Rimfire Rifles: What and Why?

[WitBlitz]

Hi Guys,

Very new to the firearm world. Currently going through the process of getting my first ever handgun, a Glock 19X.

Obviously, that also means that I have been going down various research rabbit holes ranging from handloading and ammunition to rifle types etc etc.

For most of the questions that I have, I can usually find the answer on this forum or via a quick Google search. Then I came across what is called a rimfire rifle and I don't know why, but I cannot seem to find any nice explanations of what it is, how it works and why it exists.

I understand that the two main types are centrefire and rimfire now. Centrefire is pretty self-explanatory and, I assume, works in more or less the same way as a pistol does via striking a hammer to the centre back of a round and so forth.

Basically, I would just like to answer the following 3x questions:


What are rimfire rifles?
How do rimfire rifles work?
What makes them better/worse than centrefire rifles?


I apologize if this is a stupid question, I would just like to know out of pure interest.

[BehindBlueI's]

They work pretty much the same, the only difference is where the primer is located. Centerfire means there is a primer in the center of the rear of the cartridge seated in a primer cup. The firing pin strikes the primer, the primer fires, and that fire and touches off the powder in the cartridge. Rimfire doesn't have a distinct primer, it has priming compound located in the rim of the cartridge. The hammer hits the rim, which fires the priming compound, which touches off the powder in the cartridge.

Centerfire can generally be reloaded by pushing out the old primer and seating a new one, then loading powder and a new bullet. Centerfire is reloadable in the technical sense that it's possible but the level of bother and cost means that in reality it's not reloadable.

Rimfire in modern times is exclusively the realm of small caliber cartridges, predominately the .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .17 HMR. Historically, there are some larger rimfires like the .38 rimfire, but they've all fallen to the wayside over the years in favor of centerfire.

[Nephrology]

Welcome to the board and to the shooting sports at large! Glad you are joining us. the Glock 19X is a great first handgun, you'll be very happy with it.

Re: your questions, BBI already covered them pretty well. to #3, Rimfire ammo in general is a little less reliable than centerfire ammo all things being equal. They use a centrifuge to evenly distribute primer compound along the full circumference of the case rim, but as you can imagine this isn't always perfect, so failures to fire (ie pull the trigger, no bang) are fairly common with rimfire rifles and pistols. You also can't easily reload rimfire brass, so that is a disadvantage from the hobbyist POV as well.

[peterb]

“Rimfire” in modern rifles covers the common lower-power small-caliber cartridges, such as .22LR(by far the most common), .22WMR, and .17HMR.

Rimfire cartridges are inexpensive to manufacture because there is no separate primer, but they cannot be reloaded the same way centerfire cartridges can.

Current rimfire rifles tend to have smaller, lighter actions than centerfire rifles because they do not have to withstand the higher pressures of modern centerfire rifle cartridges.

One would choose a rimfire or centerfire rifle according to which cartridge one wanted to use.

In a rimfire rifle, the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge to ignite the priming compound. In a centerfire rifle, the firing pin strikes the primer located in the center of the cartridge base.

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[TGS]

What are rimfire rifles?

Rimfire predates centerfire. I don't know how familiar you are with the American Civil War, but many of the first metallic cartridge designs that popped up around that time were rimfire, when designers were still trying new things. As you do more research on firearms, you might come across the Spencer repeating rifle and Henry repeating rifle from the US Civil War...these were the two most successful rimfire guns at the dawn of the metallic cartridge era.

This is opposed to pinfire cartridges which were much more popular in Europe, which each individual cartridge actually had the firing pin built into the side of the case rim and punctured the priming compound when hit from the side by the hammer. Centerfire cartridges as we know them today didn't come until the mid-late 1860s as technology progressed....you'll most often hear these referred to as boxer-primed and berdan-primed, which were patented in 1868 and 1866, if I recall. Many rimfire weapons at this time that were intended for serious use, such as the Swiss Vetterli infantry rifle, had a two-pronged firing pin to increase the chances of good contact on priming compound spread throughout the rim.

Rimfire remained in popular use throughout the rest of the 1800s, with most rimfire rifle/pistol cartridges going out of production (for good) during the Great Depression. Only a few have survived, most notably the .22LR (and it's interchangeable brothers, the 22 Short and 22 Long) as they can't use the popular centerfire primers due to the small diameter of their case heads. .22s are typically only used for target shooting and informal fun, so the fact they're insanely cheap and generally used for training and recreational purposes outweighs the loss of reliability compared to more expensive centerfire guns. The .22 Magnum was designed in the 50s for people wanting a cheap cartridge but better for varmint hunting than the 22LR. The .22 Magnum is the only rimfire cartridge introduced in the 20th century that has survived the test of time and still remains popular; the other rimfires introduced in the 20th century have all fallen into obscurity.

