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Best .22 LR Rimfire Ammo: Accuracy, Plinking, & Hunting

Too many choices? We'll help you choose the best .22 LR rimfire ammo for plinking, accuracy, hunting, and even sub-sonic loads.
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    Most people’s first time shooting is with a .22 LR firearm.

    But what .22 LR ammo do you choose?

    There are dozens, even hundreds, of brands and types, so what is the best one?

    Fully Upgraded 10/22 with Magpul Stock and Tandemkross Upgrades
    Fully Upgraded 10/22

    Is there a best one? As with any other type of ammo, what .22 LR you buy depends on what you want to do with it.

    But don’t worry; I’ll walk through my favorite rounds for cheap plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even going subsonic.

    Popular .22LR Ammo
    Popular .22LR Ammo

    Here are the current best options, with the most budget options coming in around 6 cents per round.

    .22LR Ammo In Stock

    Deal
    Grain
    Cost Per Round
    Notes
    36gr
    $0.06
    Free shipping
    40gr
    $0.06
    40gr
    $0.09
    40gr
    $0.08
    40gr
    $0.09

    Lucky Gunner also has more obscure varieties, and Creedmoor Sports has more competition loads.

    Table of Contents

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    Best .22LR Ammo

    For Plinking

    1. Remington Thunderbolt

    Usually, the cheapest rounds…but some guns don’t like them. 

    Mine have no complaints, but I read enough about them that I would test them out first before taking the plunge and stacking deep.

    29
    at Palmetto State Armory

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    2. Federal Auto Match

    With this one, you get 325 rounds of affordable .22 LR that’s mostly available nowadays. No complaints in my bolts or semi-autos.

    29
    at Lucky Gunner

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    3. Federal Champion

    I’ve shot the most with Federal Champion (and most of my .22 LR ammo reserve is this brand).

    For hunting, the name of the game is to get a quick/clean kill without making too much of the meat inedible.  

    Usually, this means going with a high-velocity, hollow-point (HP) bullet.

    3
    at Palmetto State Armory

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    What do you think of Federal Champion? Be sure to rate it below!

    Readers' Ratings

    4.97/5 (1653)

    Your Rating?

    For Hunting

    4. CCI Stinger

    CCI is the gold standard in small game hunting — fast, accurate, and deadly with its copper-plated 32-grain hollow point bullet.  

    Can’t go wrong with this one, and has enough oomph to cycle semi-autos.

    8
    at Brownells

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    5. CCI Standard Velocity

    Again, CCI makes this list — this time in the form of the Standard Velocity.

    To be honest, this is one of my favorite all-around loads in terms of price and reliability.  

    10
    at Palmetto State Armory

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    For Suppressed Shooting

    6. CCI Subsonic HP

    Are you seeing a pattern here? CCI hits our list again with the Subsonic HP variant. This one happens to be my favorite overall subsonic round.  

    You get the accuracy and reliability of CCI, and it’s not so slow (1,050 feet-per-second) that it can’t run on semi-autos.

    15
    at Lucky Gunner

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    7. Aguila Super Colibri

    Powder? Who needs powder?

    These rounds run off only the primer meaning they are super quiet and super slow (420 feet-per-second).

    Downside is…they won’t run in your semi, though.

    5
    at Lucky Gunner

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    For Long Range Precision

    8. Lapua Center-X

    This is generally accepted as the gold standard for long-range .22 LR shooting. If you’re ready to spend some money and get the best, Lapua Center-X is the first you should try.

    It won’t be the absolute best for every rifle — but odds are it’s at least in the top three for your rifle.

    Center-X is exclusively what I shoot at matches of 100 yards or longer.

    17
    at Brownells

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    9. SK Ammo — Standard Plus, Rifle Match, Long Range Match

    Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between these three. I’ve tested all three, and my results depend on the rifle. But all of my rifles love at least one of them.

    SK Rifle Match and Long Range Match are both 1 MOA for me at 100 yards; Standard Plus opens up a little but has a better standard deviation normally.

    Pick one or all three and give them a try!

    8
    at GrabAGun

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    10. Norma TAC-22

    I like this one since it works well in my semi-auto guns, like the 10/22 and .22 LR AR clones.

