How .22LR Ammo is Made
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- We were offered a rare glimpse into Federal's rimfire plant in Anoka, MN to watch how .22 LR ammunition is made. We all know the basic components involved -- each cartridge consists of a case with primer, propellant, and a bullet. Watching them all come together on a massive scale with a choreographed dance of modern automated machinery is a surprisingly gratifying experience.
Special thanks to our friends at Federal Ammunition and Vista Outdoor for the invitation! - Розваги
As an old shooter (76) who has come back to the sport recently (don't like golf and would rather "plink than drink") this was a fascinating and enjoyable clip. Who doesn't enjoy a factory tour? Thanks for sharing how the humble 22 rimfire is made. Good music for old ears too. I was struck by the lack of human workers except for a couple of steps. Good job Chris. Keep it up.
"Daddy, where does ammo come from?"
"Well, son, it all starts with raw lead being melted and formed into cylindrical billets..."
"Well son, when a bullet and a brass case love each other very much..."
3:55 is where mommy uses her toys to make bullets
@@411Adidas broooo 😂
🤣😂🤣
I feel like 22 ammo in an unopened box is probably the cleanest thing in my house.
When they say something is "washed" in a factory they use the term very very loosely. Contaminants and grit are rinsed away, or chemicals are neutralized. It's probably a long way from sanitary.
I feel ya. I'm in the same boat. I spend more time cleaning guns than the home. LMAO
@@m1a1abrams93 maybe you have to many guns then
Said no one ever
@@henning_u there will be never such a thing as too many guns.... it will always be said he had to few of guns
Never too many guns.
Just too many to carry 😁
Every time I watch how something is made, I look at the machines. I just think about how smart someone has to be to invent and build such a machine. It makes me feel dumb or at least a underachiever.
Same man it just shows how intelligent humans can be at times
If it makes you feel any better each moving component on a machine was probably designed, engineered and tested by a team of several people. It's no surprise you can't do the same job as several teams of 10+ people.
The first machine built with interchangeable parts and accurate measurements in a mass production system was the Colt revolver.
Like most things engineers design it but it's the users that make them work properly
Makes me think about the work that had to go into doing something like this not even 100 years ago. Modern technology is wild
I got a drink, well I'll admit more than just one, and a cigar and sat out on the front porch. It's almost midnight in Europe, but I have a small stove that keeps me warm during nights like this. I admittedly already have a small buzz going, but I was just unwinding from all of the chaos that's going on right now. This video is like a gift grom God. The soothing music and the commentary as well as the perfectly timed and working machinery really give me a sense of comfort and happiness during these times. Admittedly I'm German, so I have a soft spot for things like this, but I must say, even though the videos on this channel are always high quality, your really outdid yourselves with this one tonight. Greetings from Germany, even though I'm an American at heart. God bless you all, stay safe.
God bless you my brother, you will be free one day 👊🏻
Yeah it was really soothing. Still chaos in ATL.
I’m doing pretty much the same thing...except it’s a vodka and orange juice 🥃...no cigar...stay well my friend 👍
American at heart is all you need, we'd be glad to have you any day. Be well.🇺🇸👍
American in the next life for sure 🤙 cheers
Absolutely beautiful content. Great music choice.
Hi big fan
@@Alex_Goode hope he sees this comment best guess is since he hasnt replied in 3 months to these comments he wont see yours
Oh, hello Mr. Rocket Powered Golf Club, fancy seeing you here
@@DJstarrfish AcTuAllY i drive a lamborghinibuattit volvahybrid tesla
@@evoklax Myconix meant smarter every day not you
Thank you Federal ammunition for showing us the very little ever seen process.
Dang…. Imagine how hard ammo was to produce before technology like this was available. Absolutely stunning. The whole film was amazing. Cheers!
It wasn't uncommon for men to buy lead brick and melt their own ball ammunition and factory would too. Durting the 1880's ish, A shot of whiskey would cost a cowboy .12 cents, and so was a cartridge of .45 long colt. That's kind of expensive for the day. Consider a loaf of bread was like a .07 in 1933. This is why most men would buy lead brick and melt it into ball or possibly nossel type shapes. Then buy their gun powder and primer caps. Leads current price on the metals market is .96 cents a pound. Or 2,100 for a metric tonne. An ounce of gold is 2,500 a troy oz.
