.22 Long

.22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) 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 (1.9 g) bullet and 5 grains (0.32 g) of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on. It was designed for use in revolvers, but was soon chambered in rifles as well, in which it gained a strong reputation as a small game cartridge, and sold very well.

In 1887 the .22 Long case was combined with the heavier 40 grain (2.6 g) bullet of the .22 Extra Long of 1880 to produce the .22 Long Rifle giving a longer overall length, a higher muzzle energy and superior performance as a hunting and target round, rendering the .22 Long and .22 Extra Long obsolete. For a time there was a considerable price difference between the .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle and the .22 Long held on with budget minded shooters until the price advantage finally disappeared. No new firearms are designed specifically to use .22 Long and the largest three producers of .22 Long ammunition ceased production (although it continues to be made by CCI, Aguila, and others). Many .22 Long Rifle guns will chamber and fire the shorter round, though the .22 Long generally does not generate sufficient energy to operate semi-automatic guns. The one prominent survivor of the .22 Long is the .22 CB Long, a long-cased version of the .22 CB.