    If you’ve got a suppressor or want to be a little quieter…going subsonic is the way to go.  

    It sounds like a cap gun instead of having the *CLAP* of a faster-than-sound bullet.

    12
    at GrabAGun

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    Match Your Ammo To Your Use

    From plinking to hunting to long-range, we have all of the recommendations.

    Broadly speaking .22 LR fits into a few use cases:

    • Plinking
    • Hunting
    • Suppressed
    • Long-Range Precision

    Plinking is just what it sounds like. It’s learning how to shoot or teaching others. It’s keeping your skills sharp. Or maybe you just want to turn some money into noise and have a good time!

    Fully Upgraded 10/22
    Fully Upgraded 10/22

    In any of those cases, you want reliable ammo strong enough to cycle semi-auto guns and hopefully cheap.

    Hunting might be super- or sub-sonic for use with suppressors. Either way, you want reliable ammo and should be willing to pay a few more pennies for it.

    Suppressed is its own category since the ammo is weaker than normal. Sometimes a little weaker, sometimes a lot. You can hunt with it if the critter is small enough and you’re close enough, or you can just have fun with it.

    Long-Range Precision is gaining a lot of popularity with NRL22 and NRL22X! We’re going to assume that you want to shoot at least 100 yards with your .22 LR, but 400+ isn’t out of the question, either. You’ll want very consistent ammo that is reliable and sub-sonic. This…won’t come cheap (for .22 LR).

    Bergara B-14r on the ShadowTech PIG0311
    Bergara B-14r on the ShadowTech PIG0311. Precision .22 LR Goodness

    “But what about self-defense!” you might ask. Unfortunately, .22 LR cartridges can’t be relied upon to effectively stop a threat or go off every single time.

    Modern .22 LR is decent, but we don’t consider it reliable enough for self-defense — not when other options like 9mm and .45 ACP are out there.

    Centerfire vs Rimfire Primer
    Centerfire vs Rimfire Primer

    Final Thoughts

    So there you have it…our roundup of the best .22 LR for plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even sub-sonic.

    More Popular Ammo Brands
    More Popular Ammo Brands

    As with anything ammo-related, try a box out before you commit to a case or more, as some .22 LR guns are notoriously picky when it comes to ammo.

    Did we miss any that you really think belongs here? Let us know! If you’re looking for a new .22 LR, take a look at the 7 Best .22 LR Rifles! And for more calibers, check out Best Places to Buy Ammo Online.

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    67 Leave a Reply

    • Commenter Avatar
      Paul Salmon

      I had very good results shooting the Aguila Super Colibri ammo out of my Ruger Wrangler birdshead revolver with a 3.75 inch barrel at 5-10 yards. Accuracy was better than I expected, considering most of the writing on the box was not in English. Very good accuracy at 5-10 yards. This ammo was much quieter than CCI 22lr Quiet Semi-auto or CCI 22 short ammo. The 22 short ammo was not as quiet as I expected, and maybe slightly louder than the Quiet Semi-auto ammo out of a 3.75 inch barrel. As a comparison, 22lr Blazer ammo was louder than any of these.

      May 1, 2023 11:29 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Brant Hurlburt

      Do you know of .22 LR that will work on a lighter firing pin strike? Trying to find something that will work on a conversion kit without having to change to a heavier hammer spring.
      Thx
      Brant

      April 18, 2023 2:02 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      vance price

      ERIC I NEED TO KNOW WHAT 22 AMMUNITION WILL PERFORM IN A 22 LONG RIFLE WILL BE USED FOR RODENNTS THANKS AGAIN VANCE

      April 16, 2023 4:34 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Gary Kim

      Eric, I've been using TargetSportsUSA for a while now and was surprised they didn't make your list. . .

      March 7, 2023 8:36 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      RF

      You didn’t mention Eley. This article is pretty bad if it doesn’t mention Eley.

