.22 Extra Long
Encyclopedia
The .22 Extra Long is a .22 in (5.6mm) American
rimfire
rifle
and handgun
cartridge
.
Introduced around 1880, the .22 Extra Long was used in Remington
, Ballard, Wesson, Stevens
, and later (1916) models of Winchester
's M1903 and M1904 single shot bolt action rifles, as well as in Smith & Wesson
revolver
s.
Using the same 40 gr (2.6 g) outside-lubricated bullet
later adapted for the very much more common .22 Long Rifle
, the Extra Long was loaded with 6 gr (389 mg) of black powder. Originally, it slightly outperformed the .22LR, but was "not noted for great accuracy", while later smokeless
loads achieved about the same muzzle velocity
as the .22LR.
As with the .22 Winchester Automatic
and .22 Remington Automatic
, the .22 Extra Long will not chamber correctly in .22 Long Rifle weapons. Because it is very dimensionally-similar, however, the shorter .22 Short
, .22 Long
, and .22 LR will chamber in weapons designed for it (in the same way .38 Special
ammunition can be fired in .357 Magnum
weapons, or .44 Special
rounds in .44 Magnum
s).
The power of the .22 Extra Long is comparable to the standard velocity .22 Long Rifle, which is very much more commonly chambered and sold.
The .22 Extra Long ceased to be offered commercially in 1935.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rimfire
Rimfire ammunition
A rimfire is a type of firearm cartridge. It is called a rimfire because instead of the firing pin of a gun striking the primer cap at the center of the base of the cartridge to ignite it , the pin strikes the base's rim....
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
.
Introduced around 1880, the .22 Extra Long was used in Remington
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
, Ballard, Wesson, Stevens
Stevens Arms
Stevens Arms was an American firearms manufacturer founded by Joshua Stevens in 1864. The company introduced the .22 Long Rifle round and made a number of rifle, shotgun, and target pistol designs before being bought by Savage Arms in 1920. After 1920, Stevens made training rifles and machineguns...
, and later (1916) models of Winchester
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
's M1903 and M1904 single shot bolt action rifles, as well as in Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s.
Using the same 40 gr (2.6 g) outside-lubricated bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
later adapted for the very much more common .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
, the Extra Long was loaded with 6 gr (389 mg) of black powder. Originally, it slightly outperformed the .22LR, but was "not noted for great accuracy", while later smokeless
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
loads achieved about the same muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
as the .22LR.
As with the .22 Winchester Automatic
.22 Winchester Automatic
The .22 Winchester Automatic is a .22 in American rimfire rifle cartridge....
and .22 Remington Automatic
.22 Remington Automatic
The .22 Remington Automatic is a .22 in American rimfire rifle cartridge....
, the .22 Extra Long will not chamber correctly in .22 Long Rifle weapons. Because it is very dimensionally-similar, however, the shorter .22 Short
.22 Short
.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith and Wesson revolver, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge....
, .22 Long
.22 Long
.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition. The .22 Long is the second oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a 29 grain bullet and 5 grains of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on...
, and .22 LR will chamber in weapons designed for it (in the same way .38 Special
.38 Special
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
ammunition can be fired in .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
weapons, or .44 Special
.44 Special
The .44 Special or .44 S&W Special is a smokeless powder center fire metallic cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver, introduced in 1908.-Development history:...
rounds in .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
s).
The power of the .22 Extra Long is comparable to the standard velocity .22 Long Rifle, which is very much more commonly chambered and sold.
The .22 Extra Long ceased to be offered commercially in 1935.
See also
- List of cartridges by caliber
- List of rifle cartridges
- List of rimfire cartridges
- 5mm caliber5 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Rimfire cartridges:...
Sources
- Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. ".22 Extra Long", in Cartridges of the World, pp. 274, 282, & 283. Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. ISBN 0-695-80326-3.