This was really good. I would really like to see this for other calibers and types.
Check out Active Self Protection Extra. He covers .556 production and does a good job.
Yeah a few more calibers would be good.
I wanna see DU anti-tank rounds
As a mechanical/manufacturing engineer and gun enthusiast, I truly enjoyed this video. Cheers from Canada.
If Mr. Rogers toured a .22 factory... This would be it.
It makes me happy to hear that. Thanks :)
The post-jazz soundtrack in 5/4 reminds me more of Twin Peaks than Mr Rogers.
Yes, and then he would go target practice on King Friday.
That's exactly what I thought too!
Thank you for avoiding the heavy metal gunner music that so many videos think is mandatory , much easier to listen to this.
The only thing controversial about this video is that chris has been sitting on this video for a year and a half... I think he should be arrested for holding out on us...
This was the video the world needed right now, it was perfect timing
How dare he😎😎
@@Saw_Squatch no doubt tired of looking and watching this doom and gloom beside I want to reload but ima wait for my time... but dont you feel betrayed that he held good content from us I though we were all family in arms....
Lol
saving it for when he knew we'd need it...
Back in the 90s I worked a federal cartridge as a guard. It is crazy the amount of bullets made in a day.
And yet we had no 22lr at all for almost two years …
I thought Storks carried bricks of ammo to shooters.
Stork iz ded. Caught Chinese Coof.
Fun Fact.Here in Australia the bricks are delivered by trained kangaroos. We call them Ammoroos.
@@casadelshed9128 in the states, you have to work and buy you ammo!!
Also occasionally a bald eagle will drop you a box or two
I wish :’( the 5.56 stork can come visit me
@@dylbowaggins4160 they rebalanced the “American ammo drop,” that’s only unlocked by a kill streak of 3 now...
I always wondered how the rimfire primer was done. Ive loaded lots of shotgun shells, but couldn't wrap my head around how the rim primer worked. THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to take tge footage and edit it and narrate it so nicely. The background music didn't take away from it, and I appreciate watching it! ❤
2 years after this video was made, I still enjoy watching the process
Thanks, Chris and a safe, happy 2023!
Look at all those cute little .22 cartridges!!!😊
You should do a series of these. You actually have a good voice for the process. This was very relaxing and informative.
Maybe we will! It might be a while before we get the chance to tour another factory, but when things slow down a bit, we'll consider it. We've also got some other footage we're sitting on that you might get to see in the near future...
@@LuckyGunner By near future, he means a couple more years.
No, I'm good. Today the average person can make a weapon with a 3dementional printer. This reminds me of, I Love Lucy working in the Chocolate factory. Google it if you don't understand. SMH
I would be curious to see the difference in how precision target .22 ammo is made. Maybe you can get Lapua or Eley to sponsor you on a trip to Europe or the UK.
This music is so disney i swear one of those bullets was about to grow a face and start singing.
WONDERFUL - WONDERFUL video. For so long I've wanted to know the process of how those little .22 rounds were so precisely made to function so well. At age 75, NOWWWWWWWWW the question has been answered, because of YOUR video. THANKS SO MUCH for making it!
Excellent video. I'm always amazed at the machines in "how's it made" videos and think about many of them that were designed 100 years ago and the folks that built them. Thanks.
excellent video.
The music is subtle enough to ignore and the narration is clear and precise without machine noise.
Almost as good as Mr. Rogers at the crayon factory.
I could watch that one every day.
First thing I thought when I heard it. Those were the days....
John Choi I was just about to write this exact thing
@@LuckyGunner Oh wow, I'm a little starstruck. Thank you for your excellent videos throughout the years.
You're doing the world a great service in terms of training and excellence.
NAILED IT!!
easily one of my favorite videos on this channel
That's just pretty slick. My 8 and 7 year olds have asked how ammo was made, this showed up in perfect time after we dissembled a plenty of it on steel targets yesterday afternoon.
Be mindful of lead exposure friend.
@@johntitor7989 yeah you could make your own bulletes with that lead
@ryan strait cjf Makin' memories with the kids! Good job Dad!!!
@@chevysilverado3150 That true. But any form of lead is extremely toxic, especially any lead particles that may be suspended in the air.
That was a super long Federal ammo commercial. I think im sold.
