October 07, 2026
The Ammo Question New Shooters Always Ask
Photo: Same job, two different ways of lighting the powder. Here's what sets them apart.
Every round you've ever fired falls into one of two camps: rimfire or centerfire, and the difference comes down to one tiny detail most shooters never think about.
I still remember someone at the range asking me why you can't reload .22 LR the way you can a 9mm case.
Good question. The answer explains half of what separates these two ammo families.
Today we're breaking down rimfire versus centerfire, and why that one small design choice matters more than you'd guess.
Where The Primer Actually Lives
Rimfire ammo, think .22 LR, packs its priming compound into the hollow rim of the case itself.
The firing pin strikes that rim, crushes the compound against it, and sets off the powder inside.
Centerfire cartridges do it differently. The primer sits in its own separate cup, pressed into the center of the case head.
That's the whole split, rim versus center, and it drives everything else about how each round behaves.
Why Rimfire Still Earns Its Keep
Rimfire cases are simple and cheap to manufacture, so the ammo itself costs a fraction of centerfire.
That's why .22 LR has trained more new shooters than any other cartridge in history: low recoil, low noise, low cost.
It's also why rimfire dominates small game hunting and pest control, plenty of punch for a squirrel or a barn rat without shredding the meat or draining your wallet.
The tradeoff: rimfire cases can't be reloaded. Crush that rim once, and it's done for good.
Why Centerfire Handles Everything Else
That same durability lets centerfire cases handle far more pressure, which is why every duty pistol round, every deer rifle, and every defensive cartridge on the market is centerfire.
From a 9mm in a carry pistol to a .308 dropping a whitetail at 300 yards, centerfire is doing the heavy lifting.
Rimfire teaches you to shoot. Centerfire is what you shoot for real.
Got a favorite rimfire or centerfire round? Hit reply and tell us.
Until next time, stay locked and loaded.
- Randy, Locked N Loaded
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