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Old January 7, 2013, 03:26 AM   #1
mellow_c
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Is a .22 short as small as it gets?

I was just now thinking... what is the smallest weakest firearm cartridge available today? I'd assume it would be for a handgun. The .22 short is my best guess, but I have a feeling that I'm missing something...
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Old January 7, 2013, 03:44 AM   #2
AZAK
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There is always this:

"Aguila .22 LR Super Colibri
The Super Colibri fires without a powder charge. It pushes a light 20-grain bullet at 500 fps with little noise."

There are a few different quiet 22s currently available. You might note that the above is the "Super", they also make just plain old Colibri:

"AGUILA 22 LR 20 GR COLIBRI 375/FPS
This is a cartridge that contains no gunpowder. the little 20g. bullet is solely propelled by the powerful Eley priming mix. For this reason, it does not generate any significant pressure. Due to the lack of noise when fired, the .22 Colibri may be shot indoors, even in the living room, provided a proper back stop is available."
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm...dID=AU1B222339

CCI also just recently introduced "Quiet 22lr" and also has another slow and light weight .22 alternative the CB Long.

I shoot them all, gravity really is noticeable at rather short distances! Kind of like archery with a .22.
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Old January 7, 2013, 03:51 AM   #3
mellow_c
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Hah.. Archery with a .22... fantastic!

So it was the primer only .22's that I was forgetting. I've never ventured that route. Actually I have a couple hundred .22 shorts that I haven't even shot.

Right now I love the fact that my old Ruger single six is capable of shooting .22 WMR (with separate cylinder). .22 Stingers. .22 lr. .22 Long. .22 Short. and even the cartridges you mentioned.

I guess that must be it? Probably nothing softer than a primer fired .22 cartridge...
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Old January 7, 2013, 04:46 AM   #4
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I use Aguila 22 ammo at times, quieter than a pellet gun. My favorite is the 500 fps ammo, the 375 fps ammo is to weak for most shooting except plinking with kids in the back yard.

I have dispatched a possom & piegons(sp?) with the 500 fps ammo. I usually mail order from Midwayusa. I also have some 22 WRF ammo to shoot in 22 magnum guns, it's slower than most 22 lr ammo. It has normal sound but really tames the 22 magnum.
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Old January 7, 2013, 08:57 AM   #5
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I have a couple handfulls of BB caps, & a newer box of CCI CB longs, ( which are both less power than shorts )

CB Cap...

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby...ensionid=10119

CB Longs... for example...

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby...ensionid=10119
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Last edited by Magnum Wheel Man; January 7, 2013 at 10:01 AM.
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Old January 7, 2013, 09:10 AM   #6
Jim Watson
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For some values of "available" you could consider the 4mm Zimmerstutzen.
http://www.pyramydair.com/article/Zi...bruary_2011/82
http://www.iss-internationalshooters...df/4mmzimm.pdf

It was used for indoor target shooting before precision air rifles were made.
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Old January 7, 2013, 09:17 AM   #7
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The smallest cartridge that I am aware of is the 2.34mm rimfire made for the Swiss MiniGun.

http://www.swissminigun.ch/ammunition.html
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Old January 7, 2013, 10:20 AM   #8
Bob Wright
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I used to buy RWS .22 BB caps. Don't know if they are still available. Used in my Marlin 39A, all one could hear was the hammer drop.

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Old January 7, 2013, 10:32 AM   #9
Magnum Wheel Man
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BTW... I do shoot alot of Colibri & Super Colibri in my antique guns...

one thing, if you are trying them in a rifle, you need to make sure they exit the barrel ( especially with the regular Colibri's... I don't think they are recommended for rifles ) but they do shoot fine out of my old Stevens Crackshot ( I suppose the barrel is a bit worn ) otherwise I have several top break 22's that aren't rated for the higher pressure long rifles, & they work nice in those...

BTW #2... Midway doesn't list BB Caps anymore, I don't know where you would get them now... I think mine are RWS & I've had them for more than 20 years... they came with the stuff I inherited from my wifes dad
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Old January 7, 2013, 10:55 AM   #10
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.177 bb caps are the smallest I think....Parlour guns and novelties of old.
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Old January 7, 2013, 10:57 AM   #11
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http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...or_pistol.html

small as I can find...although not a cartridge.
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Old January 7, 2013, 07:54 PM   #12
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Web beat me to it!...

Drat!

The Swiss mini gun is the smallest working firearm I know of.
As for factory produced firearm loads, I'd guess & say the .17 caliber.
There may be a Warsaw Pact or Asian round smaller too.

Clyde
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Old January 7, 2013, 08:14 PM   #13
dahermit
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After .22 Shorts, there was a "CB cap" which had less powder than a .22 Short, and then there was a "BB cap", that had a bullet that was propelled only by the priming compound. With .22 Shorts being as uncommon as they are now (when I was a kid, we shot mostly shorts because they were significantly cheaper than .22 Long Rifle), CB and BB caps may be very hard to find.
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Old January 7, 2013, 08:57 PM   #14
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Obviously we are not talking self defense ammo!!!
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Old January 7, 2013, 09:35 PM   #15
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When I was a young kid... couldn't have been more than 10, I used to take my little single shot .22 and a pocket full of shorts and I'd be gone all day tromping out in the hills playing Daniel Boone. I've shot lots of critters with shorts. Don't underestimate them... Coons, even badgers, and they are tough to kill.
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Old January 7, 2013, 10:56 PM   #16
bedbugbilly
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You used to be able to buy CB and BB caps - shorter then 22 shorts - I don't really know what's out there now as I pretty much stick to LR now. When I was a kid - late 50s/early 60 - we bought CB caps to shoot gophers with. For squirrels - we used 22 shorts as my Dad was concerned about the distance they would go. A brick of shorts back then was $5.00 a brick (500 cartridges) at our local hardware store.
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Old January 7, 2013, 11:15 PM   #17
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I use CCI .22 CB shorts in the Henry lever gun for some low noise plinking. $8 per 100 @ wallmart, $11 per 100 at the LGS. Expensive, yup. Worth it for some basement practice when I'm not feeling like shooting one of the pellet rifles.
These are 29 grain @ 700ftps. So they actually have some ftlb energy that is a bit more than most pellet guns. RWS 350 in .22 shoots 15 gr pellets @ 800+ Fps. That's somewhere around 22-24 ftlbs.
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Old January 7, 2013, 11:28 PM   #18
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Flobert




4mm flobert
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Old January 8, 2013, 03:58 AM   #19
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Depending on who you ask...9mm or 45.
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