# How far can a .22 shoot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2002, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095 "2002-10-06T19:29:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/1 "2002-10-06T19:29:48Z")
How far will the bullets go shot from a .22 ? ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/2 "2002-10-06T19:54:25Z")
It’ll of course differ with the angle at which it is shot, but I’ve heard 5000’ been thrown around before for a .22LR. I can’t imagine that little shell would be very deadly anywhere around a mile, so I would _think_ that number is pretty generous. ---
**Author:** ![TBone2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@TBone2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBone2)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/3 "2002-10-06T20:00:03Z")
Modern .22 LR shells will propel a 40-grain slug at speeds of nearly 1300 fps from a rifle. Fired at a 45-degree angle above the horizontal, these bullets can travel over a mile. IIRC, a fine-print warning on most shell boxes gives a potential range of 1-1/4 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/4 "2002-10-06T20:29:07Z")
However, there’s a big difference between, “how far can the bullet go”, and “How far can the bullet go while still being dangerous”. At 1-1/4 miles, the biggest risk from that .22 LR is probably that it will fall on you and poke you in the eye. .22 bullets lose energy fast. .22 short bullets have effective ranges measured in feet, not miles. I remember reading about .22 short derringers that were only lethal within a range of maybe five feet. Past that, and the bullet doesn’t have enough power to penetrate the skull or penetrate deeply enough into soft tissue to do any life-threatening damage. Perhaps if you hit someone right on an exposed artery in the neck or something… I was actually shot with a .22 when I was younger. It was a ricochet from a flat angle, so the bullet still had most of its energy (ricocheted off of a steel railroad track). Luckily for me, the bullet was flattened by the track, and was tumbling when it hit me - it hit me on the ‘flat’, not on edge. The result was a bruise on my shoulder with a slight dot of blood in the middle where the skin broke a little. The bullet didn’t penetrate at all, and wound up stuck inside the lining of my jacket. The range was about 30 ft or so. I would guess the lethal range of a high-velocity .22 like a stinger or a yellow jacket is probably more on the order of a few hundred yards at most. And ‘lethal’ is a relative term - even at close range, a .22 has to hit something very vital to be lethal. There’s not enough energy in the bullet to do serious wound channel damage or inflict hydrostatic shock damage, and the bullets don’t penetrate well. Remember “Serpico”? he was a cop who was shot point-blank right in the face with a .22 short. He was trying to get through a door and a guy stuck a gun right under his nose and pulled the trigger. The bullet rattled around inside his jaw and nasal cavity because it couldn’t penetrate heavy bone. He required some reconstructive surgery, but survived. BTW, a ‘22 short’ vs ‘22 Long Rifle’ is a big difference. .22 short has a lot less powder, and a much lower muzzle velocity. A .22 LR shot to the head at point blank range will definitely penetrate the brain, and it is a common assassin’s weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/5 "2002-10-06T20:49:13Z")
Thanks **Sam Stone**. Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/6 "2002-10-06T21:22:27Z")
- - - I only have three different types on hand still in the boxes. The CCI CB caps say “1.5 miles, 2 kilometers”. The other two (Federal Gold Medal and Remington Subsonic) don’t say at all, just have inhaling-lead warnings. -I do recall that most of them used to give a distance in miles on the boxes, but I don’t know if they still do or not. I seem to remember 2.5 miles as being the commonly-given figure, but whatever figure was given probably had a big margin added onto the end. … Here’s a page with some figures: [http://www.nlectc.org/nlectcrm/maxrange.html](http://www.nlectc.org/nlectcrm/maxrange.html) ~ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/7 "2002-10-06T22:15:11Z")
When I started shooting, “one mile” or “over a mile” was the standard warning. The last time I looked at a box it warned that the bullet could travel 1-1/2 miles. BTW: I’m thinking of buying a stainless steel Ruger 10-22 Deluxe, walnut stock. It’s very pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/8 "2002-10-06T22:26:14Z")