      January 21, 2023 4:44 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Steven Iker

        Erick, I am using a .22LR Ruger 10/22 semi rifle and a .22 LR Ruger Mark II Target. I believe the CCI Stinger has a longer casing than the standard .22 LR shells. Is there a problem with using the CCI Stingers in the rifle and handgun I have?
        Thank You, Steve

        May 7, 2023 7:45 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Mark Olejarczyk

      Can't believe that Remington Thunderbolt .22lr made you list of best .22 ammo. It simply will not process in either my pistol or rifle without problems!

      October 26, 2022 8:30 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Eric johnson

      Thank you for posting this Eric!

      July 19, 2022 12:13 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Daniel Bracey

      I have a Taurus TX22 that is not very picky. I mostly use Federal Range Pack — probably 4,000 rounds so far. Good value and if I keep my gun — and magazines — clean, it runs all day long with rare failures (say 1 in 200-300 rounds). All CCI is fine, as is Norma TAC22. The gun HATES Remington — Golden Bullet, Thunderbolt, you name it, if it’s Remington, my gun chokes constantly. I have Federal Punch and Winchester Silvertip at home for backup self defense.

      February 24, 2022 4:34 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Eric Stoermer

        This info was super helpful. I just picked my TX22 yesterday. Can't wait to put it to the test!! Thank you.

        February 19, 2023 9:12 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Rex T. Dog

      We are primarily plinkers, and put economy over performance...so our shelf is full of thunderbolts, golden bullets, federal range pack,champions, and automatch, blazers, aguila, and some select cci...the stash is cci and norma...the one brand we don't care for is winchester, it seems their quality control sorely lacking...

      November 16, 2021 12:38 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      RES

      How can you have such a huge range of 22 ammo and not have one word about the 22 cal shot shells? Which by the way, I cannot for the life of me, find anywhere. Yeah, CCI blue capsules are available but they do not do the job of the old crimp ended ones. If you are going to pay from 50 cent to almost a dollar a piece, a person wants what he wants not a substitute. Great article, otherwise.

      September 25, 2021 3:06 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Half A Kilderkin

      What do you think of Eley?

      August 4, 2021 11:36 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        LDFalks

        Eley Team is all I use for NRL22 and NRL22X matches. Runs great, sub-MOA at 100 and spins a KYL rack like nobody's business.

        May 5, 2022 6:08 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Jim Edge

      Very surprised that CCI Minin mag nor Aguila Super Extra weren’t in the mix. Both cycle semiautomatic rifles and pistols with exceptionally high reliability. Copper cladding reduces fouling. Forty grain at 1200 FPS is huntable too. Why the omission?

      August 3, 2021 6:18 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Keith P.

      Reliability is my #1 criteria in buying ammo. .22 firearms in general are just finicky, and that goes double for semi-autos that need enough blowback gas to cycle properly. I have found that 40 grain bullets rated for 1200 fps provide enough force to cycle just about any semiauto, including the notoriously picky Walther P22. Also, copper plated rounded bullets tend to feed better in stock guns than plain lead round noses, which can get hung up on just about any sharp edge or feed ramp imperfection. Finally, hyper velocity rounds like the Yellow Jacket cause problems with some of my guns with unpredictable case ejection issues and unburned powder flares.

      Some companies like Norma put a lot of lubricant on the outside of the rounds to improve feeding and ejection in tight match chambers. I find this messy and annoying.

      My go-to ammo for reliability? CCI Mini-Mags or CCI Velocitors. They just never fail to feed, fire, or eject. After that I'll take any high velocity (1200 fps class) copper plated round nose ammo from a reputable company like Winchester, Fiocchi, or Remington. I stay away from 22 subsonic ammo, super-light bullets, odd bullet shapes, and especially no-name brands. For me there's just no point in ammo that won't cycle the action properly, no matter how cheap, accurate, or novel.

      July 22, 2021 3:47 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Jim Edge

        Absolutely! I’ve recently added Aguila Super Extra to my CCI Minimag stock. Over 400 rounds in my semiautomatic pistols and rifles with rarely a failure to eject feed or fire.

        August 3, 2021 6:26 pm
        • Commenter Avatar
          Keith P.

          Yes those are pretty good also. The gold standard for reliability is CCI MiniMags/Velocitors/AR Tactical. I've also had perfect reliability from Fiocchi Performance and Federal Champion. But I would put Aguila Super Extra (both 36 and 40 grain) right up there near the top for reliability as well.

