Best .22 LR Ammo 2026: Plinking, Match & Subsonic Ranked

Match the load to the job, not to a price tag. The single most useful number on a .22 LR box is muzzle velocity, because it tells you whether a round is supersonic (loud through a can) or subsonic (quiet), and whether it carries enough energy to cycle a semi-auto. The speed of sound is roughly 1,125 fps. Anything above it cracks loudly even through a suppressor; anything below it stays quiet but may be too soft to run a blowback action. Everything below organizes around that tradeoff.

Running this ammo through a rimfire pistol instead of a rifle? See our best .22 LR pistols guide for which gun to feed it through, and our Ruger 10/22 upgrades guide for the most popular .22 LR semi-auto.

For plinking and high-volume semi-auto practice, CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP is the load that makes a balky autoloader run. At 1,260 fps it has the bolt energy that cheap promotional bulk lacks, and its copper plating keeps the action and bore far cleaner than bare-lead ammo. A Ruger 10/22 or Taurus TX22 that chokes on bargain-bin bricks will usually run Mini-Mag without complaint. The hollow point also makes it a credible small-game round, so it is the most versatile single load you can stock.

When you need volume over versatility, Federal AutoMatch 40gr is the cheapest reliable way to feed an autoloader. It is built specifically for semi-auto function at near-bulk pricing, and the round-nose lead solid feeds from every magazine type. It is a supersonic plinking and drill load, not a hunting or match round, but for a 325-round pack it cycles far more dependably than the cheapest waxy bulk ammo. Stock both: Mini-Mag for the do-everything role, AutoMatch for the days you burn through a brick.

The most accurate .22 LR ammo is Eley Tenex, the reference standard shot at the Olympic and ISSF world-cup level. Its 40gr EPS flat-nose bullet cuts clean scoring rings on paper at roughly 1,085 fps and stays subsonic for repeatable suppressed precision. It is the most expensive load in this guide and overkill for anything but serious competition, but when you are chasing the last few thousandths of group size, Tenex is the benchmark everything else is measured against.

For most precision shooters, Lapua Center-X is the smarter buy. It is the smallbore competition standard across ISSF, NRL22, and benchrest, lot-tested for consistency, and it delivers most of Tenex's precision for a fraction of the cost. At 1,073 fps it is subsonic and pairs well with a suppressed precision setup. Like all match ammo, performance is rifle- and lot-dependent, so buy a few boxes of different lots, group them through your own barrel, then buy that lot in quantity.

Before you spend match-ammo money, shoot CCI Standard Velocity 40gr. At under $5 a box it prints groups that rival far more expensive loads, stays subsonic at 1,070 fps, and is the best possible benchmark for what your rifle can do. If your barrel does not shoot Standard Velocity well, a $26 box of Tenex will not fix it. If it does, you know premium ammo is worth chasing. The one caveat: standard-velocity loads may not reliably cycle the stiffest semi-auto actions, so it is happiest in a bolt gun or a well-tuned 10/22.

For a suppressed semi-auto, CCI Subsonic 40gr is the everyday pick. At 1,050 fps it stays below the speed of sound to kill the supersonic crack, yet the heavier 40gr lead flat nose carries enough energy to cycle most actions that quieter loads leave short-stroking. Critically, it works in standard 1:16 twist barrels with no special requirements, so it is the safe default for any rimfire can. It is louder than ultra-low-velocity loads and not match-accurate, but for quiet, reliable suppressed shooting it is hard to beat.

Federal American Eagle Suppressor (AE22SUP1) is the purpose-built alternative. Its 45gr copper-plated round nose runs a reliably subsonic 970 fps, and the clean-burning powder formula directly addresses the fast fouling that plagues suppressed rimfires. Suppressed .22 LR is filthy by nature, and a clean-burning load meaningfully extends the interval between teardowns. The heavier 45gr bullet also helps on small game. The tradeoff is that its lower velocity may not cycle the stiffest actions, so confirm function in your gun.

When maximum quiet matters more than cycling, CCI Quiet-22 is the quietest factory .22 LR you can buy, around the report of a pellet gun. At 710 fps it is near-silent through a can on a bolt or single-shot gun and ideal for close-range backyard pest control where noise is the enemy. It is too slow to cycle most semi-autos, so treat it strictly as a manual-action load. For a complete breakdown of rimfire cans to pair with these subsonic loads, see our best .22 LR suppressors guide.

Choosing subsonic ammo for a suppressed centerfire instead? The same supersonic-crack logic governs our best 300 Blackout ammo guide, where subsonic loads run 190-220gr to stay quiet.

CCI Stinger is the benchmark small-game and varmint load. The original hyper-velocity .22 LR drives a 32gr copper-plated hollow point to 1,640 fps, the fastest mainstream rimfire round you can buy, and that speed drives aggressive expansion that drops squirrels and rabbits decisively inside 75 yards. It cycles semi-autos with authority and the copper plating limits the bore leading that high velocity would otherwise cause. The light 32gr bullet sheds energy quickly past 75 yards, and the slightly longer case will not chamber in some tight match-spec rifles, so confirm fit before buying a brick.

For a do-everything hunting and plinking load, CCI Mini-Mag 36gr CPHP is the more versatile choice. It gives up top-end velocity to Stinger but expands well on small game, runs every semi-auto, and pulls double duty as a range load, so you are not stocking a separate hunting brick. From a confirmed fast-twist barrel, Aguila Sniper Subsonic's heavy 60gr bullet penetrates deeply on larger small game, but only run it if your barrel is 1:12 twist or faster. For the top suppressor-host rimfire pistol to hunt with, see our Ruger Mark IV accessories guide.

Two verified loads sit just outside this ranked ten and are worth knowing. CCI Velocitor pushes a heavier 40gr hollow point at hyper-velocity, trading some of Stinger's speed for more retained energy downrange, a good middle ground for larger small game. Federal Punch is a 29gr defensive .22 LR designed for penetration from short barrels rather than expansion. Neither replaces the picks above for general small-game work, but both are legitimate options if your use case is narrow.

• Best .22 LR Pistols: Which rimfire pistol to run this ammo through
• Ruger 10/22 Upgrades: Upgrading the most popular .22 LR semi-auto
• Best .22 LR Suppressors: Pairing subsonic loads with a rimfire can
• Best Ruger Mark IV Accessories: The top suppressor-host .22 pistol
• Best 300 Blackout Ammo: Subsonic and suppressed ammo selection in a centerfire caliber
• Rifle Builder: Configure a rimfire build and see compatible suppressors and optics
• Component Catalog: Browse every .22 LR load with live pricing and specs