The most recent rimfire cartridge that has been successful is the .17 HMR, introduced in the early 2000s. It is essentially a 22 Magnum that has been "necked-down" at the case mouth to accept a .17 caliber bullet instead of a .22 caliber bullet. Its primary use is for varmint hunting, as its faster and has a flatter trajectory than .22 Magnum and especially 22LR. That's helpful when shooting varmints such from 100 yards or further.

[nycnoob]

I think you are getting too much detail from the other posters.
I will try to give you broad overview.

Rimfire rifles are cheap rifles that shoot cheap ammo (last time
I bought some rimfire it was 0.05USD per round for the cheap stuff,
223 was about 0.40-0.60USD at that time).

The bullets are small and recoil is soft and the noise is minimal.
they are great for target practice but not considered effective on any
animals bigger than a cat. This make the rifles good for practice and
competition but poor choice for defense. Rimfire cartridges are not
considered as reliable as centerfire.

I much prefer using rimfire rifles for marksmanship practice as I am
quite sensitive to the recoil/noise of my other rifles, and the ammo
being much cheaper makes it easier to spend an afternoon working on
marksmanship drills. (though 223 is a similar size it is particularly loud)
We have a program in the USA (appleseed https://appleseedinfo.org) to
teach marksmanship using mostly rimfire rifles with scaled targets at
25Meters which is intended to help simulate shooting centerfire rifles
at 500Meters.


Centerfire rifles, the firing pin strikes the primer in the center of
the cartridge. In rimfire the firing pin its the edge of the cartridge
and squeezes the rim of the cartridge. The priming compound
is in the cartridge rim and not a separate component. You can not
make a very large rimfire cartridge.



Here is a size comparison of 22lr (rimfire) and 223 (centerfire)
these two are frequently compared since the two projectiles
have nearly the same diameter, and both are popular cartidges
in their various areas

http://i0.wp.com/cagmain.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/22_penny_223-tfb.jpg?w=750&ssl=1

[alamo5000]

What are rimfire rifles?
How do rimfire rifles work?
What makes them better/worse than centrefire rifles?


I apologize if this is a stupid question, I would just like to know out of pure interest.

Any genuine question is not stupid.

Rimfire is a reference to the ammunition. Way back when 150 something +++ years ago they developed metallic cartridges. As part of that process of development (over time) was the creation of 'rimfire' ammunition. What this means is they take a single piece of brass and basically crimp a head on it. Inside that head they would put the priming compound. Generally speaking after the round is fired the left over case is discarded.

.22 Long Rifle is by far the most popular of the rimfire cartridges, but there are far more than just one.

Centerfire (pistol or rifle) is a different variation on ammunition. The primer is a separate component. You have the piece of brass, which has a hole taken out of the head of it that is just the perfect size for a primer to fit in. These primers can be punched out after the cartridge is fired and that brass can be used over and over again.

Centerfire is substantially more reliable in it's design and nature than rimfire. With rimfire (which are usually small calibers) if the ammo is jostled around a lot or subjected to a 'rough ride' of some sort the priming compound can come loose inside the case and it will create a dud round.

(Note: Priming compound is the stuff that creates the initial ignition. Hence the 'hammer' or striker of the gun hits the primer and it causes a chain reaction that leads to the gunpowder being ignited. The main difference between rimfire and centerfire is how that priming compound is introduced into the cartridge)

The discussion of better or worse is not really anything to get into yet (per se). It's more like 'different' rather than better/worse. That said centerfire has some very real advantages. Durability is one. Reliability is another. Also the ability to reuse the brass over and over is another. The last statement there also means you can reload (and tailor make) your ammo to your particular gun which is not really a thing with rimfire.

That said if I am hunting rabbits or squirrels a .22 LR is going to be far superior than trying to use a big centerfire. It just depends on what you are doing.

[peterb]

You can not make a very large rimfire cartridge.

You can, but there are none in current volume production.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.44_Henry

Rimfire rifles are often inexpensive, which is part of the attraction, but as with any type of firearm, there are options at all price levels. There are many target competitions specifically for the rimfire calibers(usually .22LR), and the rifles built for competition are not cheap.

[nycnoob]

There are many target competitions specifically for the rimfire calibers(usually .22LR), and the rifles built for competition are not cheap.


A friend and I went to a rimfire competition a few years ago. We were hoping for some informal comp to improve our marksmanship skills. The people at the comp at 4,000USD rifles, and small weather stations to read the wind
and pressure. The targets were at 50 yards and about the size of a dime (2cm). we thought it was hysterical,
all that money in the equipment end of things. We wanted a more "practical" competition cheap rifles and
an emphasis more on time and ability to get into shooting positions. My rimfire rifles are only about (300USD)
Just some cheap Ruger 10/22's

[OlongJohnson]

In North America, at least, the Glock 19 of rimfire rifles is the Ruger 10/22. It's kind of the standard for teaching a young (or grown-up) person how to shoot. Cheap, ubiquitous, and good enough. They can also be modified for improved accuracy, to the point that there are multiple aftermarket companies supplying parts to build a whole rifle without using anything Ruger. Or you can even buy a whole rifle that looks and acts just like a 10/22, but performs a lot better - and costs a lot more.