When I started shooting, “one mile” or “over a mile” was the standard warning. The last time I looked at a box it warned that the bullet could travel 1-1/2 miles. BTW: I’m thinking of buying a stainless steel Ruger 10-22 Deluxe, walnut stock. It’s very pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/9 "2002-10-06T23:58:02Z")
I’ve got a Ruger 10-22. Best .22 I ever owned. Great gun. The stainless ones are real nice, but aren’t they getting a little pricey for a .22? When I bought my 10-22, it was $149 Canadian. That’s about $100 US. That was 15 years ago or so. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/10 "2002-10-07T00:04:44Z")
Well, they’re a little more expensive now. I saw a standard 10-22 at Wal-Mart for $159, I think. The stanless Deluxe is about $220. I saw a blue Deluxe at a surplus store for $420! And a stainless one with a synthetic stock at the same store for $470. I think I’ll head over to Wal-Mart at lunchtime tomorrow and start the paperwork for the one they have there. I used to have a standard 10-22 back in the early-1980s. Idiot that I was, I sold it. You’re right; it’s a fine rifle. The only problem I had with it was that it used up a _lot_ of .22LR! I also had (and still have) a Sears-Roebuck (Marlin) single-shot rifle that I bought at a pawn shop. My first firearm. It’s also a fine rifle and it takes a _long_ time to use a box of ammo. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/11 "2002-10-07T00:43:32Z")
That’s actually not bad for the stainless. I thought they were more like $350 now. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/12 "2002-10-07T01:16:22Z")
I got a stainless 10-22 with the Zebrawood stock for $179 from WalMart about 5 years ago. It’s a decent gun, but I hate cleaning it. It is somewhat difficult for me to remove the bolt, and it always feels like I’m damaging it. ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/13 "2002-10-07T01:25:26Z")
I had a .22 target competition and we were shooting at paper targets from about 50’ away. Most of the bullets were stopped by a half inch board they had behind the targets. The ones that went through were stopped by a dirt pile. I didn’t check the type of ammo though but I would guess they were standard .22 shells. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/14 "2002-10-07T01:37:26Z")
I’ve been gopher hunting with .22 hollowpoints. We were ripping gophers in half with those. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/15 "2002-10-07T01:40:15Z")
Forgot the second bit! From ~ 50 meters away. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/16 "2002-10-07T02:20:33Z")
During my range safety officer course in the Candian Forces, the instructor told us that the .22 LR rounds we using could travel a mile if fired at 45 degrees, and were no more dangerous at that range than if someone threw it. Of course, I’m not sure I’d stand still if someone was throwing bullets anywhere near my face. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/17 "2002-10-07T02:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > I got a stainless 10-22 with the Zebrawood stock for $179 from WalMart about 5 years ago. It’s a decent gun, but I hate cleaning it. It is somewhat difficult for me to remove the bolt, and it always feels like I’m damaging it. That’s the problem with .22s. They get so _dirty_. My blackpowder revolvers get dirtier, but I wash them in the sink. ---
**Author:** ![Riboflavin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/18 "2002-10-07T02:56:23Z")
Just in case this is related somehow to the Virginia sniper (or someone else is reading it and thinking about that), ‘.22’ normally refers to a .22 Long Rifle cartridge, not anything that’s .22 caliber. A .223 or .22-250 bullet is also basically the same size, but the cartridge is bigger - the case has a large diameter with a shrinking neck down to the actual bullet at the tip. Either of those rounds will go a bit farther than a .22 LR. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/19 "2002-10-07T03:09:44Z")
> [@](#): > > A .223 or .22-250 bullet is also basically the same size, but the cartridge is bigger The diameter is roughly the same size, but the length of a .223 or .22-250 is greater and it’s much heavier. Plus they tend to be semi- or fully-jacketed. ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095/20 "2002-10-07T05:03:35Z")
Actually **Ribo** was referring to the case, not the bullet/projectile itself. In a .22LR (Long Rifle), the case is the same diameter as the bullet, and overall it’s a little over an inch long. In a .223 Rem, the case is nearly twice the diameter of the bullet itself, and the loaded cartridge is overall roughly three inches long. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-can-a-22-shoot/131095.md?page=2)