          September 6, 2021 10:01 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        OldTimeKGB

        Love CCI Stingers, too. High velocity HP that seem to feed and extract well. They’re not cheap anymore, but what is these days?

        February 12, 2022 9:33 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        Heath

        All the .22 LR I have is CCI Stingers and Standard Velocity. I have a small coffee can of mixed randoms for when I need to put down a chicken or cat.

        June 9, 2022 9:31 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Vincent Alan Alberry

      I am one of your faithfuls in Australia. I do not know if you have SK ammo in America. Here I use the SK Rifle Match and Pistol Match. Excellent. Never had a failure, accuracy is great, you should try some if available.

      June 7, 2021 2:37 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        David, PPT Editor

        Love SK ammo!

        This article is very out of date and will be updated soon!

        June 7, 2021 6:31 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      JDuB

      Eley ammo from England makes a very nice ammo. Cleaner burning than most and my GSG Firefly LOVES it.

      Remington Thunderbolts are DIRTY. You really have to CLEAN your weapon after 50-100rds and I mean CLEAN IT. The barrel will get fouled and the breach is so dirty, it's ridiculous. I'm working on my last boxes and... never again.

      The Federal 800 box is a good buy and seems to run well.

      May 18, 2021 10:03 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Norman Brumley

      Before the Covid drought on ammo, I was able to regularly get Armscore 22lrhp rounds for $19.99 for a 500 round brick at Rural King, which is (was) a great price. Accuracy wise it was right in there with CCI Mini Mags. It shoots about one moa out of my Ruger 10/22 target. Fortunately, I had bought a few bricks before the drought hit. If I had known it was going to be like it is now however, I would have bought a whole lot more. It's the best. 22lr "bang for the buck" I've found anywhere. I absolutely can't wait until they're back on the shelf.

      January 27, 2021 2:45 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Michael

      The "RWS" is the only brand and item i have not tried in your list and normally use the CCI and Fiocchi as well as the Winchester. Although i was hoping ot see a mention of a few 22WMR brands that are as good? I do already buy CCI and Fiocchi in the WMR but any other brands really good for target competition shooting?

      January 26, 2021 6:14 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      THOMAS L SHIELDS

      Plinking is no fun if you can't hit what you're shooting at. Not all ammo needs to be match grade, but: In my experience shooting both with a Ruger Precision Rimfire and a Henry H001 lever-action, the Remington Auto Match ammo is terrible. Flyers everywhere, making you chase your targeting when it's actually your ammo that can't hit s**t. It's cheap but not worth the frustration.

      August 26, 2020 4:30 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        THOMAS L SHIELDS

        Correction: I intended to say Federal Auto Match. I have a box (less about 50 rounds) that I will never shoot because it is just terrible.

        August 26, 2020 4:33 pm
        • Commenter Avatar
          Rex T. Dog

          Agree the automatch is flunky ammo, but at about 6.5 cents a round we buy it anyway...when we use it we have an easy excuse for lousy shooting, and making cheap noise is still fun...

          November 16, 2021 12:44 pm
        • Commenter Avatar
          Samuel

          Auto Match truly is horrible ammunition. I can not think of one plinking session where I have not experienced multiple different issues. I have never had a squib but every once in awhile I hear a low pop rather than the typical 22lr report which requires time down for a safety inspection. I wouldn’t even bother with them if I didn’t have a good supply that were purchased for a few cents a round. Good enough for plinking with family and it certainly offers good opportunities to teach others how to handle random malfunctions properly and safely.

          July 22, 2022 2:54 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Heath

        Remington everything does the same things in my 22's. Model 60s, 10/22s, RPR, Henry lever all like CCI.

        June 9, 2022 9:37 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Rick

      What about Eley Tenex? All my Anschutz rifles live this and it wins international matches.

      August 12, 2020 7:27 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        David, PPT Editor

        HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE update to this article coming soon! Not positive that will be on the list but we're trying!

        August 12, 2020 7:32 pm
        • Commenter Avatar
          THOMAS L SHIELDS

          You should definitely add Eley Tenex to the list!