I don't know how available a 10/22 might be in SA. You may be better off looking at European brands. CZ's current bolt-action rimfire is the 457, and the 512 is their semi-automatic. CZ rifles are very nice; I've owned several and still have a couple. Anschutz is the high-end German target rifle. Bergara makes a good one, but it's expensive.

My current sweet spot for price/quality/performance is the Beretta T1x. It uses exactly the same stock as the centerfire T3x rifles (just an insert is used to take up the space left by the different barrel), so the ergonomics will be exactly the same if you later hunt with a T3x. It is usually sold out in the U.S.

I have a Savage MkII FVSR, but the amount of time and money it took to make it not embarrassing made me into a CZ guy until the Beretta T1x came out. It's worth buying a level of quality in the first place, rather than buying cheap and trying to upgrade. Especially if you're in a country that doesn't have a large and price-competitive aftermarket for accessories.

There are a bunch of other good rimfire rifles that could be worth the time. Marlin, Remington and others have all made some excellent ones over the years, and you may find them available inexpensively.

There are also rimfire pistols, which we do discuss here from time to time. The same ammo is used and the same principles of low cost shooting are in action.

Ammunition is very expensive in the U.S. currently, but a few years ago, I stocked up on cases of .22LR ammo at $200/5000, or $0.04/rd. This was when the cheapest 9mm ammo was ~$0.18/rd. Rimfire .22LR is currently about $0.10/rd, but 9mm is also ~$0.40/rd. The least expensive centerfire rifle ammo in the U.S., by far, is .223/5.56x45mm. A few years ago, it was ~$0.30/rd, but the least expensive you can find it currently is about 2x to 2.5x that once shipping is included. So you can do a lot more shooting with rimfire.

The rabbit hole for all things rimfire is here: https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/

[UNK]

There are multiple ways (firearms, calibers)to get into learning how to shoot. The difference is in the cost. Both for ammo and the firearms.
One of the cheapest ways to shoot is with pellet guns. Pellets are powered by air. You have guns that you cock once and they compress a certain amount of air internally to drive the pellet. There are also guns that you can use scuba tanks to charge. They are called pre charged.(PCP) they can be pretty powerfull close to the rimfire cartridge .22lr.
Quality varies from gun to gun and of course the higher the quality the higher the cost typically. Some people like to tinker and will take a less expensive gun and make it into a much nicer gun.
I have a buddy who professionally modifies airguns to make them more powerful and more accurate and he has customers from Africa. The advantage of airguns for places that are very restrictive about firearms is that they are usually easier to obtain and the pellets are a lot less expensive than powder driven bullets.
I asked him and he said a good website is Gateway to Airguns.
The main thing is to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. The fundamentals dont change from one firearm type to another. Just google “fundamentals of marksmanship”.
Good luck its a lot of fun and can be a lifetime pursuit.

[HCM]

There are multiple ways (firearms, calibers)to get into learning how to shoot. The difference is in the cost. Both for ammo and the firearms.
One of the cheapest ways to shoot is with pellet guns. Pellets are powered by air. You have guns that you cock once and they compress a certain amount of air internally to drive the pellet. There are also guns that you can use scuba tanks to charge. They are called pre charged.(PCP) they can be pretty powerfull close to the rimfire cartridge .22lr.
Quality varies from gun to gun and of course the higher the quality the higher the cost typically. Some people like to tinker and will take a less expensive gun and make it into a much nicer gun.
I have a buddy who professionally modifies airguns to make them more powerful and more accurate and he has customers from Africa. The advantage of airguns for places that are very restrictive about firearms is that they are usually easier to obtain and the pellets are a lot less expensive than powder driven bullets.
I asked him and he said a good website is Gateway to Airguns.
The main thing is to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. The fundamentals dont change from one firearm type to another. Just google “fundamentals of marksmanship”.
Good luck its a lot of fun and can be a lifetime pursuit.

Not sure about SA some places both outside and inside the USA air guns are also regulated like firearms.

[HCM]

For the OP:

.22 caliber rim fire ammunition such as the common .22 Long Rifle is also chambered in pistols for the same reasons as rifles - cheap practice with minimal recoil and blast.

Glock offers the Glock 44 pistol, a .22 rim fire version of the Glock 19. It will fit the same holsters as a Glock 19 or your Glock 19X.

