The Best 22 LR Cartridge for Your Use [Hunting, Plinking & More]

Prefer audio over written content? Listen to the article here:

Recently, a buddy and I decided to go on a walk in the woods to stretch our legs. However, with multiple small game hunting seasons open, we each wanted to bring a gun that would work well on just about anything legal. 

Not knowing what we would encounter and without talking to each other, we each brought arguably one of the most versatile guns for small game in existence, .22 LR rifles.

Rifles chambered in .22 LR are extremely versatile, especially when loaded with standard velocity hollow-point bullets.

They are fun to plink with and capable of harvesting a variety of small game animals, ranging from squirrels to grouse and even a fox at the right range.

.22 LR rifles are perfect for seasoned and new hunters alike. It’s hard to beat a .22 LR rifle for a kid’s first gun and for hunting small game animals.

Let’s dive in and learn more about the capabilities of the .22 LR cartridge and the different options available for hunting and target shooting.

What Can You Use a .22 Long Rifle For?

The .22 LR cartridge is rather small and primarily meant for plinking and hunting small game like rabbits, and gray squirrels.

They are also deadly to groundhogs and even raccoons. Additionally, trappers commonly use them to dispatch animals they’ve caught in foothold or live traps.

Although the .22 LR is a bit small for coyotes and foxes, they work well for shots within about 50 yards.

Guns chambered in .22 LR are also very fun to target shoot with because there is virtually no recoil, ammo is cheap, and they can be extremely accurate.

A small rifle chambered in .22 LR is a fantastic gun to start a new shooter on.

In addition to the reasons discussed above, some .22 LR cartridges are loaded to be much quieter than a standard load, which helps when new shooters are hesitant because of recoil and noise.

There is a suite of cartridges loaded by multiple manufacturers for the .22 LR, made for a variety of uses.

In this article, we focus on .22 LR cartridges that are best for rifles. That said, many of the cartridges discussed below are perfect for pistols as well.

Best .22 Long Rifle Cartridges for Hunting

The .22 LR is a fantastic choice for hunting small game animals. With the plethora of cartridges available for the .22 LR, it can be hard to pick just one.

However, after sleuthing for information online and shooting .22 LRs for a couple of decades, if I could only pick one cartridge to shoot from my .22 LR rifle, it’d be the CCI Mini-Mag 36 Grain HP round. They shoot accurately and hit small game hard. 

While a standard velocity lead hollow point will work for just about anything, you can optimize a .22 LR rifle by selecting the perfect cartridge for the game you are hunting.

Let’s dive into the best cartridge selections for the animals that the .22 LR is capable of harvesting.

Squirrel Hunting With .22 LR

Fox squirrels, grey squirrels, red squirrels, ground squirrels, you name it, and the .22 LR can harvest it.

Squirrels have got to be the most commonly hunted game animals with .22 LR rifles. An accurate .22 LR can hit a quarter sized group or better 10 out of 10 shots at 50 yards.

This is perfect for headshots on small game like squirrels.

For squirrel hunting, you want an accurate bullet that will rapidly expand on impact. Additionally, the ammo needs to be loaded consistently so that you don’t have fliers that will cause a missed shot. Our top pick for squirrel hunting is the CCI Mini-Mag 36 Grain HP load. 

This bullet is an accurate standard velocity bullet made for quick expansion on impact.

Rabbit Hunting With .22 LR

From pesky rabbits eating your garden to silently stalking them in fresh snow, a .22 LR rifle should be one of your top choices to harvest the rabbits. Bullet selection is important because rabbits are a little bigger than squirrels.

The CCI mini mag hollow point mentioned above will work well; however, I believe there is a better option.

CCI also makes a 40 Grain segmented hollow point that is devastating on small game.

If you are shooting an animal for meat vs trying to get rid of a varmint, make sure that you only take headshots with this round.

If you’re trying to control pest rabbits in your garden near your house, a better option is the 45-grain CCI Quiet .22 LR. This cartridge is much quieter out of a rifle, perfect for dispatching pests near your house.

Grouse Hunting With .22 LR

If you’re into quietly walking logging roads and looking for grouse plucking small rocks for their gizzards, the .22 LR is a great choice.

Grouse are quite easy to kill with a .22 LR, and while headshots are best, I prefer to use a cartridge that won’t ruin meat and will quickly kill a grouse with a body shot.

