Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

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PawPaw
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by PawPaw »

skb12172 wrote:I'm intrigued, Paw Paw.
Ain't nothing to it. The realm of mouse-fart loads is an intriguing study.

Take a cast bullet for .32-20 (.312 diameter, 115 grain, like this). If you buy them they're a dime apiece, but if you cast them from whatever scrap lead you have laying around, they're almost free.

A large primer and two or three grains of Bullseye, Unique, Red Dot, or Promo, and try that out. In any one of the .30 caliber rifles and you've got a dandy squirrel/possum/varmint round. Personally, I like the .30-30 in a single-shot Handi rifle that I have scoped with a 4X rimfire scope. It's illegal to use for squirrels hereabouts, simply because of the way the law is written, but it's dandy for lots of other gunning tasks.

This ain't rocket science. It's mouse-fart loads.
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blackeagle603
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by blackeagle603 »

For the sheer geekery of it, reloading a rimfire has great appeal.

The practicality of it is a function of primer prices. Never thought I'd see the day it was cheaper to shoot cast boolit 38 Special reloads than 22LR but that past 6 years put that in play. Of course I was fat on primer stock and had the option open to me.

If we got tight enough on primers again, the ability to mix up primer goo and reload a rimfire would be interesting. Especially if it involved some old rimfire cowboy calibers not just 22LR.
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Old Grafton
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by Old Grafton »

Want some simple plink loads? Use your favorite .224 bore rifle with reloadable cases--set aside a resized quantity (necks run into the sizer die without using an expander) with flash holes drilled out oversize to 3/32" (The flash holes are drilled oversize to prevent the primers from backing out of the cases), primed with standard or magnum primers (your choice, experiment), and thumb-press .22 caliber airgun pellets skirt-first into the necks til flush.

The pellets weigh approximately 15 grains and the bang! of the primer will expand the skirts into the rifling giving really good accuracy out to about 25 yards or more and capable of thoroughly whacking starlings etc.

Just be sure to permanently mark those modified cases so they're never again used with full-power loads. (I just file a shallow "X" across the case head.)
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Steamforger
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by Steamforger »

I suspect this is much faster and just as useful.

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evan price
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by evan price »

I've been loading a single "0" buckshot pellet into 32 S&W Long cases with some fast powder and enjoying them in my 32's. The .320 pellet swages down to a sort of capsule shape when seated and lightly roll crimped. Sure it's not a rifle but I bet that would work great in a 30-cal rifle, too. The "0" pellet weighs about 45 grains iirc.

I can reload my own non-magnum centerfire pistols with my own cast bullets cheaper than 22 LR these days. The 22s have just been gathering dust except what I give the kids.
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Termite
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by Termite »

evan price wrote:I've been loading a single "0" buckshot pellet into 32 S&W Long cases with some fast powder and enjoying them in my 32's. The .320 pellet swages down to a sort of capsule shape when seated and lightly roll crimped. Sure it's not a rifle but I bet that would work great in a 30-cal rifle, too. The "0" pellet weighs about 45 grains iirc.
000 buck works in a .38/.357 S&W, .358 Win, 35 Whelen, or .35 Rem. Use the BPI brand(.360 dia), not Hornady(.350). But for better accuracy, use really light "tuna can" wadcutters.
Last edited by Termite on Fri Aug 21, 2015 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Rumpshot
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Re: Reloading .22 Long Rifle now a thing.

Post by Rumpshot »

One of the guys I hang out with builds some really nice rifles and pistols. Muzzle loaders. He showed me several .22 caliber pistols he has built. Most were flintlock. He has a mold for .22 minie balls for them. two or three grains of 4F black powder and ta-da a very inexpensive, but fun pistol to shoot. Much quicker to reload than .22LR...
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