.22 S, L, LR

[wtkaiser]

Hi gang,

I have a question that has bugged me off and on over the years. If .22s are nominally the same bullet diameter, how can a chamber NOT fit a .22 short and long, but only the Long Rifle? The chamber might get dirty if you fire a shorter cartridge, but it's always been that way. So why does my Marlin bolt action say .22 LR only? Is it a magazine thing? I know rifles with tubular magazines can handle all 3 interchangeably.
And FWIW, does anybody know if I can send my rifle back to get the new XT-22 trigger with my model 25, of approximately 3 or 4 years of age? I really like inexpensive Marlin bolt actions, but the trigger leaves something to be desired.

[Tank 57]

Long rifle chamber will take longs and shorts.Most non tubular mags won't feed the shorter catridges.

[bohoki]

and semi autos dont cycle and have difficulty feeding the lower powered short or longs

[TrailerparkTrash]

....However, some .22LR chambers have a head spacing within the chamber. A .22 or .22 short into a .22LR chamber will leave a gap between the rim mouth and a "lip" within the .22LR chamber. Some manufacturers of guns have claimed that that edge could become worn down within the chamber, thus affecting accuracy in the long run. Then again, some manufacturers if not most, do not have that "lip" within the chamber to even worry about.

Bottom line, I would do exactly what the gun manufacturer says to do with regards to chambering the correct ammunition. If it says, ".22LR ONLY," I'd follow that directive. If you want a gun that shoot the .22S, .22 and .22LR, you need to find a gun that says it can handle those chamberings.

[wtkaiser]

All good points. And considering that LR is cheaper than either shorts or the Long (when did THAT happen?), it's really the only way to go, anyway. Even sticking with LR, you have variety, anything from 1000 fps to what, 1600? 1700?
I was just curious if there was a real reason behind it. Thanks for the time...

[TrailerparkTrash]

On a side note, .22 shorts are good when you want to take out stray or ferral cats. Also possums, coons, rats, etc... When you have neighbors close by. However, when you have SUPER CLOSE neighbors, the CCI "CB CAPS" are better for varmint control. They are much quieter.

[powderedtoastman]

On a side note, .22 shorts are good when you want to take out stray or ferral cats. Also possums, coons, rats, etc... When you have neighbors close by. However, when you have SUPER CLOSE neighbors, the CCI "CB CAPS" are better for varmint control. They are much quieter.

x2, I use CCI shorts to dispatch squirrels that chew up my property with their holes in the ground and eat all my pecans out of the tree. Super quiet, and very accurate in my single shot.

[wtkaiser]

I live in the 'burbs. I'd be terrified of pulling the trigger on anything louder than my air pistol. And even that makes a snap that can be heard. Getting nailed by the polizei is NOT my idea of a swell time.
I hear you about the gophers. But the one I managed to kill got stomped and kicked to death, not shot. (I was in a lousy mood that day - just bad luck all around for him). They don't exactly pop up and stay up.

[der_saeufer]

I live in the 'burbs. I'd be terrified of pulling the trigger on anything louder than my air pistol. And even that makes a snap that can be heard. Getting nailed by the polizei is NOT my idea of a swell time.
I hear you about the gophers. But the one I managed to kill got stomped and kicked to death, not shot. (I was in a lousy mood that day - just bad luck all around for him). They don't exactly pop up and stay up.

[wtkaiser]

Hmmm, it seems to me that a CB cap (CCI makes them) in either short or long should do it as far as noise. But the point of my question originally was "why specify a LR chambering if the S/L/LR family are pretty much the same except for length". I thought it might have to do with the magazine's ability to hold the shorter cartridges while it feeds up the ramp, or something relatively obscure like that.

[TrailerparkTrash]

Hmmm, it seems to me that a CB cap (CCI makes them) in either short or long should do it as far as noise. But the point of my question originally was "why specify a LR chambering if the S/L/LR family are pretty much the same except for length". I thought it might have to do with the magazine's ability to hold the shorter cartridges while it feeds up the ramp, or something relatively obscure like that.

Read my post (#4) above for a plausable explaination. At least thats the explaination I got once from an old Colt Mfg gun smith who actually built Colt 22 revolvers at their factory.

[wtkaiser]

TPT, thanks. I got it. It would be embarrassing to go to Marlin and say "fix this, please, because I ignored your suggestions".

[santamonica9]

excellent point in post #4 - you Mr.TrailerparkTrash are a very wise man

[dangerranger]

I have several bolt action 22 rifles made by marlin. some are marked "22 short, long, or long rifle." and some are marked "22 long rifle ". the only differance I could find was those marked S,L,or LR, have a cartrige guide at the 12 o clock on the chamber. this guides the shorts into the chamber as they have left the feed lips before entering the chamber. this is not needed for longs or LR. I posted this same question on the old Marlin Owners Forum. the answer I got was that when 22LR got to be cheaper than Shorts marlin started leaving the guide off of its bargain guns and saved them selfs about $5 per gun. according to marlins rep it wont hurt marlins gun to shoot shorts or longs "if" it feeds corectly. with shorts costing a preium these days theres very little intrest in shooting them. DR

[wtkaiser]

Aha! So it is a feeding question, and of course a cleaning one, not a showstopper. Of course, what you say is correct - the price of shorts, longs or CB caps is high compared to LR. I wonder if that's by design (I gotta quit this 'conspiracy in everything I see' crap) or just economy of scale. I guess it doesn't matter.

Thanks to all who put into this thread. It's all good stuff and it's appreciated.