The CCI 40 Grain Standard Velocity round-nose ammo is perfect for this type of hunting. The round-nose bullet will help reduce meat loss, while the standard velocity round will still carry enough energy at a distance to kill a grouse. It’s also easy to find, it’s accurate, and it’s reliable.

Grouse hunting often involves slipping quietly along logging roads and on straight stretches.

Longer shots can be a reality, so if you don’t want to worry about shooting a little low and ruining the breast meat, the round nose bullet is a good choice.

Fox Hunting With .22 LR

Foxes are borderline too large for a .22 LR rifle. However, if shots are close, say under 50 yards, it will do the job.

The most important factor when hunting foxes with a small caliber like the .22 LR is to choose ammo that is very accurate from your gun. This might take some trial and error to figure out.

One of the best ammo choices for fox with the .22 LR is the Winchester 37 Grain Varmint HE Hollow Point. These bullets are designed for hunting varmints and are perfect for taking headshots at close range. If a body shot is necessary, the segmenting bullet will provide deep penetration and a good wound channel. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the other small game cartridges, we wrote this article especially for you: The 10 Best Cartridges for Small Game Hunting. 

Raccoon Hunting With .22 LR

The .22 LR is a tried and true round for hunting raccoons over baying hounds on cool fall nights or shooting a raccoon that has raided the hen house.

Raccoons are a lot bigger than squirrels, and while a shot to the lungs will still kill a raccoon, head shots are best.

I’ve shot dozens of raccoons on a trapline growing up, and usually just grabbed a handful of mixed .22 LR cartridges out of a bag before heading off into the dark with my flashlight and rifle.

There’s a much better way to go about this to ensure humane kills, especially when hunting.

Raccoon hunters should use a standard or even high-velocity .22 LR cartridge.

The 32-grain plated hollow point from CCI, known as the “Stinger”, is a fantastic choice for raccoons at all reasonable ranges.

Prairie Dog Hunting With .22 LR

Many ranchers have a strong dislike for prairie dogs.

They forage on the same foods as livestock and create holes that cattle can break their legs in.

Many prairie dog hunters will bring multiple guns and use a .22 LR rifle for close-range shots and a .223 or larger rifle for long-range shooting.

If you want to shoot a quiet load, the CCI Quiet with 45-grain lead round-nose bullets are a good bet, but it will limit your effective range. To get maximum range from your .22 LR, then look at a supersonic .22 LR load like the CCI Stingers we recommended for raccoons or the Winchester 37 Grain Varmint HE Hollow Point that we also recommended for fox. 

Snakes and Rat Culling With .22 LR

One of the most unique loads for the .22 LR is the shot shell. However, the shot shells don’t chamber well in semi-automatic rifles and pistols, but they work great in bolt actions and revolvers.

.22 LR shotshells are perfect for close-range shooting. Federal, Winchester, and CCI all make a shot shell for .22 LRs, and they all come in 12-shot. This load essentially turns your .22 LR rifle or handgun into a mini shotgun. 

The CCI Shotshell 31 Grain #12 Lead Shot is one of the best shotshell rounds for varmints. The shells are deadly up to around 10 to 20 feet, depending on the gun you are firing them from.

It’s not far, but it is often plenty for use on smell pests like rats, mice, and snakes. Some people even use them to eliminate pigeons from inside barns.

Best .22 LR Cartridges for Suppressors

For most of this article, we have focused on finding the perfect .22 LR cartridge for specific animals. However, there is another fun way to use a .22 LR rifle or pistol, and that is with a suppressor.

Have you ever watched an action movie and noticed that the guns in the movie are nearly silent? That isn’t the case with 99% of gun calibers with suppressors. The suppressors merely get them close to hearing safe.

However, one of the neat things about .22 LR rifles is that they can be made nearly silent with a subsonic round and a good suppressor.

Using subsonic round options like CCI Suppressor 45 grain lead hollow points or the 45 grain CCI Quiet lead round nose ammo, the report is as close to “movie” quiet as you can get out of a rifle.

Both of these cartridges, paired with a suppressor, can make target shooting much more fun, especially for young kids learning how to shoot. They also make good guns for shooting varmints on your property without annoying the neighbors.

Best .22 LR Cartridges for Plinking

Small-caliber rifles like those chambered in .22 LR are perfect for plinking. The cartridges produce minimal recoil, are exceedingly accurate even in cheap guns, and if suppressed, can be made incredibly quiet and hearing safe without any ear protection.

