Ammo Brief: .22-15-60 Stevens

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A quick look at .22-15-60 Stevens, nothing but a blip on the radar in the world of cartridges.

One of a number of cartridges for the Stevens 44 or 44½ series of single-shot rifles, this cartridge was introduced by Stevens in 1896. Actual design is credited to Charles H. Herrick, of Winchester, Massachusetts. It did not enjoy a particularly long life, as most shooters preferred the .25-21 or some of the larger-caliber cartridges. Many shooters claimed the .22-15 Stevens gave better accuracy than the .22 WCF.

General Comments

This is an improved centerfire .22 of better killing power than other .22s of its day. With the heavy 60-grain bullet, it would shoot flat for 125 yards or so. As a target or match cartridge, most of the blackpowder .22s fouled the bore badly and required frequent cleaning. Most shooters preferred the larger calibers of .25 on up.

The .22-15-60 was displaced by the .22 WCF and smokeless powder developments in the rimfire group. Original primer was the 1½ size, the same as the modern small rifle or pistol primer of .175-inch diameter. Charge was 15 grains of FFFFg or FFFg. Lyman No. 22636 or 22637 in 54- to 60-grain weight is the proper bullet. Therefore, if you should have one of these old rifles in shooting condition, you can still shoot it—if you can find cases.

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt of Gun Digest's Cartridge's Of The World.

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