Best .22 LR Rimfire Ammo: Accuracy, Plinking, & Hunting

Most people's first time shooting is with a .22 LR firearm.

But what .22 LR ammo do you choose?

There are dozens, even hundreds, of brands and types, so what is the best one?

Is there a best one? As with any other type of ammo, what .22 LR you buy depends on what you want to do with it.

But don't worry; I'll walk through my favorite rounds for cheap plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even going subsonic.

February 2024 Update: .22LR was largely unscathed by the increased demand from the Israeli conflict in October 2023. However, as of publication, Californians are now able to buy ammo online again.

Here are the current best options, with the most budget options coming in around 6 cents per round.

Ammunition Depot also has more obscure varieties, and Creedmoor Sports has more competition loads.

Best .22LR Ammo

Most Affordable for Plinking - Remington Thunderbolt

Usually, the cheapest rounds...but some guns don't like them. 

Mine have no complaints, but I read enough about them that I would test them out first before taking the plunge and stacking deep.

Most Affordable for Plinking

Remington Thunderbolt

Great for Semi-Autos - Federal Auto Match

With this one, you get 325 rounds of affordable .22 LR that's mostly available nowadays. No complaints in my bolts or semi-autos (especially my Ruger 10/22).

Great for Semi-Autos

Federal Auto Match

$52

at

Prices accurate at time of writing

$52 at

Also Great for Semi-Autos - Norma TAC-22

I like this one since it works well in my semi-auto guns, like the 10/22 and .22 LR AR clones.

If you've got a suppressor or want to be a little quieter...going subsonic is the way to go.  

It sounds like a cap gun instead of having the *CLAP* of a faster-than-sound bullet.

Also Great for Semi-Autos

Norma TAC-22

Best Bang-For-The-Buck - Federal Champion

I've shot the most with Federal Champion (and most of my .22 LR ammo reserve is this brand).

For hunting, the name of the game is to get a quick/clean kill without making too much of the meat inedible.  

Usually, this means going with a high-velocity, hollow-point (HP) bullet.

Best Bang-For-The-Buck

Federal Champion

$15

at

Prices accurate at time of writing

$15 at

What do you think of Federal Champion? Be sure to rate it below!

Small Game Hunting - CCI Stinger

CCI is the gold standard in small game hunting -- fast, accurate, and deadly with its copper-plated 32-grain hollow point bullet.  

Can't go wrong with this one, and has enough oomph to cycle semi-autos.

Small Game Hunting

CCI Stinger

$7

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$7 at Palmetto State Armory

(see price)

All-Around Load - CCI Standard Velocity

Again, CCI makes this list -- this time in the form of the Standard Velocity.

To be honest, this is one of my favorite all-around loads in terms of price and reliability.  

All-Around Load

CCI Standard Velocity

$15

at

Prices accurate at time of writing

$15 at

Best Subsonic Round - CCI Subsonic HP

Are you seeing a pattern here? CCI hits our list again with the Subsonic HP variant. This one happens to be my favorite overall subsonic round.  

You get the accuracy and reliability of CCI, and it's not so slow (1,050 feet-per-second) that it can't run on semi-autos.

CCI Subsonic HP

CCI Subsonic HP

$10

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$10 at Palmetto State Armory

(see price)

Quietest Round - Aguila Super Colibri

Powder? Who needs powder?

These rounds run off only the primer meaning they are super quiet and super slow (420 feet-per-second).

Downside is...they won't run in your semi, though.

Quietest Round

Aguila Super Colibri

$17

at

Prices accurate at time of writing

$17 at

Best Long Distance Round - Lapua Center-X

This is generally accepted as the gold standard for long-range .22 LR shooting. If you're ready to spend some money and get the best, Lapua Center-X is the first you should try.

It won't be the absolute best for every rifle -- but odds are it's at least in the top three for your rifle.

Center-X is exclusively what I shoot at matches of 100 yards or longer.

Best Long Distance Round

Lapua Center-X .22LR 40gr Ammo

$17

at Brownells

Prices accurate at time of writing

$17 at Brownells

Great for Precision - SK Ammo

Frankly, I have no idea what the difference is between these three. I've tested all three, and my results depend on the rifle. But all of my rifles love at least one of them.

SK Rifle Match and Long Range Match are both 1 MOA for me at 100 yards; Standard Plus opens up a little but has a better standard deviation normally.

Pick one or all three and give them a try!

Great for Precision

SK .22 LR Ammo

Match Your Ammo To Your Use

From plinking to hunting to long-range, we have all of the recommendations.

Broadly speaking .22 LR fits into a few use cases:

• Plinking
• Hunting
• Suppressed
• Long-Range Precision

Plinking is just what it sounds like. It's learning how to shoot or teaching others. It's keeping your skills sharp. Or maybe you just want to turn some money into noise and have a good time!

In any of those cases, you want reliable ammo strong enough to cycle semi-auto guns and hopefully cheap.

Hunting might be super- or sub-sonic for use with suppressors. Either way, you want reliable ammo and should be willing to pay a few more pennies for it.

Suppressed is its own category since the ammo is weaker than normal. Sometimes a little weaker, sometimes a lot. You can hunt with it if the critter is small enough and you're close enough, or you can just have fun with it.

Long-Range Precision is gaining a lot of popularity with NRL22 and NRL22X! We're going to assume that you want to shoot at least 100 yards with your .22 LR, but 400+ isn't out of the question, either. You'll want very consistent ammo that is reliable and sub-sonic. This...won't come cheap (for .22 LR).

"But what about self-defense!" you might ask. Unfortunately, .22 LR cartridges can't be relied upon to effectively stop a threat or go off every single time.

Modern .22 LR is decent, but we don't consider it reliable enough for self-defense -- not when other options like 9mm and .45 ACP are out there.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it...our roundup of the best .22 LR for plinking, hunting, accuracy, and even sub-sonic.

As with anything ammo-related, try a box out before you commit to a case or more, as some .22 LR guns are notoriously picky when it comes to ammo.

Did we miss any that you really think belongs here? Let us know! If you're looking for a new .22 LR, take a look at the 7 Best .22 LR Rifles! And for more calibers, check out Best Places to Buy Ammo Online.

Latest Updates

February 2024 - Added market conditions due to Californians able to buy ammo online