Probably a stupid question from a new guy..

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Mr Smith1

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Hey all,

As the title says, this is a stupid question. :rolleyes: Is it at all possible to load .22lr rimfire rounds yourself? Not reloading, as i get the impression that they can't be reloaded for some reason.

So my two questions are;

1. Is it possible to load .22 rimfire ammo at all?
2. Is it possible to reload rimfire ammo?
3. If it isn't viable, then why not?

Im not really into centrefire shooting, i've only done it a few times and i only own rimfire weapons, so if you guys could just answer the question straight up that'd be great. :D
 
Since the priming compound is in the rim, there really isn't any way to reload them unlike a centerfire, where the primer is easily replaced.
 
Would you want to sit down and reload 500-1000 of them for a day at the range? Probably not.
There was a tool used to reload the shell, but it turns the shell into a bullet for centre fire .22 rifles
 
If a person had a bunch of .22 rounds that they wanted to "reload" by pulling them apart amd making tier own loads, then, yes, it's certainly possible.

The problem with reloading spent casings is the crimped rim after firing. There isn't really a good way to "fix" it, nor to clean the void in the rim of the burnt primer material ... and you are still left trying to make some sort of new "primer" material, and finding a way to ensure it is evenly distributed into the rim.

It isn't "impossible", as I know there are folks who reload other larger rimfire rounds - but for the cost of most .22 ammunition, I don't believe reloading would be an effective adventure.

BUT ... please feel free to look into it and prove me wrong ... I for one would love someone to show me how to reload reliable .22's for a few cents a piece :D
 
525 rounds for $21 from federal, unless you can find cheaper bullets than that, you're not going to have any commercial demand, which would cause more people to want to do it. Have a heck of a time getting the old compound out, and handling the fresh priming compound, would be a lot more complicated than just pushing a new primer into a centrefire round. You'd only need a grain or two of powder, so that part would be cheap, but aside from casting and wax coating your own own bullets, there's no way you'll ever find bullets cheaper than loaded rounds already are.
 
It's possible, just not practical or economical. Not really heavy on safe either, as most rimfire reloading ends up reliant on some sketchy home brewed primer materials.

There have been times when batches of primed cases have been sold, for guys to experiment with, but between the cost, rarity, and that they have been pretty much ruled out of competitive shooting, not much of that happens either.

Cheers
Trev
 
I recall a kit of some sort that had a tool to allow the priming compound to be dripped into the case and spin it into place where it would set up as a solid.

There has been a fellow on the Shiloh Rifle forum who was loading .22 LR with black powder and casting his own bullets. w44wcf is his handle. He got the bugs worked out and is having some sucess. He found a place to buy primed brass I think. Ordered a custom mould from NEI, and crimped the bullets in place with a .224 cast bullet sizing die. Had it all worked out, so yes... yes you can. All's you need is the desire to be different. :p

Related story. There were also accounts from the 1860's and 70's of .44 Henry rimfire cases being reloaded using the compound that adorned strike anywhere matches. It was ground up, mixed with something to make a paste, and it would evaporate, and the only hang up would be the dead spot where the firing pin had struck the case head. Mind you , it could just be folklore.
 
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Short Knife Johnson - I heard the same story about using match-head compound to reload many years ago. It was from the Old USSR, in the back of beyond in Siberia. The story said they soaked the matches, cut off the heads with a knife, ground the wet tips into a paste and poked it into the rim with a wooden stick. That it might work seems plausible, but what it would do to the bore makes me cringe; most of them contain ground glass.

In any case, essentially pointless in the here and now.
 
The only stupid question is the one not asked! In a rimfire, the primer compound is in the rim,they get it there by high speed spinning,or did in the early days.
 
All you would be doing with your free time is loading .22's . That would take forever, you would have to take a week off t shoot for a day.lol
 
The only advantage to taking loaded rounds apart(pulling the bullets) would be to dump the powder and reload with black powder and replace with orig. bullet or one of your own make. This would be interesting to try as the .22 RF was made for many years using Black powder way before smokeless was invented.
 
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