.22 high velocity vs standard questions

H

Hal

New member
Does anyone know what the SAAMI pressures are for the different .22lr offerings?
I've seen it mentioned that some older High Standard pistols should only be used with standard velocity ammo.
I believe one of the staff or members mentioned once they knew of a case where an old (Steven's Crack Shot maybe?) developed a cracked frame from using .22 high velocity.

The only reference I can find for SAAMI on the .22lr just says the limit is 24,000 psi.
 
The High Velocity 22lr came out about 1929.In those days there was little mention of pressure ,usually just velocity. Some of the guns were clearly marked to show the difference ,such as the Colt Woodsman. Whether designed for standard or high velocity.
In any case if you're using a pistol for target the standard velocity should be used so the gun will last longer.
 
In a semi auto pistol, it's not the pressure but the recoil needed to cycle the action. Some target pistols have recoil springs meant for standard velocity target loads and high velocity loads will unnecessarily slam the slide. On the other hand, if the spring is designed for HV loads, it may not reliably cycle with SV loads.
It's not that HV ammo will blow up the barrel.
 
Ok -thanks - that makes sense that the high velocity could/would be hard on the gun.
I did find the specs on the SAAMI web site. It shows both have the same 24,000 psi limit.

I can see where an increased slide velocity could cause a cracked frame on a HS, but, I've still seen people caution to not use HV ammo in old single shot rifles, like the Quackenbush and/or the Stevens.
I'm a bit unclear on how the higher velocity of the HV could do anything there?
 
The chamber/extractor design may cause problems .I have a German rifle made in the '30s and one of the light bullet, high velocity rounds [Stinger IIRC] causes problems so extraction is difficult. It's not a typical extractor design and the case expands to jamb the extractor.
 
When I extract Wolf MT standard velocity cases from my low wall single shot, there is a definite case bulging out into the extractor groove. Most hv ammo doesn't do this, so, low velocity does not necessarily = low pressure.
 
The issue w/ hv ammo in High standards is the thin spot of the frame around the slide release. Too much hv ammo w/o proper springs can batter the recoil lug and eventually cause a crack in the frame at this location.

Which is why i bought a cheapie Ruger MkII with the short tapered barrel. I can blast away with cheap bulk pack all day long and not worry about breaking anything. Doesn't shoot like my Citation, though!:D
 
Is there a velocity cut-off?

What FPS is considered to be high velocity,,,
And what FPS is considered to be normal (low) velocity?

Is there an official standard set by SAMMI,,,
Or some other standards organization?

Aarond

.
 
What FPS is considered to be high velocity,,,
And what FPS is considered to be normal (low) velocity?
Click to expand...

I don't think there's a standard, but in the case of .22LR I think the cutoff would be somewhere around the speed of sound (~1100 fps), probably measured with a rifle length barrel. Some "high velocity" ammo is still probably subsonic when shot from a snubbie.
 
Is there an official standard set by SAMMI,,,
Click to expand...
SAAMI lists the std @ 1135 fps and the HV @ 1235 fps. for a 40 grain bullet.
How they arrive at those figures has my head still spinning.
They mention a lot of terms - like Maximum Probable Lot Mean and Maximum Probable Sample Mean & give math formulas that, to me. read like something in an alien language.
You can go here:
http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/index.cfm

And download a pdf for the rimfire.

I mistakenly thought you had to pay to download it, but, you don't.
 
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