Can 22LR be used in a 22 extra long rifle?

[Roo farmer]

I have come across a Winchester model 1902. It is stamped with 22 SHORT LONG OR EXTRA LONG.

Is this rifle suitable for shooting 22LR?

DSC_0442.JPG (542.98 KiB) Viewed 3274 times

[Daddybang]

Gday roofarmer
A mate has a 1904 that he uses lr in and it's stamped the same as the one in the photo.

[bigpete]

I think what we now call long rifle used to be extra long rifle

[No1Mk3]

G'day Roo farmer,
The Extra Long is NOT the same as the current LR cartridge, it is an obsolete black powder round from the turn of the last century that was actually more powerful than the 22LR, from which you can gather that 22LR is perfectly safe in your 1902.Play around with cartridges of course 22's being what they are, but I find subbies seem to work best in my 1902, either Winchester or RWS Field Line, enjoy!

[No1Mk3]

Just an addendum, I wouldn't use Stingers in my early rifles like the 1902 and 1904, Lithgows etc.

[Rod_outbak]

Many years ago, we had a Winchester model 1903 .22, which was somewhere between a .22LR, and a .22 Magnum.
You couldnt use .22LR rounds in the 1903, either.

I wonder where the 1903 .22 round fitted in with this 1902 cartridge?

Interesting.

[No1Mk3]

G'day Rod_outbak,
Sounds like you had a rifle chambered for the 22WRF, which was also made by Remington as the 22 Remington Special. this round was about the same length as the Extra Long, but used an internal lubed bullet instead of the usual heeled bullet and so had a "fatter" case diameter. Because of this it wouldn't chamber in a Extra Long rifle, and normall 22LR were too loose in the WRF chamber and usually misfired, or split the case if they did go off. It has been obsolete for decades, but Winchester did make a 1 off special run of collectible ammo in 1995, Cheers.

[Rod_outbak]

[quote="No1Mk3"]G'day Rod_outbak,
Sounds like you had a rifle chambered for the 22WRF, which was also made by Remington as the 22 Remington Special. this round was about the same length as the Extra Long, but used an internal lubed bullet instead of the usual heeled bullet and so had a "fatter" case diameter. Because of this it wouldn't chamber in a Extra Long rifle, and normall 22LR were too loose in the WRF chamber and usually misfired, or split the case if they did go off. It has been obsolete for decades, but Winchester did make a 1 off special run of collectible ammo in 1995, Cheers.[/quote]

No1Mk3,

I'm afraid that we had a Winchester 1903, in .22 Automatic, which was different (again!) to a .22 WRF.

Slightly different dimensions of the case; shorter than WRF, but still not compatible with either of them.

[ I wondered if you were indeed correct, but looking at 'cartridges of the world', I see they were different cartridges.]

Cheers,

Rod.