The Working Shelf: Rimfire and Shotshells for Small Game, Varmints and the Farm

A great deal of everyday shooting is done with light rimfire cartridges and plain shotshells: a squirrel in the oak, a rabbit in the garden, a coyote at the edge of the field, a duck on the pond. The working shelf is made up of rimfires for the small jobs and shotshells for the bigger ones, and each cartridge has its own place.

The .22 family

The .22 Short, introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1857, is the oldest of these cartridges and is still loaded today. Its loads are at 22 short ammo for sale.

The .22 Long Rifle, from 1887, is the most widely used rimfire in the world, and its loads are at 22lr ammunition.

The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, introduced by Winchester in 1959, has a longer, stronger case and a faster bullet, and its loads are at 22 wmr ammunition.

The .17s and the .21

The .17 HM2, launched by Hornady in 2004, necks a .22 LR-type case down to a 17-grain bullet at about 2,100 feet per second. Its loads are at 17 hm2 ammo.

The .17 HMR, introduced by Hornady in 2002, is a necked-down .22 WMR, and its 20-grain loads are at 17 hmr 20 grain ammo. The .17 WSM, introduced by Winchester in 2012, is faster still, and its 20-grain loads are at 17 wsm 20 grain ammo.

The .21 Sharp, a Winchester design announced in 2023, uses a .22 LR case with a smaller-diameter bullet, and its hollow-point loads are at 21 sharp hollow point ammo.

Shotshells for the bigger jobs

Rimfires top out around the size of a fox or a coyote. Beyond that, the shotgun takes over. Buckshot is a few large pellets for deer-sized game at short range, and 12-gauge buckshot is at 12 gauge buckshot ammunition. A slug is a single heavy projectile, and Federal's 12-gauge slugs are at federal 12 gauge slugs.

Steel shot is the usual non-toxic payload for waterfowl, where lead is not allowed, and steel shot shells are at steel shot shells for sale.

Start with the job

Pick the animal, the distance and the backstop first, then the cartridge, then the gun. The rest of this series takes the same shelf one angle at a time.

Rimfire cartridges and shotshells have different chamberings and rules. Match the marking on your gun to the box exactly, check local hunting regulations, and confirm current stock and state shipping restrictions before ordering.