Firearms industry statistics show that the most popular caliber in America, by sales volume, is the lowly .22 LR rimfire cartridge.

While not as "sexy" as more powerful centerfire ammunition, the .22 LR is great for competition, target shooting, informal "plinking," and small game hunting.

This review is of the Winchester Super-X .22 LR ammunition with a 40 grain lead round nose bullet.

The Winchester line of ammunition is non-corrosive and brass cased. Since this is a rimfire round, it is not reloadable by the home reloader. This is not a problem though due to the low cost of .22 LR ammunition when compared to centerfire ammunition. That low cost is another reason for the caliber's popularity.

I have used this particular load in a variety of .22 LR rifles and pistols. I have always found it to have consistent ignition and generally good accuracy. While it is not a competition match load, it does produce acceptable groups in most firearms I've tried it in and outstanding groups in some individual guns.

I say, "generally good" accuracy because, like countless shooters before me, I have discovered that .22 LR firearms are the most "finicky" firearms around for both functional reliability and accuracy.

A .22 LR load that shoots extremely well in one firearm might shoot very poorly in another, nearly identical, firearm. There just seems to be that much variation from gun to gun as to what load each particular gun will "like."

The Winchester Super X .22 LR load has become one of the first loads I try when I get a new .22 firearm. Although I may find a load that works better in any particular .22 firearm, I've found that this load is a good starting point to establish a benchmark of what the gun does, and doesn't, shoot well.

I've found that the 40 grain bullet weight and rounded bullet shape tend to feed well through all of my semi-automatic .22 LR firearms, both pistols and rifles.

The only problem with this ammunition is that it does use an exposed lead bullet. This can leave lead fouling in the barrel so it is important to clean the firearm thoroughly after shooting this ammo.

If you have a .22 LR firearm and you haven't tried this ammo, you should. And, if you *don't* have a .22 LR firearm, then go out and buy one, along with 500 rounds of this ammo, and learn the joys of plinking with a .22 LR yourself.

Here are reviews of accessories for .22 LR firearms.

Hoppes .22 LR Bore Snake - A clean gun is a happy gun

The Ruger MII/45 mag for your Ruger .22 LR pistol

Here are my other ammunition reviews.

Personal defense ammo for semi-auto pistols:

Winchester Ranger SXT RA9TA 9mm Luger 127 gr +P+ is a top defensive load

Federal C9BP 9x19mm 115 gr JHP is a great standard pressure defensive load

Winchester 9mm Luger 115 gr Silvertip is a good standard pressure load

Personal defense ammo for revolvers:

Speer .38 Special +P 135 gr GD SB - Ammo for snub revolvers

Winchester .38 Special +P 125 gr Silvertips are not for Werewolves

Winchester .38 Special 110 gr Silvertips is a good standard pressure load

Blazer .357 Magnum JHP's for inexpensive target shooting with Magnum Force

Economical target ammo:

9mm
Blazer 9mm pistol ammo: Blaze away with cheap bulk ammo for target practice

Winchester White Box 9mm 115 gr FMJ ammo is good, cheap target ammo

Remington UMC Mega Pak 9mm ammo is good bulk ammo

Blazer Brass 9mm 115 gr FMJ is good, cheap ammo for shooters on a budget

Sellier & Bellot 9mm Luger ammunition - An OK plinking round

Federal American Eagle 9mm 115 gr FMJ is good, economical bulk target ammo

Winchester White Box 9mm FMJ ammo is 50 rounds of good, cheap practice ammo

American Eagle 9mm 147gr FMJ FP for target shooting

Winchester Win Clean 9mm bulk ammo for lead free target shooting

American Eagle 9mm 147 gr TMJ ammo reduces the risk of heavy metal poisoning

.45 ACP

Blazer .45 Auto pistol ammo for 1911 pistols or other .45 ACP guns

American Eagle .45 Auto (.45 ACP) for the classic American 1911 pistol

The Winchester .45 ACP 230 gr FMJ load is a good budget ammo choice

Blazer Brass .45 ACP 230 gr ammo is good, inexpensive fodder for semi-auto pistols

American Eagle .45 ACP 230 gr TMJ ammo reduces toxic chemical exposure

9x18mm Makarov

9x18mm Makarov FMJ ammo by American Eagle for the pistol of the Russian Bear

Wolf Military Classic 9x18mm Makarov ammo - Avoid at all costs

.38 Special

American Eagle .38 Special 130 gr FMJ ammo for revolver shooters

American Eagle .38 Special 158 gr LRN: Good cheap ammo for revolver shooters

Winchester .38 Special FMJ Q4171 - You can do better

Recommended: Yes