Been around ammo for last 68 years, and this was a VERY Interesting presentation. Willnever complain about the cost of 22 ammo again.
Cmon 22's are cheap.
Nice video. The only part that surprised me was right at the beginning. I would have never imagined a bullet would start out as a lead wire. Live and learn.
Excellent choice of music...and a nice example of engineering! Thank you!
This was very well put together. I appreciate that the music was unobtrusive and not overly loud. Fascinating process. Some of it worked the way I thought, but the priming method, I really had no clue. Thanks for the presentation.
I always wondered about the primer in a .22lr case, thank you for clearing that up for me.
Nice, relaxing tunes to accompany a very enjoyable educational experience!
1:45
Swage- a shaped tool or die for giving a desired form to metal by hammering or pressure. A groove, ridge, or other molding on an object.
In watching the process of how these little cartridges are made, I thought I would share a two month long test I conducted before purchasing my semi-auto .22 pistol. MOst of us have experienceed the failures associated with the caliber, and I strongly suggest that it because of thr sheer numbers of cartridges being made at once. Random failure happens in every modern manufacturing process, and .22's are just like any other widget.
They are NOT like centerfire cartridges which are made in far smaller lots, with what I assume is far more focused quality control. That being based upon never having had a squib centerfire load from any manufacturer in my live of shooting over 50 years.
So, for those interested, here goes....
A few years ago, when I was shopping the .22 pistol offerings of all the plastic gun makers, I did extensive testing and examination of all failures related to the test firing of most of the brands of guns. M&P .22 Compact, Walther, H&K, Ruger SR-22, Ruger Mark III Target, and Glock. All guns were never cleaned during testing.
Each gun had 2000 rounds, divided into 500 round runs of four top brands of .22 ammo. I will only name two brands at the end. All ammo produced failures, but the M&P Compact handled them better. Every failure to fire was examined by dis-assembly of the cartridge.
In each case, no matter the brand, the cause was
1) un-even primer distribution,
2)rim strike on a rim with no primer at that point,
3)loose primer material, floating within the case, not adhered to rim
4)no propellant.
5) no primer
6) Light detonation was presumably caused by low propellant load, resulting in no slide blowback/no ejection except for the M&P.
In my findings, the best ammo I used was CCI Mini mags
The worst was Remington bulk. NOTE: Rem bulk works pretty good in my S&W Model 17 revolver, and probably would work just as well in any revolver.
As for the guns, the M&P succesfully ejected cartridges with low powder. All the others failed to eject.
I bought the M&P .22 Compact, but all the other guns were excellent, with the Glock being a bit more finicky than the others. To this day, several thousands of rounds later, the M&P still shucks 'em all day long, as long as I use CCI ammo. There are more expensive ammo brands and types but I haven't tried them.
I just want to tell you sir, this is easily one of the best gun channels on UA-cam! I’m always thrilled when I see a new video from you guys! 👍
JesusSaves Paul Harrell
Falloutman 342 love him as well! 👍
JesusSaves Hickok 45
Falloutman 342 👍 Also fantastic
I never understood how rimfire primer is manufactured. Just drop in a wet clay like primer inside and spin the casing to spread it out to the rim's edge. Simply amazing.
The whole manufacturing process from start to finish is incredible.
Chris,
Thank you for doing these as well as your ballistic tests. It's time consuming, but it is VERY appreciated.
Awesome. Thanks LGA for the video and thank you to Federal for the ammo!!!
Looking at what goes on, it's fascinating that a .22LR round costs only 4 cents.
The discounting nature of production volume :)
Makes you wonder how many billions of rounds were made to keep the price where it is!
4c is the cost to the consumer. It's more amazing to know that the cost to manufacture is even less than that. Even with the low profit margin on 22lr, they can still make money manufacturing and selling.
Generally mass produced products only cost a 1/5 to 1/10 of what the consumer pays.
Not anymore is it 4 cents, let alone in stock!
As much of a Metalhead that I am, thank you for not putting anything obnoxious for the soundtrack.
This wasn't like "how it's made".
It was more like Mr.Rogers when he comments over a video. It was awesome! I think it was the music . Thanks for this.
Yep. This definitely gave me the nostalgia for those old videos.
Not near enough puns to be like how it's made.
