of CCI and as far as I know they might be the last to make it. I'm afraid Hi-Speed loads would put to much strain on the actions and you can't find many parts for some of these.

I posted pictures of some of these a few years ago but used photobucket and I see they are playing games again, the pictures show but are blurred to the point they are not usable. Here's the link but the pictures display is very bad - 22_puzzler

I forgot about the Savage Model 1911, 22 Short only, 20 shot bolt action and a Remington Model 24.

Beretta Minx

Gene, take a look here: https://ammoseek.com/ammo/22-short

Dan, in that whole list there are only 6 listings that include the word 'Standard' and none are 'standard velocity', all are Aguila "Standard High Velocity", 1095 FPS - 22-short-29 ; and the one that just says standard is actually 22 Short Super Extra High Veloicity and has the same UPC code as the others - aguila-standard-22-short-29gr

Up until a couple years ago when they changed the rule that you could only use 22 Short for some pistol competitions there were a few making it, CCI 22 Short Target is the last I could find - target-short-ammo-29gr 830 FPS and "Designed to cycle IRF-class firearms".

I still find some older boxes for sale occasionally at gunshows, it's hard to find it for under $5/50 though.

I hear ya, just tossing it on the fire. I have been using CCI CB shorts and Target exclusively for the last 20 years, mostly the CBs since the Target stuff is fairly new on the market. In my Contender they are the same, both from a precision and velocity perspective...the HV ammo and I use the term loosely serves OK for odd application, but I'm not trying to feed old horses.

im afraid to answer!

Heck, it's only loaded with shorts.

They don't hurt much I've heard.

I copied most of the pictures I had on photobucket over to the photo gallery here - Rifles chambered in 22 SHORT

You have a short museum!

Thanks, that really is amazing.

Wow, never seen an original Winder musket with the original sight in that kind of shape. I've got one that had been down the road, drilled out the bad bore and installed a .25 liner and made a .25-20 WCF out of it. Where did you come across one in that kind of shape, got to be a story behind that.

No real good story behind my obtaining it. It languished in Cabelas Gun Library for quite awhile till they cut the price in half. I couldn't resist and had it sent to my local store and brought it home.

I had one of those once. Trouble was a guy named Sedgley, in Philadelphia, had gotten his hands on it. It was converted to .22WCF (predecessor of the Hornet) probably sometime prior to 1930 when the Hornet came out. It functioned well, but since it had the gawdawful slow .22 short rifling rate of twist, it didn't shoot worth a tinker's dam. Lord knows I tried to overcome it, and got closest with an extremely short/light cast bullet at cat sneeze velocity- pretty close to .22 short performance not surprisingly. If any of you happen to have that bastid, I would be curious to know how that abomination is working out these days!

Don’t have any chambered for just shorts but over the years I’ve gotten good work from both standard velocity and HV short HP’s. I saw some (don’t remember if SV or HV) in our local pawn/gun shop a while back and was tempted but still had a pretty good inventory.

If my late brother hadn't given me this M24 just before he passed away, I wouldn't have one on the place, it bollixes up my inventory budget. I have killed quite a few coons in my trap with it in the past few years, but that doesn't require accuracy at contact distance. I keep it around because he gave it to me, and it's kinda neat, but pretty much useless, since I can't scope it, and my eyesight sucks. I DO admire the workmanship of the Remington 24, it simply oozes JMB in every way. I hate that it tosses the empties down my sleeve though, those things get HOT.
All my other .22s are Long Rifle guns, and I'm okay with that.

Browning SA-22. Haven't had it long, but that rifle is easy to like... No can needed...

I have a Marlin model 39 that is pre HV rated. I do shoot Target LR's in it but it also likes HV Shorts. The shorts are faster and are safe for the gun.

A fella could do a lot worse than if he built a special purpose .22 short heavy target rifle for use in backyard benchrest shooting. The biggest drawback would be the spotty availability of quality ammo.

Is that chambered in 22 short, or 22LR but works with shorts?

No, those are "SHORT ONLY" guns, like my M24 Remington.
The only guns I'm aware of that are Short, Long, and Long Rifle, are the old Savage gill guns, the Remington 550 and 550-1, and 552. There may be others, but they are much older designs, the only ones that aren't ancient, are the 552 Remingtons, and I think they were recently discontinued.

Yep, functions flawlessly with CBs as well.

My marlin model 25 made in 1972 takes short, long, and long rifle. It's the most accurate 22 I have ever owned.