22 NIEDNER RIMMED

Research notes

The .22 Niedner Magnum was developed in the early 1900's by Adolph O. Niedner, famous high-velocity cartridge designer credited among other things for the speedy .25 caliber wildcat that would eventually become standardized by Remington as the .25-06. In search of ever higher velocities, Niedner had experimented with small caliber blackpowder cartridges as early as the late 1800's, developing the original .22 Niedner from the .22 Winchester Centerfire. However, the inherent properties of the propellant limited maximum muzzle velocity to around 1500 fps. With the advent of smokeless powders and stronger actions at the turn of the century, Niedner would more than double those early speeds before long. Lineage of the .22 Niedner Magnum includes the .22 Savage Hi-Power and the .25-35 Winchester, with the shoulder moved foward from that of both of those designs, increasing available case capacity. Even today, the .22 Niedner Magnum would be considered a high velocity cartridge, its performance boosted even higher by modern powders. However, it was made obsolete by the emergence of factory-supported rockets like the .220 Swift, the Weatherby line and others.