Calibers That Barely Match .22 Performance on a Good Day

Some cartridges look interesting on paper, but once you shoot them, you realize they don’t bring much more to the table than a plain .22 LR. They may have nostalgia or a niche purpose, but in real-world use, they offer mild energy, limited reach, and performance that falls off fast once conditions shift. You can still enjoy them for plinking or small game, but expecting them to carry more weight is asking too much. When you stack them against a .22 LR—one of the most proven rimfires ever made—they often struggle to stand out in any meaningful way.

.25 ACP

The .25 ACP has hung around for a long time, mostly because older pocket pistols were built around it. When you shoot it, though, you immediately notice how little authority it brings. Velocities hover near what a high-velocity .22 can do, and the small bullet doesn’t give you much more than noise and brass on the ground.

Even in short-barreled pistols, a .22 LR frequently moves faster and hits harder. The .25 ACP’s only real advantage is centerfire ignition, which is reliable, but that’s hardly enough to make it feel capable. When you stack performance against cost, it starts to look like a cartridge that’s living on borrowed time.

.22 Short

The .22 Short still has its charm, especially in old rifles and gallery guns. But on a good day, the performance barely steps ahead of a lightweight .22 LR load. The tiny case limits speed, and accuracy starts to fade at distances where .22 LR is still reliable.

While it’s quiet and pleasant to shoot, it lacks the energy to handle much more than casual plinking or tiny game. The round drops fast, and wind drift shows up sooner than you’d expect. If you’re hoping for anything close to the capability of modern rimfire loads, you’ll find yourself adjusting quickly. It’s fun but noticeably soft.

.22 CB Cap

The .22 CB Cap makes the .22 Short look powerful. It produces very low velocity, and its usefulness is tied almost entirely to how quiet it is. You get minimal recoil and almost no muzzle report, but you also get performance that trails even mild .22 LR rounds.

Accuracy is acceptable at very short ranges, yet the moment you stretch it, groups widen and energy falls flat. It’s meant for close, controlled shooting, not meaningful field use. When compared to a standard high-velocity .22 LR, the CB Cap looks more like a specialty tool than a workable cartridge for any regular task.

.22 BB Cap

The .22 BB Cap sits near the bottom of the rimfire food chain. It’s essentially a primer-powered round with barely enough push to stay accurate past backyard distances. On a good day, you’ll get consistent ignition, but you won’t get anything resembling real performance.

Wind, distance, and even a slight shift in shooting position can affect impact. While it’s undeniably quiet, the tradeoff is an extremely light projectile that loses effectiveness immediately. When compared to a .22 LR, it’s not even in the same class. It’s more of a historical novelty than a cartridge with real modern use.

.32 S&W (Original Loading)

The early .32 S&W loading produces energy levels that sit surprisingly close to what a .22 LR can do. Out of a short-barreled revolver, velocity drops even more, leaving you with performance that hardly feels like a step up from rimfire.

Recoil is mild, which is nice, but accuracy can be hit or miss depending on the revolver. Many of the older guns chambered for it have worn bores or basic sights, making precision tougher. While it still finds use among collectors and casual shooters, anyone expecting a meaningful jump over .22-level performance will be disappointed.

.17 Mach 2

The .17 Mach 2 is fast, but the light bullet limits what it can accomplish. It punches tiny, clean holes in paper, yet its energy stays close to hot .22 LR loads. The small projectile sheds speed quickly, especially in wind.

It’s enjoyable for plinking and pest control, but beyond that, its capability narrows fast. The round was always overshadowed by the .17 HMR, and when you compare the Mach 2 directly to a .22 LR, the difference doesn’t feel huge unless you’re shooting tight groups at close range. It’s accurate but not especially strong.

.25 Stevens (Rimfire)

The .25 Stevens is an old rimfire that never really separated itself from .22 LR performance. While the bullet is heavier, velocity is lower, which brings energy back down into .22 territory. In practical use, that means the hit feels soft and trajectory drops early.

Many rifles chambered for it are antiques, and that limits what you can expect in accuracy and reliability. It’s interesting from a historical standpoint, but when you look strictly at numbers and field performance, it trails far behind modern rimfires. It’s a quiet, nostalgic round—but nowhere near a powerhouse.

.22 Winchester Automatic

The .22 Winchester Automatic was tied to a very small group of rifles, and that made it obsolete before it could prove itself. Its ballistics fall close to standard .22 LR performance, and in many rifles, it doesn’t run as clean or efficiently.

Since the cartridge never saw broad adoption, ammunition options stayed limited. Many shooters today find that even when they can source ammo, they don’t see anything that beats a regular .22 LR. It’s an interesting piece of firearms history, but when compared to modern rimfire offerings, it shows its age quickly.

.22 Long

The .22 Long sits awkwardly between .22 Short and .22 LR, and in real-world shooting, it doesn’t outperform either in a meaningful way. Its velocity often matches slower .22 LR loads, and energy stays modest.

You’ll see decent accuracy at close ranges, but beyond that, the long bullet and mild powder charge don’t bring anything new. Most shooters end up using .22 LR instead, since it’s easier to find and delivers more consistent power. The .22 Long isn’t useless, but it’s barely a step above early rimfires and doesn’t compete with the modern stuff.

.32 ACP (From Short Barrels)

In compact pistols, the .32 ACP struggles to show much improvement over powerful rimfire rounds. Barrel length determines a lot, and in the small guns where .32 ACP is common, velocity drops sharply.

You get manageable recoil and decent accuracy up close, yet the energy figures often sit only slightly above high-velocity .22 LR. It’s functional, but not impressive, and stretching distance exposes its limits fast. Many shooters expect more from a centerfire, but the performance gap isn’t always there. In tiny carry pistols, it lands much closer to rimfire than you’d think.

.17 Aguila

The .17 Aguila uses a tiny, lightweight bullet that moves fast but carries little punch. While it produces tight groups at short distances, it loses steam quickly and is heavily affected by wind.

You can use it for pests or casual shooting, yet its capabilities stay narrow. When you compare its performance to a good .22 LR, the energy difference is small, and trajectory suffers once the bullet slows down. It’s an interesting experiment in small-caliber speed, but it never managed to stand apart from standard rimfires in any practical way.

.22 Colibri

The .22 Colibri barely edges out airgun territory, let alone .22 LR. It’s primer-powered and extremely quiet, but the lack of real velocity limits it to very controlled situations. It can’t be relied on for consistent penetration or long-range accuracy.

Shooters enjoy it for backyard plinking, yet that’s essentially where its usefulness ends. Compared to standard .22 LR, it offers a fraction of the energy and almost none of the range. It’s fun when you know what to expect, but expecting anything more than soft, slow performance is a mistake.