          August 26, 2020 4:26 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Rudy Rash

      Growing up on a farm where we butchered our own meat the bullet of choice as a .22 short fired point blank from a single shot rifle. No mention was ever made of other bullet specs only that the bullet had to be a .22 short otherwise the bullet could travel into the shoulder meat.

      If today's kids had to watch or participate in this up close and personal style of animal slaughter and see the results of being shot then there would be far fewer kids playing with guns.

      March 28, 2020 7:53 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        jtrosse

        Yep, I can still remember my dad using my Marlin .22lr rifle for a head shot at very close range to kill our hog to start the process.

        The 'gator hunters cable show also mostly use .22 rifles to kill them with a head shot.

        April 2, 2020 10:37 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Terry

      Joining late to the discussion, but I have found Remington bulk stuff consistently gums up my autos, pistols and rifles alike, and frequently fails to extract or cycle, with failure to fire problems caused by what I speculate is hard brass primed rims. My Browning Auto22 is the worst victim of this with its bottom ejection of gunk down through it bolt and rail system. Very disappointing ammo. The Winchester T22 bulk stuff is even worse, with regular failure to fire from 'bad' primers, even in my various bolt actions, including a Win. 52C.
      I also found that the only 'general use' brands consistently reliable, 'good' cycling, clean and accurate are the Federal Auto Match and Champion you mentioned, and CCI throughout their line. It is all I will buy, when on sale if possible.

      January 17, 2020 11:18 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Dean

      Eric, the Aquilla Super Extra is a high velocity round. The one you're thinking of is the Aquilla Super Colibri, that is the one that is driven by only a primer charge. To make it a little more confusing, the Aguilla Colibri is driven by the primer plus a very small powder charge.
      My favorite low power round is the CCI Super Quiet, it is a .22 short powder charge in a .22 LR case, it sounds and hits like a magnum pellet rifle, it won't cycle but it's fun in my bolt action.

      December 26, 2019 11:46 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        David, PPT Editor

        Good catch! Thanks for pointing that out, I've fixed it.

        December 26, 2019 11:51 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        CuDa

        actually the Colabri is the slower at 420 ( pistol only) the super calabri is 520 (most rifles have chance to clear bore, older tight bore rifles may not but listed as pistol only), I use the super daily for squirrel, get the job done with ear and eye shots!

        June 1, 2020 6:33 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Evan Custer

      The Remington ammo left my gun FILTHY! Not to mention the rounds themselves are covered in lead powder. I also have had cycling problems with this ammo. I would not recommend.

      December 15, 2019 8:54 pm
    • Commenter Avatar
      Brian

      SK rifle match ammo! Nothing else

      May 19, 2019 9:01 am
    • Commenter Avatar
      Peter Zenewicz

      Maybe you should update this? Thunderbolt? Really? Have you ever shot Thunderbolts, and pulled chunks of lead out of the barrrel? Meanwhile Federal 550 is selling for 20 bucks at Walmart and they are loaded with them, and I just shot over 700 in my pistol, without cleaning, and may go a few hundred more. And not one dud. You are lucky to shoot 10 Thunderturds without a dud. Maybe that's why you get them at Luck Gougers. I have a brick of Thunderbolts I may give away, if anyone will take it. I seriously doubt they are the best value for anything, except screwing up your firearm.

      March 2, 2019 11:07 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Rob

        You are absolutely correct. I keep my thunderbolt as shtf barter ammo. It is the worst for reliability. CCI rarely ever lets me down.

        April 21, 2019 1:46 pm
      • Commenter Avatar
        Thomas

        Good assessment. Thunderbolts are the worst rounds I've ever fired. I just bought a case of Armscor 22 lr ammo that's been treating me very good!!

        June 6, 2019 10:10 am
      • Commenter Avatar
        Bill

        Peter,
        Same experience with Thunderbolt here. At about one hundred rounds, they began to keyhole my targets and became very inaccurate. Took forever to remove the lead from my relatively new MP 22 and ruined a new bore brush. Thank goodness I had bore snake that finished the job. Shoot cci and Agulla and never have inconsistency and leading issues that that I had with TB.

        January 2, 2020 8:06 am