Aguila .22 Short by the Case: Who Actually Buys This?

A thousand rounds of a cartridge most guns do not chamber is a niche purchase. Here is the short list of shooters it fits, and the checks that keep it safe.

A cartridge with a short guest list

Most .22 ammunition is .22 LR. The .22 Short is its older, smaller relative: a shorter case with less powder behind a lighter bullet. It still exists because certain firearms are built around it, and because some people like how gentle it is to shoot. The Aguila Super Extra .22 Short 29 grain is sold here in a 1,000-round case, which is a big purchase for a cartridge with a niche audience.

What the listing says

The Ammunition Depot page describes a 29 grain copper-plated solid point in brass cases with a rimfire primer, 50 rounds to the box and 20 boxes to the case. It states a muzzle velocity of 1,095 feet per second, says the bullet is meant to reduce barrel fouling, and lists the ammunition as made to SAAMI and C.I.P. standards. The suggested use is varmint hunting, and the page says the load gives consistent performance in bolt-action rifles. It does not list compatible firearms, so that question is yours to settle with your manual.

Who it fits

Owners of firearms made for it or rated to fire it. Some lever-action rifles, notably the Henry Golden Boy line, are advertised as handling .22 Short, Long and LR from the same magazine. That claim is for the manufacturer to make and for you to check in your own manual. Our sister site RimfireAmmo reviews the lever and pump .22 rifles that appear in that conversation.

Owners of some rimfire revolvers. Certain .22 revolvers are rated for Short, Long and LR; others are LR only or have been specifically warned against shorter cartridges. The only reliable source is the manual for your exact model.

Owners of vintage or specialty firearms. Some older rifles and pistols are chambered specifically in .22 Short, and the marking on the barrel or receiver will tell you. For those guns, finding ammunition at all can be the challenge.

Shooters who want gentle plinking. The .22 Short is lower in power than .22 LR, which is part of the appeal for quiet backyard targets where local law and common sense allow shooting at all.

Who it does not fit

• Ruger 10/22 owners and similar semi-auto owners. Most semi-automatic .22 rifles and pistols are built around the length and energy of .22 LR and will not cycle Shorts reliably. You would be buying a thousand rounds you can only load one at a time, if the gun accepts them at all.
• Anyone who cannot confirm their gun's rating. If the manual is silent or ambiguous, ask the manufacturer.
• People who want ".22 for everything." LR is the sensible all-purpose cartridge.

Chamber caveats you should know

SAAMI's interchangeability guidance lists .22 Short and .22 Long as alternate cartridges that can generally be fired safely in a .22 Long Rifle chamber, while telling users to refer to the firearm manufacturer before using them. That is a general statement, not a rating for your gun.

There is also a practical wrinkle. Firing Shorts repeatedly in a chamber cut for .22 LR can leave a ring of fouling or wear near the front of the chamber, ahead of where the Short case ends, and that deposit can make it harder to seat longer cartridges later. Firearms makers handle this differently, and some explicitly design for Short use. Because the effects depend on the specific firearm, treat this as a reason to read the manual and to clean the chamber, not as a universal rule.

Noise is relative

A .22 Short is much less powerful than most centerfire loads and is quieter than many other rimfire loads, but quieter is not the same as quiet. Repeated exposure can damage hearing, so wear hearing protection. If your goal is a very low-noise rimfire experience, our sister sites cover other approaches; RimfireAmmo has a comparison of Colibri and .22 Short as quiet options, and our own guide to subsonic versus supersonic explains the physics. Check local ordinances before shooting at home: discharge laws are local and strict in many places.

Is a 1,000-round case sensible?

Run a reality check on consumption:

Fill in your own numbers. If a case lasts you a decade, it is an expensive inventory commitment. If it lasts you a season, it may be a sound buy. Specialty cartridges are also harder to replace than common ones, which is a mixed blessing: it argues for stocking up, but it also argues for buying only what you will use.

The cost math

Delivered total divided by 1,000 is the per-round figure for the case. Compare that with the delivered per-round figure for a smaller quantity of Short, and with .22 LR if your firearm can also fire it. Often the point is not that the Short is cheap, but that it fits a gun LR cannot serve or serves poorly. If you can use LR instead, compare honestly: the LR alternative is more available and more flexible, as our bulk .22 LR comparison shows.

Aguila's broader range is covered in our guide to Aguila ammunition, and for how to read terms on listings, see reading ammo listings. Check current price on the product page.

Before you order

1. Confirm your firearm is rated for .22 Short.
2. Confirm the bullet type and weight on the listing.
3. Decide how many rounds you will shoot in a realistic period.
4. Have a cool, dry, secure place to store the case.
5. Verify local rules on purchase, shipping and discharge.

Our verdict

For a small, well-defined audience, a case of Aguila .22 Short is a convenient way to stock a hard-to-find cartridge. For nearly everyone else, it is the wrong .22. If you are in the audience, the case is a reasonable buy once you have confirmed your firearm's rating and your consumption. If you are not sure, buy a smaller quantity first or choose .22 LR.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.