Several companies also offer .22 rimfire “conversion kits” which fit the Glock 19X and Glock 45. These consist of a complete slide and magazines which allow you to shoot .22 rimfire when combined with your 19X frame.

Not sure about the gun laws in SA, but .22 rimfire conversion kits are popular in many countries because they often allow one to shoot .22 rimfire without going through the bother of buying another firearm.

If you were to get a .22 rimfire rifle, a pistol conversion kit for your Glock would be a logical choice since the use the same ammunition.

Popular brands of .22 caliber Glock conversion kits here in the USA are Advantage Arms (AA) and TacSol (Tactical Solutions).

.22 rimfire silencers can also be used on both 22 rifles and 22 pistols.

[HCM]

BigT

[UNK]

Not sure about SA some places both outside and inside the USA air guns are also regulated like firearms.

I know that some of his international customers thats about their only option. He told me there are airgun builders that have airguns that will kill American Buffalo, thats pretty impressive power. I know his conversion to shoot bullets on a Marauder is pretty impressive. And its got an un regulated shroud that makes it pretty quite straight from the mfg that can also be improved. I wouldnt hesitate to take a deer with one as long as I had a clean shot. Theres a discussion going on about silenced . 22s now in another thread. I think the air gun is an option that could be considered in certain scenarios.

To the OP the match you went to with all the high dollar equipment while it may seem ridiculous to the uninformed observer its really just a product of that level of competition. To be competitive at that level thats the cost. Im sure you can find matches that have less expensive equipment requirements. It really just depends what kind of competition the shooter wants to be involved in. Competition can be anywhere from Olympic level to some guys getting togather on a farm to have a friendly match. You cant buy skill but you can buy equipment. Its up to the shooter to learn the skills to be competitive at whatever level they want to shoot. Thats part of what makes it so fun to participate in whatever discipline floats your boat.
The mastering of the fundamentals along with experience will allow you to do well in whatever activity you choose.

[HCM]

I know that some of his international customers thats about their only option. He told me there are airgun builders that have airguns that will kill American Buffalo, thats pretty impressive power. I know his conversion to shoot bullets on a Marauder to shoot bullets is pretty impressive. And its got an un regulated shroud that makes it pretty quite straight from the mfg that can also be improved.

To the OP the match you went to with all the high dollar equipment while it may seem ridiculous to the uninformed observer its really just a product of that level of competition. To be competitive at that level thats the cost. Im sure you can find matches that have less expensive equipment requirements. It really just depends what kind of competition the shooter wants to be involved in. Competition can be anywhere from Olympic level to some guys getting togather on a farm to have a friendly match. You cant buy skill but you can buy equipment. Its up to the shooter to learn the skills to be competitive at whatever level they want to shoot. Thats part of what makes it so fun to participate in whatever discipline floats your boat.
The mastering of the fundamentals along with experience will allow you to do well in whatever activity you choose.

That was NYCNOOB not the OP but I agree with you.

$4k worth of equipment to shoot .22 rimfire out to 200 or 300 yards may seem excessive but compared to “real” long range shooting it is comparatively cheap. It’s also much easier to find 200 and 300 yard ranges vs 1,000 yard to 1 mile ranges in most of the US.

[UNK]

That was NYCNOOB not the OP but I agree with you.

$4k worth of equipment to shoot .22 rimfire out to 200 or 300 yards may seem excessive but compared to “real” long range shooting it is comparatively cheap. It’s also much easier to find 200 and 300 yard ranges vs 1,000 yard to 1 mile ranges in most of the US.

I agree. Im looking into some long gun precision stuff now and Ive decided for me its its better to buy equipment that will do whatever you want out of the box. Unless you are the kind of person that likes to build. Personally Id rather shoot than tinker. One thing for sure its all fun.

[BigT]

Not sure about SA some places both outside and inside the USA air guns are also regulated like firearms.


Air rifles under 5.6mm here are good to go, above that they need to be licenses like firearms.

Something like a 10/22 or any other semi auto 22 is a restricted firearm here and as hard to own as an AR.

OP hit me up if I can help or get you hooked up with some helpful down there

[Glenn E. Meyer]

That's too bad about the restriction. I was going to opine that high end competition is great but just for grins, I found a standard 10/22 that I added a red dot to was just fine for some relaxing steel challenge. Inexpensive and I'm not into the guns with the Hubble telescope mounted on them, it served my entertainment well. I have a friend who does that. Good for him, he helped me put a rail on the gun and mount the sight.

I am bummed that I am limited to 10 round mags nowadays. Had to sell my 30s. Scotus - can you hear my persistent wailing and lamentation.

[HCM]

Air rifles under 5.6mm here are good to go, above that they need to be licenses like firearms.

Something like a 10/22 or any other semi auto 22 is a restricted firearm here and as hard to own as an AR.

OP hit me up if I can help or get you hooked up with some helpful down there

WitBlitz