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.22 LR vs .22 WMR: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

SAAMI lists the same 24,000 psi maximum average pressure (transducer) for both, so the biggest cited difference is size: case length is .613 in for the .22 LR Match drawing and 1.055 in for .22 WMR. This page puts .22 LR and .22 WMR side by side using only our own ammo guides, .22 LR ammo (85 loads) and .22 WMR ammo (24 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your firearm’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026, as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .22 LR and .22 WMR guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.22 LR	.22 WMR
SAAMI name	22 LONG RIFLE - MATCH [22 LR] and 22 LONG RIFLE - SPORTING [22 LR]	22 WINCHESTER MAGNUM RIMFIRE [22 WMR]
Drawing issued / revised	Match: 05/29/1979 / 01/28/2026; Sporting: revised 01/19/2025	05/29/1979 / 01/19/2025
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	24,000 psi (Match drawing)	24,000 psi
Sporting drawing pressure	Not copied in our guide	—
Pressure variation note	Not copied in our guide	SAAMI notes the 22 WMR shows higher variation than other rimfire cartridges and uses a standard deviation of 2,400 (a coefficient of variation of 10%) for it
Cartridge overall length	.950 in min to 1.000 in max (Match drawing)	1.315 in min to 1.350 in max
Case length	.613 in (−.008) (Match drawing)	1.055 in (−.008)
Bullet diameter	.2255 in (−.0040) (Match drawing)	.2245 in (−.0040)
Bore / groove diameter	.217 in / .222 in (Match drawing)	.219 in / .224 in
SAAMI velocity test barrel	Not copied in our guide	24 in (SAAMI’s standard rimfire rifle test barrel)

SAAMI publishes two .22 LR drawings, Match and Sporting. Our .22 LR guide copied pressure and dimensions for the Match drawing only, so the .22 LR column above is the Match drawing and the Sporting figures are not shown. Compare only like with like, and check which drawing a figure belongs to.

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	.22 LR loads in our table	.22 WMR loads in our table
CCI	test barrel not listed: 36 loads, 23 to 45 gr, 710 to 1,640 fps	test barrel not listed: 13 loads, 30 to 46 gr, 1,050 to 2,200 fps
Federal	test barrel not listed: 19 loads, 25 to 45 gr, 970 to 1,430 fps	test barrel not listed: 5 loads, 30 to 50 gr, 1,000 to 2,200 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 30 loads, 33 to 40 gr, 740 to 1,500 fps	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 33 to 40 gr, 1,910 to 2,000 fps
Speer	—	test barrel not listed: 1 load, 40 gr, 1,050 fps
Hornady	—	1.875 in vented test barrel: 1 load, 45 gr, 1,000 fps 24 in test barrel: 1 load, 30 gr, 2,200 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables (ignoring a trailing “Rifle” or “Handgun”). Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	.22 LR	.22 WMR
CCI Uppercut	22 LR: 32 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 950 fps, 64 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 960CC	22 WMR: 40 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,050 fps, 98 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 22WMRUP
Federal Personal Defense Punch Rimfire	22 LR: 29 gr Nickel Plated Flat Nose, 1,080 fps, 75 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item PD22L1	22 WMR: 45 gr Punch Jacket Hollow Point, 1,000 fps, 100 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item PD22WMR1
Federal Small Game	22 LR: 40 gr Copper Plated Round Nose, 1,240 fps, 137 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 710 22 LR: 38 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 134 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 712 22 LR: 31 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,430 fps, 141 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 724 22 LR: 25 gr 12 Shot, 1,000 fps, test barrel not listed, item 716	22 WMR: 50 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 1,530 fps, 260 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 757
Federal BYOB	22 LR: 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 750BKT1375 22 LR: 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 750BTL450	22 WMR: 50 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 1,530 fps, 260 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 757BTL250
Federal Champion Training - Rimfire	22 LR: 40 gr Lead Round Nose, 1,240 fps, 137 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 510 22 LR: 40 gr Lead Round Nose, 1,200 fps, 128 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 729B800 22 LR: 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 745 22 LR: 36 gr Lead Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 747 22 LR: 36 gr Lead Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 749 22 LR: 40 gr Lead Round Nose, 1,200 fps, 128 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item AM22 22 LR: 36 gr Copper Plated Hollow Point, 1,260 fps, 127 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item UTR2236	22 WMR: 40 gr Full Metal Jacket, 1,880 fps, 314 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 737

