The Ballistics of the .22 Long Rifle Cartridge: A Comprehensive Analysis (Precision 22LR Rimfire) Hardcover – February 12, 2026

***** SECOND EDITION - MAJOR UPGRADE *****The only comprehensive ballistics reference written exclusively about the .22 Long Rifle cartridge—by a competition shooter with over 40 years of experience.The .22 LR is the most widely produced cartridge in the world. It’s used in Olympic competition, military marksmanship training, NRL22 precision rifle matches, small-game hunting, pest control, and recreational shooting by millions worldwide. An estimated 2.5 billion rounds are manufactured every year—and yet, until this book, no single reference covered its ballistics in depth.The Ballistics of the .22 Long Rifle Cartridge fills that gap. Written by Scott L. Buttrick—a master gunsmith, former competitive shooter, and retired law enforcement officer—this book follows the .22 LR bullet from the moment the firing pin strikes the rim through its flight downrange and into the target. Every chapter is grounded in physics, verified by data, and informed by decades of hands-on experience.Inside this Second Edition, you’ll find:• Complete internal ballistics coverage — primer ignition mechanics, pressure curves, propellant burn dynamics, barrel harmonics, chamber tolerances, and how they interact to determine accuracy• Detailed external ballistics — drag models (G1, G7, RA4, and Custom), transonic zone behavior, worked wind drift and drop calculations, and the .22 LR vs. .308 long-range training equivalence• Terminal ballistics with gel test data — wound mechanics, bullet design comparisons, ammunition-specific penetration and expansion results, and honest assessments of hunting and self-defense performance• Manufacturer-by-manufacturer ammunition guide — ELEY, Lapua, CCI, Federal, Aguila, SK, and more, with product-specific profiles and the author’s personal experience with each• NEW: Practical Long-Range Rimfire chapter — NRL22 competition, equipment selection, building DOPE cards, wind calling under time pressure, positional shooting, and stage strategy• Barrel length optimization, suppressor effects, lot testing methodology, and accuracy testing protocols• Common myths debunked with data and decades of experienceThis isn’t a book written by a laboratory researcher who’s never pulled a trigger in competition or built a rifle from parts. It’s written by an experienced shooter who has spent a lifetime with the .22 LR—at the bench, on the range, and in the field. The science is rigorous. The perspective is a shooter’s.If you shoot a .22 LR and want to understand why it does what it does, this is the reference you’ve been looking for. Read more