Best .22 LR Ammo for Training and Plinking (2026)

.22 LR is the most-fired cartridge in the world — and for good reason. At $0.04–$0.12 per round, it lets you log serious trigger time without draining your ammo budget. But not all .22 LR is equal. Dirty budget bulk ammo can foul your barrel faster and cause more malfunctions than it's worth, while premium match-grade loads cost as much as centerfire pistol rounds. This guide covers the best .22 LR ammo for training, plinking, hunting small game, and competition in 2026 — with real prices and performance data.

What to Look for in .22 LR Ammo

.22 LR is a rimfire cartridge, which means the primer is embedded in the rim of the case rather than a separate component. This makes it inherently less consistent than centerfire ammo — but quality control has improved dramatically over the past decade. Key specs to evaluate:

• Velocity — Standard velocity (~1,070 fps), High velocity (~1,200–1,280 fps), Hyper velocity (~1,400+ fps). Sub-sonic loads run below 1,100 fps for suppressor use.
• Bullet weight — 40 gr is standard. Heavier (45 gr) shoots more quietly; lighter (32–36 gr) hits higher velocity.
• Lubrication — Wax-coated bullets (standard) vs copper-plated (cleaner, more accurate).
• Consistency — Standard deviation of muzzle velocity matters for precision shooting. Top match ammo runs SD under 15 fps; bulk runs 30–60 fps SD.

Best .22 LR Ammo by Use Case (2026)

Budget Bulk Ammo: What's Actually Worth Buying

The sub-$0.07/round category is where most people live for training. Here's the honest breakdown:

Winchester Wildcat (~$0.04/rd) is the absolute cheapest reliable option. Lead round nose, wax-lubed, and dirty — but it feeds in most semi-autos and accuracy is acceptable for 25-yard drills. Expect more fouling and clean your gun more frequently.

Federal AutoMatch (~$0.05/rd) is a step up: it was literally engineered for semi-auto reliability. More consistent than Wildcat, slightly less dirty. Excellent choice for 1,000-round training sessions where cost-per-round matters most.

Remington Golden Bullet is the most widely available bulk .22 LR in stores. Performance is adequate but quality control has been inconsistent — some lots run fine, others show higher dud rates. If you can't find anything else, it works.

Browse current bulk .22 LR pricing at rimfire ammo deals — prices shift weekly and we track them live.

Best for Semi-Automatic Pistols and Rifles

Semi-auto rimfires are pickier than bolt actions. Guns like the Ruger 10/22, Sig P322, or Browning Buck Mark are designed around high-velocity copper-plated ammo. Standard-velocity lead loads can cause feeding issues and leave more residue. Our top pick for semi-autos:

• CCI Mini-Mag — the gold standard for reliability in semi-autos. Copper-plated, consistent, and widely available. Worth the ~$0.10/rd vs dirt-cheap bulk if your gun is picky.
• Federal Champion Auto Match — specifically designed for semi-auto actions, cleaner than most budget loads.
• Aguila Super Extra (~$0.07/rd) — copper-plated, high velocity, excellent value between bulk and premium.

Best for Bolt Actions and Accuracy

Bolt-action .22s (Anschutz, CZ 457, Savage B22, Ruger Precision Rimfire) can exploit better ammo quality in ways semi-autos can't. If you're shooting 50- or 100-yard groups, standard-velocity loads are more accurate than high-velocity because they don't go transonic within range.

The practical sweet spot for most shooters is SK Standard Plus or Lapua Center-X — genuinely excellent accuracy at 3–4x the bulk price but 10x less than Eley Tenex. Run bulk for drills, run SK/Lapua when you're dialing in your rifle.

Best for Small Game Hunting

Hunting squirrel, rabbit, or controlling pest animals with .22 LR? You want a hollow point at high velocity for reliable expansion and clean kills. Top options:

• CCI Stinger 32 gr HP — 1,640 fps, devastating on small game at 50 yards and under. The fastest .22 LR load available.
• CCI Mini-Mag HP 36 gr — 1,260 fps, excellent balance of velocity and bullet weight for squirrel and rabbit.
• Remington Viper 36 gr HP — 1,410 fps, hyper-velocity with a truncated cone HP. Accurate and hard-hitting.
• Winchester Super-X Power Point 40 gr — 1,280 fps, proven hunting load with controlled expansion.

Suppressed / Sub-Sonic .22 LR

Running a rimfire suppressor? Standard-velocity ammo is already at or near subsonic from a rifle-length barrel. From a pistol, high-velocity loads often stay subsonic too due to the shorter barrel. Dedicated sub-sonic loads optimize for suppressed shooting:

• CCI Quiet-22 (710 fps) — extremely quiet, works well in bolt actions; may not cycle semi-autos reliably
• Remington Subsonic HP (1,050 fps) — good balance of velocity and sub-sonic performance in rifles
• Aguila Sniper Subsonic (950 fps, 60 gr) — very heavy bullet, extremely quiet, but needs a 1:9 twist barrel to stabilize properly

How Much .22 LR Should You Stock?

At $0.04–$0.10/round, .22 LR is the most affordable training ammo available. A reasonable training stockpile for an active shooter:

• Casual plinker: 2,000–5,000 rounds (1–2 bricks of 500)
• Regular trainer: 10,000–20,000 rounds per year (~$500–$1,000)
• Competition shooter: 20,000+ rounds with dedicated match ammo lots

Buy in bulk (500-, 1,000-, or 5,250-round bricks) to get the best per-round pricing. Check our .22 LR and rimfire ammo deals page for real-time bulk pricing across all major retailers.

Bottom Line

For most shooters, CCI Mini-Mag is the best all-around .22 LR ammo — reliable in semi-autos, accurate enough for 50-yard plinking, and available everywhere. If you're pure bulk training, Federal AutoMatch or Winchester Wildcat cut cost in half with acceptable performance. Step up to SK Standard Plus for serious accuracy work. And if you're hunting small game, CCI Stinger is the clear choice. Browse current per-round prices on all these loads at our rimfire ammo page — we track live deals so you always know when to buy.