Is there really jacketed .22lr ammo?

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Rifleman1776

New member
I often see in various threads mention of jacketed .22lr ammo. I don't believe I have ever seen such a thing. There is, of course, very common copper colored, washed or plated ammo that has a very-very thin coating over the lead. But this is not a "jacket" in any sense. Personally, I don't see any need or sense to jacketing .22lr ammo, but that is me. Does such a critter exist?
 
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carguychris

New member
Late in WWII, the U.S. Army reportedly obtained a significant quantity of true FMJ .22LR ammo for use in USAAF (pre-USAF) aircrew survival rifles, to address concerns about potential violations of the Hague Convention if standard soft lead bullets were used against enemy soldiers. Some of this ammo was reportedly diverted to the OSS for use in suppressed pistols.

This ammo was later rendered obsolete when the USAF (successor of the USAAF) switched to .22 Hornet for survival rifle use.

Despite a production run in the millions of rounds- and the likelihood that little of it was ever actually used by downed aircrews- very little of this ammo has surfaced on the civilian surplus market. Most of it is probably still in dusty crates in military warehouses somewhere. :)

More info here:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=524547
 
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SDC

New member
Yes, and it was shown in military technical manuals as late as 1961; the FMJ 22 LR round was adopted as the M24, until it was replaced by the 22 Hornet (also with an FMJ bullet).
 
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jonnyc

New member
I see 2 or 3 of them at every cartridge show I attend. Not scarce, but not too common. They go from $5-$15 a round, depending on how long the guy's had it on his table.
 
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