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 24,000 psi by transducer for both, for the .22 LR Match drawing and for .22 WMR. Our .22 LR guide did not copy a pressure for the Sporting drawing. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026.
If bullet weight is your question: the .22 LR loads in our table run from 23 gr (CCI HEVI-Bismuth Pest Control Rimfire 39CCB) to 45 gr (CCI 22 Suppressor 957). The .22 WMR loads run from 30 gr (Federal Varmint & Predator Speer TNT P765) to 50 gr (Federal BYOB 757BTL250). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .22 LR muzzle velocities in our table are 710 fps, test barrel not listed (CCI Quiet-22 960) and 1,640 fps, test barrel not listed (CCI Stinger 50). For .22 WMR they are 1,000 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Personal Defense Punch Rimfire PD22WMR1) and 2,200 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Varmint & Predator Speer TNT P765). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without a difference. Sources: those maker pages.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI’s standard rimfire rifle test barrel is 24 in, as our .22 WMR guide records. Our .22 LR guide did not copy a SAAMI test barrel, and no .22 LR maker page in our set lists a test barrel. In our .22 WMR table, the maker pages that list one print 24 in or 1.875 in vented. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data, including the .22 LR and .22 WMR pages. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026 and the maker pages linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each, with case length .613 in (−.008) for .22 LR (Match drawing) and 1.055 in (−.008) for .22 WMR, and bullet diameter .2255 in (−.0040) and .2245 in (−.0040). Check the cartridge named in your firearm’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026.
If the .22 LR drawing matters to you: SAAMI lists a Match and a Sporting drawing for the .22 LR. We show the Match figures only; the Sporting drawing was revised 01/19/2025, and its pressure is not copied in our guide. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026.

Not yet verified

Winchester: our .22 LR guide has not yet checked Winchester’s .22 LR pages, and our .22 WMR guide records 9 Winchester pages that say “There is no ballistics data available at this time,” so no Winchester load is in either table.
Hornady: our .22 LR guide records that Hornady’s sitemap lists no .22 LR factory ammunition; Hornady loads are in the .22 WMR table only.
SIG Sauer: we did not check any SIG .22 LR line, and the maker’s site returned a 403 access error for .22 WMR.
Our .22 LR table includes shotshell loads such as the CCI Rimfire Shotshell and Federal Small Game, whose energy is not listed on the maker page. CCI’s .22 WMR shotshells (items 25 and 25CCB) are shot loads with no energy figure and are not in the .22 WMR table.
Other .22 WMR makers (Aguila, Armscor, Fiocchi, Sellier & Bellot) were not checked.
One load in the .22 WMR table, CCI Maxi-Mag +V 59, carries a “Discontinued” badge on the maker page as of Nov. 4, 2026; we list it because the maker page still shows it.
Test barrels: no .22 LR maker page in our set lists one, and the CCI, Federal, Remington and Speer .22 WMR pages list none.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our .22 LR ammo and .22 WMR ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .17 HMR ammo, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and .17 HMR vs .22 WMR, all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .22 LR and .22 WMR?

SAAMI lists 24,000 psi (transducer) for both the .22 LR Match drawing and .22 WMR, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026. Our .22 LR guide did not copy a Sporting-drawing pressure.

Is the .22 WMR the same size as the .22 LR?

No. SAAMI lists a case length of .613 in (−.008) for the .22 LR Match drawing and 1.055 in (−.008) for .22 WMR, per our guides.

Which is better, .22 LR or .22 WMR?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (.22 LR ammo and .22 WMR ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1-R2026.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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