@@DrangusMcGee they couldn't help that. They were Canadians ahy
The music really makes it like Mr. RODGERS
Super awesome video! Absolutely my favorite music for a video like this
I've always wondered how rimfire cartridges are primed
Same. It's an ingenious process!
Try doing your own, ua-cam.com/video/_NqJ4RUUMGg/v-deo.html
It blew my mind, like its such a simple ide once you see it.
@@m1a1abrams93 videos gone now
😥
@@MrDALE-jy8tu That would most likely be youboob. The Nazis of info. No different than burning books. Can't be self reliant. But anyway he flatened the casing where the firing pin struck. Then took I believe 5 matchstick heads (wooden matches). Scraped the head off into something that would be easy dumping into shell casing. Then added 1 drop of nail polish remover. Added powder, bullet, etc. He casted his own bullets.
My Thanks to the people who work in these factories and produce these .22 Shells. You bring loads of pleasure to young kids as they learn marksmanship thru trial and error, hopefully under the tutelage of more experienced adults. You are a major player in the American Heritage effort.
Amazing how far our technology has come for these to be produced so rapidly.
This is a perfect calming down video. Funny how pellets or bullets can be create such feeling.
Best vid yet, I've ever seen on the manufacturing process -thank you, Lucky Gunner!
Superb video! Thank you.
That was quite enjoyable. More content like this in the future would be appreciated.
Fascinating! I'm now 72, but many decades ago as a Boy Scout in Canada I earned my marksman badge by doing well enough firing .22 LR from the prone position into a distant [or so it seemed at the time!] bullseye paper target using a single-shot rifle, one cartridge at a time. All well supervised by adults, of course. Canada has strict laws about possession of guns of any kind - I'm not sure that my ~1961 target shooting would be allowed today. Many thanks for the video!
Watching this video just dropped by blood pressure to 120/80. I’m ready for bed now.
You beat me to it
So relaxing watching baby pews being made!
So cute!
Baby freedom seeds being born!
@mesaperproductions that made me lol. nicely done!
That’s genuinely funny
They are adorable!
"freedom" xd
@@isaiahjgomez1501 😂
That was very satisfying to see and learn. Thanks a bunch Sir.
What a beautifully produced video. Well done sir!
Nice job!
My mom is gonna love watching this (maybe), she worked at Federal for 33 or 34 years.
This production value is absolute insane! Its like watching (how its made) federal is my favorite in alot of calibers but .22lr by far my fav, bulk baby!
I really enjoyed this, very relaxing. Thank you sir.
Great video! Thank you. I always wondered how this stuff was made and could be sold so cheap.
That heat treating is called annealing. It is done to soften up the brass up again after being work hardened by the tools. My old pagers & Motorola radios were all intrinsically safe Class 1,2 Divisions A-H so I could use a pager around ALL explosive atmospheres even around hydrogen gas which can seep into almost anything. We needed some way to communicate around explosives. Numerical pager codes gave us some redundancy.
If you get a chance you should do more of these!! This was a nice change in pace for the usual gun channel videos
Thanks for sharing...very enjoyable and interesting...no wonder they cost so much! Nice music too!
The primer on the back of the case is stamped with an "F", your gun literally presses F when someone is going to die. Incredable.
derpnip thats just the branding, so only for this brand's ammo will it do that.
But really fun thought, however!
Actually, it's a rimfire cartridge, not centerfire. So, the F is never pressed when the cartridge is fired.
@@Pyrichia this guy gets is
Or when you miss, works either way.
Not likely with a .22LR
Your right ! That was absolutely satisfying! Great video
very well done. your production standards are often very high (even the stuff Manny did way back in the day), but this just might be your best yet. the photography, music, pacing were all terrific, and very educational. great job.
Super cool! Kind of feel like I need to have some .22LR fun now.
Hell, Yeah. Im watching this in my backyard with a refreshing beer.
Yes Sir! What a really nice video. That was actually done in a very old school way that was both informative and soothing with the great music choice. All of your videos are great but you did really well here.
Fantastic. - How old are the machines? Who designed the process? Who built the system? What kind of maintenance problems do they have? How many cartridges are made in an hour?
I watched a video the other day and the 22 first came about in the 1860's iirc. First was the 22bb and then the 22 short, and then the 22 lr. I think the 22 magnum came a couple of decades later
has one ever gone off despite the automation
I just had a wash of nostalgia seeing those cases. I loved making piles of them back in the 80s.
