.22 Revolvers

With over four billion rounds produced annually, the .22 is one of the most mass-produced civilian bullets in the world. The .22 caliber encompasses a variety of rounds ranging from the diminutive .22 short to the hyper-fast .22 magnum and oddities like the .22 Jet. The most popular .22-caliber cartridges were designed as older black powder rounds that were originally at home in the cylinder of a revolver.

The small size and limited recoil of the .22-caliber round makes it possible to produce small and lightweight revolvers that are both easy to shoot and easy to conceal. These small revolvers have been popular for decades, ranging from the original Baby Hammerless by Kolb to modern North American Arms models.

Revolvers in .22 caliber have been produced in a variety of sizes. Some are full-sized designs for hunting small game. Other models replicate the look and feel of larger weapons and function as training weapons for self-defense revolvers. Found in nearly every size and shape imaginable, .22 caliber revolvers have proved their staying power after more than 100 years of production

Quick Facts

• There are over a dozen different rounds with .22-caliber projectiles, although most .22s are either .22 short, .22 LR or .22 magnum
• The .22 short was the first American metallic cartridge, first made in 1857
• Any revolver chambered in .22 LR can also fire 22 short and 22 long