Additionally, .22 LR ammo can be purchased cheaply, especially when bought in bulk, and there is a suite of ammo options that can be used for plinking.

If you’re interested in plinking with a suppressor, check out the section above for the ammunition we recommend for use with suppressors.

If not, I recommend buying the most affordable ammunition you can find in bulk. When purchasing large quantities of ammo, it’s important to care for it correctly.

If you want to know more about how to store your ammo effectively, we have an entire guide on it here: Buying & Storing Bulk Ammo Effectively [A Step-By-Step Guide]

I recommend purchasing a variety of ammo in small amounts until you can find one that shoots accurately enough for your use, and then purchase that cartridge in bulk for the best cost savings.

Good options include the CCI 40-grain Standard Velocity lead round nose ammunition, which can be purchased for less than 8 cents per round, and the Armscor 36-grain HV Hollowpoint, available for around 7 cents per round. 

If you’re not a fan of cleaning guns as often, the 31-grain Hyper Velocity LRN Clean 22 round from CCI might be the best option for you.

If you’re growing tired of standard ammunition for plinking, you can switch things up and add some excitement to your shooting session with tracer rounds. These rounds are very fun to shoot and can add excitement to any range session. Supernova manufactures both green and red tracers for target shooting fun. 

Best .22 LR Cartridges for Competition Shooting

If you’re interested in competition shooting but the cost of the ammunition for centerfire rifles is holding you back, the National Rimfire League (NRL) 22 matches might be right for you. NRL22 matches are just one type of competition you can compete in. 

If you want to learn more about what types of shooting competitions you can use a .22 LR in, check out this article: Types Of Shooting Competitions & Which is Best For You

Accurate .22 LR rifles can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. In fact, I recently purchased a Savage B22 Rifle for around $300 and shot it for the first time a few days ago. At 50 yards, resting my rifle off a balled-up coat, I was able to shoot dime-sized groups.

Over time, the most expensive part of shooting is the ammo you need to practice with and shoot in competition.

Like plinking, for competition, it’s best to try multiple loads and find one that shoots the most precisely for competition.

In general, it’s best to stick with standard velocity lead nose ammunition for matches like the 40 Grain Lead Round Nose CCI Standard Velocity ammo, which is affordable, reliable, and accurate in most guns. 

The .22 LR: a True Must-Have Cartridge

The .22 LR is one of the most versatile cartridges available today. It can be used to hunt small game, ammo is cheap enough for plinking, and it’s accurate enough for competition.

Firearms chambered in .22 LR are often quite affordable as well, and the cartridge is perfect for introducing people to shooting.

While the cartridge and most ammo loaded in it are versatile, the capabilities of the .22 LR can be maximized by using the best ammunition for the task at hand. 

Hopefully, the information we discussed above helps you to select the best .22 LR ammo you can. Good hunting and shooting!

.22 LR Cartridge FAQs

What Is the Best .22 LR Cartridge for Hunting Small Game?

A versatile option for small game is the CCI Mini-Mag 36 grain hollow point. It offers reliable expansion, consistent accuracy, and enough energy for animals like squirrels and rabbits. Many hunters prefer it because it performs well across several small game hunting situations.

Which .22 LR Ammo Is Best for Plinking?

For plinking, affordable bulk ammunition is usually the best choice. Standard or high‑velocity loads like CCI Standard Velocity or similar budget rounds offer reliable performance, low recoil, and good accuracy while keeping costs low for long target shooting sessions.

What .22 LR Ammo Works Best with a Suppressor?

Subsonic ammunition is ideal when shooting with a suppressor because it avoids the loud crack created by supersonic rounds. Loads like CCI Quiet 45 grain or CCI Suppressor hollow points produce much less noise while still maintaining solid accuracy for target shooting.

When Should You Use .22 LR Shotshells?

22 LR shotshells are designed for very close‑range pest control. They fire small pellets instead of a single bullet, making them effective for snakes, rats, and similar pests at distances of roughly 10 to 20 feet, especially when used in bolt actions or revolvers.

What Is the Best .22 LR Ammo for Competition Shooting?

Many rimfire competitors prefer standard velocity 40 grain lead round nose ammunition. Loads like CCI Standard Velocity provide dependable accuracy, consistent velocity, and manageable recoil, making them well suited for precision shooting events such as NRL 22 matches.