Man I haven't shot a .22 this century.
That was really neat, love watching videos of how it's made..
thoroughly enjoyed watching that. Thanks for sharing.
It's so relaxing and satisfying to watch videos like this!
By the way, the process of ammo manufacturing is always beautiful 😍
I love watching automation working seamlessly like that.
How it's made, ammo edition. I dont know your channel but I like watching things get manufactured so thanks!
This was damned interesting! (And very well done, to boot!)
Cool video. Plinkster heaven, The .22 caliber rim fire has taught more people how to shoot than any other caliber ever invented. Every one I know that is a shooter their first gun was chambered in .22 Cal. Rim fire. Its as American as you can get.
Really interesting! I always wondered how .22 Rimfire cartridges are made. Specifically how the prime is put in the rim of the case. It's interesting how the whole process is automated.
I always enjoy the tv show
"How is Made"
This video is great. I wish there was a version of "How is Made" for everything manufactured related to guns. From ammo and weapons to accessories, scopes, armor, chemicals and everything in between.
I felt sorry for the one at 6:03 that didn't make it into the hopper. Poor little guy.
Considering how cheap they are, I'm impressed how much goes into making 22LR's. And somebody said it below--your choice of musical background is worth the whole video.
As someone with ADHD this is extremely satisfying to watch
Thanks for showing this, very interesting to watch.
.22 lr: the most wholesome of bullets
I think of them as lead vitamins
The great thing about Federal .22LR is that it actually works. I've never had a misfire with it. Can't say the same about Remington lol.
I live about 10 minutes from the plant, I like to see the deer in the fenced off area when I drive by.
Constantly has em near the sheds
Still making some of the best video content online. Keep them coming Chris!
Seeing this now when ammo is scarce, makes me hungry.
I miss the days when you could swing by the CCI plant in Lewiston Idaho and pick up a bucket of “2nd’s” for $10. They were random and typically just stuff that had fell on the floor, perfectly fine and cheap. That all stopped when 22’s became all but impossible to get. I think they started making sure they all made it into the retail boxes.
This music is so disney i swear one of those bullets was about to grow a face and start singing.
Just awesome! Federal Ammo is my favorite for all my pistols.
Remember when 22 used to be cheap, boy those were the days
In the 1950’s I could go to the local grocery store and buy a box of 50 for .45cents. Now the are at least $1.50 or more, and now you have to give I’d to buy them, but not to vote.
best company i have ever dealt with for ammo..keep up the great job keeping your shelves stocked
Nothing like watching ammo being made. I wonder how much planning it took initially to build production equipment like this, it is captivating to watch!
My wife and I both have a S&W Victory, and we use name brand ammo such as Remington, Federal, Browning, and Winchester. We have about 1 misfire (dud) every 50 rounds with .22 ammo--regardless of who makes it. Nine times out of ten if we rotate the dud and put it back in the magazine for another attempt, it fires just fine. (We also shoot 9 mm and .45 caliber rounds, and never have misfires with them.)
3:05 me after tacobell
lol
It was like watching Mr. Rodgers for adults!!!! Do more videos just like this please!!!!
It looks like they make tens of thousands of round the day, why the heck is there a shortage on 22 ammo???
Actually, it’s millions per day. Plus there’s a sister company (CCI) in Idaho making even more!
@@pamil1923 damn! I dint realize that
My thoughts exactly!
They make them here in MS too...got away from them union plants up north for cheaper labor...yet prices and supply are still screwd up
@@adriankripp7314 i dont get why they slammed the .22 market..it was such fun to take the kids out all day and shoot so cheap... now its just as expensive and impossible to get as that mean old .223..lol. imma find a Genie lamp and make a wish for us all! 😎
.."next, every case gets some propellant or gunpowder"...@5:35. To me, this would be one of the most interesting parts of the process, like the primer room with misters to reduce electrostatic charge, but loading gunpowder seems to be just another normal phase of the process along the assembly line.
The Lucky Gunner has turned into a Day Drinker, thanks Corona virus. When this pandemic ends, there's going to be a lot more people at those meetings. Lol
We need to do an “Intervention” on Lucky 🍀 Gunner 👍
I need to get me a 10/22. Awesome little round. So many uses.