How Much Do You Know About Rimfire Ammunition?

How much do you know about rimfire ammo? Take our 10-question quiz to find out. The answers will be at the end of the quiz, but don’t peek ahead—we’ll know!

1. True or false? Rimfire cartridge cases are the oldest self-contained cartridge in existence.

2. In terms of the sheer number of cartridges sold annually, which rimfire cartridge is the most common/popular ammunition manufactured in the world today?
1. .22 Short
2. .22 Long
3. .22 Long Rifle
4. .22 Magnum

3. True or false? Initially, rimfire ammunition was made using black powder.

4. Rimfire ammunition was invented by Frenchman Louis-Nicholas Flobert in what year?
1. 1645
2. 1745
3. 1845
4. 1945

5. True or false? Spent rimfire cartridge cases can be easily reloaded by most recreational shooters and hunters.

6. The firing pin of a center-fire firearm strikes the cartridge’s primer in the center. Where does a rimfire firearm’s firing pin strike the primer?
1. In the center
2. On the rear rim of the case, hence the name rimfire
3. Exactly midway up the case
4. At the top rim of the case where the bullet is seated, hence the name rimfire

7. True or false? Some .22-caliber rimfire cartridges can be loaded with a minute amount of shot instead of a bullet, the rifle or handgun then functioning much like a small shotgun. 

8. Rifles shooting rimfire cartridges much larger than .22 caliber were once used to fight what American war?
1. Revolutionary War
2. Civil War
3. World War I
4. Vietnam War
5. War of Attrition

9. True or false? .22-caliber rimfire handguns are used extensively today for EDC (every-day carry) and self-defense.

10. The early 21st Century has seen a revival in the popularity of rimfire rifles; of the new rimfire rifle calibers developed so far, which has become the most popular?
1. .17 caliber
2. .18 caliber
3. .19 caliber
4. .20 caliber

Answers

1.  True
2.  c. .22 Long Rifle
3.  True
4.  c. 1845
5.  False (The primer cannot be easily replaced, as with center-fire cartridges)
6.  b. On the rear rim of the case, hence the name rimfire
7.  True
8.  b. Civil War
9.  True (Many women carry .22 caliber handguns for self-defense because they are easier for them to handle and shoot accurately than larger calibers.)
10.  a. .17 caliber

Scorecard

Well, how did you do?

• 0 to 3 correct = Rookie
• 4 to 6 correct = Keep shooting
• 7 or 8 correct = Well done
• 9 or 10 correct = Top Gun!

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